Day 1: Eastern Europe

by
Mick (Mrigank) Das

On Aug 6, 2018 I embarked on a much anticipated European package tour on a Delta flight to Amsterdam connecting on to Budapest Hungary, with follow-on stops in Vienna,  Bratislava and Prague - essentially four nations in about 8 days.  I had done very little research on the places to visit sans some timely tips by a couple of friends who had visited that area recently.  I had forked over the cash and had reposed my faith in the tour company to do all the planning, the hotels, the air tickets, the transports and leave me to just take pictures and soak all the sights in… I was by myself on this trip.. there were compelling reasons why the family couldn't easily peel away; some might say I pulled a fast one, and I did endure some flak for it !

When you are on vacation, the psyche is different.  It is not as driven by the pressures of everyday life… so even vagaries in schedule can be tolerated and actually turned into opportunities to smell the roses and make human overtures,  that are usually curbed by the treadmill of daily tasks. The delta flight was delayed on departure…. The reason was one that I hadn't heard before;  the cabin temperature was very hot (it was a warm day in Seattle with temps in the eighties Fahrenheit).   The cooling apparatus in that gate was apparently malfunctioning.  After a lengthy delay of an hour,  somebody had the light bulb go off to move the plane to a nearby gate that had a working cooler. That's the first time I realized that the plane is cooled by some apparatus that is conjoined to it at the boarding gate supplied by the airport authority. I could see the usual nerves getting frayed syndrome in me and other people… the only concern I had was missing the Amsterdam to Budapest connection as it was a very tight 2 hours and it had been whittled down to nothing.

I tried to remind myself though that I was on vacation and the first evening was a 'free' evening in Budapest and the official tour didn't start until the next day… so in the worst case I was going to be cut out of the free evening.  I took a positive attitude and decided I was going to enjoy the journey through Europe in transit,  even if I couldn't really get to Budapest on time. The Delta flight finally left after a 2.5 hour delay.  I had managed to finagle my way to the front of a chaotic line and made sure that they rebooked me on the next Budapest flight 6 hours later should I miss the connection which seemed likely.  So the net of it was instead of landing at Budapest at 4:20 pm in the afternoon, I would be flying in around 11:00 pm. As it turned out, it was almost midnight.

The passenger next to me was a chatty old British lady called Vera…. In her eighties. We got into a conversation… as I had nothing better to do and this was the NOW moment; sticking to my resolve to take in the world around me with love and compassion (or some such :)!)  She was very interesting, a cancer survivor no less… had lived just outside of the northern English city of Liverpool in a town called Runcorn almost all her life.  She visits her daughter and SIL in Shoreline, a Seattle burb every summer… amazing spirit. She kept telling me we go through here(earth) once, so make the most of it! . She told stories of her husband who worked for a Ford motor plant and had passed away a decade earlier after battling cancer…the trips down to the river they had taken together.. her other daughters, one of whom is 'bossy' but has a rich husband who had earlier played professional soccer in England; her granddaughter Natalie who teaches school, her boyfriend whose parents funded their first house and so forth…how she still lives in a two-storey house and climbs the stairs… and on and on!  I was paying attention only to see how someone looks back on life at the golden age… and fairly palatable fare to quickly compress the actual nine hours and change to Schipol to barely nothing. She even recounted the story of how her uncle reported to police a spy during WW II who was flashing Morse-code signals during Liverpool blackouts so the Jerry bombers could find targets. When I confided my concerns about pickpocketing in Budapest that I had heard, she pooh-poohed it saying they are everywhere, keep your stuff in front and be watchful... after hearing her i garbage-canned that concern :) 

After I reached Amsterdam,  it was about half hour past my original connection to Budapest so there was no drama.. I think the time was around 1pm local time. I was already comfortable with the fact that I would have to spend a few hours in Schipol;  it is a great airport, nice amenities so I wasn't too ruffled. Vacation positivity had me in a happy frame of mine, and each little obstacle I was dealing with was an opportunity for human interaction with other cultures.

