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13 In ramblings/ travel

scared of my own stupidity | travelling stresses

Travel blogger. Freedom Bridge. Budapest

I’ve been in Budapest for two days now and I can wholeheartedly say I am LOVING it.  We’re having an amazing time and I seriously can’t wait to tell you all properly about it when I get home.

However… (sounds like I’m trying to write a thriller here doesn’t it) the first night I was not loving it at all.  I don’t think I realised how much of a worrier I can be until Monday night.

Our flight was fine, our taxi from the airport was fine, and we met the host at the apartment just fine.  Everything seemed to be going well.  And then to be honest nothing *that* drastic in the grand scheme of things happened, but it was just one of those nights with a few less-than-ideal events that set me off worrying.

We unlocked our apartment door just fine, but couldn’t figure out how to get out of the building and onto the street.  Everything was silent apart from some muffled snoring, but we couldn’t tell where that was coming from.  The corridor was pretty dark anyway, and by this time it was going dark outside.  It didn’t feel like the kind of place that would have been appropriate to just laugh loudly about it and keep trying, and what gave us some quiet giggles at first kinda didn’t seem funny when we genuinely couldn’t get out.  Luckily our host was really friendly, and after a text saying ‘I assume you need to pull it harder’, we were out.  Feeling like absolute muppets that just hadn’t pulled it hard enough obviously.  It’s easy to let your logic slip when you’ve just landed in a new country and everything’s so unfamiliar – at least that’s what we’re telling ourselves anyway!

We only nipped out for the quickest of quick trips to the nearest convenience store, and I honestly don’t think I’ve fumbled around with money so much in my life.  How I managed a maths A-level yet get so confused by an exchange rate I do not know.  The streets were only slightly alive with a few locals, and we felt like such obvious British tourists who didn’t have a clue what they were doing.  Didn’t exactly feel comfortable out and about.  Then, of course, getting back into the apartment building proved just as difficult as getting out.  We’d been given a physical key plus two number codes, and had assumed the physical key would just let us back in.  In all likelihood we’d been distracted with looking around the apartment when our host explained what to do.  Cue a brusk male voice coming towards us saying “Look, this” and barging straight for the door.

One thing I really hate about being a girl?  The way you just can’t help but feel vulnerable in these situations, even if you’re not alone.  This man could see how confused we were, but was very intimidating and aggressive in his manner anyway.  Do they enjoy it or something?  Ugh.

He let us in, yeah, but we were still none the wiser as to how to actually open it.  Dinner that night was the most hilarious combination of pasta and bizarre tomato sauce that we’d picked off the shelves, so we had a laugh, took ridiculous Snapchat videos miming to George Ezra, and got ready for bed.  I realised I’d packed an American adaptor instead of a European one so we only had one between us, but that didn’t worry me too much.  By this point I’d read the sentence on the information sheet that ‘If you lose the keys, you must pay for the damage and the locksmith’ and in true Lily style, started worrying my head off about that.  Anyone who knows me will know I am THE WORST when it comes to keys.  I’ve locked the only house key inside the house (with my whole family outside) whilst on holiday before.  I’ve lost my own house key multiple times.  In my defence it’s always turned up sooner or later, but yeah, I’m SUPER paranoid about keys now.

To top it all off, in my stupidity I spilled water on my laptop.  And it wouldn’t switch back on.  If there’s anything to make a blogger panic, it’s the laptop or the camera.  So many files on there.  Not what I needed, seriously!  Plugging it in didn’t work, leaving it didn’t work, nothing seemed to work. Yep, panicky Lily again.  Why do I have to be so stupid?  Thank god for Saskia being the calm one and making me just leave it on its side and go to sleep.  What little sleep I did get that night, anyway.  By morning it showed the option to reboot, and after half an hour sat in front of the fan, the mousepad worked fine again.  Talk about relief!  I’m typing and editing photos and everything on it now – we’re all good.  We figured out the door in daylight the next morning too.  And converted the rest of our money.  And felt 100x calmer and ready to explore and have fun.

overlooking-budapest-from-buda-castle

Writing this down it really seems like I was making a fuss over nothing, especially considering I wouldn’t call myself an anxious or nervous person at all.  I wasn’t nervous in the slightest about coming away to a overseas city just the two of us.  Mostly I’ve just realised how afraid of my own stupidity I really am – I’m capable of doing some really daft things, so that’s not unfounded.  I realised that the parts of a trip you expect might be stressful (getting to your accommodation from the airport, for example) couldn’t be simpler, and you don’t even consider that opening the door might provide stress in itself.  I’ll forever worry about keys.  Saskia’s on key duty for both of our sake.

