Sorry this one is exceptionally long but it covers a week and a half of random anecdotes.
From Prague we took a bus down to Budapest, via Bratislava. I’m really looking forward to going back to that area and getting out into the country a bit more and really getting a feel for the locals and the quieter parts of the country.. Its so beautiful out there and a lot of it is still quite untouched by tourists… Damn those tourists!!
We arrived in Budapest quite late at night but I remembered the place pretty quickly, although it didn’t make the dodgy walk to the hostel any easier!!
As soon as I stepped foot inside our hostel (Backpack Guesthouse, HIGHLY recommended!!) I felt like I was home! The staff are so welcoming and friendly and the whole vibe of the place is so relaxed and carefree. Unfortunately we didn’t get the Bob Marley room which is the one Jaime and I had last time but our room had a massive Buddha painting in it and it was very comfortable and homey.
We went to bed early that night (although it was actually almost 2am!!) and prepared ourselves for what was to be a MASSIVE day of walking!
We woke up the next day to the sounds of reggae dub coming from the main room and went out and explored the hostel a little.. It’s so awesome, there is a really beautiful garden out the back with a Yert, a hammock and a sleeping balcony… Such a nice setting to just chill out and take in your surroundings!
In Pest we found a massive Market Hall, checked out the cheeses (of course) and had ourselves our first (but not so great) Hungarian Langos!! Love the langos baby! Its set in a beautiful building with stained glass windows and loads of Hungarian sausage (if you know what I mean!!)
Outside the hall I stopped to take a photo and must has stopped in the path of a grumpy old Hungarian man coz he then proceeded to walk around me barking at me!! Woof woof..
I had five missions in Budapest. One was to stay at and enjoy every minute of the Backpack Guesthouse. Second was to find the AWESOME coffee shop on the river that Jaime and I had discovered last time. Third was to find the cocktail lounge in Pest that had the amazing cocktail that I’ve been trying to find ever since last time.. And fourth was to find the cute little asian restaurant where Jaime and I ate (shoes off, wasabi and mango sauce… Awesome), and fifth was to share the joy of the Spring baths with Isis and Anna..
Mission 1 was a complete success and I can’t wait to go back later in the year with Laura (sorry Laura but I’ve basically mapped out our entire trip!! We’ll talk later!)
Mission 2 was also a success with at least one if not two visits each day.. The coffee is pretty much like a warm flatwhite with frozen cream on top and cinnamon sugar.. Tasty!!
Missions 3 and 4 were both failures even though I spent hours walking Up and Down the main street and market looking for them (sorry corka maybe next time!)
Mission 5 was definitely a success although I must say I think the baths were much better in the middle of winter, it makes you appreciate the heat more I think and the contrasts between all the different saunas and steam rooms.
Basically the baths system is you get a pass for the day and you go inside this amazing building and get naked with all the old Hungarian men…………….
Nah not really (although some of them may as well have been naked let me tell you. HELLO!!)
There are heaps of different pools of varying sizes and temperatures ranging from 8 degrees (stupid cold) to 38 degrees (nice but a little too much for me after a while!)
There are also a few saunas and steam houses also varying in heat… All roads lead to the outside pools which are 38 degrees and a bit more like the local swimming pool in that its where all the kids are and the big groups of people.. Inside is more chillaxed and soothing…
We went and checked out a flea market in the city gardens which was pretty cool. People basically had all their random knickknacks from home for sale, everything from toys-clothes-food and dvds to war medals jewellery and even personal porn collections. Thats right guys, if your ever hard up for cash (excuse the pun) just take your porn collections down to the markets and have a crac!!
I bought a cool little Spiderman figurine to attach to my key ring…
We also went out to the Island between Buda and Pest and had a picnic on the grass. The island itself is so lovely and the gardens are really well done.. There is a fountain near the entrance that sprays with the music… It has classical orchestra music playing in the background as it sprays and gets higher and louder with the music. It reminded me of something like Fantasia (with Mickey Mouse and the broomsticks!!)
We walked up to the Citadel that overlooks the city. The walk was one of the most intense climbs ever but it was well worth the view and photo poses up the top.
The rest of our time in Budapest was basically spent tasting the local cuisine and ‘Getting amongst it’ at the hostel. We met some really great people there, loads of Aussies of course (Some of whom I’ll be catching up with shortly) a crazy finish girl who kept getting up in the middle of the night to answer to her booty call.. (such a dainty girl I thought until she didn’t return 2 nights in a row!!)
We played loads of drinking games, I took everyone on a safari and then we went around the world.. I also had a few more people fall victim to my awesome card trick.. All right!!
One night I returned from a walk to find Isis in a room with seven Irish guys.. I’m not going to ask any questions but I invite you all to ask her for details!!
One of the guy in our room got horribly lost one night and spent almost twelve hours getting home, just proves that wine tours and late night trains and not speaking the language just don’t mix well hey John
I had a great time getting to know the staff at the hostel. They are all pretty awesome in their own rights, especially the dude who makes his own Hungarian Salami (seriously, bestest EVER).
And of course there is Jai who is basically the life of the hostel, such a true scottsman and an absolutely awesome guy..
Anna, Isis and I all left Budapest on the same day for Paris. I was still half expecting to turn up at the airport to find that air Italia had folded (its in receivership) and have to find another way to Paris ( either $200aus 18hrs bus or $500aus flight!!).. Turns out it was all fine and we had really great seats for both flights which made life a little easier as Isis and I had stayed up till 5am playing poker (I TOTALLY TRASHED EVERYONE.. yay) and watching movies..
At the Airport we bought 3 litres of alcohol and relished all the funny looks we were getting from all the staff on the plane. Yeah Aussie!
So all in all Budapest was a little less eventful than Prague but that’s probably a good thing!!
So next installment will be from gay Paris…
Hope all is well wherever you are!!
Would love to hear from you
Over and out
Angie
