Waking Up
I don't recall my alarm going off. When I woke up naturally the Ukrainian was finishing her wake up routine. She wasn't rushed or in a hurry. I looked at the clock and it was 9am! Her flight would leave in less than an hour! What surprised me most was that she wasn't panicked at all. I told her we really needed to hurry and she picked up her pace. I took a quick 5 minute shower and had my bags ready while she checked us out and ordered a cab. She was still packing her bags when the cab came and I did the best to help. Clearing security at airports throughout Europe is much faster than in the US, so I thought we had a chance. Gates commonly close minutes before a flight and getting to the airport an hour in advance is more than enough time.
Getting to the Airport
We were in the cab with about 45 minutes to get to the airport. The airport wasn't far, maybe about 5 miles. Traffic, however, was slow. Within 15 minutes we moved less than a mile. I realized there was no way she'd make her flight and suggested she make other plans. She took the news well and we redirected the driver to the train station. She got a ticket for a 6pm train that would arrive the next morning in a town about 2 hours away. The train ride was overnight and would take about 15 hours - something normal for her when she comes to Kiev. After the train station we made our way back to the airport. I'd drop off my bags and we'd visit the aviation nearby together.
Aviation Museum
After dropping my bag off at a luggage storage area we head towards the aviation museum. It wasn't connected to the airport and was a decent hike away. I suggested a cab, but we ended up walking. The museum is directly across the street from one of the Ukranian's air force schools. Admission to the museum was something like $2. The battery in my SLR was dead, so I could only take photos using my iPhone. Like the Chernobyl museum there was an added charge to take pictures. I was hoping the museum would have Tupolev Tu-144. The Tu-144 is the Soviet equivalent of the Concord and can exceed the speed of sound. Unfortunately the Tu-144 is not at this museum, but with all the other planes on display the museum was far from disappointing.
Flight
The original plan was to leave Kiev and head to Italy. However, that flight was built using two independent plane tickets that connected in Hungary, Budapest. I could actually save money if I stayed a day in Budapest, so I figured why not. The flight was with a discount carrier called Wizz that I've flowed with a number of times. They have a stringent baggage policy like Ryanair, but are much easier to deal with. The baggage fees are much less than Ryanair, too.
Hungary
We arrived in Hungary on time without any issues. The flight time was under 90 minutes. Since I'd only be in Hungary overnight I didn't get a SIM card. I did need local currency though. Although Hungary is in the EU, however the euro is not their official currency.
Getting to the City
My flight got in around 4pm and I was downtown by 5pm. I took public transportation (metro train) to the city center and walked from there. The train did not run directly from the airport though, I had to catch a shuttle bus. I was able to pickup bus tickets at the airport. I didn't plan on getting a SIM card, so I didn't have cell service. However, I was able to get WiFi at the airport and Google Maps did a good job helping me understand the single connection I'd need to make. I got off the bus one stop to early without realizing it. I could make out where I was on Google Maps and realized I had a ways to go before reaching the connection to the metro. I decided to walk it, but the sidewalk that ran aside a 4 lane divided highway ended. I had two options; trail streets throughout a connecting neighborhood towards the general direction of the metro or head back to the stop and ask for instructions. I opted for the latter, ask for help. There were many people at the bus stop, but none spoke English well enough to help. Eventually I discovered I got off the bus a stop to early and boarded the next bus. The bus runs directly into the metro station, so the connection is difficult to mis unless you're me.
Finding the Hotel
I found the hotel on Kayak and at under 40 euros it looked like a total bargain online. The hotel was located right in the middle of the city. Since I only had one night in Budapest I wanted to make the most of it. The hotel is in a large building that divides one of the main roads into two, so the building is large and has a large courtyard. The front of the hotel looks rather intimidating. It's really not though, the front simply opens to a courtyard with a shopping mall and the hotel is on the first floor. Once I was in the city center it took me about 45 minute to locate the building and, once in the building, the hotel.
Although I kept trying to convince myself that I was both looking for the hotel and taking in the town, I was becoming frustrated fast. I was very, very frustrated by the time I got tot the reception desk. That said, the staff completely turned my attitude around. The staff was extremely helpful. Without me even asking, they pulled out a map and helped orient me to the city. The had recommendations about what area to go to for dinner, where to go for breakfast (at only 4 euro to boot), etc. The room was also surprisingly nice. The only negative was that my room had 2 twin beds, but considering what I paid (40 euro) and the hotels location that was fine by me.
