Boy howdy, was that a day.

Let's see, where was I when I last checked in: oh, right, Albany. That feels so long ago.

I am currently seated in a swanky Budapest restaurant, with some chicken a la bonne femme (chicken with potatoes and onions and just generally yummy stuff) and a free (!) glass of wine. There is English-language jazz/pop/something music on and I am tired, but very very happy. Even after all the (pardon me) shite.

• The check-in desk for Air Canada at Albany took waaaay long, because of a faulty computer and they had to do my stuff by hand. (Perhaps this relates to #5?). I wasn't too terribly bothered, but I was already emotional, and I hate saying goodbyes, so my parentals and I were emotional in different ways. 
• All three of my flights were delayed in some way, either with me still in the airport or when we were on the plane. I am nothing if not antsy. 
• I hate naps, and I especially hate napping on planes. Both of those things make my stomach all icky, which directly leads to
• Me throwing up (twice) into those little bags as we touched down in Budapest. Yay. (I was, however, sat next to an absolutely lovely old German couple, both of whom helped me through it. Poor man, though, was on his way to his younger brother's funeral. I didn't have much to say to that, especially after my frivolous comment about being there for archaeology which just seems so...well, frivolous, compared to that)
• My luggage getting lost/delayed from Frankfurt to Budapest. As well as a lot of other people, but really, it was just that kind of day. 

Good things are all around, though! 

• From Toronto to Frankfurt, I was seated next to...an archaeologist! She's a 3rd year PhD student who is going to Rome to do her own osteology work and dig. She's actually done a whole bunch of work in Budapest before! She's really cool and we got separated but not before she wished me luck and told me to facebook her bc she wanted to know how it goes. 
• My hotel is fantastic. It looks like this run down hole in the wall (Istanbul flashbacks!) and the pub on the first floor is just a bar, but the interior is gorgeous. I will take pictures and upload them for you guys. It's so pretty. 
• He upgraded me to a triple without an upgrade in money! I have this ginormous, beautiful room all to myself (and another dig girl, tomorrow night) and the only downside to it is that the wifi doesn't like working there. (Oh noes!) I think I'll have a flip around Hungarian tv and then go to bed in an hour or so.
• The other dig girl arrives tomorrow night, so I have tomorrow day to explore by myself, then we leave on Saturday! 

I am still happy and excited, but I think I'm crashing from the new-travel high. I'm feeling tired and lonely and sad. Transitions are the suckiest to ever suck. And while I prefer traveling on my own on the whole (I am an only child and used to doing what I want to do), I would like to share this with someone. (I still think you should have come, Danes.) I miss you guys. Hopefully next week will be too busy for me to get all mopey.