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Published: July 25th 2006
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Just when I was starting to love train travel it all fell apart…….but then I also entered Eastern Europe. Co-incidence? The train into Vienna was an hour late arriving (apparently the one before was over two hours late, so maybe I should be thankful)…….. but then the 2.5 hour tip took over 6 hours to complete. We sat at one station for over an hour and a half, and also went back in the direction we’d come from at one stage. Not good.
Add to this an air-conditioning system that was almost non-existent (just what you expect in first class), some obvious arguing between officials at different stops, and the company of some particularly loud Americans in my carriage, and you may get a sense of what it was like.
I knew I was in for a treat from the outset when a young female (of about 16 or 17) asked her mother “mum……what’s friendly fire mean?”, to which her mother responded “it’s sort of like an own-goal, only someone’s dead afterwards”. Oh joy!
Just as that ordeal was ending I heard someone say (in relief) that they were going to kiss the ground when they got out
Parlament
As viewed from the Danube at the station. But they quickly changed their mind about that once they saw the station itself.
My first impression of Budapest was along the lines of ‘Hmmmmm…..she ain’t so pretty’ - and this wasn’t just from the train station. Unable to decipher how to purchase a ticket for the tram I decided to walk to my apartment. There were so many potentially beautiful buildings that were simply crumbling away in ruin. And this scene wasn’t isolated to the area I was staying in (don’t worry mum……I was actually in a decent area)……it was like that all over the city.
Of course, Budapest does have it’s pretty side…….and it’s called Buda. There you find some of the oldest buildings (though there’s hardly anything left from the time of Turkish occupation) - the Buda Castle Palace, Matthias Church and Fishermen’s Bastion to name a few. The locals also seem pretty proud of the Chain Bridge that links both sides (the only bridge in Budapest to survive WWII)………and it’s also quite nice looking from Buda over the Chain Bridge toward the Parlament building (that’s how it’s spelt).
Having over-dosed on galleries and museums in other cities, I decided not
to look through what Budapest had to offer (I hope I didn’t miss anything too spectacular). Instead I decided to take a little more time to relax.
However, I did manage a day trip to the Danube Bend - visiting Esztergom, Visegrad, and Szentendre, and taking a boat back down the Danube to Budapest. It was a long day, but I quite liked it. Oity I decided to do it on a Sunday though, as the shops/markets were mostly closed. Exploring Esztergom included climbing the stairs of the Basilica to walk around the main dome (outside) - it was a little scarey.
As for the food…….I had forgotten about the whole goulash thing. Re-reading my last blog I see that it was quite silly to hope that the national dishes would be along the ‘healthy’ lines (not that I really did). So it may be time for my first ever diet when I get back.
Oh……..if you notice a difference in hair style between pictures, that can be attributed to me attempting to get a hair cut from a hairdresser who doesn’t speak a word of English. Oh well…….at least it’s short.
So on my enjoyment
Residential Building
Lots of this sort of thing around sclae from 1 to 10, where a 1 equates to the biro (my guide told us twice that it was a Hungarian invention - she was very proud), and 10 equates to traditional Goulash, I would rate my experience with a 7.
Looking forward to Prague (I hope it’s not all hype). Hopefully things may be a little cooler too. I’ve been persevering (and perspiring profusely) with temperatures between 35 and 38 degrees. Far too hot to be walking around everywhere.
PS.......this will probably be my last posting (don't worry mum and dad, I will still send the odd email to let you know I am OK). It's just that rather than waste a whole day travelling from Budapest to Prague I decided to take a night train. While I arrived refreshed with a full day ahead of me, I had been robbed during the night (despite being in a first class cabin.....or maybe because of that). Anyway.......my laptop (with all of my photos), camera, sunglasses, MP3 player, and cash are all gone. Hence me being unlikely to make another posting. I'm sure I will have fun trying to get anything out of the insurance company. I
The Esztergom Basilica
You probably can't make out the people walking around the dome at the top guess I was lucky that I had saved this entry to my message-stick before going to sleep.
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Marieke
non-member comment
oh no!
Hi Nice David, I can't believe you were robbed of all your stuff! I hope you're doing ok and you're managing without all of those things; I'm so sorry for you! Hope you can enjoy what's left of your trip though... Big hugs and take care.