Having run out of breakfast food, we went to the bakery across the street for a quick bite. There we were able to get cheap little sandwiches, fresh pastries, and enjoy them while the smell of coffee surrounded us. Right from the get go the overcast skies promised rain, but we didn’t imagine that it would go all day. But over the course of breakfast the steady drizzle started.
Our last few days had been super full and busy, so we decided to treat our last day in Budapest as a day for rest and relaxation. We went for a walk through the shopping area, and over to the Jewish quarter to explore that area a little more thoroughly. Meanwhile, the rain changed from an occasional drizzle to more of a steady downpour. Being a well prepared person, only Deanna had thought to wear a rain jacket that morning – while Jan and Nastassia were left preparing to swim with the fishies.
In the Jewish quarter, right around lunchtime, we stumbled across a culinary gem. A hostess gave us a pamphlet for a place called Trofea Grill, and while we started to roll our eyes at it, quickly said ‘all you can eat’, ‘all you can drink’ and ‘all included in the price’. We stopped and had a browse, and realized it seemed like a pretty sweet deal, and we decided to give it a go. For 20$ CAD, there was a full buffet stocked with salads, sushi, rice, vegetables, cheese and meat assortments, and bread, among other things. Then if that doesn’t hit the spot, there was a grill where you can order over a dozen different meats and fish, including shark, and pizza made to order. Deanna ordered a glass of wine and they brought her a whole carafe, and Nastassia had to help her out with it. After your savoury foods, if you still feel like a nibble, theres a full dessert buffet with fruits, tiramisu, coconut chocolate balls, brownies, chocolate cake, pralines, and a ton of other choices. Along with that you can order a cappuccino or a latte, or tea, to whet your throat. Pretty much the greatest selection you’re ever going to get for 20 dollars. If you have a moment to look up from your succulent meal, you can notice gorgeous antler chandeliers and a lovely atmosphere. Seriously everyone, Trofea Grill. Food Coma. Pretty sure none of us ate again that day, and we had our lunch at 2 in the afternoon.
Hitting at the more touristy on the way home from the Grill, we stopped by the Budapest sign to take a couple of quick photos. The rain was relentless and soaked us all through to the bone, and we all had to change completely by the time we got home.
Our time in Budapest had come to a close, and we made our way to Budapest Kelenfold Train Station to catch our overnighter to Croatia. This was a little bit of an endeavour. We accidentally went down the wrong metro line on our way to the station, but luckily we were able to catch our mistake before we even got on the metro and made it down to the right line. We arrived at the station an hour before our departure time, in good time. However, the fun started when our train wasn’t listed on any of the train timetables on the screens. Jan and I went to check what platform we would find our train on while Deanna watched our stuff. When we got in line for information we had 40 minutes until our departure and only 2 people ahead of us. 10 minutes to our departure time, there was still 1 person ahead of us. Luckily, someone at a different counter saw that we were getting a bit stressed and let us go forward to ask. Platform 14-15. Ok. We hurried back to Deanna and got our stuff across the station and up the stairs. Standing on the platform, our train wasn’t even on the indicator board yet. Announced over the intercom came a message that our train was running 20 minutes late. We sat down and got ready to wait. Sitting near the stairs, the situation got quite funny as group after group of backpackers came running up the stairs trying to figure out if they’d missed the train or not. We assured them that they had not, and there ended up being a group of about 10-20 of us waiting for the train, which ended up being 45 minutes late. Side note, how nice and compact does all our luggage look?!
On the train, we shared our six-person sleeper with a nice couple from Australia (Patrick and Stephanie), and Bjorn from Norway. Jan had thought to bring Uno, and so time passed pretty quickly as we chugga-chugged through the landscape and into the night. Before long it was time to stretch out and try to get some shut eye.
Szia Budapest!
Jan & Stacia 