Budapest Keleti Station.
Finding the right train station was our biggest change during our first day traveling through Eastern Europe, after a very long flight on Lufthansa from Charlotte to Munich. Our plan to get a wheelchair for Mom worked like a charm and we were whisked through the expansive Munich airport with incredible efficiency and speed. Our attendant, Nestor, utilized special key-only access elevators and little-used passages, and we found ourselves off the plane, through customs, with our bags, and on the commuter train in 30 minutes – incredible. We got our necessary rail pass validation while in the airport and hopped on the airport (Flughafen) S1 commuter to the downtown station.
It’s a good thing we had extra time to make our train to Budapest – because we could not actually find the main station when we arrived . . . . still not sure where we went wrong – but we eventually hauled our bags up the escalators outside, across the street to the main station.
Munich Hbf is a large, busy, fairly uncomfortable station. We tried to stop in the First Class/International Lounge only to be dismissed since passengers (read Americans) with EuRail passes were not allowed. An annoying point since we paid at least twice the price of a locally purchased ticket just to guarantee we would have a first class seat. Since it is a busy time of year and we are traveling with a octogenarian, we felt it was worth the extra fee to buy advance tickets. In any case, the time passed quickly til we boarded our train.
Although nice, the train was a bit disappointing. It was reminiscent of our experience with Spanish trains in the past: regular seating (albeit spacious), no dining car, only a snack car with no options and food service at the seats with a solo ‘choice.’ Fortunately the one selection was edible and we gobbled up our grilled ham and cheese quesadilla-type meal.
Scenery was fairly routine and we moved at 100+ miles per hour. As expected, we dosed, read and basically transitioned to our European environment during the 7-hr trip. We had arranged for the hotel, Le Meridien, to send a driver, so leaving the station was a breeze. In about 15 minutes we were at our centrally located hotel, tired, but ready to begin our adventures.
First order of business was to find a Hungarian-style restaurant close-by. We went to Dio about 5 minutes from the hotel across the square. The meal was terrific – my husband started with goulash – and we tried pork, smoked trout, and veal. Then we dashed back through the square to avoid the drizzle starting to fall and off to bed for a good night’s sleep.
Still in a cloud of mist, even in the “dry” season.
All Good Things Must Come to an End, and this wonderful trip is no exception. This morning we had an elaborate breakfast buffet and dined on the patio overlooking the Zambezi. Then, off to see Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side.These are the tallest falls in the world, but Iguazu’s are wider and Niagara puts out more volume. So, they can each make a #1 claim. This happens to be the low water season (just as it was when I was at Iguazu) and so you can actually see more and get to all the vistas, many of which are inaccessible when more water is running.
Usually timid around heights, I actually ventured to a location on top of some boulders called Danger Point, to see the view. My husband, of course loved it ~ my Father would not have been happy.
It was very hot and the light spray from the Falls actually felt “quite nice” (a big expression here). The wet environment has actually created a rain forest in the area. Cute Monkeys were running around everywhere. Our guide explained a lot of history and interesting Zimbabwean facts as we walked.
Then, off to change clothes at the Victoria Falls Hotel and to the Vic Falls airport for our British Air flight to begin the long journey home. Once in Joburg we fly to Dulles by way of Dakar, Senegal (about 18 hours), then connect to Charlotte and make the drive back to Linville.
The British influence is obviously quite strong here and many expressions are the same.
And so, as they say in Africa, this trip was “brilliant.”
Home Again – after 28 hours of flying!
Sunset on the Zambezi.
We had a game drive on the way out today and spent most of our time watching lions, including two females by the river, who actually made an unsuccessful move on some Roan Antelope that appeared on the scene.
Then, before we knew it, it was over.
We traveled by car to the river that borders Zambia, crossed in a small boat (while truckers are backed up for 4-10 days to get their rigs across on the ferry), paid our $100 immigration fee in a very sketchy circumstances, during which we did not interact with any officials, and were driven about another hour to Livingstone.
Back to Civilization
It’s hard to believe the texture of our hair – it took three washings to get the sand out . . .
But everything is very proper at the lovely and elegant Royal Livingstone Hotel and we felt transported back through time to the world of the British Colonial era.
We even see pith helmets (on some hotel staff) for the first time.
Took a pretty walk over the see the Eastern Cataract of Victoria Falls from the Zambia side and later took a relaxing sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. Tomorrow we will see the Falls from the Zimbabwe side, but we are already impressed.
On the way to the River Cruise, we had a reminder about just how dangerous it can be around all these magnificent wild creatures. We came upon some elephants on the side of the road, and I had just commented to my husband that the elephant staring at us did not look happy . . . when we discovered that earlier in the day, that elephant had killed a woman walking along the main road. The elephants, including the perpetrator, were still in the area when we returned and in fact, held up traffic. Everyone was clearly very nervous and we were unclear what was being done about the elephant.
The entire trip, my husband has been talking about this movie called Elephant Walk (that I had never heard of) and how a herd retaliated against a village. Now he’s googled the movie (1954 with Liz Taylor) and is trying to buy a copy . . . I’m sure a showing at out home will be available soon.
Our final night in Africa was spent having dinner on the lovely outdoor patio of the restaurant at the hotel.
BTW: The food was not as good as any of our lodges.
Taking a break during the crossing.
Sand & More Sand
We had a long day of varied travel today: mokoro, helicopter, small plane, and finally truck. Once at the Kasane airport we met a couple from New Zealand who joined us for the rest of our adventure.
One thing about Chobe – it is very sandy and driving around is like being on an ATV. This is different than our other excursions; Chobe is a national park and vehicles must stay on the “roads” (generally sand). There are also more vehicles than we have ever seen; it’s reminiscent of our visit years ago to Yellowstone.
In Chobe we are doing something I doubt any of our friends would try – we are going to stay in a mobile camp – & Beyond’s Chobe Under Canvas. Having always read about the “Hemingway-style” safari experience, I wanted to be sure we tried it all. But we were going to have a lot of excitement prior to arriving at camp.
First, we drove through the park and eventually stopped at a shady area along the Chobe River for an unexpected picnic lunch. Then, along with our fellow camp-mates and Ranger Peace, we took a boat trip on the river. It was beautiful and an incredible green contrast to the surrounding brown and beige sandy terrain. We had two particularly amazing experiences; the first seeing so many hippos in and out of the water.
Snorkeling
Then, incredibly we saw a herd of elephants cross the water to an island – and then, we could not believe our luck, they crossed again, to the other bank. They were a breeding herd of females and kids – with one really tiny one. They use their trucks as snorkels and the little one bobbed up and down! If I could post the video from here I would – it’s an amazingly special sight to see.
Finally as the sun went down we reached the camp. They were waiting for recharged batteries for the lights in the tents (and the truck had broken down) so we didn’t get to organize before dinner. Drinks were with the other 8 guests around a campfire and dinner was with crystal, linen and china by lantern light. Although we were told Lions roared during the night – I heard nothing and slept like a log.
