One foot on the platform, the other on the train
The final moment has arrived, when this trip turns reality. Food was stacked, bags were packed, wheel pressure checked one last time and off we went to the station. Budapest said goodbye with a picture-perfect low afternoon sun, shining through the station building. It took a while to carry everything along the platform (2 bike bags, one massive duffel bag, one long kayaking bag, a backpack, a camera bag and the birdy), but we finally reached the right carriage, and off we went.
We had nice company on the way: a very nice but extremely talkative grandma and a lady who crotcheted a doll, prepared for a long pilgrimage walk and was into rock climbing. I wrote an article for a Hungarian outdoor magazine for most of the way, so we arrived in Vienna in what seemed like no time.
At the station, we had some verbal arm-wrestling with the train travel center: a week or so ago we were notified of a schedule change which means we will not reach our connection in Copenhagen. We received tickets for the next train, but I fear the two hours (of daylight!) we lose will be dearly missed tomorrow.
After a quick phone call with my loved ones at home (my youngest has his birthday today), the Nightjet pulled in, and we boarded with all our gear. It took a while to figure out the luggage locking system, our cabin door cards were reset by the train crew, but now here we are, weary and well-fed (on leftovers from a competition hike!), ready to go to sleep.
The countdown is now less than a day.
Oh yes, and the weather forecast for Copenhagen tells us we should expect a strong southerly wind, which would not help us at all. Also rain.
