serendipity

What a beautiful thing it was, to be greeted in Budapest with hugs from our dear friends, Monica and Gabor, and their children, Sylvia & Tobi. It just so happened that our respective summer travel plans collided perfectly, and so, we will be able to spend this time in Hungary with these dear people who know Budapest well and who speak the language!  Gabor picked us up from the train station in their rental car, and we then navigated the streets with his Communist-era map of Budapest (streets named after folks like Lenin have since had their names changed), in search of our hostel. Breaded cheese and cucumber salad was Monica's birthday meal of choice, and then Sarah and I had a gorgeous walk along the Danube back to our hostel. The streets of Budapest are very alive at night, and "Castle Hill" (on the "Buda" side of the city - the other side of the Danube from where we were walking) was entirely lit up. 


After writing my entry yesterday morning, Sarah and I spent most of the day simply wandering the streets and castle grounds in Cesky Krumlov. It is such a quaint place, where one can stop and take breathtaking photos from pretty much anywhere, and sidewalk cafes and park benches just beckon you to stop, slow down, breathe.  We both loved it there.  We had lunch at a great vegetarian place that had been recommended to us, and later in the day, watched the sunset from the top of a hill on the outskirts of the town.


I felt completely at home in our hostel in Cesky Krumlov. Dubbed an eco-hostel, it had a great earthy feel, complete with compost, solar power, and so on. I called this blog entry serendipity, as I was very inspired by one of the women I met here, one of our roommates. From Australia, and probably a few years older than me, she had, 7 months ago, moved to Germany in order to be with her boyfriend.  They broke up after about a month, and instead of returning home, she started travelling. That was 6 months ago, and she is planning on continuing for about one more month. She spoke openly about how healing the experience has been for her, and offered incredible support, encouragement, and also very practical and candid advice for me, as I start out on a much smaller, but still substantial trip.  She saw her role as "passing on the torch" and the conversation really felt this way. Speaking with her felt incredibly empowering; clearly, this was a conversation I was meant to have had.  Also in our room was a young woman from California - she is 18, and one month ago, decided to cancel her spot in college, and instead bought a one way plane ticket. She is also travelling solo, for about 6 months - not only in Europe, but in India as well. I am so inspired by these strong women, and am growing to believe with more fervor that I will be able to do this solo thing too.


The long train journey today (departing Czech, through Austria, into Hungary) came at the perfect time in the trip - in between our attempts at Austrian yodeling and humming The Blue Danube in harmony, we were able to rest. Tomorrow, we take a boat ride up the Danube with our dear friends!


With love from Hungary.