Cats and dogs? More like Noah’s Ark…..

Thursday 24/Friday 25 September

I left my blog last as I was about to go and meet the boys following their Game of Thrones walking tour. As I strolled into the old town the thunder began to rumble ominously, and a few spots of rain materialised, so on went my terribly English Cath Kidston spotty cagoule (I swear to you it’s the only think by CK I own - it was reduced to clear, doesn't cling and it folds up on itself…) and shortly after arriving at the meeting point the rain lashed down and I took shelter along with about 30 other people in an alleyway. It was every man for himself. The poor pregnant greeter from the nearby restaurant didn’t stand a chance as people squished up against her menus and lectern.

After a few minutes, having avoided the torrent coming down the alleyway by straddling it in ladylike fashion, I went back out to meet Guy and Neil who’d been waiting in a nearby shop. We decided that as the rain had stopped, we’d be safe to walk a section of the old city wall before the next downpour, so we coughed up our 10 euros each (I’m sure it was about a euro when I came last time, and it opened for the evening too - now you have to leave it by 6pm) and hauled ourselves effortlessly up the steps. We walked for a bit and oohed and aahed at the view, and the boys showed me where their Game of Thrones tour had taken them - and then the heavens opened again and we took shelter for about 20 minutes with a bunch of Australians under a conveniently large alcove.

We played that game of counting the seconds between lightning flashes and thunder rumbles - “one elephant, two elephant” - and to be frank I think it’s bollocks because here in Dubrovnik once one storm had passed overhead there was another one right along.

We set off again, only to get caught once more as the rain lashed down. I should point out that Mrs Sensible here had the benefit of her Cath Kidston cagoule, whereas the boys were in saturated T-shirts and jeans. We found a few inches of awning to shelter beneath and then lo! some kind young people who ran a bar about 50 metres away decided that they might as well fleece poor sodden tourists by inviting them to stand inside their kitchen/stockroom and drink beer until the rain stopped, as they certainly weren’t going to do any other business that day since it relied on punters being able to sit outside under umbrellas and enjoy the view.

After that we came down steps off the wall and triple jumped our way to a dry alley, where we found a little place for lunch and sat steaming gently and gratefully, since many restaurants were packed to the rafters with little hope of a table this side of dinner time. After a very pleasant meal, I persuaded the boys to buy cheap waterproofs, which made them look like a smurf and a giant condom but were a sensible purchase nonetheless.

We decided to make the most of the dry opportunity offered us by the Rector’s Palace musuem, which in all honesty was not that interesting or well done, but it whiled away an hour and I especially liked the exhibitions of all things angelic - some kitsch, some religious, some kooky. Determined to brave the wall again (we’d paid for the sodding tickets after all!), we entered close to the Ploc gate. Here the thunder crackled again and the lightning flashed dramatically out to sea, and I decided to jump ship and head back to the apartment before I got soaked again - after all, I’d only just dried off with the exception of my feet, and I wanted to avoid trenchfoot.

Like the troopers they are, Neil and Guy continued and ran most of the way along it before getting home shortly after me. Converse trainers were set to dry on windowsills, and we had a nice cup of tea and a biscuit.

The sun set and the storms subsided, and we made it out to dinner in the dry at the rather lovely Pucic Palace, followed by the best coconut ice cream I have ever tasted from a little shop on the main promenade (with big chunks of real coconut) and a couple of glasses at the nice little wine bar we’d found the night before, and where we were the only customers but were welcomed with a big smile and cheese and biscuits.

Overnight the storms started up again and between 3 -4am I basically stared out at the amazing sky and illuminated city showcased from my window - quite a spectacle. I finally managed to get back off to sleep, and when I awoke there was a rainbow against another spectacular skyline - and a sunny day in prospect.

First stop was the cable car which for obvious reasons didn’t operate the previous day, and after a bit of a queue and payment of about a tenner each (Dubrovnik isn’t that cheap, except for beer and ice cream), we travelled skywards for 3 and a half minutes to a spectacular view and several photo opportunities, in one of which, a triple selfie,  I appear to have grown a moustache (well it’s a while since I’ve managed a trip to a salon). We went back down (that was fun!) and the next stop was the old port for a jaunt across to the island of Lokrum.

Lokrum is a bit like Brownsea Island (JL people will know what I mean) without the red squirrels, the croquet and afternoon tea. There are even peacocks - well, in our case maninly peahens - who with their little ‘uns badgered us for titbits as we ate lunch. They got lettuce on the basis that we thought bread was probably bad for them.

