Wild Bus Rides and New Friends!!

Wow!! What a wild ride since I last posted (and I mean that literally and figuratively)! I knew in advance I was going to have to suffer through an 11-hour overnight bus ride from Budapest to Wrocław so I could get there in time for the next Angloville Program, but it was MUCH worse than I expected!! The bus broke down about halfway, then they sent us a replacement bus that was already packed with overnight riders to Warsaw (so we were packed in like sardines), and THEN.....they unceremoniously dropped us off at the CLOSED bus station (in the pouring rain) about 3 hours from Wrocław (and told us we would have to figure out our own transportation to get to our destination and purchase all new tickets.... Geeez)!!

This last bit of information was shared in Polish by the bus driver who spoke NO English, but thankfully there was a nice passenger who translated the information - or we might have just stayed on the bus and ended up in Warsaw!! (Not really.... I was already on top of the situation thanks to my unlimited Data and Google maps, but it could've been bad!!!) But as people often do when there's a crisis, we rallied around each other and those of us with phones and data looked up schedules, offered to buy tickets on our phones, etc. so everyone was eventually on their next bus or train to their destination within a few hours!

Thankfully, there was a lovely, English-speaking couple from Australia who were also going to Wrocław (I had met them at the Budapest program, and they were also going to the Wrocław program), so we travelled and commiserated together! Although I very seldom admit this because I WANT to believe that when it comes to traveling, AGE shouldn't limit us from doing whatever our hearts desire, I MIGHT have to admit that I MIGHT be too old for overnight bus rides where I don't get any sleep and am not able to move around for 15 hours at a time!! (Then again, maybe it's about being in better shape and not just aging because I don't think I would've survived or enjoyed that ride any better in my 20s or 30s than I did in my 50s!!!) Suffice it to say, I've certainly learned my lesson and will plan accordingly on my future adventures!

So with no sleep under my belt and a sore, aching body, I wasn't able to enjoy the 2-hour Walking City Tour of Wrocław with the rest of the group (and instead skipped out on the last half-hour and went straight to the restaurant where we were meeting with the other English speakers for the Welcome Lunch - and almost fell asleep face-down in my coffee cup while I waited)!! As soon as we were done with our late-afternoon lunch, I checked into my AirBnb, did a small load of laundry (hoping it would dry before I had to repack the next morning - line-dried, of course, since most European places don't believe dryers are necessary!), then proceeded to fall asleep before 6:00 pm!! (But not before I took pictures and a short video out of my window just off the Rynek (City Square) where the Christmas Market was in full swing below me!!)

I enjoyed my week with the Polish participants as much as I did the Hungarian participants, but I learned that each Program has a whole different "feel" based on all the different dynamics at play. My first week (in Hungary), there were less than 20 of us total (including all the participants, the 2 open-hearted, fun coordinators, and the English speakers). Most of the participants were there because of work reasons, and the participants were primarily male. We had a great time, but the conversations were less intimate than they were the second week (where at least 2/3 of the participants were female).

Although many of them in both groups came to improve their English-speaking skills for work-related reasons, there were also a lot of the Polish participants who were doing it for personal reasons (like being more comfortable traveling, being able to participate in "table conversation" with their kids' friends who are speaking in English, etc). I felt like I instantly bonded with many of the Polish participants and "heard their story" about their personal lives families, etc. in a more intimate way. My favorite time each day was just after breakfast when I got to meet with Dorota (my "Mentee" for the week who I was supposed to be helping with her "end-of-the-week-Presentation")!! However, we usually ended up talking about life, etc. in a very personal way...and she still ended up with a delightful Presentation!! She was so warm, open, friendly and grateful for my English corrections as we spoke, and we bonded immediately!! We've even made plans to video-chat in the future so I can help her practice her English (and in the process I've created another "breadcrumb" for a possible future trip to visit her in Szczecin - near the Baltic Sea)!!

I loved both Program experiences, but each one just had a different feel. The second Program in Poland had almost 40 people total! So although I felt a close connection with many of the Participants I chatted with, I didn't bond as much with the "Native English Speakers" (as we are called). Many of them were much younger than those in the Program in Hungary, and some of them had participated quite a few times before. A few were a bit cranky and complaining about the program being exactly the same at each venue, so that was a bit discouraging to have to listen to since I was really enjoying myself!! All-in-all, I enjoyed both Programs, but I'm glad I'm only doing two in a row because it's quite exhausting!! I'm definitely leaving the door open for more Programs in the future, and I have two similar programs scheduled in Spain in January and February that I'm looking forward to!!

So now, here I am back in Wrocław, catching up with myself and reflecting on my internal journey (and preparing myself for a bit of sight-seeing this week)! I had planned on more of a "touristy trip" in the upcoming week (traveling from city-to-city, visiting multiple Christmas Markets on my way back to Budapest), but I'm not sure if I'm up to it after such an exhausting few weeks since my arrival!! (It took me two full weeks before I started sleeping normally and didn't feel nauseous after every meal...ugh!!) I still haven't decided on my plan for sure, but I think I'll head to Prague for a couple days, then either visit Vienna for a couple days - or head back to Budapest to wander around that area for a bit and prepare myself for my dog-sitting gig that will last until the end of the year!

I had planned on visiting Bratislava, Slovakia this week, but it looks like that will happen as part of my travel from Budapest to Spain over the New Year! The people in Budapest that I'm dog-sitting for had originally planned on being gone through the New Year, but they decided to return on December 31st (which left me in a bit of an expensive bind getting airfare to Spain). So after MUCH pondering (checking fares, schedules and accommodations obsessively for a few weeks....as I tend to do!!), I finally settled on a bus or train from Budapest on the 31st - after they return late in the afternoon, then flying from Vienna (after overnighting in Bratislava for a few nights)!

I figure if I don't make it to Vienna this week, I can always go check it out while I'm staying in Bratislava (only an hour away) but without having to lug around my suitcases! (I've pared down to just one carry-on size bag and a small "under-the-seat" bag, but I've packed so much in them that it's still not the easiest thing to get up and down all those stairs for public transportation since most cities are like Italy and don't have elevators or escalators to transport your luggage....geeez!!!)

I've enjoyed the Christmas Markets I've seen thus far in Budapest and Wrocław (and I'm sure I'll see more in Prague), but I think I've gotten my fill (a.k.a. I don't feel the need to see any more because they're all beautiful and fun to wander around, but they're all very similar). I'll probably head out for a bit tonight to enjoy the Market here in Wrocław again - it's the most beautiful with all the light illuminating the Rynek and all the beautiful buildings surrounding the Square! There's mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, grilled sausages and pastries to taste - so I'll bundle up later and enjoy (knowing I'll be on yet another bus tomorrow morning for my hopefully much smoother and less eventful 5-hour bus ride to Prague)!!

Sending lots of love and hugs to all of you - and hoping you are enjoying the Holiday Season in whatever way is most meaningful to you!! Hopefully I haven't bored you with too many details about my time with Angloville (and the horrendous bus ride....ugh!!!), and I'll try to send more Christmas Market cheer in the next post from Prague (or Vienna - or Budapest...... we'll see?!?!)!!