Budapest!

Ooh I'm in the middle of a street full of shops and cafes for the next few days :-) - if you look carefully, you'll see C&A, remember them? It makes a nice change from being out of things a little.

So, today started well, I finally managed to send a postcard from Vienna! It's hard to know where to buy stamps in different countries - sometimes you can buy them in gift shops, sometimes in (some but not all) tobacconists - and it's purely pot luck whether your choice has stamps or not! So I thought the post office safer. And it's right next to the train station :-)

Four hour journey then to Budapest, which seemed to drag today. I don't know about you, but I've always viewed the arm rest between two seats as 'neutral territory' - the Switzerland of train seating if you will. My neighbour, however, was not of the same view, and elbowed me every time he moved - and he was a fidgety bugger! We came close to blows - well, alright, I did - before he spied a free table and moved to sit with his friend. My theatrical sighs every time he moved must've got too much for him... I was briefly distracted by the plight of a poor Indian couple - I didn't notice where they boarded, but a routine ticket check uncovered that they thought they were on the train to Prague, when in fact it was the train from Prague - he kept saying "But look, it says Prague!"... So that would be a 6 hour journey back for them, not even taking into account the waiting time for the next train back!

Got to Budapest at 2.30pm and, after 2 hours, I hated it! Spent an hour queuing to book a seat to Salzburg on Monday (though had a very nice chat with an American lady), then realised I had no Forints. The train station (Keleti) is in a crumbling old building ringed by scaffolding, the signs are all in Hungarian and there's no-one to ask who isn't miserable as sin. Eventually found a cash machine and, after an abortive attempt hauling my bag down then back up a flight of stairs, the subway. Queued again to buy a ticket then emerged, blinking into the sunlight. And immediately got lost. It's almost a given really that if I should turn right out of somewhere, I'll turn left. Then second and third guess myself... Arrived - eventually - at the hotel hot and sweaty (and not in a good way!) and hungry. Great news though, the air conditioning is fabulous! So I raided the minibar for a kitkat, such was my bad mood, cooled down and emerged, butterfly-like in my red dress for a stroll. Not far though!

Had a walk round the block and ended up at an Italian restaurant next to the hotel - not far to stumble after a campari! I'm back in my cool room now - exhausted and stuffed (you'll be relieved to know we're back to ice cream in the iced coffee lol) and having an early night.

The receptionist very kindly told me that everything will be closed on Sunday and Monday for their national holiday, so I think tomorrow will be a shopping day followed by 2 days of sightseeing. Sorted!

Boldog hétvége x