Home again

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Sorry it's been so long. Had a great dinner at Taj Mahal restaurant in budapest as farewell to Andrew and Monika, friends Gabor and Kriszti collected me next day and took me walking in the hills above Budapest, leafy and green with limestone rocks and great views of the city and surrounds. Next day they drove me to- Vienna! where we toured the summer palace of the Hapsburgs, huge and opulent, too many rooms to dust! Friends I have stood in the room where Mozart gave his first concert aged 6 to the queen, and viewed the latest new toilet from England, used by no less than emperor Franz Josef himself ( although he was not enthroned at the time.) We picnicked in the formal gardens which were superb of course. We walked through Vienna Downtown to he opera house which was unfortunately closed, but staff in mediaeval outfits were touting that night's concert on the street- wouldn't you think it would have been booked out months ago, at this the height of the tourist season? I suppose you would call hem actors or minstrels, people dressed up as a spaceman, a violinist of yesteryear and a man in pink for some reason, stockstill as statues, adorned St Stephen's square. Our violinist got angry woth wouldbe photographers and stormed off. St Stephen's was very English Decorated, beautiful but could do with a clean. We were parked by a lovely church where a wedding was going on so were treated to super organ music. And the coffee was great! Kriszti's mum came too, lovely Hungarian lady who spoke no English but it didn't matter, hugs and laughs are the same in any language.
Next day- Sunday Jul 8- they put me on the plane to Amsterdam where I was met by Paul, Marianne and boys, who are also friends we met in NZ but ten years ago. Keith says we have to stop going, we always pick up other bushwalkers! He's kidding. P&M, as everyone else, crammed in the experiences for me- walkies in their huge local park, commonland with bike tracks, wetlands, lakes, dinner at home, The Swan pancake house next day for lunch and as it was raining- what! First rain I'd seen except for one thunderstorm at Denali- we watched videos of Alaska and talked about Australia as whoopee, they plan to visit ere long. Next day we cycled to a beautiful garden chocabloc with African sculptures, watched an African sculptor at work and enjoyed free afternoon tea. Proceeds go to a school in Africa sponsored by the owners who go here often. We ended up with dinner in an Argentinian restaurant. All this was very close to home, close to Amsterdam yet very rural.
They took me to the airport next day, where came the last shock. 'Madame, this ticket has already been used'. right. OK. So where have I gone? I'm standing here before you with a ticket dated today in my hand.........thought I might yet end up going to Yorks while they sorted out a trip hme for me........but must have been a compuer glitch. thirteen hours later I was in Singapore, booked in to the transit hotel for seven hours' sleep. I decided I might as well do the free 2-hour city tour but don't bother, the security on and off that takes as long as the B-O-R-I-N-G 90 min tour which goes something like 'this is the banking quarter and this is the uni and those are ships a sea and this is the Chinese/Indian area and this is exciting, see those old washing machines and refrigerators, they are going to Indonesia, this is the garbage-or-treasure place' I kid you not. But Singapore airport tries hard, lots of comfy seats, DVDs off Discovery channel, free internet, video games, a kids' play area and of couse the ubiquitous shops. Best buzz? Aussie green and gold shirts. I enquired the sport. 'We're the Australian International Physics Olympiad teasm and we've just WON!' I'd dearly have loved to stay and find out more but was due on that crummy tour. Funny I've heard noting about them since my return. But of course, it wasn't football.
At last, an uneventful six-hour flight and I was back in Adelaide, and all's well.
Very few people seem to be accessing this so I won't write any more until my next trip, but will write a full journal properly and send it to interested friends and family. dunno yet about photos, just about to edit them, all 700MB. Cheers all, Lady C

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