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Published: June 15th 2007
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Budapest Bohemia
Photo of the day, if not the week. This nicely summarises Budapest in a single shot. Oooh, lots of semiotics happening here... uh, not that anyone is bothered. Anyway, Enjoy the Budapest Blog. Budapest began in a rather awkward fashion - me and my travel buddy had been accosted by hostel-tourist-board-pimps on the train, but the prices were a little more expensive than imaginable, so it was perhaps fortunate that the rosy smile of a i-help-you-find-bed guy welcomed my departure from the train. I could feel the tourist board types scowling as I dodged their cut and found a decent enough hostel offer not too far from the centre. The guide was nice enough to pay for underground and tram fares too. Something was up, but I can honestly say that my fears were left unearthed... it was just customer service a little more advanced than I was used to.
Well, the first impressions of Budapest are two things. The heat... no wait, the Heat... and the crowds. Beggars stared blankly at me from behind cardboard signs, I was acutely aware of the jostling locals on the trams and my spider sense tingled a little on the pick pocket situation, but my peripheries were sharp and clear. There seemed too many people all in one place - every tram was full and getting on and off (I would love to say alighting,
Meal Shot #12
Double Fillet Steak with other stuff! Great, but a little burst of expense on good food is something to live by. but can't bring myself quite that far... maybe soon) was more like navigating a waterfall of bodies than the polite queues of Hoylake Central. The guide was quick on his feet and had little trouble in threading his way through the tramlines, traffic chaos and bicycles. Forgetting I was more like a tortoise than a human with the backpack - which I should give a name at some point, as depressing and sad as that is... any suggestions? - it took a little time to get to the doorway.
A beautifully creepy lift ride later, complete with grinding gears and singing wires, the hostel was nice enough and above all, cheap. Not quite the room with a view, but whatever.
Food was needed and I sensed Jazz. The night was full of steak, beer and then what I can only describe as one of the worst electro-synth-Jazz bands I have every seen. I wanted good Jazz, but I was simply unprepared for the shades-with-a-mini-drum-kit-and-little-keyboard duo, who seemed duly in a Jazz trance. They were a long way from the how the audience were feeling. Well, beer makes everything better and later found the hostel again (including the amazing
"Jam Pub"
Yup, a Jazz Bar - but the music was truly, awfully, dire. Not jazz at all. Blog for details. beetle that reared its mighty head as I walked past). I've decided on some kind of beetle-size graph to map distance from England, but it needs testing and flexing before being released to the world.
So, collapsing into bed, I didn't realise quite how tired I was and went out like a light. Waking at midday the next day (yeah, Midday. Usually this is fine for me, but the fact of losing quite a few hours of city time was a little bit of a niggle).
ANYWAY, the city awaited, or more accurately, Buda awaited. Budapest is a city formed of two distinct halves, held together by a mighty bridge. Each side, Buda and Pest, needs at least a day. There is a great deal to see, and unless you are tram-master of Budapest, you need another one just to get around. Buda is very cool, the old city is dominated by the Palace city, squatted on the hill with the crumbling buildings outside of the walls sloping to the river. Inside the walls is a beautiful town contained away from the inevitable cranes and construction of the rest of city. Each street was lined with miniature galleries
Distance-from-UK-by-beetle-size-o-meter.
Wow. So cool. I was wandering back from the fateful Jam Pub and BAM, a beetle the size of a tank... well, a thumb, burst from the bushes! I was ecstatic and sat with it a while. Sigh. Good times. and shops stuck in time. All in all, a great place. Amidst the beauty, painful pockets of history stood out. Bullet holes pock marked a few buildings and it is hard to imagine that, whilst sitting on the corner of a cafe terrace, bullets once would have passed through you.
The days again began to blur - it has become hard to contain each city in its own memories - I found myself wondering if certain buildings were Budapest, Vienna or Lviv? The camera timeline helps a little, but edges have smeared here and there. It's a strange feeling. I'm coming up to the month mark and I want to really convey that each place has its own sense of self, its own distinct atmosphere and surroundings. I try my best and I intend to become a little more literate in the blog in an attempt to put across just what I am experiencing. I've already seen so much. It's hard to get to grips with the fact that I am 1/16th of the way through.
So, Budapest was really amazing, but the magnetic Lviv loomed. Just a quick word on the Pest side - it is just
Palace Zone.
On the Buda side, the Palace walled city was really beautiful. And lads, it would make an awesome CSS level. Go, map, render and fractalise! Sort of. as beautiful as Buda, but stretched out and flattened. The Wine Festival in the millenium gardens was one not to be missed.
The trains are tricky into the Ukraine, with what might be best described as a meandering route being the only course of action. So, now that I finally have a stable USB connection over the next few days (here I am sat in Bucharest, Romania) I intend to bring the blog up to speed, but of course working around the dark treks to Transylvanian castles, Bucharesti traffic dodging and more.
Until next time! Until the Ukraine! Until Lviv!
Tommy
PS. Two pages of photos again!
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LiNeN BoY
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Bring on the vamps
Looking forward very much to the Transylvanian adventures. Try to get a bit of diablerie in whilst you're there.