Johnnycake Mug Shots

My roommate Taylor’s younger sister Bailey and younger brother Brooks arrived in Budapest today for their spring break holiday. They have been here less than six hours and what a fiasco it’s been so far!

Taylor and I finished work around 1:40 today and made our way home to quickly grab our bags and catch the bus to the train station, the train to Budapest, the metro to the bus station, and finally, the bus station to the airport to get Bailey and Brooks. The bus was not quite on the right schedule with the train..so we had to take a later train. Then, Taylor got hungry and I had to have a bathroom break, so we stopped by Burger King. By the time we made it to Bailey and Brooks, they’d been waiting forty-five minutes! We were frantically talking with them and Taylor’s parents on Skype (with our internet sticks) on the bus to the airport, assuring everyone we’d make it there.

We made it! We made it! We bought eight metro tickets, hopped aboard the bus, and searched around for our hotel. After a break refresher, we set out to have a huge filling meal in the restaurant that Dad and I discovered here years ago. It was delicious! Twenty-four dollars for three Mexican mashed potatoes, one broccoli and cheese mashed potato, two broccoli and cheese salty crepes, one spaghetti crepe, one banana and honey crepe, one banana and chocolate crepe, one turo crepe, one apple walnut crepe, a free coconut crème crepe, one hot cocoa, two banana milk shakes, and a strawberry milk shake. Whew!!! We were stuffed! After snapping a few shots outside the Parliament building, we made our way down to the metro to head home to rest, as we’d be awakening early on the morrow.

There was no one manning the ticket booth in the metro. The machine would only take coins, not bills, and we didn’t have enough. There were no men checking tickets, like there always are. In fact, the escalator down was turned off! So we thought that perhaps we’d be able to run down the escalator and catch the last subway back.

There were ticket checkers at the next stop. We breezed by them. There were ticket checkers at the top of the next escalator. We happened to breeze past them too. And as we almost made it on the next train….a ticket checker stopped us. We gave him out expired tickets (a collection from 6pm, 9pm, 5pm, etc).

“These tickets are expired. Where are you from? Do you have ID?”

“America…Al Alabama.. No sir. We don’t have our ID – it’s at the hotel.”

“You know it’s illegal to travel in any country without ID. I can call the police. And your tickets are expired. It is a 12,000 Forint fine per person for not having a valid ticket. Show me your ID.”

“Sir! We don’t have it – it’s at the hotel. Can we go up and buy new tickets? There wasn’t anyone to buy tickets from at our stop – and the machines didn’t take bills. “

“All the machines take coins. You must have a valid ticket. They expire after one hour. I’ll do you a favor. I’ll only charge you 6,000 Forints per person. Pay me now. “

“But sir, we don’t have the money! I have 1,500 Forints I’ll give you – can you take that?”

“You don’t have the money? I’m calling the cops.”

So, the ticket inspector, an ass of the first order, ignoring female tears like that, called the police. The Hungarian police either said it was too late, or they didn’t care, but either way, they were not coming to cart us away. So the ticket inspector brought us to another ticket inspector, who was much nicer. This guy, after hearing our pleas (“We’ve only been here for a day! We’re only here for a night! Please sir, can we just buy four new tickets?”) – said sure, that it wasn’t a big deal….until Ticket Inspector Number One returned. Then, he insisted upon a 6,000 Forint fine for each of us (the money promptly going into his own pocket to be shared with Ticket Inspector Number One,) They proceeded to follow us to the ATM, accept our money, show us how to validate tickets, and instruct us as to what to do tomorrow.

So we got off “easy.” $120 fine total and no jail. And a stop by the ABC store for a beer to cry in.