Triple Detour

The incredible, life-changing, three-part story of the past hour and a half.

Part 1

Something terrible has happened. We've always wondered when, not if it would happen. Actually, we were surprised it hadn't happened earlier. No longer can we take the 18 or 41 all the way to the 47 or 49. What was once nice and simple, no longer is, and now the horrid and wretched 40-something is in the way. What am I blabbing about? Well, the tram route that once so efficiently linked us to our university has been out of commission (and will be for another two weeks).

It used to take us two tram rides to get to university, but now an extra bus ride has been added to the mix. It's actually not so bad, but it leads us to Part 2 of the story.

Part 2

Every Tuesday at 4:20 p.m., all four of us have a class called Presentation Skills. It's one of the better classes I'm taking here - the prof seems to put a lot of effort into the course, which is something I've come to appreciate over the past few months, or rather, the past two and a half years. Others don't like the class, but to each his own. Anyhow, the professor and his wife have been expecting a new-born son, and it seems like he's been born because we were the only four students in class. We presumed that this was the case and left early.

On the way back, we decided to split up and try two alternate routes in a bid to figure out the most efficient way back home. Mike and Tristan went off to one route and Trevor and I took another. Our route went along the Danube, all the way to Parliament. Quite a scenic view, plus getting to see parliament everyday for a few weeks wouldn't be so bad. Except the tram never got to Parliament. And there were a lot of cops around. We get out to start walking toward the metro stop, only to find that it was blocked by a huge protest. Old men and women were shouting something at the police. People were chanting Hu-Hu-Hungaria everywhere. One guy was up on a podium blabbing on about something we wished we could understand. If someone can explain what the protest was about, please do!

We hung around for a bit and then headed toward the nearest tram stop that would get us home. The tram was full beyond capacity with people, some of which were emitting some unpleasant odors. We had no choice - it was the easiest way home.

Part 3

We finally got to Moskva Ter, where we could take the final tram home. As soon as we entered the tram, a freak storm began. Heavy, heavy rains started falling and went on for a while, followed by lots of hale. This disrupted the third, and final part of my trip. I put off going to the grocery store, opting to get as close to home as possible. I sprinted the final 20 meters of my journey. The 20 meters that stood between me and safety (the lack of rain, in this case) and finally made it home.