I barely had time to get back from Switzerland before Hungary rolled around. Unfortunately, it looks like my stories are going to get less colorful. Not everyone wants to end up in posts, and read about themselves. Especially when it comes to emotions and relationships. I already constantly self-censor, but even then I manage to get myself into trouble. As far as I know, readers are usually more interested in stories about thoughts and feelings than dry facts and a list of places. Apparently, the only option is fiction, not non-fiction.
Already a year ago, when the rest of the dvergar and I flew to Prague, we were thinking about a new trip. There were convenient and relatively cheap tickets to Budapest. I dragged my feet and didn't buy them right away, and so the flight + hotel ended up costing around 280 euros (for three nights). Then I tossed in another 48 for the privilege of sipping tea from my little Chinese cups. Meaning, I paid to bring a large bag into the cabin. Because these days on low-costers you can only grab a small backpack for free.
I've had a ton of work lately. I barely managed to hand off my tasks. I had to do it in a mad rush right before my train. I arrived in Alfheim on Thursday afternoon, even though my flight was on Friday morning.
On the bright side, I finally got to hang out a bit more with the elf Tarur and his wife Nela, who I usually stay with in Alfheim. I discovered that they have an incredible stash of dark chocolate bars, enough for a year ahead. I marveled at the fact that there are creatures who can store yummy snacks and not devour them right away.
I'll also mention that I now take a day off before my flight, and a day off after I land. The day off before is needed to finish up tasks and get ready for the trip. The one after is to catch up on sleep, clean the apartment, do the laundry, put away my gear, and so on. Pretty handy.
By the way, these days on flights within the EU they don't even always check your passport. And the boarding pass QR code gets scanned by a turnstile, not a guard. I got lucky and was sitting by the emergency exit, where you can stretch your legs. On top of that, using some quick thinking, I managed to snag a window seat. I convinced an elderly orc lady that to sit by the emergency exit you have to know Inglish (which is true). And that the flight attendant would kick her out anyway and put me there (which is likely). Honestly, I don't care that much where I sit anymore, but it's still nicer by the window, especially on a short flight where you don't need to go to the bathroom.