Blogs from Hungary, Europe - page 13

HE SAID... After touching down in Budapest in the early morning, we breezed through customs, jumped on a bus and headed for the city centre. Feeling a little overwhelmed and tired, we clambered off the bus, donned our packs and trudged towards our hotel with the aid of a tiny map picked up from a solemn staff member at the tourist information bureau. When we eventually arrived, we had been travelling non-stop for 30 hours (from our home in Tasmania to the hotel in Budapest), and were in desperate need of a shower. We crossed our fingers and hoped with all our hearts that our room was ready – the last thing we needed was to discover it wouldn’t be available until the early afternoon. The woman at reception was austere, and she gave the impression ... read more

HE SAID... A spectre is haunting Europe… I couldn’t help but re-visit the Manifesto of the Communist Party before our travels to Eastern Europe. It’s the first time we have journeyed to any Communist-Bloc country, let alone three. I am looking forward to our adventures through Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria over the next three weeks. But back to Marx and Engels. Rereading the manifesto, I was taken by how little had changed. The opening chapter described the growing divide between bourgeois and proletariat, and I couldn’t help but draw a parallel to the exponential spread of global capitalism since the fall of communism in the late 1980’s. If capitalism is rampantly out of control after all these years, is it simply human evolution – the need to endlessly consume, and to surround ourselves with more assets ... read more

Good wine needs no label… ~ Hungarian ProverbIf you are travelling in the blind man's country, close one eye... ~ Romanian ProverbA gentle word opens an iron gate… ~ Bulgarian Proverb Jo napot, Buna Ziua and Zdraveite people! Our old mate Wanderlust has awoken and stirred again. It never does sleep for long. We are filled to bursting with the sheer pleasure of travelling to new places! Uncharacteristically, our destination this year was determined largely by chance and circumstance… 2017 had nearly left the building and for various reasons we still hadn’t decided on a travel destination for 2018. Hoping to travel in the early part of the year before work commitments ramped up, we put our heads together and unanimously decided on a location, only to have work contract dates conspire against us – not ... read more

On Thursday morning we woke up in the campsite Zugliageti, Niche. We were sited in a small ravine near Budapest. so far on this trip we have come across very few Brits. There was one man we spoke to in Strasbourg and we were next to a couple from Lincolnshire in the Black Forest but this morning found we were opposite a couple from Bournemouth! A small world. They have been away from home since last September, starting off in Morocco. They won't be returning home until July and that is only because they have a family wedding to attend. Their earlier return than planned means they have to leave out two countries! They were off to get their camper van serviced. It was a lovely sunny morning as we headed to the bus stop. We ... read more

We are flying to Budapest by way of Toronto (of course). When we get to Pearson, there is first a gate change and then a delay caused by a lightening storm that prevents ground workers from loading the plane. In all, a delay of 1 1/2 hours in leaving. Otherwise an uneventful 9-hour flight. By the time we collect our bags at the Budapest airport, it is about 2:30 pm Friday. We are happy to be met at the exit by Gabor from the hotel (as prearranged). It's about a 45-minute drive to central Budapest. The urban sprawl surrounding the city is not terribly attractive. Lots of concrete structures and wire fences, many dilapidated buildings. One thing we notice is an abundance of wild flowers growing everywhere along the route, adding some well-needed colour to the ... read more