Getting Dinner
After consulting Trip Advisor I had a few places in mind for dinner. Some were a bit of a walk. Since I wanted to walk around the city anyhow, I figured the walk would help expose me to town. The restaurant I choose was a nice steak place. Since I had steak the night before with the Ukrainian I opted to just have a burger. The place had WiFi which allowed me to some some research. Before dinner came out the manager brought over a complimentary hors d'oeuvre. It was a toothpick with a tomato, cheese, and something I don't remember. The cheese was grilled and very tasty. It was actually Haloumi cheese! Haloumi cheese originates from Cyprus, something my mom's loved. I asked if I could order it as an appetizer and was told it wasn't on the menu. Go figure.
Hungary at Night
After dinner I spent an hour or so walking around the town. The town reminded me so much of Vienna, Austria - although much less expensive. The white architecture, the detail, the style, etc. I spent about an hour walking around time snapping pictures.
As I walked back to the hotel I wandered around town a bit. A couple of woman asked me for the time and than started chatting about everything. They seemed extremely friendly, but I was dubious. The downside to traveling alone is you have to be cautious about everyone and everything. There is no one to look after you. That said I do realize I run a bit on the paranoid side. I thought there non trivial chance the Ukrainian was going to steal one or both of my kidneys.
The women were Hungarian, but not from Budapest. They did makeup for a movie that was filming. One was older, maybe in her 50s and the other was younger than me. They insisted we all get a drink together, but I wasn't up for it and wanted to go back to the hotel. They insisted though and got me to go along. We stopped a nearby bar where I put my camera in my bag, locking the bag afterwards. I was certain they were up to something, I just couldn't figure out what. As we took a seat I wrapped my backpack strap around my chair. No one was getting in that thing without me knowing. Because I didn't want to deal with tab ambiguity and wanted to know costs upfront I bought the first round - insisting on paying cash. Beers were under $4, so no scam here. I opted to leave after 1 round, which clearly insulted the older woman. I had a lot to do with the morning and was friendly enough, so I didn't feel bad departing.
Skyline
Tomorrow
I only had one night in Hungary, so I wanted to be up early to take advantage of the entire day. I'd received some recommendations via Facebook that I wanted to check out and all were spread throughout the city. The hotel offered to hold my bags after checkout, so the plan was to wake up early, checkout, have them hold my bags, and return around 4-5pm to head towards the airport.
I don't recall my alarm going off. When I woke up naturally the Ukrainian was finishing her wake up routine. She wasn't rushed or in a hurry. I looked at the clock and it was 9am! Her flight would leave in less than an hour! What surprised me most was that she wasn't panicked at all. I told her we really needed to hurry and she picked up her pace. I took a quick 5 minute shower and had my bags ready while she checked us out and ordered a cab. She was still packing her bags when the cab came and I did the best to help. Clearing security at airports throughout Europe is much faster than in the US, so I thought we had a chance. Gates commonly close minutes before a flight and getting to the airport an hour in advance is more than enough time.
Getting to the Airport
We were in the cab with about 45 minutes to get to the airport. The airport wasn't far, maybe about 5 miles. Traffic, however, was slow. Within 15 minutes we moved less than a mile. I realized there was no way she'd make her flight and suggested she make other plans. She took the news well and we redirected the driver to the train station. She got a ticket for a 6pm train that would arrive the next morning in a town about 2 hours away. The train ride was overnight and would take about 15 hours - something normal for her when she comes to Kiev. After the train station we made our way back to the airport. I'd drop off my bags and we'd visit the aviation nearby together.
Aviation Museum
After dropping my bag off at a luggage storage area we head towards the aviation museum. It wasn't connected to the airport and was a decent hike away. I suggested a cab, but we ended up walking. The museum is directly across the street from one of the Ukranian's air force schools. Admission to the museum was something like $2. The battery in my SLR was dead, so I could only take photos using my iPhone. Like the Chernobyl museum there was an added charge to take pictures. I was hoping the museum would have Tupolev Tu-144. The Tu-144 is the Soviet equivalent of the Concord and can exceed the speed of sound. Unfortunately the Tu-144 is not at this museum, but with all the other planes on display the museum was far from disappointing.
Transport
Military Trainer
Helicopters
Ukrainian playing flight attendant
Me and the Co-pilot
Flight
The original plan was to leave Kiev and head to Italy. However, that flight was built using two independent plane tickets that connected in Hungary, Budapest. I could actually save money if I stayed a day in Budapest, so I figured why not. The flight was with a discount carrier called Wizz that I've flowed with a number of times. They have a stringent baggage policy like Ryanair, but are much easier to deal with. The baggage fees are much less than Ryanair, too.
Hungary
We arrived in Hungary on time without any issues. The flight time was under 90 minutes. Since I'd only be in Hungary overnight I didn't get a SIM card. I did need local currency though. Although Hungary is in the EU, however the euro is not their official currency.
