Eating local delicacies is mostly a treat during travel, and this day we had a great lunch - sharing a roasted pork knuckle. We've seen a lot of people order these, but really there is enough meat to serve 3-4, and we just couldn't finish it, though we made a good attempt.
Returned back to the hotel early and decided to head on to the railway station. When I asked the hotel clerk if she could arrange for the taxi to come earlier, she muttered about not liking the station at night and crazy people ... But there were security cameras and police she supposed. This is one of those moments when we should have taken more notice. We had been to the main station previously, and this was a massive place with shops and cafes etc. So although this was a different station we were sure we could find somewhere to wait comfortably.
But when the taxi arrived at the station, he pulled into a blacked out park, next to a deserted building. But he pointed out an entrance, got out our bags and drove off. We walked into a desolate space, a few flickering neon bulbs, the occasional homeless person carrying baggage and searching rubbish bins, and one solitary railway official. He sat behind a very thick glass screen, and despite having no one else to sell tickets to, or offer rail info to, seemed reluctant to be helpful. He did however confirm that the platform was "that way". I had meant to go and buy some water and juice for the journey, but had taken heathers advice to get it at the station. But the few shops that were here were all closed up, except for a coffee vending machine. I returned to the info desk, disrupting the official again, to see if there was anywhere we could get some water. He pointed in the other direction and said 30 meters.
So Heather and I loaded up our bags and went for a wander, following the metro tunnel with a macdonalds sign wandering if that was where he meant. These tunnels are bleak at the best of times and I wasn't happy that we appeared to be the only ones around and as such easy targets. So we turned around, and on our way back through the terminal, saw a pizza shop shutting up and were able to get a drink. So we returned to wait it out, deliberately sitting well in sight of the station office. I then started to tell heather what a great set this would make for a zombie scene in the Walking Dead, and imagined that searchers may enter the ticket office looking for supplies, to find a sole zombie trapped .... Well it all created too vivid a picture, and I managed to thoroughly freak myself out. So the 80 minute wait dragged on, in the cold, until even the ticket man closed up. We knew the train didn't stop for long - 1 minute actually - so headed up onto the chilly platform early. The train pulled in at 11:30, and we had a mad dash to run alongside to find our carriage. Climbed aboard, the doors closed and off she went. We were only one carriage short, and when we finally clambered into our carriage, struggling with bags and rocking and rolling, we were greeted by the attendant who collect our tickets, explained our berth was made up, and emphasised the need to lock the door.
The rest of the night went pretty smoothly, and I even managed a quick shower before disembarking at Budapest at 8:30 the following morning. It's a funny notion, going to bed in one country and waking in another.
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