Friday, July 2nd ... a perfect day for a train trip!

So, I woke early - having slept fitfully due to my excitement about going to Budapest.

After my usual morning ritual, I had a slight meltdown of fear ... and so I reached out to my family and friends for support, which helped the fear ebb away. Sigh - - I am SO grateful to those people who help me through life. 

And so I was off!

Packed and ready, I took the metro to Praha Hlavni Nadrazi (the Prague Main Train Station). Once there I decided to splurge last minute and upgrade to First Class ... woo hoo! Not too expensive either (only $50 for a 14-hour RT trip), and turned out to be just lovely ... not only that, but 2nd class had no AC (and it was warm that day) - - but most of all, I am SO glad I did it because you were allowed to SMOKE in 2nd class ... which I would not have handled well for the 7-hour one-way trip. I find it so strange that you can smoke on the train!

The train station was packed! Mostly young backpackers, but some families as well. I located my track, and waited - - my train was late.

Praha Hvlani Nadrazi ... view from track 3.

Look! There is my train pulling in!!

The first class car.

The oh-so-romantic dining car, the one in-between my the 1st class car and the first of the many 2nd class cars.

The cute little refreshment cart that was wheeled through 1st class every hour or so. I even got an American rag mag to pass the time!

A funky self-portrait in the reflective ceiling of the 1st class car.

And so I settled comfortably into my four-seater area ... all to myself. It was so pleasant. The car was sparsely occupied, and many of the people closest to me simply slept - - so it was quiet and peaceful, riding the rails through the Czech countryside. There was an elderly English couple in the seats a few in front of me, and an older Chinese couple in the ones behind me. Also, a solo young male traveler in the one of the two-seater sections on the other side of the aisle from the Chinese couple.

And so, I passed the time staring out the window ... completely content. Did not even want to listen to my music, which is a fairly constant companion to me here in this foreign land. But I did not want it ... I wanted to hear the sounds of the train, rolling along - and stare out the window, trying to catch EVERY little thing! My head sometimes whipped back and forth between windows ... but mostly I was totally fulfilled with leaning back in my seat and gazing out my window, listening to the sounds of the train. 

Sigh.

A shot out my window, of a lovely water/bridge/tree scene. I love water! And the look of weeping willow trees are so evocative. Nice!!

Sigh ... what sweet little houses in the middle of nowhere!

An idyllic looking Czech town.

An old walled ... palace perhaps?

Look ... a traveling Czech carnival!! Neat! That is the walled 'palace' from the previous picture in the upper right corner of the image.

Again ... I love water, especially a fall!! So, I know it's blurry - - but it's still fabulous to my eyes.

Sigh ... how lovely, a little pedi bridge over the river to the sweet little Czech village.

A pretty flower filled field ... still in Czech.

I thought these were interestingly shaped cargo carriers ... for liquid presumably, and flammable I'd assume. Huh.

Another idyllic Czech village, with a gorgeous church to boot!

Hurray! It started raining on my train trip ... love it!!

There is my little home on the train, and yup - that's me in the window ... I was crossing back and forth between the windows, wanting to see EVERYTHING!

And so, I pass from Czech and into Slovakia ...

One of the 1st buildings I saw in Slovakia ... it translate to "Dutch Furniture"

We're at a stop, and this packed train sits next to us. Funny, all the people hanging out the windows are like images I've seen of trains in India or Mexico. It looks like a big party in there!

A little Slovak village.

Hmmm ... this looks more like a Slovak city.

Ah ha! I walked into the final car of the train, the one beyond mine (in the other direction of the dining car) ... and it seems to be a 1st class smoking car! Ugh!! I'm fairly sure about the class, because I doubt the put a 2nd class car at the end of the train -- nor one where you have to walk through 1st to get to it ... although, it is in the same layout as 2nd class, with the little doored compartments and a long hallway down the length of the car.

And so naturally, I need to show you the WC on the train!!   ;-}

And from Slovakia into Hungary ...

The 1st station we passed, without stopping, in Hungary ... it reads - Domos Crossing.

Now we've come to the 1st Hungarian stop ... and what a cute little town it is!

Another view of the town ... and HA - - there is a way cool hilltop fortress in the distance!! I was awed by it ... I kept walking between different windows (same side this time), and took about 10 shots - ever trying to get closer and closer!

Another view of the awesome hilltop fortress ... what a great shot!

Again, another view ... oh look! There is a river between the cute Hungarian town and the hilltop fortress!! What a super place for a fortress, defensive wise.

Sigh ... the only "close-up" I could get is this. Not the best quality, but not too shabby considering I was on a moving train - probably a mile or 2 from it as well (total guesstimate here, I am not good at judging distance).

So, I believe we are now on the outskirts of Budapest. I saw this water tower and was immediately drawn ... couldn't get a good view though, many things in the way after I snapped this one (the only one too). So ... I cropped it to pull it a little closer, and look - - some fun graffiti on the pipes in the foreground too!

Another view of the outskirts of Budapest.

And so my train trip, wonderful as it was, comes to an end.

My 1st shot of Budapest ... just steps from being off the train. WHOA - what a fabulous old train station ... gorgeous!

A close-up of the amazing frontal window of the Budapest East Train Station.

A view back into the train station from the entrance/exit.

A view of the amazing window, from the outside of the train station.

And so there it is ... the gorgeous Budapest Keleti palyaudvar (East Train Station). Built between 1881 and 1884 in the Eclectic style, it is the largest of the 3 stations in the city.

