Adventures in Eastern Europe
A trip down memory lane
In the summer of 2009, Vimal (my undergraduate college roommate) and I decided to travel together to Europe. We were in our fifties, well into our careers and families in the USA. We lamented that when we were young, we had time and not much money to travel. Now the situation was reversed so we decided to make the time. My cousin, Pramila, from Mumbai joined us on this trip.
We met up in Prague on July 5, 2009, at the Kampa Garden Hotel. Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, was once a flourishing center of art, and the unfettered Bohemian lifestyle. We walked everywhere. We went to Old Town Square with its churches, cafes, and tourists. We walked to the Charles Bridge across the Vitava river and saw artists selling their wares on the sidewalks. We toured the Prague castle with its classic architecture. And spent time at Wenceslas Square, where the Velvet Revolution occurred in 1989. This revolution marked the Czech Republic’s transformation from communism to democracy. Franz Kaffka, one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century literature, was from Prague. Here is a photo of his statue that I took in Prague.
On July 8, Vimal, Pramila, and I took a Eurail train from Prague to Vienna, about four hours. We stayed at the Hotel City Central. The brother of Bettina, my former student, drove us to a lovely beer garden. We sampled the local brew and sausages and listened to a melodious accordion player on a balmy summer evening. The Danube river that originates in Germany cuts through Vienna. It goes on through Hungary, Serbia, and Romania, reaching the Black Sea. The Danube, being an important trade channel, created flourishing civilizations along its banks. The next day Bettina joined us and showed us around the Schönbrunn Palace, and the Belvedere Palace. We saw their beautiful flowers and gardens that indulged all the senses. We took a tour of the Vienna State Opera building, which keeps alive the works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and other famous composers to this day. We had coffee and the world-famous Sacher Torte chocolate cake at the original Viennese cafe where the product was invented (see photo below).
After two nights in Vienna, we took a train from Vienna to Budapest, about three hours. Another great city along the Danube, Budapest is the capital of Hungary. We checked in at the Karoly Hotel, a short walk from the train station. The Ottoman Turks ruled this area for more than 150 years starting in the 14th century. There is evidence of that in the architecture. The Nazis occupied Hungary during 1944–1945, followed by Soviet military occupation. An anti-Soviet revolution in 1956 was crushed by the Soviets leaving 3000 people dead. With the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, Hungary became a free country again. We visited Heroes Square, where the 1956 revolution happened. We saw the impressive Parliament building, and Saint Stephen’s Basilica. There are many bridges across the Danube in Budapest. We saw the Margaret Bridge, the Liberty Bridge, and the Chain Bridge. On a hot summer day, we had a nice cool dip in the Széchenyi Thermal Bath in the City Park. We took a boat cruise along the Danube and saw the wonderful city skyline from the boat (see photo below).
On our first evening in Budapest, we were trying to find our way to a restaurant for dinner near the waterfront. Suddenly, two local males in plain clothes confronted the three of us. They spoke in Hungarian and broken English. They showed us some indecipherable IDs and asked us if we had any drugs. I said we were tourists from America then they asked us to show them our money. I thought they were going to rob us. Years of living in the USA had conditioned me not to resist a mugging for fear of getting shot. I opened my wallet, showed them my California ID and the few Euro and Forint notes that I had. They took my wallet, examined it, and returned it without taking anything. Then they waved us on. We were shaken up but happy that we were not robbed. To this day I can’t be sure who those guys were. My best guess is they were undercover narcotics agents suspicious of foreigners.
After two nights in Budapest, we continued our journey. The next part was the most interesting. Vimal, Pramila, and I had decided to take the train from Budapest through Serbia and Macedonia to Thessaloniki in Greece. This would be an overnight journey with berths. It would be like taking overnight trains in India. We would get to see picturesque landscapes of several countries during the journey. From Thessaloniki, we would take another train to Athens, our destination.
The train from Budapest arrived within four hours at Subotica, a border station in Serbia. Serbian border agents came around to check our passports. Vimal and I had US passports valid for travel in Serbia. Pramila had an Indian passport with a Schengen visa. We had checked that the Schengen visa is valid in every country where we would stay overnight. But Serbia is not a Schengen country. So the border agents asked Pramila to disembark. We tried to explain that we were not interested in stepping on Serbian soil, just taking the train for transit to Greece. The guards were unmoved. They said Vimal and I could continue on the train but not Pramila because she had no visa for Serbia. What a dilemma! We barely had a few minutes to make a decision! Pramila is my first cousin and was my responsibility during this trip. I had to explain to Vimal that I would get off the train in Subotica with Pramila, and go back to Budapest by train. Then we could take a flight to Athens and meet him there as planned. This was the best compromise because Vimal had a flight out of Athens back to the USA in a couple of days. He was crestfallen but stoically bade us goodbye and good luck.
