Blogs from Central Hungary, Hungary, Europe - page 8

This is the first post of my travel blog. Please don't expect anything more than a few simple jottings! The purpose is in part to share my journey with friends and family. I am also writing it as a log for myself to remind me of the various places I will be touring to next summer when once again I do my side hustle (tour manager for Trans World Travel, based in Chicago). Day 1 sees me flying to Budapest. This is slightly at odds with the above title - Europe by Rail. However this is simply to maximise the time I have. I suspect that I have already tried to pack too much in which won't be a surprise to any of my friends, especially Sue!! It was pouring down as I left home. I ... read more

This is the first post of my travel blog. Please don't expect anything more than a few simple jottings! The purpose is in part to share my journey with friends and family. I am also writing it as a log for myself to remind me of the various places I will be touring to next summer when once again I do my side hustle (tour manager for Trans World Travel, based in Chicago). Day 1 sees me flying to Budapest. This is slightly at odds with the above title - Europe by Rail. However this is simply to maximise the time I have. I suspect that I have already tried to pack too much in which won't be a surprise to any of my friends, especially Sue!! It was pouring down as I left home. I ... read more

The first thing to mention is that I am on a three-week trip with one cabin-sized case, as I want to travel as lightly as possible. I remember from my student interRailing days how important this is. The steps up to European trains are generally high, and you often to have to store cases on high racks. So I recently had treated myself to a new Samsonite Paradiver cabin case. It is perfect for this trip - it is a spinner i.e. four wheels, it is a cabin bag, so fairly small, and it is BRIGHT yellow. This is an excellent choice from a crime prevention perspective. An offender is much ... read more

Budapest.....Day 1 We arrived at the airport and looked for my name on a board as the Metro from the airport to the city is under repair and we would need to swop onto a bus along the way, so I got our Amber Garden View Apartment fellow to organise a taxi for us. We had a very pleasant ride with a chatty driver and learnt some of the city history on the way. Our apartment was a good choice, very central and walking distance to most things. After settling in we went for a walk around and down to the river front. We found a restaurant in the walking street and ordered our food. It eventually came, as we had ordered local fish with chips for two, we were expecting good food, when it arrived ... read more

What a beautiful city !!! Budapest is my favourite of these Eastern Europe cities . The buildings are lovely .it is really easy to get around , the streets are fascinating where-.ever I have been and getting lost is a pleasure .Although the people do not seem overly friendly they are helpful. . The streets here are relatively straight and have a logical pattern and the street maps are easy to read as the corner building always has the name of the street on it (Prague ,s map was good also ) There are many pedestrian areas . Food is really good , i had wild boar with blueberries on a scone last night , and the subway ,tram and bus system are efficient and not to expensive , a 24 hour pass is @4 dollars ... read more

We started today’s route riding on quiet lanes and dykes. It seemed that we didn’t read our navigation instructions properly and ended up on a busy road, on the wrong side of the railway tracks, though thankfully only for a few kilometers. We eventually found the route and cycle lanes into the centre. The route into the city follows the Danube, passing Margaret Island and a number of bridges. We were aiming to cross at the Chain Bridge, where we would be within a kilometre of our accommodation at Wombat Hostel. The entrance is spectacular, passing impressive buildings and monuments, including the Parliament building on the opposite bank. To the right are the Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church and the citadel. The roads were busy, but the bike lanes were good. After crossing the Chain bridge, we ... read more