Last weekend, I set out with my Bible study gals for a weekend retreat in a random little town down near Heviz, Hungary. I needed a weekend to refocus and unwind, but didn't want to venture far on my own. Everyone heartily agreed to join. I think we were all in need of a little R&R and unhurried time with God.We decided to take Meg's boyfriend's car since it has more trunk space. I mean, we're a bunch of girls for crying out loud. It's hard to pack light. Plus, as we saw the weekend unfold, we were really glad we'd hauled all that junk and comfort food! Our drive was going to be about three hours (according to the GPS), so that was at least half a box of Laura's homemade snickerdoodles.
The first two hours were lovely. Good music. Great company. Exceptional snickerdoodles. What more could a girl ask for?
The rest of the trip exploded (and I do mean exploded). We're just glad we made it at all. For a REALLY LONG story shorter, here's the adventure in pictorial review:
After Meg realized the car was overheating for an unaccounted length of time, we pulled over, turned off the vehicle, saw smoke and ran. Laura and Emily (pictured) grabbed their valuables...you know, like purse and passport. Ever committed to new blog entries, I only thought to grab my camera to document whatever might be next.Lots of smoke.
Darkness.
Four stranded American girls near a field.
Meg calls her Hungarian boyfriend for help, while I try to follow her translated directions. Pour our only bottle of non-carbonated water (precious, precious water!) into the still-hot radiator.Lesson #1: You're supposed to let the car cool down first.
Geysers and steam 20 feet into the air.
Dead car.
Still stranded near the field as cars whiz by.
Seriously, four attractive women on the side of the road in the dark and no one stops?!? This was not boding well for our self-esteem.FINALLY, Gabor comes to our aid. On his way home to mom's house in Budapest, this quirky and gracious young man takes pity and helps us out for several hours. After several trips across the field to the neighbor for water, we determine that towing is the only option.
Lesson #2: They don't really have AAA in Hungary. Always carry a D.I.Y. towing kit.We don't have a rope--trust us, we looked hard through that perfectly crammed little trunk--so Gabor takes two of the girls to the gas station to buy one.
We keep praying. Hope we see Meg and Laura again.
When they return (phew!), Gabor agrees to tow us the remaining 26 miles to our hotel (according to the GPS).The GPS promptly breaks.
We play a little bumper car adventure on the way there. (You did a really good job for your first time, Meg! And in the dark, no less.)
Finally we arrive at the hotel.
Our favorite things about Gabor:1. Willing to help!! He went above and beyond the call of duty, and it only took him one pack of cigarettes and two phone calls with his mother.
2. The stuffed animals dangling from his key chain and car interior. We counted 21.
3. The strobe lights inside the car, synchronized with the stereo bass and our rising blood pressure.
4. Trail blazer and multi-tasker: towing, smoking, reading a tiny map, fielding phone calls and driving in multiple lanes at the same time. WOW.
God bless Gabor, thank God Meg speaks Hungarian and hooray for Robyn to remember the camera to document the memories.
Of course, now we're stranded in Randomtown, Hungary. We decided to de-stress at the thermal spa down the street and determine a plan later.
It really was a great weekend. I'm thankful for these girlfriends, reasons to laugh, cameras, gracious strangers, unhurried time with God, thermal spas, snickerdoodles, ranch dressing and teammates who are willing to come to my rescue.