And so from here, I walked to my hotel ... Alfa Fiesta on Kiraly ut (King's Street). Naturally, I found some fabulous things to photograph along the way!

Oh look ... there's the 1st fabulous thing I snapped!!   ;-}

Ahhhh ... a fabulous building to be sure!

OK, so not that I'm a huge fan of Telly Savales ... but look closely, and see if you can see something different about this billboard.

When I walked by the entrance to this courtyard, I was caught by the green foliage and went in for a closer look. And to my pleasant surprise, it is the location of the memory-lane-titled Bubu shop ... hey boo boo, where is that pic-i-nic basket?

I love the 'crown' atop this building.

Whoa ... now THIS is an old and crumbling building!!

And so I arrive at my home-away-from-home ... away-from-home!

Here is the oh so lovely reception area of the Alfa Fiesta Hotel

Oh my ... now THAT is a beautiful lobby!

Sigh ... now I am REALLY looking forward to that bed!! Nice and big and cozy looking, in other words - nothing like my Prague flat!

And the other side of my hotel room ... my window looks out into the atrium, and down on the gorgeous stained glass sculpture in the lobby below.

And so I am exhausted ... up early and not having slept well - then spent 7 hours on a train, but not sleeping for fear of missing something! I needed water ... so decided to go get some and have an early night in prep for my 1st day in Budapest tomorrow.

The concierge told me that there was a non-stop (aka 24-hour) store at the end of the street the hotel was on ... sweet, only a few blocks down! And so I venture back out into the capitol of Magyar Koztarsasag (Republic of Hungary).

I got about 50 feet before I began to get my 2nd wind. Once I got to the end of the street (and the non-stop store) and saw the city before me (I was at a major street, just across from the entrance to Fashion Street) ... I tried to remember the city layout, and determined that I was probably only about a few blocks from the Danube River. Once that thought fully absorbed into my brain, I immediately decided that I was not that tired after all ... and off I went!!

;-}

This is Vorosmarty Square, about halfway down Fashion Street.

A close-up of the huge statue in Vorosmarty Square ... it is of Mihaly Vorosmarty, a Hungarian poet and dramatist from the 1st half of the 1800s.

Wow ... what a great night shot of Buda Castle, Szechenyi Chain Bridge and the "Little Princess" bronze statue on the Danube Corso (a pedestrian street along the water).

Another great night shot ... of the Szechenyi Chain Bridge crossing the Danube.

The Gresham Palace ... now a hotel ... at the Pest end of the Chain Bridge.

WOW ... just WOW ... my money shot of Budapest at night! This is Buda Castle, as seen from the Pest side of the Danube River.

The Elizabeth Bridge, the next bridge down (south) from the Chain Bridge. Not the best of pics, but I include it because it shows the Liberty Statue (the lit up "thing" seemingly floating in the upper right corner of the pic) ... which I climbed up to on my last day in the city (July 5th).

A close-up of the fabulous Chain Bridge (anyone seen I-Spy with Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy ... this plays are good size role in the fun movie).

And so here I was, at the end of the Szechenyi Chain Bridge ... looking across it at the Buda Castle - - I could see what looked like a tunnel under the Castle property, as well as the funicular next to it (also in the above referenced movie) - all lit up and fabulous looking.

Less than 45 minutes has passed since I had left the hotel, it was about 9:30p and I was still feeling okay energy-wise.

A thought slowly sauntered across my brain ... almost audible in it's intensity ... "what would stop YOU, Ami, from crossing this bridge RIGHT NOW and checking out that awesome tunnel and funicular close up" - - - and then the response came "not a thing at all" ... and so - I went!

The Buda end of the Chain Bridge, looking at the tunnel beneath the Castle property and the sweet flower-centered-roundabout in front of it - as well as the funicular (vertical railway) to the left of it.

I wasn't satisfied ... I wanted more ... I walked closer ...

A closer view of the tunnel, and funicular to the left of it.

Not close enough yet ...

And so I've reached the Buda Castle Funicular ... and it is STILL open, at almost 10p! 

The lowest wall of the Buda Castle, directly to the left of the funicular.

And so, there I was at the bottom of the Castle - - so full of energy from delight of being where I was, that I was ready to climb right up to the top of the Castle!

Uh huh ... at 10p, when only about an hour ago I was exhausted and just went to get some water a few blocks from my hotel.

Thankfully, for my body anyway - not for my photo album, divine intervention caused me to end my long long day ... the batteries chose that moment to die in my camera.

No worries ... I knew I needed sleep. So, home I went to my hotel ... stopping to get water of course! Oh yeah - - THAT was interesting too!

I bought water with a blue label, because that is the color of the flat (still) water here in Czech ... and since they HAD that color in Hungary, I assumed it was the same. So, I bought 2 liter bottles (warm) and even stopped at another store to get a 3rd cold one.

I get back home, and open the water - - so thirsty - - and it fizzes. Aargh!! I do NOT care for fizzy (carbonated) water AT all. So, back down to reception I go and explain the situation ... a-p-p-a-r-e-n-t-l-y the flat water is in the PINK label in Hungary!

So ... back I went! To the closer of the two stores, where I could get some cold still water ... sweet sweet water. It made me SO damn happy to have cold sweet water!

Finally, I lay down in my super comfy and big bed - - with the soft duvets and lovely big fluffy pillows ... and slept.

Sigh.

Whew - that was a LONG one folks, and thanks for staying with me!

I warn you, tomorrow will be as long at least - as I have over twice as many photos as I did today.

Here is a link to the day's photos on my Picasa page ... Buda or Pest - - how about both?!