A Serbian border agent took our passports and escorted Pramila and me out of the station. After a short walk, we entered what looked like a government office building. He asked us to sit on a bench along the wall. He sat at a desk in a corner of the same room. I could see another room next door and took a peek. A locked metal grill divided the room. Unmistakably, inside the grill was a jail cell. I joked to Pramila we were lucky they hadn’t put us behind bars! The guard kept chain-smoking the entire time, so we absorbed a fair amount of carcinogens during the hours we were there. Pramila and I kept discussing our alternate plans to get to Athens. After a couple of hours, the guard came and told us that the next train to Budapest would arrive at 1 AM and we could board that train. He would escort us back to the station and we could buy tickets with my credit card before boarding. I was getting hungry and told the guard about my need. He said I could go out of the building and buy food because of my US passport. But he would not let Pramila go with me. I had my iPhone with a SIM card valid in Europe so I looked up Google Maps for restaurants near my location. I found a Mcdonald’s within walking distance. I ordered four Fillet-O-Fish sandwiches, large fries, and two sodas and brought them back with plenty of ketchup packets and napkins. Pramila and I had the best McDonald’s meal of our lives. It really brought home the meaning of “comfort food”. Late that night we were taken back to the train station, returned our passports, and took the train back to Budapest.
Pramila and I stayed an extra day and night in Budapest. I managed to book two air tickets, Budapest to Athens, for the next day at high prices. I also managed to send Vimal an email letting him know of our revised plan. Pramila and I arrived in Athens on July 14, a day later than our earlier train schedule. We checked in at the Centrotel Hotel and met up with Vimal who was delighted to see us. Vimal’s train ride to Thessaloniki was no fun so he decided to take a flight from Thessaloniki to Athens instead of the train. We spent two days sightseeing in Athens. We saw temples from different centuries and civilizations. The ruins evoked a sense of gratitude for the cradle of democracy and the genesis of western civilization. We trekked up a hill to see the Acropolis, a cluster of ruins including the Parthenon (see photo below). One could sense the spirit of Socrates and Plato walking through the temple ruins. We visited the National Archaeological Museum. Marble busts of ancient Greeks such as the historian, Herodotus, and Emperor Antoninus Pius, were on display here. It was an exhilarating feeling to soak up so much of history in a couple of days. The Greek food and wine we imbibed were wonderful. On July 16, we bade farewell to Vimal who returned to San Francisco. Pramila and I took a flight from Athens to Rome for our last stop.
From the Rome airport, Pramila and I took a train to the city center where our hotel was. There was a short walk from the train station to the hotel. We were conspicuous as tourists thanks to our rolling suitcases and backpacks. Suddenly, someone from the back tapped my shoulder and said, “There’s something on the back of your shirt”. I glanced to see some red powder on my shoulder. I immediately shouted loudly, “Get away from me” and told Pramila to start walking faster. Luckily the guy behind me decided not to follow us. I had read on the web about such tourist scams before I came to Rome. Had I stopped and let go of my rolling suitcase to dust off the powder, someone would have grabbed my luggage and ran off. Such was our introduction to Rome. The rest of our trip was fine. Rome steeped us in history like Athens. The Colosseum led me to imagine the Gladiators dueling it out in mortal combat (see photo below). The Forum as the seat of Government and everyday life in ancient Rome was impressive. Julius Caesar’s tomb in the Forum seemed modest compared to the power and glory that he enjoyed in his lifetime. We spent another day visiting the Vatican. Saint Peter’s Basilica was gorgeous and Michaelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel were exquisite. We also threw some coins into the Trevi fountain for good luck.
On July 19, I said goodbye to Pramila and took a flight from Rome to Helsinki for a summer teaching assignment. Pramila flew back to Mumbai. I now understand the need to take up a travel opportunity safely whenever it presents itself. The past eighteen months have not been conducive to travel (no thanks to the coronavirus). But I look forward to the near future when I can fly safely again for some more adventures.
