Budapest takes it to another level....

18.07.2015

The last three days have been full of the highs and lows of travelling. The nine hour train journey from Belgrade to Budapest should have been a pleasant day relaxing in a comfortable airconditioned carriage watching the world go by. Perhaps a light meal with a glass of wine in the dining car and the occasional tea or coffee and biscuits from the attentive waiter......NO WAY JOSE. The reality was eleven hours stuck in a sauna like carriage with nothing to eat, and nothing to drink and nowhere to buy anything, while the train occasionally stopped for half an hour in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason. It was lucky I had a small bottle of water, because it was that and six biscuits I found in my bag that kept me going for the whole day and night. We arrived at 10pm, not 8pm, and by the time I had changed some money and found the metro to take me to where I was staying, it was 11.15 when I rang the bell to get my host out of bed to let me in. The only way that I can look at the experience and not get angry, is to realise that it was all my fault really. It was silly of me to expect to have the ability to buy food and water on a long train trip. I have two more long train trips before this journey ends, and for those I will be carrying enough food and drink to last a week ( I don't care if they say a dining car is available, they won't trick me again) As you can imagine I was feeling a bit rough around the edges the next day, so I decided just to hang around the apartment after going to the supermarket across the road for some breakfast provisions. That was the plan, however where I am staying is in a great location because a hundred yards away, down a flight of steps, a tunnel leads to the metro and not one but two huge three story shopping malls. After filling up with yoghurt, cornflakes, orange juice and coffee, I decided to check out the shops. The temperatures in Budapest for the next 10 days are going to be between 35 and 40, so you need an airconditioned place to be able to escape the heat. I got two of them a short walk away, plus my room has aircon if I need it. I planned to take in a few classical concerts while I'm here so was looking for a white shirt with a collar, which I managed to find at a reasonable price. This was after two hours of walking around the shops, and I was feeling hungry again, so decided to grab some food at the foodcourt. I had a piece of fish with salad and a custard tart. It wasn't that great, but kept me going while I continued looking around the shops. Just as well I was close to toilets, because after another hour my stomach started rumbling and I needed to go badly. Bloody woman attendant made me wait while I found 90 florints in change, and that is when I almost didn't make it. I pity the poor bugger that had to use the stall after me. I rushed back to the apartment and stayed there the rest of the day, not eating, just drinking liquids. That is the first time in as long as I can remember that I have been hit by food poisoning. I slept well though and the next day was good as gold. One of the benefits of being in Budapest is that with my British EU passport I am old enough to get free travel on public transport, so it didn't cost me a cent to use the metro into the city. It is only a ten minute, 3 stop ride. My first impressions of central budapest were WOW what amazing buildings, and everywhere so clean and well looked after. It had to be a short walk because during the mall episode the previous day I lost the old straw hat I had been using since Seville, and the sun was blazing down on me. My main reason to go into the city was to buy a ticket for an organ and choir concert in one of the churches in central Budapest. I managed to do this and headed back to my local mall to get out of the heat and buy a prepared chicken salad for dinner ( risky I know, but no problems) The concert was really good with music by Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, and the choir rocked a Handel's Hallelujah chorus from the Messiah ( they just about lifted the roof off the church with the volume of their singing) Without the choir it could have been a little boring, cause organists can be a bit repetitive as they show off their virtuosity with deep chords and high pitched twiddly bits. On the way home after the concert I managed to buy a new 10 gallon hat which I fully intend to wear over the next few scorching weeks to keep the sun from blistering my ears. I don't care how many people ask me where I left my horse.....

Chain bridge across the Danube