One train, no changes. Bliss. Its quite a long journey, about 5 & 1/2 hours. We walked to the station in Timisoara, it took about 30 minutes taking it slowly. The temperature is about 23°C. Lovely. 

Usual choas when the train comes in. People don't wait for people to get off before trying to clamber up the ladders. Each wagon (carriage) has a number, its important to get on the right one as the train will be split further down the line (don't want to be going back to Bucharest by mistake). Fortunately this train has only three wagons so not to hard to find the right one. Hoist up the bags, find our seats and settle down.

This is an intercity train so it goes faster than the regional one we took the other day. The route takes us back up to Arad, which seems to be a major rail hub. At Arad, we get uncoupled and reattached to a longer train heading for Budapest. 

The border crossing seems to take ages. We stop at the Romanian border, officials get on and check our passports. They look bored. They get off and we sit there for 20 minutes. Then we slowly travel for a couple of miles to the Hungarian border. Its like a different world. Romanian railway stations are shadows of a glorious past. Once grand buildings sadly neglected. To get to other platforms you must cross the tracks. There are no barriers, if you get squashed by a train its your own fault for not looking. Platforms are unsigned and the surfaces are cracked and uneven. Don't even think about the toilets! Hungarian stations are pristine in comparison. Fresh tarmac on the platforms, arrival/departure boards, clocks that show the right time. Smartly dressed staff. Wow. Anyway, the Hungarian officials board the train, our passports are scanned using modern handheld scanners. Pictures scrutinised. Then after another few minutes we are travelling again. 

From Arad to Budapest the landscape is so flat. Farmland stretching for miles as far as the eye can see. Mainly arable crops, but also some lakes and a few farmhouses and small villages. Oh look! There's a deer! We soon lost count, there must have been hundreds. There is obviously a deer problem, as we saw wooden raised shooting hides dotted about. The wildlife is abundant, we also saw hares and birds of prey, storks and herons. Spring has definately arrived. The trees are full of blossom and wild flowers line the railway line. The railway lines are unfenced and roads crisscross them with no barriers. The train gives a mournful blast of its horn as it approaches a crossing.  The deer barely halt in their grazing, they must be so used to it.

Budapest railway station. Our wagon is now the last in a long line of wagons on this train. Its a long walk up the very long platform to the station building. The station is very old and busy. Its a crazy mix of old, once majestic building and modern ATM`s and ticket machines. The noise is deafening, doors slamming, whistles blowing, people shouting. Its 7.15pm, its been a long day. We do have some HUF`s (Hungarian Florits) left from our visit last year, but we need more. The ATM is slow to react and I press a button twice and end up with £500 worth instead of £50! Damn! We don't usually carry much cash because if you lose it, its gone for good. If you lose your cards, its inconvenient, but they can be replaced. I am annoyed with myself. Gggggrrrrr.

Taxi to the apartment.