After our Bosnian adventure getting back to Zagreb, we boarded a train the next morning destined for Budapeşt, Hungary (the ş is pronounced “sh”). We were excited to see it, but doubly excited because we’d be meeting our dear friend Nicole there, and traveling with her for the next three weeks. Nicole is a similar type A planner to Lana, and we gave her carte blanche to plan our travels together, within the confines of our budget. That was a huge relief to us; the constant hunt for our next accommodation, transit, and destination was wearing us down. It was a win-win, as she got to plan the trip, which she enjoys, and we got to tag along for once. All we’d need to decide is where to eat, and we never really got tired of that.
We arrived in Budapeşt in the late afternoon, and experienced the first benefit of our new travel planner when we checked in: the hotel was much nicer than anything we’d stayed in for quite a while—and at a modest price. Nicole had the advantage of time in advance for research to find an excellent bargain, and she’s also a veteran traveler with mad skills. We only had to wait in the lobby about 30 minutes before she arrived from the airport.
