And so it begins...

So, I wrote in my journal along the trip, and so I am going to essentially type what I journaled for you to read, with some editing and elaboration along the way. Hope you enjoy it.

I will come back and add photos later--they are (as always) posted on my facebook.

10/30/10: Day 1

And so it begins...

Alex came to Pápa Friday night, and we all got up, packed, ate breakfast, packed lunches, and headed to the train station. Megan saw us walking and drove us, which was super awesome.

At 13:45, I saw my first Toxic Red Sludge in a field canal on my way to Ljubljana.

3pm: Ukk allomás, Ukk allomás. Crrreeeeaaaak.  This is the mantra of the beginning of our trip. Love the fact that the conductor got off the train with us to make sure we actually wanted to get off here in Ukk. We smile, say yes, thank you, and walk towards the station. He wasn’t convinced. This station is even more in the middle of nowhere than Pannonhalma. we left the station to find a bar or something, but there was nothing besides a propane plant and corn fields in sight—there’s a small town off on a hill in the distance—no sense walking there with packs. So, we sit in the train station. Ate sandwiches. We really enjoy the way the station master makes his announcements saying Ukk Allomás, Ukk Allomás—why he has to say it twice is beyond me, other than it sounds awesome. Very tribal/ritualistic. It’s already an annoying mantra by my companions. Haha.

So, this adventure. Lots of mixed emotions. Mostly because of exhaustion (not a great way to start a 9-day whirlwind tour) and feeling underprepared. I don’t really know what this trip holds in store, but I tried to get bus and train schedules and open hours for some things we might want to see in each place. I just hope we do some cool stuff, see some cool things, and have a great time.

After sitting there for over an hour, Alex decided we needed to explore. He led us up a hill, through a corn field, past a cemetery, and down a small street with water wells across a village for what seemed like forever—remember, we had our backpacks. Eventually we found a bar. It was hilarious—here we are, three young foreigners with huge packs wandering through a small village in the Hungarian countryside—clearly lost. We actually found a map of the village, and as I was looking at it this man in a car pulls up, shuts off the engine, and gets out to help us. Angie asked if there was an etterem (restaurant) nearby, and he said no, then yes, and pointed farther down the road. He had maybe two teeth.  We said thanks and continued on. We had a beer, a glass of wine, and a coke, and then headed back to the station to catch the train to Ljubljana.

PS—the final destination of the train we got off of was a large city that we could have been stuck in instead of Ukk for 4 hours... oh the Hungarian rail website, thanks for the adventure.

Now we are somewhere between Hungary and Slovenia, on a train, halfway believing we are on our way to Hogwarts.

It’s the weekend before All Saints Day, and the chrysanthemum wreaths and candles... I am totally in awe. It’s night now, and we passed a cemetery, and it was all lit by candles in red glass. It was (almost eerily) beautiful.

The big dipper is straight out our window. Beautiful river, castle on the hill, dragon tales...

At Pápa Train Station, all packed up and ready to go!

excited to be on the train to Slovenija!