Eger, the Horrible? (Tuesday, September 4, 2007)

At the end of the last chapter, our heroes seemed to be a bit under the weather. Things really came to a head overnight, as I came down with what almost certainly is an upper respiratory infection & Charlie got what seems to be a nasty sinus infection. I didn’t sleep well & what little sleep I got was interrupted by Charlie’s snoring. The snoring is somewhat of an issue most days, but between all our various ills this night, it really was problematic.

So I woke up grumpy. It’s about that time that the inanimate objects of the world decide to conspire against me (just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean it’s not true!) I tried to take a hot, steamy shower, only to have the shower handle-thingy (a technical term, for that which holds a held-hand shower head) not actually hold the shower head, the soap dispenser go flying & the shower doors not work as I anticipated (causing a minor bathroom flood). I was not amused.

Add the illness & shower conspiracy to the fact that it was raining outside, and it was clear that today would be challenging.

We ventured out in the rain to visit the Eger Castle. This is their equivalent of “The Alamo” (except they actually won, beating back the Turks). It offered a nice view of the somewhat soggy town. We returned back to our hotel for lunch. I thought this, a cold day where I was sporting a cold, would be an ideal day to try goulash. Mmmmmmm! Hungarian Penicillin! It didn’t eliminate my symptoms, but I felt a fair amount better thereafter.

Later in the afternoon, we ventured out to the baths. Eger, like Budapest, has a wealth of natural spring activity. These baths were really something…starting with the indoor/outdoor pool (water was about 85-88 degrees) , where you could literally catch a wave through a half-moon shape lane as you might find in a water park & they had a whole bunch of Jacuzzi jets. And that was only the inside…the outside pool had some of the oddest massage jets imaginable (a couple were shot from a height of about 7’, another came from perhaps 15-18’, while yet another came from the base of the pool, with a force that made it difficult to stand on top of). Outdoors, they also had a “hot pool” (about 100 degrees), that had little shower heads you could stand next to (that shot water at maybe 120 degrees). All in all, it was very fun & relaxing. I could definitely see why the Hungarians really love these baths.

We finished the day with a walk through the town. Eger really is a charming place, with some nice sights to see & a fairly laid-back demeanor. It’s not a big spot for Americans, but it is very popular with the Germans (in fact, not many locals speak English, but they do just fine with German). The final activity of the day was dinner at the downstairs restaurant. Can’t get enough of that goulash! I think dinner with soup, a main course & a bottle of mineral water comes to about $10. Such a deal!

The final word: The hotel had space available for tonight, so I got a separate room (that way, Charlie & I won’t be battling with our coughs & sniffles).

Occam’s razor (Monday September 3, 2007)

If I remember, Occam’s razor refers to the supposition that the simplest explanation is usually the most accurate. In my case, I was looking to understand why my backup razor (didn’t bring the “good one”) wasn’t working well. It made all the right noises & obviously had power. Ah…perhaps I didn’t line things up correctly yesterday (when I went to clean out the razor & piece that holds the blades in place fell into an unused toilet bowl…of course, I promptly fished it out & gave it and my hands a good cleaning). The retaining piece was fine…but it was no longer retaining the three blades. Which (given the simplest explanation) mean they must have fallen into the toilet (long since flushed) & I just didn’t see them.

As you might imagine, electric shaving without blades is a less than satisfactory experience. So, on this day (Monday), I set out to find replacement blades or a new electric razor (yes, I’m that much of a wimp that using a manual razor isn’t really an option).

While we were next to the main shopping district, it turned out that none of the stores carried either item). At the suggestion of the front desk staff at the Marriott, I headed over to the West End City Center mall (via metro). I had hoped to get an “all day” metro ticket (to avoid waiting in line each time to buy an individual ride ticket), only to have an old woman speak to me in some sort of Hungarian rant. Perhaps I now am the proud owner of a curse? In any event, the West End City Center mall could easily be swapped with any major indoor mall in the US. Except for the fact the store names were largely unfamiliar & signs were in Hungarian. It then occurred to me that I didn’t have the name of a particular store for this excursion, much less the Hungarian word for “electric razor”. This was made all the more daunting by the fact it was a three-story mall with what seemed to be about 6 different wings. I talked to a young man at a Dell store (OK, so that’s a name I recognized) & he said he didn’t know of any places that would sell razors or blades. But, he thought they might have some at “Media Markt”. Media Markt (which I think I visited in Rotterdam some years ago) is about the size of a Fry’s Electronics store. I didn’t just find a razor; I found the aisle of razors & hair dryers. They didn’t have my replacement blades, but I was able to buy a relatively inexpensive replacement razor. After I spent time in a couple of the slowest lines in the history of modern retail, I emerged victorious, ready to be facilally shorn.

