I'm up early. Sitting in the breakfast room adjacent to my B&B room. Dark, quiet, peaceful. With the rain gently falling on the skylight windows above.
I'm heading out by train to Ukraine in a couple of hours. But first I want to check the news while I have Internet access. Last night I noticed that both the Ukrainian Hryvnia and the Russian Ruble have dropped more than 10% in value. A major move for any currency. This is good for the cost of my journey. I'll get more for my dollars, but, it could mean things are heating up between Russia and Ukraine.
Perusing the NY Times, the Financial Times, the Guardian and the Kyiv Post, I see nothing unusual to account for the drop in the currencies. So that's good, but not the Amtrak train accident I read about. Over here in Europe they have wonderful trains and it's a great, in fact, the best way to travel. Although it can be confusing if you don't speak the language.
I spent many hours at home planning the next leg of my trip. From Budapest to the border town of Zahoney. Then another train over the border to Chop the border town in Ukraine. And finally, another train to Mukachevo, a small Ukrainian city, where I hope to catch up on my sleep and improve my Ukrainian language skills from beginner to perhaps advanced beginner.
Now I must interrupt typing this narrative to go by bus to the train station.
Ok I'm back again at the train station where I get a cup of coffee in this beautiful space. The brightest space in this somewhat drab and gritty but architecturally beautiful old Hungarian train station. It's a McDonald's, no less, where I can access the Internet. I remember that I can't use my blogger program off-line so I download an offline word program with just enough time to do this before I head out to the train platform.
Finally, I think I can identify the right train and go to it and show my tickets to the uniformed guy who points me to the right car and I find my way to this great seat with a nice desk where I'm now typing.
All is fine til the conductor reads my tickets. I note that he is a young guy with a concerned expression, who obviously takes his job seriously. He examines each passenger's ticket carefully, as he moves down the car towards me. Looking at my tickets he says "reservy" (or something sounding like that). I show him my passport, maybe he is verifying my seniority for the discount. He circles Zahony on one ticket (the border town I'm headed for) and he then asks me for something else. I don't understand (not knowing a word of Hungarian). We come to a station, he gets off and then comes back and we continue our "conversation". He looks perplexed. I am perplexed. He looks away. Then back at me, nods and walks to the next passenger
I won't bore you with the details, but this episode follows hours I spent at home getting the tickets on the Internet, to the extent I could, and then continuing the process yesterday at the train station with the ticket clerk going back and forth from me to another woman in the back room "conferring" with each of us (speaking Hungarian) as she sells me a ticket for the train to cross the border which I couldn't order on line. This occurs with minimal English, followed by my reviewing my tickets with the young woman manager at the B&B who checked things on the Internet with also some confusion. (Why do I now have 3 tickets for one train ride?).
Still, bottom line, I think I will make it to the Hungarian border town as I'm matching the next station on the train's display sign with a map I found on the Internet (which fortunately they do have on this train) so I think I'm on course and all is OK.
And the train with my seat, desk and view of the countryside couldn't be nicer. Well it could be a sunny day which it's not, but hey, after all the great weather I've had, I'm certainly not complaining.
There's no food on the train, but my B&B in Budapest packed me some sandwiches to take as I was leaving before I would be able to partake in their wonderful breakfast. So I'm in good shape foodwise.
Now I think I've got it figured out. The train ticket I've got to take me over the border does leave too late to arrive in time to catch the next train. It appears OK until you allow for the 1 hour time difference between the two countries which the station clerk failed to do. No problem though, as I found out with the B&B manager it is only 9 minutes by auto between the 2 border towns so I think I can get a taxi to get me there in plenty of time if the border guards and lines don't delay me too much.
I wasn't able to find out how to get from the Mukachevo train station to the my hotel there but I think the distance is not great and I'll figure that out when I arrive, God willing, at the train station.
Ok now we stop at a major city of Debrecen and then a new conductor gets on the train and the previous conductor and this one come to me and I show them my tickets again and they confer and there is indeed a problem.
They then get this passenger who speaks English and after much discussion it turns out that they are questioning my discount price on the ticket. I show them my passport and it turns out that the discount only applies for EU members not Americans. Then it turns out that this train doesn't go to Zahony, it stops at the next station and I have to change to get the next train to Zahony.
