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Saved: September 15th 2021
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Yesterday on the train from Budapest to Vienna, there was a group of 20-something Hungarians who must have been going away for the long weekend. They were well into the celebrations before they even got on the train, and they were well stocked up with booze for the three hour train journey. One of them brought his cigarette onto the non-smoking train, as Europeans tend to do, and when he leaned against the wall of the train, he was holding his cigarette right beside the non-smoking sign. It made me laugh, and wish my camera was handier!
The group seemed to be having a lot of fun, and fortunately the train wasn't too full, so they didn't really bother anyone. When the border guards came through, one of them couldn't find her ID. After searching all of her belongings, she gave up. I don't speak enough Hungarian (and by enough, I mean any) to know what she was saying on her phone as the train neared the border, but I assume she was trying to figure out if she'd left her ID at home, or if it was lost. One of the Hungarian guards stayed with the group until the
train stopped at the last station in Hungary, and they escorted her off the train. The funniest part though was that she was too drunk to be really upset about it--her biggest concern seemed to be whether or not she had a lighter to have a cigarette as soon as she got off the train. Although her friends weren't as drunk as her, they were also drunk enough not to be too bothered by the whole thing.
Coming into Vienna was a huge shock to me, after nearly four weeks in the former Eastern Block. The streets are wider, the buildings are more detailed and symmetrical, the store-front displays are different. So why did I leave again this morning to go back to Slovakia of all places? Because I really wanted to see Bratislava, and it's only an hour by train from Vienna...
The wind was cold today, and I was dressed for a November day in Vienna, which is warmer than a November day in Bratislava. I found the old town, hurried up to the castle, then back through the old town again for a bit, and then back on the train. I was back in Vienna
about five hours after I left.
I wish I'd spent a few more hours in Bratislava--as compact as the interesting bits are, it's a very charming place. Being the first working day of November (because yesterday was one of the biggest public holidays in this part of the world), work had begun setting up the stalls for the Christmas Markets. Now if I was a few weeks later, and there was hot wine available on the streets, I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed the cold as much.
When I left Vienna this morning, I forgot to switch the Lonely Planets in my day pack, so I didn't have the Slovakia one. My Vienna book has a brief blurb on Bratislava, as an excursion, but I had a feeling all day that there were other things I would have liked to visit, if only I'd had the right guidebook.
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Mike
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hi
Great photos from my homecity Tanni..Next time you will visit Slovakia try www.slovakia-travel.sk...this site will help you with everything..have a great day