Budapest
Trip Start
Aug 06, 2007
1
27
47
Trip End
Nov 22, 2007
Budapest,
Hungary
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Firstly i will add the links to some Pics from Prague and also Krakow
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melvic/sets/72157601910394982/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/melvic/sets/72157601920536375/
We arrived in Budapest on Sunday morning 6th Sep at 9:30am after an 11 hour overnight train ride from Krakow. The Sleeper compartments in the train were surprisingly good. We had a bunk and a little sink, it was quite cosy. I did not sleep one wink though, the noise of the train plus the movement just kept me awake and it didn't make it easier with the fact that i had a major cold and couldn't breath.
The room we are stying in here in Budapest is in someones aprtament, he rents it out to make money so its not like a normal Hostel or Hotel, Its old but comfortable and was very cheap.
Budapest is a very nice city and doesn't seem to look as poor as i thought it would, you do see alot of homeless people but i don't think its much worse than in other cities. They are obviously making an effort to keep the city clean and tourist friendly. Many many years ago this city was split in two, divided by the River Danube which is the longest in Europe, On the West side you have Buda which is very hilly and where the Castle and many medievil buildings are and the East side is Pest which is more commercial and completely flat. This is why the city is called Budapest, after the two cities combined. Hungary is famous for Paprika, Goulash and Thermal Baths are famous in Budapest. We went to a traditional restaurant yesterday and i had Goulash, It was a massive portion and extremely saulty and rich but very nice. We walked past the largest Thermal Bath here which is set in an old Roman building with aroud 10 outdoor pools and also indorr spas etc which all contain the thermal springs from underneath. We didn't go in though. Today we went to a big Indoor Market which has many stalls and it was the cleanest market i think i have ever seen. Thousands of strands of Salami, Chilli's and Garlic hanging everywhere and Paprika in many forms, we didn't buy anything as we are a little restricted with what we carry and still have another 2 months of travelling. Unfortunately i have been quite sick the entire time we have been here (3 days) and my cold has turned into a nasty cough which doesn't make me to motivated but luckily we have had more than enough time to see the sights at a slower pace than usual, you know i am sick when i decide not to go to a wine festival that they had on here when we arrived.
Tomorrow morning we have a very early flight as our plane leaves Budapest airport at 7am bound for Thessaloniki which is in Northern Greece and the closest airport to the region that Vic's family originates from. To get there from the airport we need to takle a 3 hour Train or Bus from the city. We are both looking forward to meeting Vic's relatives and also seeing where both of his parents where born and lived prior to moving to Australia. WE will be there for 3 nights until Sat 15th when we head to Athens. I am not sure if we will have Internet for a few days
until next time
me
xx