The English speaking Hungarian woman says she can help me at the next station to upgrade my ticket to the full price. I say OK the 2 conductors look relieved. Hopefully, I'll yet make it to the border town of Zahoney. Train tickets are so inexpensive here, that the additional cost is of no concern to me. Fortunately, I did not cash out all my Hungarian Forints so I think I'll have enough to pay whatever I have to.
After we get off the train at Zahony the young woman introduces me to her father-law who is there to meet her, We all then proceed to the ticket counter with the 2 conductors where I buy the "upgrade" (no discount for elderly Americans). Everyone is happy and I ask to take a picture of of the participants in this successful solution to a daunting problem. The conductor buttons his jacket in preparation for the picture which I take, then the woman tells me where to get the next train which is leaving in just 10 minutes.
The next train is far less elegant with no reserve seats. I enter a compartment with 3 others in it, none of whom speaks English or Ukrainian. They seem to be amused by this foreigner (me). My next challenge is to get off at the right station and not miss it. One by one they get off at their destinations. I am able with sign language to get the last remaining passenger in my compartment to indicate 5 stations to Zahony as she leaves the train.
At the station, the taxi drivers are quite aggressive soliciting at the arriving platform, but I negotiate a price half of what the driver is asking, or so I think. The driver looks a bit sinister to me but gives off good vibes and I'm impressed by his initiative (I know, I know, you're saying that is to be suspected, but still ....).
It takes about 45 minutes for the 10 minute drive, the difference being waiting in line to get through customs both leaving Hungary and entering Ukraine. Documents are checked. Trunks are opened and peered into. The driver has passports for both countries which is probably a sign of his professionalism. I ask him if I can look at his passport. He says yes and I see and say his first name which he corrects and I introduce myself and he says my name right the first time and we shake hands as we become new best friends, though this is, hopefully, not a long term relationship.
Given the long lines and delay I become concerned that I will miss my train, but then things proceed nicely, as the taxi drivers assist each other by letting their buddies, as traffic shifts, move ahead into the fastest moving lanes.
I find out from the ticket office that my next and final train will be arriving in 10 minutes at platform 4. A few minutes later the longest passenger train I have ever seen pulls in at platform 3.
My compartment is designed for 4 passengers with bedding (blankets, sheets, towels) has 2 fold down bunks on each side is empty and I think I will travel alone until a guy enters. In the hour it takes to travel to Mukachevo. we get to know each other.
He's a railroad inspector traveling to Lviv (my next destination in 5 days) where he lives. We show each other family pictures from our smartphones. and discuss the situation in Ukraine. He offers me a beer. I offer him the last of my 4 small sandwiches supplied by my Budapest B&B which he declines, having just previously eaten.We discuss the political situation and I ask him about the Russian seizure of Crimea. He tells me that for Ukraine, Crimea was like a burden (financially) which you carry on your back and wouldn't drop it, but if someone comes along and takes it, well it does relieve a burden. His English is not totally fluent but sufficient for us to have a good conversation. He tells me that Ukrainians (western) are a different people with different customs from Russians. (Putin seems to imply they are not ).
Talking with him confirmed my view that the majority of Ukrainians very much want to be part of Europe, not Russia, a view different from those who prefer to think the uprising was just a US coup.
When I get off the train in Mukachevo, no cab drivers approach. I find they are on the other side of the station and when I approach one, he tells me (by drawing the number on his car) that it will cost 35 Hryvnias to take me to the Inn where I will be staying. I count out the Hryvnias I have (left over from my last trip - the 2 ATM machines not working in the station) and it's only around 20, not enough for him. I suggest he take me to an ATM machine and then the Inn which he says he'll do for 40 Hryvnias.
When we get to the Inn I give him a 50 Hryvnia bill (about $2.20) and he starts to give me change. When I wave him off, he is very appreciative and with a warm smile he wishes me luck.
In the Inn, the manager speaks no English at all and I'm confused that the room I'm staying in, doesn't seem to have a door that locks. It turns out that the sitting room next to my room, is part of my suite and it does have a locks. I now have, for 4 days, a suite of rooms filled with interesting furniture, paintings and objects in a charming small city for $14 per night.
Life is good.
Thanks especially for reading this very long post!
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