Tomorrow morning (Friday) I'll take the train to Prague, Czech Republic for the weekend! Nearly everyone I've spoken to says it's a wonderful city. I know little about it, other than that it's the tourist mecca of Eastern Europe, there are many pick pockets there, and it has a great music scene (including jazz).
My train from Szolnok leaves around 8:30. In Budapest I'll change trains and take an 8 hour ride straight to Prague (or Praha in Czech). Fri-Sun nights I'll sleep in hostels, and Monday night I'll take a night train back to Budapest, arriving around 7, then it's back to Szolnok by 10.
The trip takes me through Slovakia, and near Poland. I considered taking a train Sunday night to Krakow, Poland, which I hear is beautiful. But, I really want to focus in on one place and get to know it a bit. There will be other opportunities to get to Krakow I hope.
Finally, after this trip I will have been in 4 of the 7 countries that border Hungary. Still to go: Ukraine, Romania and Serbia (no longer Serbia and Montenegro). Romania is an easy one; Nearly a third of the people there are Hungarian. Ukraine is far and poor, but my grandfather was born there so I want to visit. Someday I will, but not in the next month. Serbia night be tough. It's not the most friendly place in the world. Maybe a can steal a visit on a day trip.
I'm sure I'll have a lot of pictures to share when I return on Tuesday. I'll try to write a few words from the hostels on the road.
Sziastok (plural form of "bye"...akin to "bye y'all")
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” - Mark Twain
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Favorite Travel Quotes
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.
~Mark Twain
The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.
~Henry Boye
The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.
~G.K. Chesterton
I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself.
~James Baldwin
If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.
~James Michener
Travelers never think that they are the foreigners.
~Mason Cooley
The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land.
~G.K. Chesterton
It is not down in any map; true places never are.
~Herman Melville
The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing."
~Daniel J. Boorstin
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
~Lao Tzu
Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.
~Charles Kuralt, On the Road With Charles Kuralt
I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.
~Robert Louis Stevenson
The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
~St. Augustine
~Mark Twain
The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.
~Henry Boye
The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.
~G.K. Chesterton
I met a lot of people in Europe. I even encountered myself.
~James Baldwin
If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.
~James Michener
Travelers never think that they are the foreigners.
~Mason Cooley
The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land.
~G.K. Chesterton
It is not down in any map; true places never are.
~Herman Melville
The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing."
~Daniel J. Boorstin
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.
~Lao Tzu
Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.
~Charles Kuralt, On the Road With Charles Kuralt
I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.
~Robert Louis Stevenson
The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.
~St. Augustine
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3 comments:
Just to let you know...Serbia is not as bad as you can hear..If you will go to Belgrade you will find out that people are just great...They are really open, friendly, easygoing and full of fun and energy..You should try their meat (hamburgers are just the best in the world!)Really!! I am not joking..All countries of former Yugoslavia are just great..Don't believe newspapers at all!!!
About Prague and Krakow..you will love it. For sure...
Sorry for that, but it's relly sad to hear that...Because some people still think that in Slovenia is still war, but we have "war" just 2 days...:)
Lenc, it's so interesting to have your comments on Mike's travels. You have a perspective that I, as an American, can't have. Glad you're part of the blog.
Mike - love the "Czecking in" title. And it sounds like you'll need A LOT more time in Eastern Europe to see everything - maybe even a year or two?!
Oh, sorry I didn't mean to be rude or something...Americans have different perspective, I just can't get used to it.
Mike keep going, sorry for that...
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