Rob Williams - Orangejack

It took almost 24 hours, but we finally made it back to Orlando last night. Every flight and transit went fine...though some were a bit scarier than others. More on that in a moment.

We went to bed about midnight our last night in Budapest and got up at 3 AM to shower and catch a cab. The funny thing was that it was 9 PM here in Orlando when we got up! It wasn't even Monday yet! The cab picked us up and I asked "Do you speak English". He said "No". Then we figured out which terminal to go to in English. Once all were settled, he turned on the radio and we listened to "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. I just had to laugh. That taxi was 40 minutes and cost about $35 and was a pleasant early morning, rainy ride to the airport. Keep those numbers in mind.

Sitting at Gate 13 with our fellow travelers we had a typical quick Hungarian breakfast -- a salami, cheese, and butter sandwich. It was good though something I'm not sure I could get used to. It was so early no one was around and the floors were very polished (see the reflection in the photo?).

All-in-all our flights were good. Watched Ocean's Twelve a couple of times and some of the SpongeBob movie. Ocean's Twelve was much better. ;-) I also was watching the in-flight compass and remember feeling a bit of a relief when we crossed through Canada into Ohio. But did you know there's a place in Canada called "Little Mississippi"?

So we finally landed at the Orlando airport, got our bags, and hailed a taxi. We needed to go 10 minutes away to get our car (we left it at work). This driver was a nut! He spoke even less English than the Hungarian, drove like a maniac, almost ran over the security guard at work, swerved, and cut off everyone. And what did that cost us? $27 for 15 minutes and almost death. Budapest was $35 for 40 minutes and very pleasant. What a contrast.

Went to bed at 9:30 last night...24.5 hours after I got up (cat naps on the plane not withstanding). Today I plan to rest, run some errands, and just get caught back up to life in the States again...a life with no taxis!