From Budapest to Vienna

As much as I loved Budapest, it was time to go to Vienna. I bought a first-class ticket at the MAV station for the equivalent of 29 euros. The train ride was quiet and tranquil, stopping several times in Hungary and then across the Austrian border.

I think the train stations in Vienna have changed.  Wien Hauptbanhof appears to be closed, or at least this train passes through without stopping. Your two main options from the foreign train are Wien Meidling or Wien Westbahnhof. I chose Wien West, but either one connects to the metro station, where you can easily get just about anywhere,

The Westbahnhof is also a giant shopping mall, like many train stations, where you can buy clothing, groceries, and electronics.

Crossing the Tisza on a very small ferry

The Tisza river is one of the two largest rivers in Hungary. It flows into the Danube farther south, in Serbia. To get across the Tisza river near Hódmezovásarhely, you can go the "long way" by road and bridge, or you can take the ferry.

We were on our way to see the "Arrival of the Hungarians" (also known as the Feszty Panorama or Feszty-körkép) at the Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park, and we took the ferry.

How often does the ferry run? As soon as it has enough cars. Here you can see the empty ferry, waiting for passengers to arrive.

After about 20 minutes, enough cars had arrived and we had a full boat load to cross the not-very-wide river.

 

The ferry trip only took a couple of minutes, and soon we were bumping along on a single-lane road on our way to see the national park.