Happy birthday to me!

So today is my birthday. How great is it to wake up in Europe on your birthday! Yesterday ended much better than it started. I met some great people in my hostel (once I found it) and we all went out to dinner and had gelato. They were from Utah, New York and Sweden, an interesting mix. It was a fun night and I got to see more of the city. It really is beautiful in Slovenia.

I got up really early today and caught a train to Budapest, Hungary. It was a 9 hour train but I really love trains so it is ok. I was lucky and found a compartment that I had to myself for the whole trip! Which is pretty rare. I stuffed my sweatshirt in the pillowcase I brought and just relaxed. I stretched out on one row of seats, put my iPod on and just enjoyed watching the countryside go by.

Train travel is so different from anything else. You can read, journal, meet new friends, sleep, all while not having to worry about navigating or getting lost. You see the actual landscape of the country instead of flying over it. I just love it. So it was a good day. I met a girl named Kate from Australia when I was getting off the train and we helped each other find the right place we needed to go. We are going to try to meet up in a couple days to go to the thermal baths here in Budapest. She was cool, she is traveling for 20 weeks by herself. She is going through both Asia and Europe.

I found my hostel and the people there are awesome. The people who run it are all late 20s people from England and Australia who love Budapest. They show you all the best places to go for cheap. I came in and one of them was painting a mural on the wall while another one asked me if I wanted a cup of coffee they were brewing, this is all before I even checked in.

Tonight they are having their weekly big roast night for the whole hostel. It is a very cool atmosphere. I am looking forward to staying there for the next couple nights.

So, good birthday really. You do not often start your 24th birthday in Ljubljana and end it in Budapest, so that is pretty sweet. I definitely missed seeing Gabe on my birthday, but we will celebrate when I get home. Tomorrow I explore the city!

Happy birthday Dad!!!!