The trip home: Prague to Kisva'rda

Well, our flight was late leaving Prague, which meant instead of having just a little over an hour to catch our train, we had less than a half hour. I should have known the trip wouldn't be smooth when we got on the plane, and the ticket agent had given me the middle seat, even though I asked for an aisle. I got kind of pissy and told Tara that I don't sit in middle seats, all pompous like now that I look back. As soon as I could catch the flight attendant's attention, I asked if I could move to one of the 10 empty rows behind us, and thankfully, she said yes.


I had carefully planned the trip --- I had a plan A, but no plan B --- so, guess I didn't really plan it carefully! I didn't have a schedule of other trains - just the times and transfers for my train under plan A. Although I had a ticket for the train, I didn't have a seat reservation that was also required. I was hoping I could get that at the station at the airport. Tara didn't have a return ticket for the train, as she was getting paid while we were traveling and needed to wait until she got paid to buy the ticket. We came into Terminal A, but the train stops at Terminal B. And, there is no actual station there! No place to buy tickets. At least Tara knew this in advance.... so, as I was waiting for my bag, Tara was on the phone to another one of the CETP teachers, asking her to check the train schedule for other possibilities. At this point we realized pretty much our only option was to bust butt and take a cab to the next station closer into Budapest where we could get the seat reservation and the ticket, and hopefully make the train. 4000 forints and a made dash up stairs and through an overpass, we are in front of the ticket office, and the cashier tells us the train has already left - we didn't make it in time.

Tara is on the phone again, trying to figure out the next train when the reality is becoming clearer and clearer to us: there is no next train all the way to Nyiregyhaza, let alone on past it to Kisvarda, where Tara was going to spend the night with me, and then catch the bus to her village in the morning. We both had classes to teach in the morning, with mine being at 7:45am. So, a lot of broken Hungarian, English, talking into the cell phone, arguing with the ticket clerk, etc., it is decided that we will take the train as far was we can get that night, sleep for a few hours in the station and then take the first train from there in the morning - gettin me into Kisvarda at 7:20am. It was already 7pm, and the train now wouldn't leave until around 9pm and we would get into the station around 1am and our departure was around 5am.



The station we were going to was Puspokladany and yes, it was open at night, 'cause Briggi (the CETP teacher who Tara was talking to on the phone) got kicked off the train and had to spend the night there last time she was here. As we waited for the train, it struck me that I might have misunderstood this about Briggi staying there before. So I asked Tara if she meant Briggi had to overnight there last time she came from Budapest recently, or did she mean when Briggi was in Hungary two years ago! Well, it was 2 years ago, and yes, my suspicions were right on. We arrived at the train station, and all lights were out; except those on in the WC building right next to the train station which is where I desperately needed to go anyway. So, we headed directly to the WC for me to use the toilet, and low and behold, someone (a man) had already staked claim to the bathroom floor for the night! He moved enough to make room for me to get in the door and into the stall (although the stall door wouldn't close)!



The sign on the station said it was closed until 3am. We looked at each other and realized there wasn't much we could do. There were a number of trains stopped for the night, and there were workers around cleaning the trains. There was one other passenger who stayed on our train until he was kicked off by the cleaners, and then he reentered one car after another, right after/before the cleaners. He obviously had experience at this, and we probably should have followed his example. It was around freezing and we had our clothes piled on and we spent two hours walking and pacing on the platform to keep warm. As soon as the doors opened, we were inside, and I staked out a bench. Tara sat and watched a movie on her ipod, unable to sleep.


I reached the train station in Kisvarda at 7:20. There were no cabs, so I tried to call one, unsuccessfully in my broken Hungarian. I had just approached a young gal in the station to ask if she could ask for the cab on my cell phone for me, when one arrived. I made it to my flat at 7:30, ripped off my dirty clothes, changed into clean clothes, and ran out the door with my book bag to my class that started at 7:45!!! I couldn't believe I made it.