I took metro down past our hotel to meet Charlie at the Great Market Hall. This large building (which looked a lot like the nicer train stations & other “old shopping malls”) housed more butchers & produce shops than one could imagine. Lots & lots of peppers of every shape, size, and color for sale! An interesting place, but one instance where my trusty travel buddy, Rick Steves, probably over-rated it.

After heading back to the hotel & packing/checking out, we walked across the Chain Bridge to see the Buda side of the river. Several of the main sights are up on “Castle Hill”. We took a funicular up the hill & were almost immediately accosted by one of the craziest people I’ve seen in a long time (then again, I don’t spend nearly as much time in Berkeley as I once did). We decided not to go into the many museums on the hill, but rather wandered around & saw the buildings and the views back across the Danube & an impressive fortification called the “Fisherman’s Bastion”. And yes, we managed to skip the Marzipan Museum.

We descended the hill by foot, got our bags from our hotel and headed to the train station. Our destination: Eger (a well-preserved town, with a rich history). By the time we got to the train, I think both Charlie & I were beginning to feel a bit under the weather. Yet we soldiered on.

Eger is a very nice, medium-sized town. We’re staying at an inn that has a whopping 5 rooms. We had a very tasty dinner outdoors here (Charlie’s Wiener schnitzel was claimed to the biggest in the county, I’ve seen nothing thereafter to contradict that claim). Hungary does seem to have a lot of alfresco dining options, of course, that may be related to the eating in places more touristy than others. We enjoyed the nice, but seemingly changing weather and the relaxed pace of Eger.

A Pest to Call My Home (Sunday, September 2, 2007)

About 4am, the large amount sleeping caught up with me. That & I realized that the Cal vs. Tennessee football game was underway. So I dragged myself out of bed & headed downstairs. I broke down & spent $10 for an hour of the internet, during which time I connected to my Sling Box (which has been used sparingly in the last couple of years). For those not familiar with the technology, the Sling Box lets you stream TV content (such as the output from my Tivo unit at home) across the internet (to your laptop computer). And it also lets me control my Tivo remotely. So, even though the game had been going for about 2 hours, I was able to jump back to the beginning of the game & watch it from there. I fast-forwarded through a lot & actually made it to the beginning of the 4^th quarter (before my time & energy was running out). And as the Bears were winning (somewhat comfortably), I figured it was it safe to go back to bed. Turns out they eventually won. But the really cool thing was to be able to watch the game in the middle of the night, 6,000 miles away. It’s still one of those technological marvels that amaze me.

After we eventually got up (Charlie had a bit of my initial jet lag/coma) & out the door, we set off to see sights along a major route called “Andrassy Ut”. By a stroke of dumb luck, we happened upon a sightseeing bus that was headed for “Statue Park”. Previously, we discussed going there, but weren’t sure how that would work out logistically, so it was pretty cool to literally walk right onto the bus & head out there.

Statue Park is a collection of several of the communist era statues (that became obsolete, passé or reviled) after Hungary regained independence. Unfortunately, the statue of Stalin got mostly destroyed awhile back, but many of the other Communist Era “rock stars” were well-represented. Some of the statues were impressively large. I think it’s nice that they’ve been preserved. Some of the statues were are quite impressive. It may be an era of history Hungarian would just as soon forget, but didn’t someone say something like, “Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.”

We returned from Statue Park & set off on Andrassy Ut. We toured St. Istvan’s (Istvan = STEVEN to you non-saints) Basilica (nice church, great view from the tower), then found our way to the “Museum of Terror”. This might sound like a place that features ghost, zombies & thrill rides (ala Disney’s “Tower of Terror”). Yet actually, it documents the “twin terrors” Hungary has faced in the past century (e.g. the Nazis & the Communists). The museum is located in what were both the Nazi’s Secret Police Headquarters and later the Communist’s Secret Police Headquarters. The basement (which has been reconstructed) housed the cells and other torture rooms, which included a small, darkened closet (where they would be no way to do anything but stand). All in all, it was a very interesting glimpse into life under oppression. But it was safe to say it was not exactly a “fun experience”.

After that, we worked our way through the vagueries of the metro to travel out to City Park. We didn’t have enough time to enjoy the famous Szechenyi Baths (although we did look through the window & saw all sorts of Hungarian enjoying them). We toured through a recreation of castle (Vajdahunyad Castle) that housed a couple of museums (which we skipped) and watched a local man & his Hungarian Pointer (Viczla?) play an energetic game of “fetch the stick” (from the castle’s moat).

We walked through the rest of the park & ended up at Heroes’ Square (with statues of many of the great heroes of Hungarian history). This, along with many other important buildings, was built for the 1896 celebration of Budapest’s millennium (which should have happened in 1895, but they couldn’t get ready in time!)

