The Journey Makes the Destination

Starting point: Vienna, Austria. Destination: Budapest, Hungary. Transportation method: Train...or so we thought. Traveling for two weeks through Eastern Europe, myself and a good university friend were meandering from town to town as cheap and quick as possible, be it was low-cost airlines or trains and saving money on accommodation through hostels.

On our second of three nights in Vienna, I met some German guys in my hostel room who - after going through the usual hostel introductions regarding nationality and where they're traveling - mentioned they were traveling from Germany to Budapest in a firetruck. Initially thinking it was just a lack of fluent English, I thought nothing of it and went back to making my bed before heading out for the day. Then, not two seconds after my back was turned, my new friend Moritz asked if I wanted to see it. Lo and behold, the photo was of a full-blown 40 year old firetruck. Impressed, I now had a story to tell to my other friends in the hostel, which turned a lot of heads.

After seeing them in the bar later that night, we got to talking and we finagled ourselves a ride with them two days later to both of our next stops: Budapest. Due to the inability to park the beast anywhere near a European city-centre, we had to take a taxi to the outskirts of the city to see a truck equipped with artificial turf on the roof - which they claimed they have golfed from - alongside a fully functioning blue alarm light! Instantly, we knew this was going to make for a great story.

Typically, a drive from Vienna to Budapest should be about three to four hours. However, thanks to the engine capabilities of this 1967 German rig, its 80 km/h maximum speed brought us there in no less than six and a half! Thankfully, the six of us all find great pleasure in the journey, and it was an absolute blast for the entirety of the trek. We had a little 'iPod sharing' experience, where each nationality controlled the newly installed radio for 30 minutes at a time, so while they introduced us to their favourite German beats, we fed them with our selection of North American country music. Finally, after weaving through Budapest's traffic, crossing the renowned chain bridge, and looking for a gaping street-side vacancy to set the truck in, we arrived at our hostel, where we'd set up camp for three more nights.

All in, after six and a half hours, we had countless priceless photos, four lifelong friends, and one story none of us will ever forget.