6/18/2006 Nagys

The airport in Amsterdam is efficient. Gate D6 is below D8. You go down, surrendor your bording pass, walk through a door and...onto a bus? Yes, onto a bus which drives around in circles and then stops at the plane.

We flew a Myvar Airlines Fokker 70. A tidy jet, a friendly looking plane. We landed in Budapest. Spencer and Maddy were horrid in 'sharing' the window.

We deplanned last, but it didn't really matter because we walked down steps and into another bus. There may have been two buses, but I only saw one. We jerked and spurted to the terminal.

We walked a short way and stood in a very short passport line. The lady smiled as spencer popped up and down playing peekapoo. She glanced at our passports, and then at us, stamped them and we were on our way.

Next we entered the room of luggage. I can't even recall what it was like. I was taken back to Puerto Rico, Aquadilas, where you get off the plane and walk into an echoing cavern with one baggage claim line.

The Fokker 70 was loaded and unloaded by hand. People picked up each piece of luggage and handed it up into the belly of the machine. Given that I had a bit of guilt over all of our heavy bags, and appreciated the 50 pound limit.

we walked into the baggage claim area and the first thing I saw was a bike box on the conveyor belt. The second thing I saw was a second bike box behind the first. Maybe I saw something else first, like people, another piece of luggage, the blue EMS bag, something. But memory is the journalism of the soul, and since we trust journalists we must trust memory.

Our luggage all arrived efficiently. It took us a bit to figure out how to pull a cart off of the chain of carts. Maddy was the one who finally figured it out. We put the bikes on one cart and the other luggage on the other and wheeled out to the next room. Lots of people holding up signs. Including our guy with the 'Heather Gibson' sign.

The guy looked at us, and at our mountain of luggage, and I perceive that he had a bit of judgement happening. I could be wrong. Heather went off with him guy, and with Spencer, to pay for the 'van.' Maddy watched the luggage while I went the bathroom. When I came out she laughed and said I had a booger dangling from one nostril. I wiped it off, then pretended to wipe it on her pants. She squealed and was more amused when she realized I had not done such a disgusting thing. I wiped it on my pants instead.

Time passed. A fellow, who I thought was the rental car guy, but wasn't, came up with a clipboard taking a survey. How long had I waited in passport control? Almost no time at all. How do you rate the cleanliness of the airport? I glanced around, smiled, and said that it looked good.

I wasn't sure if I should be setting up bikes, or leaving them in the boxes. I sat a bit agitated, then decided to just be present. Maddy and I played a bit, and then Spencer showed up. After a bit longer Heather showed up. We headed to the van. It is more like a car, but a nice enough car. There was no roof rack (though there are studs where one could be mounted, hidden under small panels), so I thought I had best set up the bikes, quick now, and use the bike rack, But then I looked at the problem, and we decided on a solution.

First we loaded all of the luggage into the back. There is a nice visual shield on a roller, so you can store stuff and people can not tell what, if anything, you have. Then we moved to bikes.

We picked the one side out of the four sides, that did not have an axel sticking through the cardbord and set that box down, smooth side first. Then the second bike. Then I used the ratcheting strap. I opened the rear doors and Spencer and Maddy helped thread it through the car and out. There was only enough length for one loop around the boxes. But the ratcheting strap ratcheted well, and the bikes gave us no trouble.

We had some difficulty getting into Budapest. We stopped just outside of the aiport to buy our express road permit and a prepayed cell phone. They had neither, but they did have chocolate and orange drinks.

We headed on. We saw a sign and turned on it. Then we found it impossible to get back onto the main road. We twirled in and out, crossing over the main road , driving next to the freeway for a bit, discovering bits of the Hungarian suburban scene. We became totally seperated from the right path, and got ourselves into downtown Budapest.had some difficulty getting into Budapest. We stopped just outside of the aiport to buy our express road permit and a prepayed cell phone. They had neither, but they did have chocolate and orange drinks.

We headed on. We saw a sign and turned on it. Then we found it impossible to get back onto the main road. We twirled in and out, crossing over the main road , driving next to the freeway for a bit, discovering bits of the Hungarian suburban scene. We became totally seperated from the right path, and got ourselves into downtown Budapest.

Heather had asked the rental car person for advice on driving in Hungary. "Just drive very fast." There are some silly things that Hungarian drivers seem to do, but not really more so than Americans.

We drove a bit through downtown, mostly an adventure. Then Heather had the great thought to head towards the Danube. The hostel map showed a tiny corner of the river on the edge, but fairly close to the hostel. We made one loop where we couldn't do what we wanted, one way streets and such, and then made it back to the river going the right direction. After a short distance we passed a street that seemed right. We made a U turn (Hungarian U Turn signs look like upside town V's), then turned right and headed up, looking carefully at the street names, until Heather spotted the hotel sign.

Registering was fine, we had a room with four beds, one a double. I worked at setting up my bike. After a bit maddy came down. Then it seemed she was on her way back up to the room...but no, she saw a small bus pull up and assumed that was Molly. It wasn't. But the next car to pull up was Molly.

She came out of the car, and swooped Maddy up into her arms. There were tears and hugs. Heather and Spencer came down. General happiness.

Heather had asked the rental car person for advice on driving in Hungary. "Just drive very fast." There are some silly things that Hungarian drivers seem to do, but not really more so than Americans.