Somehow in all this excitement, we forgot about lunch. So after we made our way back on the metro to the main shopping district, we plopped down at a café and had a very late lunch. It’s a great place to “people watch”. Then after a long overdue nap back at the hotel (and some unsuccessful attempts at establishing an internet connection, we went out for a late dinner (once again, in the main shopping district) & then walked all the way up to the Hungarian Parliament building. It would seem that the events of past years have had an impact on their security…looks like the barricades were erected quickly, as the single low-hanging chain from post to post didn’t provide much security. It’s an impressive complex of buildings from the outside & was well flood-lit (a regular occurrence in Budapest, as fountains, churches & many buildings get this treatment).

A long, but successful day of tourism.

The Hibernating Pest (September 1, 2007)

I’m pretty sure my sleep deprivation & running around has finally caught up with me. I woke up about 6am, had some breakfast, then went back to sleep until about 1pm. I went back to Vaci Utca, now very crowded with shoppers. I got some lunch & came back to Vigado Square (just north of my hotel). Here, I finally found some free wireless internet (I had trouble rationalizing paying about $30/day for the service at the Marriott) & spent a few minutes getting my new Bluetooth GPS working my International Blackberry (and Google Maps). I’ve never had too much trouble finding my way around foreign cities (starting back in 1978, when I navigated myself & my parents back to our car on many occasions where my parents would have had a lot of trouble finding it). And yet, it’s pretty cool to have the ability to know where you are (within 3 meters ). This is made all more “cool” due to the fact this unit is somewhat smaller than a stack of perhaps 2-3 sticks of gum.

That walk was so exhausting that I had to come back to the hotel for a well-earned 4pm nap. I think I’ve slept a total about 20 of the past 30 hours. Ironically, I’m still tired. Isn’t that strange…I wasn’t that tired when I hadn’t slept & now am tired when I have slept? Some of my recent yawns seem to have the power of a large-scale hydraulic jack.

Charlie made it to the hotel & we set out for food. I had warned him about the young ladies (and the expensive beverages). I think he was surprised that we were approached several times in the course of a few minutes. Obviously, we just “looked rich”! We were also approached by several gentlemen extolling the virtues of their particular “gentlemen’s club”. The pitches ranged from very direct to occasionally rather esoteric.

Making a Pest of Myself (Friday August 31, 2007)

I was surprisingly awake upon my arrival in Budapest. Considering I didn’t sleep much on the plane (maybe a total of 2 or 3 30-60 minute naps in total) & was seriously sleep-deprived before I even left home, I was glad to be somewhat conscious & not too irritable or jet-lagged as I made my way through the airport (which didn’t have a long line for immigration or much wait for baggage). I was pleasantly surprised that it took no more than 25 minutes after we pulled up to the gate until the time I was ready to hop on the mini-bus.

The truth is that I like to travel, but hate “travelling”. By that, I mean that sitting on airports & airplanes for hours on end isn’t very fun (even when the travelling is for “fun”, rather than “work”). I’m sure it would be more enjoyable if I was someone who could easily sleep on a plane. Sadly, that’s not a skill I possess.

To that end, I’ve become a *very* big fan of having a nice place to stay (that’s not too hard to get to…or find) upon my arrival from a long trip. Whether it was the Marriott in Zurich (2006), the Novotel in Sydney (2004), the Renaissance in Sydney (2000) or the Rydges in Auckland (1999), this strategy has been exceptionally helpful when I have arrived in the morning & can check into the hotel early. This time, I’m staying at the Budapest Marriott. The first of several Marriott properties I’ll be visiting in the next 3 weeks. And yes…that’s related to the fact my travelling partner, Charlie, works for Marriott (and can often get some seriously low rates). A few of the low rates might be classified as obscene, therefore not appropriate to report in this PG-13 rated blog.

This hotel is situated right next to the Danube River in Central Pest. It is a very nice hotel, yet it would be even nicer if they weren’t in the midst of a major construction project. But that didn’t stop me from going down for a MAJOR coma.

After a relatively fulfilling nap/sleep/hibernation this afternoon (lasting about 6-7 hours), I more closely resembled a human being. I decided to take an evening stroll around Central Pest.

I walked along the Danube to the Chain Bridge, then headed inland towards Erzsebet Square (one of the many squares nearby, all of which sporting a well-lit sculpture of some sort). For a central touristy area, there were a lot of locals, mostly in the form of dozens of teenagers…mostly skateboarding. It’s interesting to think that none of these teenagers ever lived under communist rule.

Eventually, I found my way through Deak Square (stopping to buy a few groceries) & Vorosmarty Square to the head of Vaci Utca (the main pedestrian mall). Even though the many shops were closed, there were still a good number of people out, many sitting outdoors at the different restaurants (all seemingly focused at the tourist trade). I also came across a few attractive young ladies who inquired if I spoke English (which I conveniently forgot how to speak…as it’s a well-worn scam involving very expensive beverages).

