Arriving in Hungary

I have to say, in terms of customer service, MALEV Air is a step ahead of US carriers. The gate agent was pleasant and helpful (he suggested I not go through security after checking in 4 hours before flight time because “there’s really nothing to do down by the gates”). Once on the plane, I was pampered in traveler’s class with a nice blanket (which everyone was allowed to keep) that had MALEV Air embroidered across it, free headphones (some carriers make you pay a few bucks for them) and two meals (dinner and breakfast). Both meals were very good, and dinner included free drinks (beer and two selections of Hungarian wine).

Everything about the flight was delayed, however. The inbound flight to JFK arrived late, then it took longer to turn the plane around than it normally does (based on the regular schedule) so we were late taking off. After all that, we got into Budapest around 10:10 Sunday morning (100 minutes late).

When I awoke Sunday morning, we had just crossed the English Channel. I know because between movies and shows, the airline displays a flight tracking graphic showing the airplane’s location against a world map. Then the map zooms in giving a localized look at the plane’s position. It also displays altitude, ground speed and outside temperature (just right for a flying junkie like me): it got down to -77°F between Newfoundland and Iceland, the coldest I saw.

After waking up I looked out the window and saw nothing but clouds all the way to the horizon. A bit later, however, the clouds broke and I got my first look at the European continent. We were probably somewhere over Belgium or Germany and maybe it was the geography lover inside me, but I have to admit I was a bit moved, emotionally, when I saw Europe. Something inside of me knew it was a monumental moment for me, and one I won’t soon forget.

I was met at the airport by Julia (YOU-lee-uh) and Suzie (in Hungarian it’s JOO-jee), two teachers at Varga. Both speak English, but it is a second language and I had to remember that when choosing my words.

We reached their car (my luggage came through just fine – thank you MALEV) and had to wrestle with how to fit 100 lbs of baggage into a compact car. We got it done and were on our way.

The first thing I learned about Hungary is that drivers love to pass one another. No matter the situation, whether there’s someone oncoming or if the car they’re passing is going 20 km over the speed limit, they will pass. Julia must have passed about 8 cars during the 80 km trip to Szolnok. Oncoming motorists passed countless numbers of times. On more than one occasion my toes clenched with anticipation and fear as we passed with oncoming traffic, but we made it through the ride home.

Once in Szolnok, I was introduced to my flat (apartment). Very modest but it has everything I will need. More on the flat later on.

(A view out the window of my flat...My building looks like the one across the yard)

Julia and Suzie took me to lunch at Szolnok’s only four-star hotel, the Garden Hotel. They had a Sunday brunch buffet, however, because of jetlag, the airplane breakfast and the car ride I had little appetite. Still, I took a few small servings of food. First I had Paloc Leves (PAH-loats LEH-vish) – A paprika seasoned pork soup that was very good. Next I had turkey and pineapple in cream sauce with pasta. This too was good, but I couldn’t eat much as it was too filling.

When lunch was finished we went to the only grocery store open on Sunday (Hungary is a Catholic country and most businesses are closed on Sunday). This market was huge, and inside reminded me of a Wal-Mart Supercenter. They had clothes and house wares in addition to food. With Julia and Suzie’s help I picked up a few basic items to make sandwiches and something to drink. The bill came to about 2500 forint, or just about $12. In the States, what I purchased would have cost at least $20 if not more.