The six hours in Schipol were kinda uneventful… I found a nice lounge chair that you could almost recline at a 45 degree angle and got some shut-eye of the REM variety, light but still restful… with a bit of that old-school Indian DNA in me to nestle my arm around my hand baggage so that it is not pried away during the siesta.  I got myself some food from an airport brasserie… fish and chips and organic tomato soup to balance, too oily and greasy but enough in it to sustain me.  I even remarked to the young man at the grille who looked like of mixed Dutch and African descent how come the Dutch didn't make it to the Soccer World Cup and we struck up a brief chat;  my eclectic interests and ability to absorb the substance of a broad array of topics continues to serve me good in these situations.

There was one key move I did make at Schipol though…  while trying to charge my phone, I realized that I had packed a 'world' adapter plug, but the 'world' plug I had hastily packed was the wrong one; didn't live up to its billing and it wasn't going into any of the sockets…. It was purchased at one of the locally renowned Bapujinagar electronics shops and it was really a 'india' plug for US appliances. So I hurried into one of the airport gadget stores and luckily for me at a slightly overpriced 20 euros I found a high-quality Euro-plug that should last me a while. 

Finally, the eight o'clock hour rolled around where the gate of the Budapest flight (on KLM) opened up.  That flight was late by 45 minutes or so too… weather delays. More opportunities for conversation…a young engineering student Daniel who first gave me the heads up that a famous European music festival called Scigate (pronounced sea-gate) was happening in Budapest and lots of youngish 16-23 year old boys and girls were headed there…  but to cut to the chase we finally boarded the plane. A young Scottish lady of about 21-22 called Beth who was also Scigate-bound and a Dutch businesswoman were my companions on the 3-seat row.  We talked a little bit about the festival, the safety of visitors in Budapest etc. but it was getting late and we all wanted to get to Budapest.. So just relaxed with a drink and tried to start the novel Origins by Dan Brown, but quickly gave up and instead chose to gather my thoughts as to what to do upon arrival. I was imagining a desolate airport that late at night and possible safety concerns… and it was quite a surprise when we finally landed at Ferenc Liszt airport. It was anything but desolate -  lively and bustling with the young crowd. Not a big airport… oh I had negotiated another minor irritant with unusual flair and positivity; the KLM gate attendants had forced me to check in my carry-on as it was deemed oversize although I saw them let many others through.. I didn't argue much, didn't want to be kicked off the last flight; sometimes you have to exercise judgment where to attack and where to go with the flow.  I only had a carry-on and a backpack; a true light traveler… as we shall see later I did purchase another bag to stuff gifts into on my return journey.

At around midnight local we landed.  I said a few silent prayers for my suitcase to arrive, and it did after a bit of anxious waiting during which the carousel was stopped and started… it certainly wasn't what the KLM attendant had promised me…last-in, first-out.  Made a mental note to email the KLM customer service, and as many mental notes go it never came to fruition.

The whole airport was bustling with boys and girls… all dressed for high summer;  shorts, t-shirts, tanks, sleeveless and cut-off tops…most carrying camping gear as the festival was open air on an island nearby;  Their skimpy outfits were a clear signal that the temps were going to be very hot the next couple of days. It felt good;  so many young people!  The energy and the vibe of the city was going to be good… I had a good feeling.

I walked out and my eyes scanned for the placard 'Gate 1' my tour company.  A swarthy man had that placard in hand… he was a man of few words but affable and efficient.  He got me safe and sound to the Radisson Blu-Beke in the main city center; I couldn't see much at night except it was quite lively with a lot of bars and restaurants and nightclubs still open and buzzing.  I breathed a sigh of relief and a big smile and checked in. The front desk crew told me that a dinner tray had been set in my room. Later I found out that was complimentary by my tour company to make amends for my travel delays.  It was very much appreciated;  Tuna salad, fruit, dessert, mineral water and some other stuff I forget… after that I was dead tired and quickly changed and hopped into the bed…thought briefly about opening a white envelope from Dean, my Serbian tour manager whom I had not met that reception had given me.... Day 1 came to an end;  I was in Budapest, the Paris of the East as was its moniker in days gone by and excited that the tour was finally underway!!  What was in the Envelope?  We will find out :)