I knew about Hungary from their colorful stamps when I used to actively collect them years ago. Little did I know that I would get an opportunity to visit Hungary in early years of my travel life. Hungary chronicles deserve a special mention among other adventures in Europe
We were quite excited about travelling for 3 months with our Eurail pass on our exchange program in Europe. We were a group of 3 girls from our section, each staying in Paris, Cologne and Vienna. Different lecture schedules and train connections meant we couldn’t do short trips together. I went short distances with my roommate or alone. My roommate was very different from me- quite slow, focused on looking good vs getting ready on time, being particular about food, preferring to spend on transport vs walking. She came with some work experience and hence a little more money in the pockets and better world sense. I wanted to avoid long trips with her
We could only plan 2-week trips together with my section group and we decided to do 2 such trips, to Portugal-Spain, Eastern Europe together. Anything more than 2 weeks at a time meant exhausting vegetarian food that I could carry in backpacks, too long an absence from classes that we could manage catch up on and lots of clothes to wash.
Eastern Europe sightseeing would be centered around Vienna, Budapest and Split. My friend in Vienna had a small 1 room studio that barely had space for an additional bed. For day trips, me and my friend in France took turns to be in Vienna and avoid camping at the same time.
Lonely planet was our primary source of awareness of destinations in addition to suggestions from our senior batch. Wikivoyage now is the go to starting point
The two-week trip would cover Bratislava in Slovakia, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Budapest in Hungary, Plitvice lakes National park, Split, Brac beach in Croatia after counting travel time to and from Cologne
Another friend from Lucknow campus somehow bumped into us in Vienna while enroute to Budapest. She was a friend of a friend and decided to join us. We were in 2 minds on how to accommodate her in the small studio in Vienna since we were already 3 of us. We shamelessly but politely told her at the end of the day to find a place since our place couldn’t accommodate more than 2 and we were already 3 of us. She left on her own and stayed in a hostel that night, subsequently joining another gang the next day
We continued to Budapest in our group. We took the free walking tour in the morning that works on tips only basis. We were fascinated to learn that Buda and Pest are two parts of the city spread across river Danube. The fisherman’s bastion, the Parliament building, the chain bridge stood out with their authentic charm unlike other more developed European cities
We grabbed some quick McDonalds burger as lunch, loitered around all corners of the city till the evening and saw the city in golden night lights till our hearts were full
Then came the awful night when we missed the last train out! We got confused between Keledi and Kelenfold and reached the wrong one, not in time to realize the mistake and go to the other. We had to either spend the night in the station which was not very safe or find a hostel. Most sites had sold out rooms or bookings taken down for the day since it was close to midnight. We reached out to the friend who was with another gang to see if there was any space in their hostel
Turns out, they had booked an 8 bed dorm since it was cheaper for 5 people instead of booking separate rooms. They had exactly 3 places left, enough to accommodate us perfectly. We silently went with our heads down like humiliated cats and slept that night in the hostel. We were so thankful to them for giving us space at midnight and not letting us stay outside shivering
They didn’t accept our share of fare for the room, taking the more magnanimous route. It was a lesson well learnt for us. We decided never to play that petty again
While we have been chivalrous many times, we have also been petty at times, and I wanted to write this specifically to admit that. Magnanimity comes from the heart, not from deep pockets. It was a learning for me to never turn someone away in need and make room or adjustments where others can opt out if they feel uncomfortable rather than us forcing them out