Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Respects from Budapest!

AN had done a wonderful job of starting an itinerary sheet for our Budapest trip, and slowly our plans were being finalized.

AN and SP booked us into the same hotel in Vienna where they had stayed before (the picture of the proprietor is so Aryan I have to fight the urge to sing "Edelweiss" and run over some mountains every time I look at it), so I did a search for cheap Budapest accommodations. I found a search site that acted as a consolidator, showing you the many places to stay within the parameters (dates of stay, type of room, etc.) you enter. How easy and helpful.

I looked at the descriptions and prices offered by this site, and sent SP and AN the links to descriptions of three or four offered at the search site.

"Connections looks cheapest, and it's central; let me know what you think," I wrote.

"Sure," wrote SP. "Let's go with that."

So on Monday, We got on the phone and booked our rooms online together, to make sure there was a room for SP and AN and a room for me. Our trips have a tendency for disaster, so we have a healthy paranoia about Things Suddenly Going Very Wrong.

"OK. I have my booking. I've entered my credit card. You?"
"Yep."
"OK, I'm clicking 'Submit'."
"Me too."
"Done," I said.
"Done," said SP. "Oh, shit."
"What?"
"I think I reserved for September instead of October. And it begins."

There was a note on the booking site that SP could change his reservation by going directly to the hotel's site, so I sat on the phone while he did just that.

After a few moments, he began to giggle, then he burst into laughter.
"What?"
"'Welcome to the Connections Guesthouse, the Number 1 Gay Accommodation in Budapest Since 1998'!"
"No."
"Yes!"
"NO!!"
"YES!"

I went to the site: rainbows and triangles everywhere.

"You'd think they might MENTION this on the booking site. "

"You want to change? I don't mind going elsewhere. We just lose a small deposit," he said.
"No...AN will love it, and at least it will be safe."
"Unless Ukrainian Magda jumps you in the shared bathroom. Those Eastern European Lesbos are scary!" SP cackled.
He offered the use of his and AN's private bath in case I needed it.

*sigh.*
It begins indeed.

After we take a trip to Vienna, we will be staying in a place called (I'm not kidding) MushROOMS, (get it?) The rooms look like a set from a Sid and Marty Krofft production.

We booked our rooms, and I got a lovely email:

Respects from Budapest!
we are happy to have getting your booking, we are waiting for you!
And i would like to ask you, if your plan will change, please inform us about the new things.
I mean we don't have reception all day long, so we should know your exact time of your arrive.

Enjoy the Summer!
Have a nice trip to Hungary!
See you!

Between the accommodations, the planned trip to the Marzipan Museum, and the Mozart/Strauss concert in Vienna, this is going to be one heck of an unusual trip.

I can't wait! Marzipan, Waltzes, and rainbows, oh my!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I DO hope you told them the EXACT time of your arrival. Warsaw Pact habits die hard, you know.

At this point, I am mostly excited about the Vienna bit, because at least I know there won't be any nasty surprises in the woodshed.

JC said...

I hope you know you've just doomed the Vienna leg of the trip. Julius Meinl will now be a Starbucks.

Anonymous said...

Where the coffee will be served by a Mohr im Hemd!

JC said...

MMMMMMM. Mohr im Hemd. I'm getting one of those. With my Eiskaffee. Or perhaps a Viennese special mit Cinnamon.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.