We had a lovely wander round - yet more Game of Thrones exhibits - taking in the ruined monastery and fort, and botanical gardens - and after a decent yomp we headed back to the jetty for the boat back to the old port, where we had yet more ice cream before a brief trip to the cathedral before heading back to finish packing and await our lift.

Guy came with us to have dinner near the port before we went to the chaos that is the ferry terminal, where there is no information and people are left to sort themselves out. As I write this Neil and I are eking out the last of our small change on cheap wine and coffee before boarding our ferry for Bari which leaves at 10pm. My only slight concern is will our cabin we big enough for both of us and Nellie?

Tomorrow morning we’ll wake up in Italy for a little break in Puglia, where apparently at our destination at Alberobello there’s a little festival going on with lights and rides (?) Much to look forward to, not least the best food and wine you can shake spaghetti at.

From Stari Bar to starry night

Wednesday 23 September

We got a lift from our host up to Stari Bar, the old inland town that like many fortressed towns had many different leaders, and has been battered by time, war and in this case earthquake (1979). We only had time to visit the old fortress, but at 2 euros it was a bargain - interesting ruins, worthy attempts at reconstruction and restoration (most definitely a work in progress), and simply breathtaking views over the mountains, the port and the coast. (Photos to be posted later - having a bit of a technical issue...)

We didn't have much time for exploration, but the main street is quaint, cobbled and very steep! It's pretty and we'd have liked more time, but we had to get back to pack up and get the bus to Dubrovnik. We really liked Bar - it tends to be the holiday destination of choice for Serbs and Russians, so it's not terribly commercialised yet. It's a bit scruffy but is definitely up and coming, and I suspect may become a bit of a destination in years to come - but whatever you do, don't go there by train from Belgrade....

The bus journey took us through the kind of magnificent scenery we missed out on when we hurtled through Montenegro in the dark on Monday. It was just stunning, jaw-dropping stuff, with the aquamarine of the sea and the green forests of cypress trees and foliage covering the rugged mountains. For the most part we hugged the coastline so we had the best of both worlds. There was a little bit of a hold up at the border with passport controls, and there were no "facilities" on the coach, but we arrived in Dubrovnik after about 4 and a half hours, and managed to get a taxi straight away.

The weather was glorious, and after a bit of freshening up, we three headed off into the old town as the sun set. The buildings are so beautiful and enhanced by fabulous lighting. I had forgotten how shiny the cobbles are - it's like someone's been through with a floor polisher. It's busy but not overwhelmingly so - there was a nice buzz around and we had no problem finding tables. We enjoyed some really good local wine and ice cream - dinner was a bit of a disappointment, but we had a lovely evening catching up.

The view from our apartment

Sunset over the old town

Cheers chaps!

As I write on Thursday, it's cloudy with thunder in the distance. The boys have gone on a Game of Thrones walking tour and I'm heading out to meet them as I had a phone interview for a volunteer post at Crisis when I get back - fingers crossed. There's plenty for us to do indoors if it does rain, and I'm still rather hoping the sun might shine on us later, but this is such a lovely place to be it really doesn't matter!

Tomorrow was another day

After our horrible journey yesterday, we were very happy to be met at Bar station but our very enthusiastic, camp and loud host who took us to our apartment and enabled us to buy some pizza and wine (even though gone 10.30pm - there were shops open hurrah!) to fortify us. The apartment is a bit odd, and tasteless - it wasn't actually what I originally booked but in fact the location is better as we've been able to walk everywhere, and it's perfectly fine for a couple of nights with all we need in easy reach.

We took it easy this morning and did a bit of exploring, followed by lunch and a little trip to the beach. Bar is nothing special, but the backdrop of the mountains is stunning and the weather was lovely today - it was just so nice to get some sun and sea air. Why, we even wore shorts!

Neil and I have matching balconies, but mine has the washing line...

Beach time. But the water was just too cold and seaweedy for a swim

A walk along the prom prom prom

This beautiful multi-faith church is finished on the outside but not inside!

Stunning mountain scenery forms the constant backdrop here

We'e enjoyed a leisurely day here and will have time to go to the old town further inland tomorrow before boarding the bus to Dubrovnik at lunchtime. Border controls permitting, we hope to arrive early evening to meet Guy and I'm so looking forward to revisiting the city.

Oh f*** it! Please read blogs in date order of happening, not publishing - all gone horribly wrong, sorry!

