Last morning

Last morning in Budapest and started as usual, breakfast in that great dining room and that huge selection. After that it was time to return to the room, shower, repack, and check last minute emails before heading to the train station for a 1pm departure.

I got checked out at the desk...must have been a young trainee, took him for ever to add up my bar bill!!! Well, not at the bar but from the minibar in the room...you know, orange juice, coke, etc...anyway he finally got it tallyed and I asked how much a cab to the trainstation should cost.... 2600 he said. Funny, cost me over 6000 to get FROM the train station to the hotel.





Oh well, out the door and into my Mercedes and off to the train station. Got there about 11am..little early I know, but I'd much rather be early than chasing one of those German trains down the tracks. I TOOK my bags from the driver and headed into the station to check with the Euro ticket office to confirm I didn't need to confirm seats on this train...confirmed!!!

Off to the tracks..eyes ever watching for those pickpockets they warn you about. I strolled along the shops by the tracks just dying to spend the last 6000 I had in my pocket...nothing but girly magazines and Hungarian books...so with those bills burning a hole in my pocket I purchased a beer to have while I enjoyed one of my favorite pastimes....watching people.

I realized as I stood there leaning against the wall that this must be a learned trait from my parents...our pastime in the metropolis of Anadarko was going downtown on Saturday night, parking the car...all three of us in the front seat when we had the '42 Olds coupe one seater, or me in the back when we got the new '50 Ford station wagon (Woody)...and watching people walk up and down the street. Now and then we'd get out, go to TG&Y and get some candy, then right back to the car for more watching!!! Anyway I spent the next hour watching people come and go on the 10 or so arrivals and departures every hour.

By now MY train came up on the board...#62 to Vienna for a four hour layover to Frankfurt. I walked down to track # 5 and waited for boarding time, then into my FIRST CLASS, full sized, black leather reclining seat and was ready to enjoy the scenery enroute to Austria. First the Hungarian police...a little later the Austrian police...all checking passports, then into Vienna.

I wasn't really looking forward to spending four hours at Subanhof, the train station we were last at in Vienna, but then figured what the heck..only four hours. Much too soon we were pulling into the station...but wait, this was NOT the station I was at last time..this was the OTHER station in Vienna...West Banhof. WOW, much nicer station. Very clean...working escalators, lots of shops and even internet cafe...so of course I looked for a place to stow the bags and headed for the internet cafe to have a latte and an hour of catching up.

As soon as my hour expired and I had been informed that what Karen REALLY wanted from Europe was some European cigarettes, I headed for the nearest Tabac shop and found some...not the right ones I'm sure..but nevertheless they are stowed in my bag now. I then went and had a kebab at one of the station shops and a cold beer. VERY GOOD.

I checked the boards to see that "The City Train", #312, was scheduled out on time from track #1, so I took a little stroll outside the station to see what this part of Vienna looked like. Much the same as the rest...lots of traffic. Bikers, skaters, walkers, runners, taxis, buses, street cars, cars...well you name it. And downstairs was the metro...people coming and going everywhere. I walked down the street a ways, then back to the station to retrieve my bags and head out to Track 1 and ready to board "The City Train".

Once on board (I was assigned #26) I found my spot and stood there waiting for all to come aboard to see if I was alone. Not so lucky this time...in walks a freulein in tight jeans, stilletos and starts speaking German...."sorry?". She said she would climb up and fix her bunk...she was on top on the left, me on top on the right. Hmmm..wasn't so sure about that, so I just stood around outside the door for a while till the train started moving, then went in and layed down on the bottom bunk on the right...we were the only two there. Soon the conductors came by and took our tickets and...speaking German or Austrain..handed each of us a piece of paper (in German) and said something. "Sorry????"...the female conductor said in very good english...."Oh, this is your voucher for free breakfast in the morning, starts at 4am and I'll wake you before we get to Frankfurt". Wow, great....free breakfast and free wake up.

Feeling secure (her on top and me on bottom) I shut the door and curled up on the bottom bunk and was soon lulled to sleep by the clickety clack of the train!!!!