Deplaning in Budapest
Budapest Airport
Getting to the City
My flight got in around 4pm and I was downtown by 5pm. I took public transportation (metro train) to the city center and walked from there. The train did not run directly from the airport though, I had to catch a shuttle bus. I was able to pickup bus tickets at the airport. I didn't plan on getting a SIM card, so I didn't have cell service. However, I was able to get WiFi at the airport and Google Maps did a good job helping me understand the single connection I'd need to make. I got off the bus one stop to early without realizing it. I could make out where I was on Google Maps and realized I had a ways to go before reaching the connection to the metro. I decided to walk it, but the sidewalk that ran aside a 4 lane divided highway ended. I had two options; trail streets throughout a connecting neighborhood towards the general direction of the metro or head back to the stop and ask for instructions. I opted for the latter, ask for help. There were many people at the bus stop, but none spoke English well enough to help. Eventually I discovered I got off the bus a stop to early and boarded the next bus. The bus runs directly into the metro station, so the connection is difficult to mis unless you're me.
(left) Hungry in Hungary
(right) Hungarian Train
I found the hotel on Kayak and at under 40 euros it looked like a total bargain online. The hotel was located right in the middle of the city. Since I only had one night in Budapest I wanted to make the most of it. The hotel is in a large building that divides one of the main roads into two, so the building is large and has a large courtyard. The front of the hotel looks rather intimidating. It's really not though, the front simply opens to a courtyard with a shopping mall and the hotel is on the first floor. Once I was in the city center it took me about 45 minute to locate the building and, once in the building, the hotel.
Although I kept trying to convince myself that I was both looking for the hotel and taking in the town, I was becoming frustrated fast. I was very, very frustrated by the time I got tot the reception desk. That said, the staff completely turned my attitude around. The staff was extremely helpful. Without me even asking, they pulled out a map and helped orient me to the city. The had recommendations about what area to go to for dinner, where to go for breakfast (at only 4 euro to boot), etc. The room was also surprisingly nice. The only negative was that my room had 2 twin beds, but considering what I paid (40 euro) and the hotels location that was fine by me.
Touch screen elevator
You can cancel a floor by pushing the lit button
After consulting Trip Advisor I had a few places in mind for dinner. Some were a bit of a walk. Since I wanted to walk around the city anyhow, I figured the walk would help expose me to town. The restaurant I choose was a nice steak place. Since I had steak the night before with the Ukrainian I opted to just have a burger. The place had WiFi which allowed me to some some research. Before dinner came out the manager brought over a complimentary hors d'oeuvre. It was a toothpick with a tomato, cheese, and something I don't remember. The cheese was grilled and very tasty. It was actually Haloumi cheese! Haloumi cheese originates from Cyprus, something my mom's loved. I asked if I could order it as an appetizer and was told it wasn't on the menu. Go figure.
Hungary at Night
After dinner I spent an hour or so walking around the town. The town reminded me so much of Vienna, Austria - although much less expensive. The white architecture, the detail, the style, etc. I spent about an hour walking around time snapping pictures.
As I walked back to the hotel I wandered around town a bit. A couple of woman asked me for the time and than started chatting about everything. They seemed extremely friendly, but I was dubious. The downside to traveling alone is you have to be cautious about everyone and everything. There is no one to look after you. That said I do realize I run a bit on the paranoid side. I thought there non trivial chance the Ukrainian was going to steal one or both of my kidneys.
The women were Hungarian, but not from Budapest. They did makeup for a movie that was filming. One was older, maybe in her 50s and the other was younger than me. They insisted we all get a drink together, but I wasn't up for it and wanted to go back to the hotel. They insisted though and got me to go along. We stopped a nearby bar where I put my camera in my bag, locking the bag afterwards. I was certain they were up to something, I just couldn't figure out what. As we took a seat I wrapped my backpack strap around my chair. No one was getting in that thing without me knowing. Because I didn't want to deal with tab ambiguity and wanted to know costs upfront I bought the first round - insisting on paying cash. Beers were under $4, so no scam here. I opted to leave after 1 round, which clearly insulted the older woman. I had a lot to do with the morning and was friendly enough, so I didn't feel bad departing.
Skyline 
Buda Castle
Streets of Budapest
I only had one night in Hungary, so I wanted to be up early to take advantage of the entire day. I'd received some recommendations via Facebook that I wanted to check out and all were spread throughout the city. The hotel offered to hold my bags after checkout, so the plan was to wake up early, checkout, have them hold my bags, and return around 4-5pm to head towards the airport.
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