We drove a bit through downtown, mostly an adventure. Then Heather had the great thought to head towards the Danube. The hostel map showed a tiny corner of the river on the edge, but fairly close to the hostel. We made one loop where we couldn't do what we wanted, one way streets and such, and then made it back to the river going the right direction. After a short distance we passed a street that seemed right. We made a U turn (Hungarian U Turn signs look like upside town V's), then turned right and headed up, looking carefully at the street names, until Heather spotted the hotel sign.

Registering was fine, we had a room with four beds, one a double. I worked at setting up my bike. After a bit maddy came down. Then it seemed she was on her way back up to the room...but no, she saw a small bus pull up and assumed that was Molly. It wasn't. But the next car to pull up was Molly.

She came out of the car, and swooped Maddy up into her arms. There were tears and hugs. Heather and Spencer came down. General happiness.

I don't really remember what all happened...there was Molly, oru Molly. And she seems pretty much the same as ever. And the little kids are the same. spencer is bigger, and is now A Boy. But they still fight and are annoying.

I worked on a bike while they talked or something. Molly appeared, I started on her bike, then was confused. The little clip from one of David's panniers was in the bottom of the box, but the panniers were gone! How did that happen? And the quick release skewers were NOT in her handlebar bag.

General confusion. Not really unhappiness, but confusion. But the skewers were taped to the cranks, and the panniers were found in another suitcase, with the hook ripped off of the one I had not fixed...so all was well.

Someone came out and beckoned us, there was confusion, but he showed us the spot where the motion detector lamp came on. A better place to work. Except the light would go off every little bit, and Molly would do the motion detector dance.

I pumped her rear tire up to 105 or so, rated for 110. I was feeling somewhat happy. Her bottom bracket seems too loose, but okay everything is moving forward. I felt the tire, I may have squeezed it, and BAM! It exploded with the sound of a gun shot.

A Hungarian guy came out of the hotel, asked what happened. Molly told him, he nodded and smiled, said 'that is shit' and went back in. We laughed.

I was confused. But remembered that that had been a tube from David. So lesson, 20 year old bike tubes are not your friend.

Then Molly changed the tube for the only spare. Started pumping and pumping. finally commented that it was taking her longer. We checked. The spare tube was leaking near the valve.

Molly was pleased with all I had done. Opening her blue bag she said that it felt like christmas. It made me feel that all I had done to prepare had paid off. Double.

The kids went up to bed, then Molly and I went for a massive walk. From the hostel, zig zagging a bit, to the River, Across a bridge, we leaned against the railing over looking a party, and talked. Talked for a long long long time.

We were about a mile, straight line, from the hotel. The walk back we went up and up to the main street we were supposed to have come in on, and back to the hotel, 3-4 miles. The gps had erratic coverage.

I didn't sleep until very late, maybe 4:00? The sky was lightening I think. We walked into the room. spencer looked up out of sleep, and instantly wanted some of the orange drink that I had. -- Sunday we packed and headed out...

Heather woke hella early. took kids to the park for an 1 1/2 hours, had breakfast and then just waited for me. Sort of icky. I got up, we packed things, got the bike rack on, I had a little breakfast, and we tried to find a bike shop at the west end mall. The kids had been horrid again.

Maddy needed to pee, horribly badly, as soon as we left. She finally got to go at the mall.

We left the area, we did a few circles to get out, stopped to get gas and try to buy a permit, failed at that, but got the gas and food. Molly was disgusted or something at our use of money. She has had less...

The GPS worked better, you can see some of our tracks circling about. We drove and we stopped at another place, and heather got a permit, and another bit and we stopped and bought more gas and a book of maps. Maybe that was where we got the permit.

And on and into Tiszafured, and the grocery store. Credit card is 'Kartyatipus'

And to the house, which we found after doing cirles and asking three different people. "We need to ask for Laszlo" "Everyone is named Laslzo!"

We had a late late lunch, then I took a nap. Heather napped at some point, and the kids explored. Molly rode them around on my bike. Then I went out. Saw them very close by, and I rode a bit, then Molly rode a bit, taking track logs. Then kids sort of drifted off to bed.

Spencer wanted the top bunk, but it wasn't really his turn, so he just squatted. Maddy said he was just pretending to be asleep. I told her if he pretended to be asleep long enough he would fall asleep, adn wasn't that good. Then Maddy had me set up a CD player for her, in our room, and she went to sleep. And then Molly went down...and Heather and I 'gtalked' a bit, and I delved into geekdom.

I don't have a power adapter. I am looking at a Bugs Bunny night light, thinking about what McGyver would do...

I did not take a single picture today. Odd, really.

I am lost in time. We've had a three day weekend, and now we are in Hungary.

Friday: Fly Saturday: Fly, at Hotel early evening Sunday: drive to Nagys

We are here, sweeping through time.

Tomorrow we go to Molly's town. -- 1:23 am I just spent 50 minutes, maybe a bit less, in rigging up an adapter so that I can charge my laptop. This also lets me charge cell phones.

Our Luggage: Wilson bag EMS Bag Orange Dolt Bag (partially filled at airport to reduce weight-not actually needed for volume...) Larger rolling suitcase 2 bike boxes 6 checked items plus: smaller rolling suitcase rich backpack rich where 2.0 bag spencer's backpack maddy's backpack heather's purse

"We should bring more than one spare tube." was Molly's advice.

About locking up, gates, etc "This is a little gypsy village, I'd lock everything."