Bathing beauties

Sunday 20 September#

We didn’t rush out this morning and the landlord was supposed to be coming round to hand back our deposit and make sure we were packed up, but as their next booking had cancelled and they had a gap, in the end he was happy for us to be ready to go that evening in time for our train and to come round then instead.

Off to the metro with our cossies to go to the big spa in the park, the distinctive and massive yellow builiding. 

The process there isn’t immediately obvious and it’s not the cheapest activity, and they’re terribly mean with towels, but once we worked things out we were fine and really enjoyed soaking our old bones in the warm baths (we both chickened out of the cold plunge pools) and the sauna indoors, and the whirlpool bath and warm pool outdoors. We finished off with a very fine therapeutic massage which was firm but not a painful pummelling session, and both felt very cleansed (apart from the chips we ate at lunchtime) and mellow. And strangely ok with our middle-aged bods in comparison to the shape some of our fellow bathers were in...

We headed back to the parliament building and caught the little rickety tram no. 2 which goes all the way along the river beyond the Russian-built and rather wonderful Liberty statue on the hill next to the citadel on the Buda side. 

We rode the tram straight back the other way and went in search of coffee and cake, then back on the metro and back to the park as we realised we’d missed Heroes Square and the Fine Art musueum. Sadly neither were accessible to us as the museum is closed until 2018 as part of a massive regeneration of the park area, and there was some kind of horse trotting races going on in the square so it was covered in tents and an arena - couldn’t even get a clear shot of the splendid statues on camera. Oh well, next time as I’m fairly sure there’ll be one.

Drinks and a cheap dinner in the ruin bars, and back to the flat to pack up. 

We had plenty of time so we had a final glass of wine at the little bar down the street where I’d gratefully sat down when I arrived. Paul came to give us our deposit and we caught the metro one stop to Keleti, and didn’t have to wait long before we were able to board the train. Have been very lucky to have Neil along on this leg as he’s been manhandling Nellie with aplomb where I’d have struggled.

We were pretty much alone in first class seats so could stretch out, though it wasn’t the most pristine and luxurious of carriages, and the train ride was far from smooth. We were actually relieved we hadn’t booked a cabin - it all looked very cramped and if the toilet facilities were anything like ours it really wouldn’t have been a particularly pleasant experience. We dozed for a while until passport control came along, and the guard on the Serbian side wasn’t very impressed that the natural brunette in my photo had been superseded by a fake blonde, flashing his torch on the photo and making it clear in any language that it was a bit dodgy.

We managed to get off to sleep, disturbed only by the commuters filling the carriage at 5am. We arrived at Belgrade station only a few minutes late, and if we’d been disappointed by the lack of luxury on our overnight train, we were totally unprepared for the pretty squalid conditions that awaited us.

It’s all part of the adventure, allegedly

Monday 21 September

Keleti station in Budapest may be a little dilapidated, but I soon realised that it’s almost palatial and cosmopolitan in comparison to the main station in Belgrade. Call us naive, but we really were a bit shocked, not because there was a rag tag of refugees milling around in expectation of I don’t know what, but the general rustiness, drabness and falling-apartness as well as the  dreadful so-called facilities. I will never - ever - complain about London stations ever again. Even Brixton, or London Bridge at its most chaotic. This photo shows it as its most bland - the chaos awaits further down the platform.

We did manage to secure our reservations to Montenegro with relative ease thanks to helpful ladies at the ticket and exchange offices, and we were warmly welcomed by the young man at the restaurnan who couldn’t offer us breakfast but had all kind of chicken, burgers and pizza on offer. It seemed a bit rich for 7am, so In the end we compromised on a couple of sandwiches, Neil braving Serbian sausage, and some coffee.

The air was thick with the fug of cigarette smoke, even outside, and there was plenty of beer being drunk even at 7am as rough-looking guys congregated before setting off work. Young men were sleeping rough - I suspect waiting to find out if they would get work for the day. Everyone looked so grey and down at heel - it was so depressing, and even standing outside the station for a while to watch Belgrade get on with its day did little to improve our impression. 

I went to the public loo and was handed a toilet roll on entry as I could obviously be trusted with one, but when I got to the cubicles I was a bit shocked to discover holes in the ground which I probably last experienced on a Greek island about 15 years ago - I had to recall the technique to ensure a safe and dry manoeuvre!

