Just too far gone to be saved...

I did not write during cluj or fall break.  After fall break, I was determined to start again where I left off.  I tried, but only got through Cluj, and even that very scantily.  And I have since then been unwilling to write because of how much would be missing.  "You can't write about now until you write about break!" I gave myself many such ultimatums, but unfortunately they served only as a procrastination method, rather than an incentive to write about break.


And so in the interest of finishing up the semester in good communication with my blog readers (Hi Mom! Hi Grandma!), I will be posting a list of moments from break and then will continue to write about my life in the present afterwards, instead of waiting to catch up.


Fall break itinerary:
Saturday: 6:50 AM Maxi-Taxi to Petrosani.
Saturday 8:15 AM Bus to Timisoara
Stay the night at a Hostle in Timisoara (The only one that felt like a hotel and where we had two rooms.)
Sunday 1 PM Flight to Treviso, Italy.
Sunday PM tromp around Treviso, fall in love with Italy!  Go out for Pizza in the old city. Eat Gelato.
Stay the night at Casa de la Rosa Hostle in Treviso (the only one that felt like a house -- like staying in the basement at Grandma's house during Christmas travels.)
Monday AM Pick up rental car and head to Florence.
Monday PM Trek around Florence, Look at beautiful buildings, Split up for the first time (Me & Zach: Visit Cody & Kait Raak, Eat Gelato, TALK!  Tad, Julie & Kelly: Eat Pasta and drink Italian wine -- an experience Zach & I both missed out on, for this trip...)
Stay the night at a hostle in downtown Florence (the only one where we shared a bathroom with the whole hallway!)
Tuesday AM The Academia (Art gallery, home of the original David, etc.)
Tuesday PM Drive to Milan by way of Pisa (Home of the leaning tower, etc.).  Eat Gelato.
Stay the night at a hostle in Milan (the only one with drunk hosts, a spiral staircase up to our room...and a slanted ceiling in the bathroom which 3 out of 5 of us cracked our heads on!)
Wednesday AM Drive to the airport, stop for gas, eat gelato, drive to the car rental return then walk to the airport.
Wednesday PM Fly to Budapest.
Wednesday PM Wait at the airport for Kenda to pick us up...she never shows up.  Facebook Robert, who gives us instructions for managing on our own (i.e. getting to the Metro station by bus, where he will meet us and bring us to the Calvin student housing).  Manage to get to the metro, meet Robert and spend the next two-ish days tromping around Budapest with the Calvin students.  =) 
Stay for two nights with the Calvinites in their apartments. (The only place where we were surrounded by bazillions of people!) 
Thursday AM-PM seeing the city! The market, several beautiful churches, the best Hummus place I've ever eaten, a climb up the coolest hill ever to watch the sun set...and then Hungarian Folk Dancing, a ridiculous coffee-shop/bar to try & find a few people and, finally, home via a sprint to the metro, which was closing soon.
Friday AM The Calvinites left around 7 for a trip to Croatia, so they ran around like mad while we watched from our comfy beds/couches.  After they left, we slept, read, went for coffee...just generally relaxed it up until around noon.
Friday PM Tromped around town for a bit before heading to the home of a family who should have been in Lupeni, but instead were kicked out of Romania and were living in Budapest for a few months.  It has to do with the Visa thing, which I'll tell you about eventually, or you can ask me about it later.
Friday PM Made it to the Michmerhuizen's house, 45 minutes outside of the city proper, after a lot of train-and-buss craziness.  Were sent out for some exploring in a nearby woods, while Mr. Michmerhuizen cooked dinner for us.  Ate dinner and spent the evening enjoying his company!  It was such a good time.  He even pulled the good old Dad-like "Nobody Touch ANYBODY!" when Tad & I were pestering Julie... =)  
Stayed the night at the Michmerhuizen home.  (The only one that felt like a real home -- the first time I've stayed overnight in a home sine Spring break.)
Saturday AM Back to Budapest for an afternoon of sitting/sleeping/reading on the rocks by the shore of the Danube at Margaret Island (Beautiful!-- An island in the middle of the Danube river between the old cities of Buda and Pest, accessible by bridge.)
Saturday PM Our Public transportation passes expired at 4:45 pm, so we got within walking distance of the Train station arund then and spent the evening wandering here and there before settling in at a coffee shop for the final 3-ish hours before our train ride to Pentrosani.
Saturday PM-Sunday AM Train ride from Budapest to Samaria, where we had a 45 minute layover in a freezing building (I wish I had pictures...you wouldn't believe the train stations in Romania -- particularly the ones in small towny places... broken windows, no heat, lights that flicker, broken chairs...Tad even found a bowler hat on the roof by climbing a broken staircase to the second floor.  Post communism is SO apparent in the train stations...no improvements since forever ago.
Sunday AM:   Home to Lupeni. 


Highlights:
1. Cody & Kait Raak!  They are just fantastic!
2.Gelato in Italia.  Zach & I managed to eat it all four days we were there, thank you very much!
3. Budapest.  I love this city!
4. Playing tele-draw in Treviso.
5. (Mom, you might not want to read this one...) Driving 150 Km/hr down an Italian Freeway belting Bon Jovi's "Its my life".
6. Time with lovely people, making new acquaintances, and seeing new places.  


Thats not so very specific, I know, but it was a wonderful trip and I'll tell you about it in person if you want more details about anything.  =)