budapesting

December 1, 2010  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!!
Astoria Residence
Budapest, Hungary

Those full on travel days are pretty crazed.  Wake up in Salzburg.  Drive full speed to Wien.  Get caught in traffic jam.  Get to Westbahn.  Do the massive left luggage deal.  Race to drop off car at rent a car place to not get charged for extra day.  Take cab back to Hotel Mozart.  Drop Jackie off.  Realize that we will not be able to get to post office to send flip flops, books, summer clothes,  Ben's lifesize boars head back to states and make train.  Drink a gosser instead.  Begin to understand that we will need to haul everything to Budapest to do massive mailing session there.  Things are spread all over the floor of the hotel common space.  We need another bag to put all this stuff in.  We ask the innkeep where we can buy a cheap bag.  It seems like we are not communicating well.  Glorious eureka moment.  She wants to give us a large piece of rolling luggage.  Perfect.  Pack everything up.  Kiss Jackie.  Kiss the lady who gave us the free luggage.  Take cab to Westbahn.  Make train with twenty minutes to spare.  3 hrs later.  Budapest.  Have rented a room in an apartment.  Very cheap.  Nice roomates.  Staying on the Pest Side.  Will walk across the bridge to Buda Side tomorrow.

In conclusion, Salzburg was a fairytale.  Skating in the snow, people singing in the christmas markets, good cheer abounding. And to top things off Jill and I got 3 whole hours to ourselves.  Jackie took the critters and Jill and I took a deep breath as we realized that we had not been alone together since August 14th.

Love u Mom.