After the sophistication of most stations I’ve experienced so far, I’m afraid I was looking forward to the prospect of leaving as soon as possible - I wasn’t scared, just disappointed by how downbeat it all was - but when the train came up on the board, our excitement was misplaced as  it was a definite case of out of the frying pan. As we walked along the platform - we knew there was no first class but the train was so covered in graffiti in places you could barely see through the windows - our hearts sank as we realised this wasn’t going to be the charming jaunt we’d hoped for, or I’d expected when I researched it  - thanks, Man in seat 61!

I’m drafting this on the train offline now with the prospect of wifi at our apartment. It’s not just that the train is old and rickety - it’s dirty and smelly, with no flush toilets or running water. It has old-fashioned compartments rather than open plan to add to the general sense of claustrophobia and decrepitude, and smoking appears to be ok in many sections of the train, blending nicely with the stench from the WCs. I knew that hand sanitiser was a good idea.

Neily - WTF have you let us in for??

We’d very few Serbian dinars as we assumed that euros would be accepted on the train, which was partially right but what we then discovered, having only bought a few snacks of the choc and crisps variety, was that the misnamed restaurant car sold only coffee and beer. I’ve resolved to eat nothing but fruit and veg tomorrow if I can get hold of it as I fear I will develop scurvy.

My kindle has run out and my portable Juice charger has no juice so it’s been a bit tricky to stay entertained on this long journey, and of course no internet connection. I haven’t had a wash or put fresh make-up on since the spa almost 36 hours ago, and have been wearing the same clothes for more than 24 hours. Thankfully it’s not been especially warm today so sweaty Betty blonde has not been to the fore.  First world problems eh?

On the plus side, we’ve seen some spectacular scenery through Bosnia-Herzogovina as we rattled along in the depths of rugged gorges and verdant valleys, with a beautiful church greeting us with its bells as we passed by at 6pm.  

A nice bit at the border of Bosnia and Montenegro

Tunnels have peppered the journey - it’s been like hurtling through caves. The grimness of Serbia didn’t really move on from Belgrade with lots of derelict buildings and heavy industry chucking out nasty-looking smoke lining the route - I had the opportunity to buy my usual souvenir fridge magnet at the station, but I’m not sure whether I should be blotting out this brief visit. I’m sure it’s pretty somewhere, but we didn’t really see it

We’ve also been sharing our compartment with two lively and fantastically good English-speaking young Montenegran women who have been translating for us and helping us suss out where we are. Sadly, we’re missing out on the beauty of Montenegro - the whole point of doing this journey - because we’re running the best part of 2 hours late and it’s pitch dark.

And that’s because, tragically, and we don’t know whether deliberately or accidentally, an old lady walked out on to the track  - you can access the railway line really easily - and was killed by our train on the outskirts of a town in Serbia, about 4 hours out of Belgrade. We heard it - I thought it was the branch of a tree snapping but it must have been the breaking of a body. I hope she felt nothing, and I hope the driver is ok - but it’s been a pretty awful day and we can’t wait to arrive in Bar where we hope there’ll be a car waiting for us. We’ll have been on this train for over 13 hours.

But I know I still have to count my blessings, and tomorrow is another day for us, when we will be beside the seaside before heading to Dubrovnik by bus on Wednesday afternoon to meet up with Guy. This part of my journey has been an experience, but building it into the plan was an ill-informed decision, and certainly not one I’ll repeat. I’m so pleased to have Neil with me. Solo travel is an adventure, but sometimes experiences, even bad ones, are better shared with a good friend. And whoever you were, poor lady, I hope you’ve now found peace.

The Blue Danube

Saturday 19 September

The blue Danube

Photos are to come - having some upload issues!

First stop was Keleti station to try and get reservations for the overnight train to Belgrade on Sunday - very helpful ticket office lady, and success, though for first class seats only, not a cabin as all the 2-berths were taken and we didn’t fancy sharing with strangers on a train that’s got a bit of a notorious rep for security. Oh well - we’ve slept in seats on planes, so this should be more restful, shouldn’t it?

On to Deak Square for our walking tour with guide Brigi, who was really fluent and knowledgeable. She was quite quirky, wheeling her bike along with her, overrunning by at least half an hour, giving us 1000 years of history in 10 minutes and then singing us a little song at the end - that was a bit embarrassing, but quite endearing at the same time. Don’t get any ideas, Guy Fairbank….

It was a really good orientation though, going from a few of the sights in the city centre in Pest across to Buda on the chain bridge, up the lactic acid-inducing steps to the castle and watching the changing of the guard outside the presidential palace. That was fun - their choreography was very slick and they all looked sharp and cool in their khaki and shades, though one of their slightly camp almost-a-goose-step moves reminded Neil and I of the Monty Python army parade (whoops!) sketch and we got the giggles.  

