Workshop Booze Up VII - New Year, Same Plague, Same Booze Up, Deja Vu

[Glaurung]

So far, so good: I'm now in Budapest. I have three hours between trains - my vague idea of wandering around the city has evaporated in the rather warm weather, and I am now sitting in the shade on the station platform, watching the trains come in and out. I think the carriages for my train have just arrived, though it's about 50 minutes until it's due to depart.

[DeepCandle Games]

sounds fun, for what it is. are the train trips as interesting as the destinations?

[Glaurung]

Yes, they are for me. I enjoy watching the world go by outside the window. Some journeys are spectacularly scenic; others much more mundane, but always with the chance of a surprise - a castle, or an old town, or something happening beside the railway.

[DeepCandle Games]

watch out for vampires while you're at it!

[Jubal]

And vampiric vegetables, too, though I'm not sure if that myth exists much outside Serbia...

[Glaurung]

I think there might be more immediate problems, though not for me. We've reached the border station for Croatia, and a full passport check is in progress on the train. Several non-EU citizens appear not to have visas for Croatia, presumably having not realised that it's not in the Schengen zone, and the Croatian police are not letting them in to the country. There's also a Hungarian soldier with a gun keeping an eye on proceedings, though I assume he's there to keep undesirables out of Hungary, rather than in.

[Jubal]

I admittedly hadn't realised that Croatia isn't in Schengen either, huh. Hope it doesn't delay you too badly!

[Glaurung]

About 25 minutes, which I guess is not bad. The visa-less people were still on the platform when we left. Then, a couple of minutes later, was the fence with the gate at the border - opened for the train, and presumably closed behind it. I knew the fence was being built, but it's different actually seeing it. I think it's the first time in my life I have passed through a fenced border

[Jubal]

Yes, I don't think I've ever really seen a "border fence" as such.

Anyway, at this end, exam looms in the morning. Wish me luck, it's likely to be an utterly grim experience and I'm definitely going to need it!

[Glaurung]

Good luck! May all your Greek be elegantly translated.

[Jubal]

Thankyou! I think "vaguely correctly" is about the upper limit of my ambitions, but we can but hope.

[Glaurung]

In medical news, I seem to be coughing up All The Phlegm once again

[Jubal]

Time for a title change!

And oh dear - hope you feel better soon!

[Glaurung]

I feel well, thanks, especially now that I've managed to have a decent night's sleep. I'm just fed up of the ocean of goo trying to make its way into the world, bit by bit, via my larynx I should be OK again in a few days.

[Jubal]

I should have been thesis working today, but realised I was too braindead for that so I've been restocking the Exilian twitter with scheduled tweets.