Off on a side street was the first McDonalds behind the Iron Curtain. It was reported that this location was mobbed by all sorts of Eastern Europeans looking for a taste of the west. Even under communist rule, the Hungarians had a bit more autonomy & non-collectivism than residents of other eastern bloc countries.

I continued to walk along Vaci Utca all the way down to Budapest’s Great Market Hall. I then headed back over to the Danube (by the Liberty Bridge, currently closed for construction) & headed back up to the Marriott. This was a route I would repeat several times during my stay.

The longest day (Thursday August 30, 2007)

My airport shuttle was to arrive at 4:15am Thursday. Which was enough to make me question the wisdom of booking a 7am flight out of San Francisco. In the best of circumstances, I’d get to bed at 10pm & get about 5 hours of sleep. Realistically, if I got to bed the night before a trip by midnight, I was doing pretty well. As it turned out, I was ready to go to bed at 3am. Leaving me time for a 45 minute nap. Which certainly beats the alternative of NOT being ready to leave by 3am. As it turned out, I wasn’t really all that tired (perhaps a bit wired from all the pre-travel activity) & only spent 30 minutes in bed (none of which were in slumber).

I’ve always had some trouble with procrastinating. This trip, I thought I had things well-enough organized that I wouldn’t have last-minute panic. I had very comprehensive “to do lists”, and started working on them very early. Yet, that wasn’t nearly enough. Especially around a couple of items from work (including preparing a report that has been my own personal albatross). Perhaps it was the knowledge that I was taking a laptop on this trip that kept me from getting those items done?

At 4:10am, my shuttle arrived. Thankfully, I was actually ready to go a few minutes early. On the way over, we found a traffic jam in San Francisco at 4:40am…they are doing construction on an overpass & taking Highway 101 down to a single lane. It’s at this time I have some gratitude that I wasn’t driving myself & parking (as I probably would fallen asleep or gone postal in that much stop & go).

I’m glad that I had arrived at the airport 2 hours before my scheduled departure, as Delta’s check-in line took about 75 minutes. I just don’t usually see that end of things, as I almost always travel domestically, don’t check a bag & check-in on-line (and get very testy when the on-line check-in isn’t working correctly). Thankfully, the security line took all of about 3 minutes, so I didn’t have any trouble making my flight.

I had carefully selected my seat for the SFO-JFK segment, such that there was a person on the aisle (where I selected the window), increasing the chances of an empty middle seat. Unfortunately, there was someone in the middle seat (obviously trying to sit as close as possible to his wife (sitting by the window one row ahead). I swapped seats with her & still ended up sitting next to a couple. Or at least until the door closed & I made a bee-line for the window seat one row further up (with an empty middle seat). This probably annoyed the French guy sitting on the aisle. Yet that annoyance didn’t keep him from long periods of slumber (in some of the more odd sleeping positions I’ve seen on airplanes).

The highlight of the flight was playing an interactive trivia game (against several of my fellow passengers…glad that my unit wasn’t suffering the same fate as a unit in front of me that was continuously rebooting Linux throughout the flight). I actually wasn’t doing very well during the early part of the flight. But…I finally found some of those dormant brain cells & jump-started them for some late victories. By the time we landed, I had amassed the high point total for a single round of 20 questions (16 of which I got correct). Sadly, they didn’t offer me any appropriate compensation, such as a free flight, a million frequent flier miles or something of that ilk.

I had taken similar precautions to maximize middle-seat emptiness for the JFK to Budapest segment, unfortunately to no avail. A woman (about my age) & her mother (or more likely her mother-in-law) awaited me. The mother-in-law (who only spoke Hungarian) was in the process of moving from her middle seat to my seat. When I arrived, she suggested I should sit in the middle seat. While I think I have relatively good manner & occasionally take part in chivalrous acts, this was more than I was willing to do. Thankfully, the aisle seat ahead of the daughter opened up & the “mother” moved out of the middle seat.

I was surprised at the population of the flight being predominantly Hungarian (seemingly returning from holiday in the US). I would have thought that on an American carrier, Americans would have been in the majority. Then again, as business in Hungary apparently shuts down for the month of August, I guess it all makes sense.

The in-flight movie had to be restarted about a half dozen times & audio had serious volume problems (not to mention it was the old-style overhead video, rather than the cool in-seat entertainment unit I had for the domestic leg). Making me very glad that I had my trusty 60GB iPod filled with music & several DVDs loaded onto my new laptop.

Catching Up...

As I've had precious little internet connectivity (with my laptop, due to the fact I've been too cheap to pay 30 Euros or so for a day of connectivity at the hotels), I've written but not published several days worth of travel blog. Then again, as I haven't spammed everyone with the address of the blog (until now), it hasn't been a big issue.

The address is: http://stevehurd.blogspot.com

Enjoy...Steve