Far too quickly, this trip is wrapping up. Today was my last full day, and I started the morning with a quick breakfast and a return train to Budapest. I finally understood something that happened on my outward trip. On that trip, the conductor came through and checked my ticket, and later in the trip […]

We talked about reckless climbs yesterday. If you haven’t figured it out, there are a couple other things that almost always grab my attention while traveling. One of those things is ancient ruins. If they’re available, I will try to find the Roman or Greek ruins, or frankly ruins of pretty much any lost civilization, […]

Two hundred and ninety six steps up I clambered to reach the viewing platform at the base of St. Stephen’s dome. The steps were straight and spiral and short and tall, the inconsistencies rendering the climb that much more exhausting. But I was never truly tired – not really. Nothing kept me from pressing always […]

I woke up early today — earlier, I think, than even I had realized. I cleaned up and headed out into the desolate streets of the city thinking, “Oh – it’s just a Sunday morning.”   But, really, there was no place to go and nobody to see.    I could see the Buda castle, […]

As I trudged, exhausted, back to the hotel, St. Stephen’s Basilica rang out her bells in big resonant bass notes of doom, and light soprano peals of joy.    It was 8 pm, and the light, like me, was fading quickly.   The trip had been arduous. There was bad weather on the east coast […]