Budapest

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hello all,
now comfortably settled in central budapest.

passed through vienna yesterday which despite a shaky start, quickly overwhelmed with grandiose buildings dominating every street. Prices were worst so far though, the local speciality - wiener schznitzl was a must have but we decided not to go for the viennesse coffee or hot chocolate which was the price of the entire prague feast.

Budapest is a different story. local currency is forints -although thats only our best guess. and at 3ÖÖ to the pound, with a coffee costing 1ÖÖ that means cheap cheap cheap. lunch was schznitzel, potatoes, onions, courgettes and mushrooms - phill without the meat, mick without the vegetables. Russell got an huge duck shank - all from the local speciality butcher/cafe for only about 3 pounds each.

We've just returned from a clifftop walk to the local castle and the statue of a woman holding a feather which towers over budapest. it also gave the most incredible view of the entire city from all angles. what seems to be a theme though is seeing a lot of incredible things and managing to pick up none of the local history, i think visiting for more than a day would probably be a start.

please excuse the grammer and or spelling- germanic keyboard. lots of Zs, not enough brackets.
thats all for now, next update from croatia and a big happy birthday to karen alexander.

james and the gang

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