But I also realised just how quickly you get used to things.  I still remember my first trip to London for my internship last year – I was pretty chuffed myself for making it down there, getting the tube, and finding the office.  The whole experience was new, of course I was.  Fast forward a few months, and taking tubes left right and centre to make it to 3 separate interviews before 12 o’clock was nothing.  No big deal anymore because I’d gotten used to it.  So next time, if I’m in a unfamiliar country and can’t open the door, I’ll stop panicking and be more logical about it.  I won’t worry as much if I spill a tiny bit of water on my laptop again.  I’ll still probably feel vulnerable when foreign men with scowly faces stare at us in the street, but I’ll keep my shit together.  And for now, I’m just gonna go out and have a good time.  🙂

lily kate x

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13 Comments

  • Reply
    Eline
    6th July 2016 at 10:00 pm

    This is so incredibly familiar. I remember when inter railing through europe last year, we would be in a different city every 2/3 days. It always took a few hours to adjust, especially in Trieste and Budapest. Like you said, I felt incredibly uncomfortable that first evening, but after that I had the most amazing time.

    • Reply
      lily kate
      8th July 2016 at 9:48 pm

      I’m glad I’m not the only one! I can imagine the feeling happens all too often whilst interrailing, although I’d still LOVE to do it. Just takes a little time to settle in it seems, I had the most amazing time the rest of my trip! What did you get up to in Budapest?

  • Reply
    Bekah
    7th July 2016 at 8:30 am

    Love that you’re keeping it real and posting about all aspects of your trip! I always feel like I’m the only one in the world who worries about things like this! During every trip I’ve ever been on it has always taken me a good few days to settle in and get used to the new environment… I’ve not been on many trips on my own so my goal for the next year is to take some solo trips around the UK!

    • Reply
      lily kate
      8th July 2016 at 9:51 pm

      Really glad yo like this post! I thought I’d be honest and share all the feels, although there are plenty of the usual happy good ones to come! It realy was just that first night. Solo trips around the UK would be such a good way to start solo travelling, I might copy you with that idea!

  • Reply
    Will
    7th July 2016 at 1:12 pm

    Fantastic to hear you guys are enjoying yourselves! I’m not going to lie, I’m a little jealous, the view from the office window just doesn’t quite cut it! A bit of advice for the future, only throw in one foreign plug adapter and bring an extension strip. It takes a lot of the hassle out of coordinating plugs.

    • Reply
      lily kate
      8th July 2016 at 9:53 pm

      Thanks Will! We loved it so much. That’s a really good idea actually, why didn’t I think of that? Good job we don’t have to sit any more exams on electricity any time soon…

  • Reply
    adele miner
    7th July 2016 at 10:15 pm

    I really enjoyed reading this, I am going interrailing in about a week and budapest is on my list so I am happy to have read this before going off, thanks for sharing! You seem really lovely too and your blog is great, let me know if you would like to follow each other and stay in touch! x

    adelelydia.blogspot.com

    • Reply
      lily kate
      8th July 2016 at 9:59 pm

      That makes me very happy! Interrailing sounds like so much fun. I would love to follow each other!

  • Reply
    Rach
    8th July 2016 at 10:32 am

    Being anxious when your away is so natural, and although those things seem trivial now I’m the exact same. It’s not stupidity at all, simply the nervousness that comes with being outside the norm. At least that’s what I tell myself 😉

    I’m glad you’re feeling better though, and I can’t wait to hear about your trip!

    willowtea.blogspot.co.uk xo

    • Reply
      lily kate
      8th July 2016 at 10:11 pm

      I suppose you’re on high alert for everything when you’re somewhere unfamiliar. I told myself that too! I can’t wait to post all about it, I had such a good time!

  • Reply
    Lucy
    10th July 2016 at 2:17 pm

    Sometimes I find I’m just in a generally anxious mood where everything feels like a big problem (mountains out of molehills essentially) and other times I’m just so chilled, nothing could throw me! I think it’s natural to feel like that sometimes especially when you’ve just gone away somewhere as you want everything to go well so you can just relax and focus on having a nice time xxx
    Lucy @ La Lingua : Food | Travel | Italy

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