We aren't out of the parking lot until around 11 AM today but heading back to Poland. Aneta has a plan for us to see Lake Balaton in Hungary but we drive and drive and it seems like we are never going to reach our destination. We finally pull off the highway at some obscure village that turns out to be a thermal treatment resort town. We found only a pizzeria open so end up eating dinner there - pizza of course. They have wired Internet and a computer in the eating area for customer use. I go on line and check for news from home. Nothing much on this day. We continue on toward Lake Balaton, which Aneta tells me is "Hungary's sea." The lake is apparently very large and in this landlocked country it is their main water feature. At 7:30 pm it is pitch black dark out and we have been in this interminable car for 8 hours. Aneta pulls off at the first sign that says Lake Balaton thinking finding lodging will be easy. After a few misses in that area she stops at a bar and goes to ask where we might stay. She does not speak Hungarian and finds communicating a real challenge here. We wait and wait and wait some more. She doesn't come back and we can't see her. Eventually - about the time I was getting ready to go looking for her - she reappears and jumps in the car exclaiming, "those people really wanted to help me! They called all around to find us some place." She had address and the name of a hotel that definitely had rooms available for us. She reprogrammed the GPS and off we went on our search. The GPS took us down the most funny little streets, winding through residential neighborhoods until Aneta announced, "I don't think this is right." Just then we spotted the hotel looming over the rooftops of neighboring houses, neatly tucked in to a residential area. They were expecting us and had two nice rooms ready for us - a suite for Aneta, Alicja and Ania and a single room with a king size bed for me. The price? $57 Euros a night per room - about $80. This was really on the high side from what we had been paying but Alicja said "We'll take it!" She was sick to death of riding in the back seat with a cranky two-year-old trying to keep her occupied.
We deposited our belongings and then Aneta suggested we go to the lobby bar and get a nice glass of wine after our long day of driving. They had a nice play area for the little one directly adjacent to our table in the lobby bar so it worked out very nicely. The hotel was decent. A bit spartan but comfortable and clean. I tucked in for a nice sleep all alone in my little world for the first time in a very long time. They also had wireless Internet and I caught up on Brian Williams and the World News for an hour before I turned off the lamp and went to sleep.
Tomorrow we will see Lake Balaton and head for Budapest where we plan to walk the city and take in some of the main sights before heading on back to Gliwice.
Happy reading!
Linda
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