Blogs from Hungary, Europe - page 151

Right ... finally arrived however not without some issues Firstly, my dad dropped me off at London Heathrow 4 hours before my flight was due to fly, can you imagine how bored I was ... I eventually checked in and headed for the nearest pub and gladly consumed a few pints before boarding my flight. The flight went smoothly enough.. by the time i got my bags it was past 00.00 Hungarian time and having foreseen this i decided to sleep in the airport, this was a bad mistake. Laying down on the row of chairs, i closed my eyes and tried to sleep but I couldn’t. All I can say is thank god for my IPod which whittled away the hours... Anyway 7.00 rolled around and i decided to leave the airport for my hostel, ... read more

This morning I was still tired, but I had a much better sleep. In the middle of the night a young guy came into the room at about 2a.m in the morning. I woke up again and warily watched him. He sat on the edge of his bed nodding off every now and again whilst he was sitting up. His phone was glowing in a strange manner as well. I got up and went to the toilet and when I got back he was asleep. Problem solved. I got up and had a shower early before going to get breakfast from the supermarket. It was a lot busier this morning with everyone rushing off to work. For breakfast I managed to get cherry croissants, as well as Hungarian paprika salami for lunch. Oh yeah, and I ... read more

Strangely enough, these three uneventful days rate among the best I have had so far. Feeling adventurous and fit (read: despereate to get out of Eger and a looming marriage), I sauntered further east to Szilvásvárad, namely the Szalajka Valley. I was nervously eyeing the growling, grey, grimacing sky and inwardly self affirming (not into prayer) that today it would not rain! Why? I hear you ask, surely rain is good for the soil and the fertility of the lush green valley you are lazing about in? Why yes, she replied, looking somewhat chastised. But you see... my tent. It's not waterproof... with downcast eyes. As it turns out, given that absolutely no-one else was choosing to visit the valley at this time, the caravan park was somewhat empty and the kind souls at reception let ... read more

A: I could if I lived here! Just to get this off on the right foot - let's clear up the pronunciation. BOODA-PESHT. Official terminology kids. And officially, this city kicks arse. Sitting snugly in the top three European cities I have been lucky enough to cruise around in, Budapest felt good from the moment I stepped onto that wicked old style train. Seriously, it was like a Bakerlite toaster. Painted a radical pale pastel green with chrome detailing and boxy in shape, I felt like I was hurtling through the historical fifties in some sort of communist comedy. What else did I love about Budapest? The sense of turmoil and history that was still evident if you scratched the surface The most delightful hostel staff I have come across on my travels The bike rally ... read more

Went to shopping arcade to finally get a haircut. No appointments required, first in first served, and I was second in line so it didn't take long. Once again wasn't happy with the end result, but oh well. Off to Hungary today, and as usual it was a bit of a mad rush. So much so that we jumped on the train without getting tickets, because we didn't think we'd have time. Train was for Fenchurch Street and sure enough just near Barking the ticket inspectors caught us. Heart sank thinking about how much the fine would be. Tried to play the dumb Australian card that there was no one at the ticket booth in Grays and that we were planning on buying the tickets at Fenchurch Street. Inspectors were polite and understanding but wouldn't have ... read more