On this “slow” trek, to Italy, for my NCL Mediterranean cruise, I arrived in Budapest, by train. After taking the Eurostar, from London to Paris, then the Deutsche Bahn, from Paris to Berlin, followed by another train from Berlin to Warsaw, then Warsaw to Krakow, Krakow to Prague and finally Prague to Budapest (visiting each city, for several days, along the way), I was tired, when I arrived in Hungary.

Upon arriving, I couldn’t find WiFi, in the terminal. I had to ask a local how to purchase a metro ticket and ended up buying one for 72 hours. This error came in handy, later. So, with the transportation card in hand, I set out on the metro to find my hotel. I was hoping there would be a cafe, with WiFi, when I exited. I quickly learned that the station had no WiFi or elevator. I grabbed my staircase and slowly climbed up the stairs. A nice man, behind me, offered to carry my suitcase. Once outside, I sat down and thought about looking for a cafe or restaurant with WiFi.

Then, I remembered the number of IBIS hotels that I have booked, since 2017. My first one was in Yerevan, Armenia. I was teaching high school English, as a Peace Corps volunteer. My site was literally ten miles from the capital. So, lost in Budapest, I asked myself, “Where would I put an IBIS.” I tried remembering what I had seen on Google maps, on the train, from Prague. I stood up and looked to my left, then I walked forward and crossed the Main Street. There was another other Metro entrance to the right. I looked left, down a little side road with a shop on the corner, and saw the IBIS Hotel.

After checking in, I noticed a message on one of my GhettoGirlTravels social media accounts. A woman I had met, in the lounge, back in Prague, sent a message asking if I wanted to grab dinner. She had signed up for an evening cruise, but wanted to eat dinner first. I said yes and decided to walk over, being done with taking any form of transportation. She suggested Getto Gulyas, a restaurant in the Jewish quarter, known for great Hungarian cuisine. I, of course, arrived early. Seating was by reservation only and totally booked. But, a small section of tables outside were open seating. I was told to wait until one of the tables was not being used. I moved between the door and a table to wait. The woman seated alone at the table gave me a “take my seat, when I’m done with this final glass of wine” nod. So, me and my new train mate were able to dine. Dinner was great!

The following day, I decided to take a Hop on Hop off bus tour around the city. I used my 72 hour Metro Card to get to the first stop, near St. Stephen’s Basilica. I exited the metro and made my way to a nearby Starbucks to get free WiFi and find the church. It was only two blocks away and would have been very hard to miss. Three stops later, I realized that my hotel was walking distance from the stop for the free boat cruise. Live and learn. After riding around all the stops and doing the cruise, I stopped at another Starbucks, one with a statue of William Shakespeare in front of it, for free WiFi to find my way back to the hotel!

I decided to catch the trolley back to my hotel. There’s a stop, opposite the Starbucks and I remembered seeing a trolley stop, by the Metro entrance, a five minute walk from my hotel. Plus, it was the final day to use my 72 hour city transport card. I got on the tram and was surprised when it went by the Hungarian Parliament Building. I was debating whether or not to get off, at the next stop, to take pictures. Then, the tram stopped and everyone exited. I did too and noticed there was police presence everywhere. I then saw the growing number of protesters, by the river’s edge.

There was a young woman with jet black hair, a few tattoos, and stylish clothes, seated on a bench. I decided that she would know what was going on. I approached her and she said the police had blocked the street, so no traffic could get to the protest area. She also said that protesting, in that area, was normal and warned that the numbers of protesters would become much larger, after sunset. Then, just behind me, I saw three women running for the tram. I followed. Almost as soon as we all got on, we were heading down the road!

With the police gathering at every side street, I began regretting my decision to not add money on my pay as you go WiFi plan. The portable device was in the room safe, back at my hotel. At the end of the street, our tram stopped behind the one in front of us. The three women quickly got out and ran to a bus stop. The tram in front was blocked. Thankfully, I recognized the main road ahead from the Hop on Hop on tour. I was on the road with the Liberty Bridge. I remembered there were buses and metro stations up and down the road. I took the first bus that arrived to a metro station and then headed back to my hotel.

When I left Budapest, I decided on a FLiXBUS, through Slovenia, to reach my cruise port, in Trieste, Italy. The bus ride would take more than eight hours. But, I didn’t care. I just wanted to sit, in one place, and get from point A to point B. I checked out of IBIS and took an Uber to the bus station. I gave myself five days, in Trieste, Italy, to chill, before the cruise.

My England to Italy adventure was shortly coming to an end. I picked up three new countries, Poland (78), Czech Republic and (79), Hungary, towards my 100 Countries goal? Will I actually stop at 100? Stay tuned! XOXO—GGT