I was finally able to get Maddie dressed and ready for the day. However, she refused to be put down and continued to fall asleep on me.
We walked down the street and found a place for breakfast. We were able to chat a bit more, play a game as we waited on our food, and then plan out our afternoon.
Alayna was leaving by train to Prague a few hours before us. We rode with her to the train station and made sure she was able to safely get on. We had heard from various news articles that the station was overrun with migrants from Syria and there could be various issues.
When we arrived to the station we had a very humbling experience. There was a group of Syrians going through piles and piles of clothes. It appeared that donations had been delivered to the area and people were able to take what was needed. Seeing women look through items with children who were Caleb's age and younger was absolutely heartbreaking. These people have nothing and are basically stuck in Hungary.
Here you can see the clothes and also a makeshift tent area. Under the bridge across the way there were so many people just surviving.
When we entered the train station there was a large group of people waiting in the middle area. It seemed as though they were waiting to go somewhere, but I'm not sure if they get to go anywhere else. There were multiple police officers located in front of the crowd and also in other areas. It was very intimidating, but also great to see after reading about various riots/protests that had taken place there just last week.
In this photo you can see the stairwell filled with migrants. The police are at the top standing in front of the line.
We walked Alayna to her train and then walked back through the station. There was clearly an area designated for migrants and areas where tourists could move freely (see above photo). It was sad to see the mass camp outside underneath the stairwells and lower parts of the train station. From what I've read, it appears the migrants are trying to make their way to Austria and ultimately Germany. I'm not sure if/when they'll be able to leave but I hope they find something they can call home sooner than later.
We made our way back to the city near the Hungary Eye (a ferris wheel) and got a coffee. Maddie was still asleep at this point. She had slept through everything (for the most part) up to this moment. She was acting as though she didn't feel very well and wouldn't speak much even if she was awake. She finally woke up enough to eat a granola bar. She would not get down and did not want to run and play. It was pretty cool and windy so we made our way to the metro and then bus towards the airport.
We arrived a little early so we ate an early dinner and Maddie played a little in the kid's play area. We eventually boarded and flew an hour back to Warsaw. The flight was great but very cramped!
We got off the plane to even cooler weather. The summer is no more. The wind was blowing and we all bundled up as we waited on the bus.
We finally made it home and the kids ate dinner and then showered and went to bed. Maddie fought her sleep, likely because she wasn't tired from sleeping all day.
We are happy to be back home, and we are looking forward to our routines starting back up tomorrow.
Goodnight!
No comments:
Post a Comment