Failure After the Night Train - Budapest, Hungary🇭🇺 | 40-Year-Old Woman's European Rail Trip #04-1

[Day 10-11: Romania → Hungary]
Took a night train from Brasov to the Hungarian capital, Budapest. As a transit point to Serbia, I'm only staying for about 24 hours this time.

🚊 A 96-day travel essay. Read the previous story here ↓

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# Departing Romania just after 8 PM at dusk

The night train departed Brasov, Romania, just after 8 PM.

Following Bulgaria, I was lucky enough to have a two-person private cabin all to myself again.

Moreover, since it was a first-class sleeper, it had the luxury of a private toilet inside the cabin.

Well, it was quite expensive, after all.
It was worth the price.

Amenities like a toothbrush, soap, and body wipes were provided, and exhausted from walking all day, I was able to sleep soundly and comfortably.

Actually, I wanted to enter Serbia, Romania's neighbor, next and head south from there, but I couldn't find any trains that go directly into Serbia, so I had no choice but to stop by Budapest as a transit point.

## Budapest with its magnificent station building

The night train arrived at Budapest-Keleti Station, the capital of Hungary, just before 9 AM.

Budapest-Keleti Station has the appearance of a quintessential European terminal station, with a magnificent station building featuring a high dome roof where many tracks enter. It is a beautiful station that makes me realize, even now, that I have truly arrived in Europe.

After enjoying the Hungarian scenery from the window as it brightened in the early morning, I was jolted awake while having a sound second sleep and stumbled off the train.

Still bleary-eyed, I wandered around the station to explore.

## Waking up to a huge blunder!

To buy morning coffee, I first need Hungarian money, so I started looking for an ATM.

For this trip, I brought a cash card that allows me to withdraw local currency directly, and I had been withdrawing only small amounts needed for short stays.

Although I plan to return to Hungary again, my stay this time is only for today.

Since I'm leaving for Serbia early tomorrow morning, I calculated that 4,000 yen would be enough for today's meals and sightseeing, and stood in front of the ATM.

Thinking, 'One forint is 0.xx yen,' I selected the withdrawal amount and executed it!

Huh? Did I make a mistake?
Maybe I was off by a digit!?

I felt something was wrong, but it was already too late.
A massive amount of money came out.

With my sleepy head, and confused by the large currency denomination which is different from Bulgaria and Romania, it seems I withdrew a huge sum of 40,000 yen.

I was stunned for a while...

I looked at the ATM's contact information and peeked into nearby shops to see if there was anything I could do, but there was no way to fix it.

I was so shocked that I lost all motivation to move, and I felt like I was going to collapse right there.

## To the Station's Business Lounge

Looking around for a bench, I spotted a sign for a business lounge.

I remembered that when I bought my Eurail Pass, there was a mention that a first-class pass allows access to lounges...

Recalling that, I timidly opened the heavy door.

Inside was a calm space with several sofas, and snacks and drinks lined up.

I felt completely out of place with my huge backpack and just-woken-up look, but when I showed my pass and sleeper train ticket to the receptionist, it turned out I was eligible, and she welcomed me warmly.

A complete turnaround from the ATM shock earlier; as I drank coffee and munched on snacks in this elegant space, I started to feel better.

What's done is done!
I'm going to live it up in Hungary!

I've already booked a vacation rental for today, but maybe I'll stay at a nice hotel next time I come back?

Should I go to Tokaj and drink Tokaji wine?

Thinking about things like that made me really happy, and I started getting excited about what to do today.
I'm quick to bounce back, I must say.

## Pulling myself together and starting my walk!

First, I took the subway to the city center where my accommodation is located.

The Budapest Metro has an even more sophisticated atmosphere than Bucharest's, and the information for tourists is comprehensive and easy to understand.

Since there is a 24-hour day pass, I bought one as it was perfect for me since I'm leaving tomorrow morning.

Budapest Metro Line 1 is actually one of the oldest subways in Europe, having opened at the end of the 19th century. I heard it's even registered as a World Heritage site.

The compactness of the stations and the way the short yellow cars squeeze into the underground stations look just like the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, which got me really excited.

Once I reached the surface, it felt like a sophisticated major European city, with grand stone buildings, spacious boulevards, and lush green trees that were lovely.

My Airbnb for today is a shared room in a building facing the main street, so I felt relieved thinking I could walk around at night too.
You have to see the night view in Budapest!

## Budapest on a Weekend Bustling with Tourists

I dropped off my luggage at the accommodation and headed out into the city.

I had longed for Budapest ever since reading Teru Miyamoto's 'Traveler of the Danube'.

I had wanted to visit the three Central European cities of Vienna, Prague, and Budapest for many years, and I felt so happy realizing, 'I'm actually in Budapest now!'

It was Saturday, and even though it was still morning, there were quite a lot of people, making me realize that this is a major tourist city.

The flower beds are overflowing with colorful flowers, and the sight of cute trams passing by them is incredibly photogenic.

First, to get an overview of the city, I need to go somewhere high!

So, I decided to climb St. Stephen's Basilica, which stands prominently in the center of the city.

The clear spring air was refreshing, and I ended up staying there for a while, looking this way and that while being blown by the Budapest breeze.

It's only just past the second half of April, but the sun on a clear day is quite strong, and I even started to sweat while standing in the sun.

The European sun is much more intense than in Japan, and with it being this strong in April, I'm a little worried about what it will be like later on.

I felt satisfied with my choice once again, thinking that coming out during this season was definitely the right decision.

🚊Next time, I can't stop taking photos of the collaboration between Budapest's night view and the trams

📘This post is part of "A 40-Year-Old Woman's European Rail Trip"↓