Blogs from Budapest, Central Hungary, Hungary, Europe - page 118

so, after two nights in prague its off the european capital of all things grey, Bratislava. but first a story. i am very tired today, mainly for one reason. its not beer either you clever so and so. we had an ungodly early bus to bratislava, meaning we had to leave the hostel at 6.45 am. for those who know me they wqill know how much i love to get up in a morning. for those that dont trust me on this, solving third world debt is easier than waking me up. so i take pity on poor old travalpal joel and stay up wandering around prague all night despite being tired as it was. this worked fine until about 6.30 am when, having lost all track of time i realise i have 15 mins to ... read more

I think it's important to at least pay lip service to the past when visiting countries that had to endure totalitarian rule and Budapest suffered under the cruel might of communism along with the rest of Russia's soviet satellites. If you don't fancy taking in a museum then you can always marvel at the many bullets holes that ghoulishly pock mark the facia's of the city's older buildings, it will suffice. If you do feel obliged to dig a little however (and I do) then 'The Museum of Terror' could be the place for you. This prewar tenement was first the residence of Budapest's Nazi party and then, once the Russians had pushed the Germans back far enough, it subsequently became the Communist Party's headquarters. All sinister stuff then and the curators have done their utmost ... read more

well, it is taking some adjusting for me to get used to walking on hungarian streets. a man in a car stoped for me and waved me to walk- i was shocked but then remembered i wasnt in russia anymore. for anyone thinking of traveling to hungary, you should know- everyone cooks lunch from very early in the morning but there are few places to get breakfast. the turkish deli marts were open earlier than the cafes! we ended up having breakfast at mcdonalds- who, by the way, had an amazing cafe section with a decadent cappuccino!! i met a man from ethiopia who i will hopefully meet up with when i come back to budapest before i leave for home. all the snow has melted, which has caused a lot of floods in eastern europe. ... read more

Ferihegy airport - talk about low key. Clean and tidy but low on amenities it only takes a few moments to realise that it's probably best to get a move on. I normally like to sit down for a while, drink a coffee, maybe grab a bite to eat, but not here. Not that the place is in any way unnattractive you understand, on the contrary it gleams with immaculate communist masonery. There's just vey little to keep one occupied, tha's all. Fortunately they've a minibus system that's amply efficient and after about half an hour later and we are well on our way towards Hotel Pest. Except my German cohorts are to be dropped off first and so I'm taken on a tour of Budapest's back streets that sends my sense of direction dizzy. The ... read more

So, I asked my hostel pals to call the delivery service here at the Budapest Airport to find out where my luggage was...it was still in Frankfurt apparently, on the second day after I arrived. Apparently, the planes were too 'full' to take on my single, solitary backpack. I should have known this would be the case after reading the Luthansa baggage claim letter stating...'after 5 days, if you have not received your luggage, please contact our head office my mail....'. 5DAys!!! wow, it looks like they put a priority on this kind of thing. Anyway...I'm still happy and chilling here in Budapest. So I basically did some more walking around the city, this time in the opposite direction of my first run, this time towards the famous baths. I actually rode on the original subway ... read more