From Hungary

[stdesjardins]

I arrived safely in Budapest about seventeen hours after leaving home, around 5 a.m. D.C. time, right on schedule. Unfortunately my suitcase did not. I had already discovered certain deficiencies in my packing (I forgot my camera! I put my Fodor's Budapest in my checked bag, not my carry-on!), and this was a further lesson in preparedness. I consider this a dry run for further travelling, and I'm lucky to have so many experiences to learn from. For example, after getting out of the shower this morning, I learned you should always keep a comb in your toiletries bag, in case the comb in your suitcase goes missing.

Fortunately, I did pack a change of underwear and socks in my carry-on, so I'm shabby but not filthy. I realized this morning that I should have tried to wash the stains out of my pants last night, when they would have time to dry. (It's not my fault; eating on those tiny tray tables with inadequate utensils means spills are practically expected.)

I took a nap for a few hours after checking in to my room, then found my way to the reunion site and registered. I went back to my room to try to plan a dinner trip, but ended up taking another nap and not getting up until around 11:00, by which time it was too late. Eventually I ate some trail mix out of my bag. (I should have just eaten in the hotel. I looked at the menu this morning, and they do have some vegetarian choices. If I get the suitcase with my Fodor's guide today, I'll have an easy time planning where to go, especially if I buy a good map.)

I have two free days with no conference events planned, so I'll try to plan some walking tours and do a little shopping. The old Hungarian buildings are really lovely, and I'm tempted to see if I can arrange to rent an apartment for a few weeks next summer and stay a bit longer, to really see the city. (Having a refrigerator to hold medicine and groceries will be nicer than staying in a hotel, and probably much cheaper.)

I found a drugstore this morning and bought a comb, but I still need to get a map and a disposable camera. I wandered around the streets a bit this morning, well before everything was open, and sat on a park bench for a while, where I wrote an earlier version of this letter on a pad of paper. ATM's work fine, so I have plenty of cash, and the reunion gave me a seven-day transportation pass, so once I have a map and a guidebook I'll be all set. There was an opening talk this morning, about what it was like in Hungary during the Cold War, full of interesting and/or horrifying details. (In 1950, a bus driver accidentally hit a lamp post. He was tried for sabotage, convicted, sentenced, and executed, all on the same day.)

An aide to the American ambassador spoke briefly, and he called the first students to come here, 20 years ago, "courageous". I never thought of myself as courageous. At the time it seemed daring, unconventional, and bold, but not in any way risky. The closest I ever came to feeling unsafe was when I travelled to Romania, and even then I never really thought anything bad would happen to me, I just felt that this was not a safe place to be. Perhaps I had youthful illusions of invincibility, but I don't think so.

Comments

[fionagh.livejournal.com]

I would love to see any pictures you take from your trip. Have a great time!