We saw St Mathias church with its beautiful porcelain-tiled roof and spires, and ended up at the Fisherman’s Bastion with wonderful views across the river to Pest, then went for lunch in one of the squares.

Back over to Pest by way of the parliament building - I was convinced that its Gothic splendour must’ve been reproduced as it was so pristine, but it’s evidently been through some kind of massive restoration as it really does put Westminster (on which it’s based, and is only slightly smaller) to shame.  

We also paused at the bronze shoe sculptures - I think there are about 40 lifesize pairs of shoes of various shapes and sizes on the edge of the embankment, a poignant memorial to a group of Jewish civilians whom I believe were order to  remove their shoes and then shot by the Hungarian Nazis beside the Danube during WW2. 

We took a peek inside the splendidly art nouveau-restored  Gresham Palace, now the Four Seasons hotel, and saw a very tiny bit of the magnificently-gilded St Stephen’s basilica as there’d just been a wedding there and barriers were up. II lit a couple of candles for Mum & Dad and gave some time to their memory - I’m not religious, but lighting candles always seems fitting somehow. The church is beautifully lit at night, as is much of the city.

We wandered to take a look at the impressive Jewish synagogue via what we called Andre Agassi (actually Andrassy) Street - we were also searching for somewhere to buy Neil some swim shorts in readiness for a trip to the spa next day, but there was some kind of massive street food festival going on and to be frank the smell was making us nauseous, so we thought it would be a good time to try and find the ruin bars that everyone talks about - check. They’re great, and so cheap.

Our quest for the elusive shorts took us to a shopping plaza like any other near Keleti, where to our despair C&A had already moved on to autumn/winter (we should know better really, both working in retail), so we were forced into Sports Direct, which is just as ghastly as back home in its garishness, random fixture planning, crammed rails and invisible cash desks (I now know to always head to the back of the shop - so very helpful!) Mission was accomplished though, and very footsore we headed back to the apartment to freshen up for the evening.

Dinner was again Italian-Hungarian, in a trendy restaurant with decent wine so we probably paid not far off London prices - good though. We sought a nightcap in the ruin bars, found somewhere that was noisy but not too packed and knocked back a couple of large ones before taking a turn in the opposite direction of home and getting almost spectacularly lost, with no metro in sight and weaving our way through Budapesters? Budpestians? Budas? Pests? enjoying their nightlife outside more heaving bars and clubs that seemed to be every other premises. Collapsed into bed by 1pm with a new steps record - best part of 20 miles today I think, though of course I take more steps than Neil to cover the same distance!

Hurtling towards Hungary

[read this before Buda or Pest post!]

Thursday 17 September

Now this is what I imagined first class travel to be like. Today I got up extra early to get to the station and reserve a seat on the Budapest train, as I hadn't been allowed to do it yesterday, and to while away a couple of hours I got to use the OBB lounge with freebies as I was travelling first. I have free wifi (allowing me to update now instead of attempting to do so after a few drinks tonight) and a train attendant asking me if I want anything to eat or drink.

The train is almost empty at the moment - the young Aussie I just chatted with on boarding reckoned that a lot of people didn't want to take a chance and took flights or buses instead, so am glad I held out. I think maybe a few trains ran yesterday, but this is the first day of normal service - lucky me! The lovely Serbian guy at my Vienna B&B (highly recommended by the way - and less than £50 per night with breakfast which is pricey for this trip but not for a grand district in the centre of old Vienna) kindly called Serbian rail for me too to check on possibilities for our onward trip to Montenegro via Belgrade, and that seems to be ok at present - we'll go find out more tomorrow.

Vienna then - loved it and keen to go back and do more. The slight panic that enveloped me on arrival (which didn't help my sweaty Betty looks in a heatwave) delayed my exploration during daylight by a couple of hours as I made calls, checked the net and showered. I got up early yesterday, breakfasted in the Pension (all I could eat so better value than a cafe) and then headed out to check out the Bratislava boat. I decided against it as it was going to work out just as easy to train it if I had to, without incurring extra cost - turned out to be a good decision.

I got on the inner ring clockwise tram trip which just runs 10-5.30 and is 8 euros for a relatively short trip with audio guide - but it was a great way to orientate myself so as soon as I got off I started walking it in reverse. Had I not stopped and detoured I reckon I would've done it in a couple of hours, so that was why it was slightly annoying to have failed to do it the day before as it would've given me time to do a bit more in the way of visits - but it was a great walk, the weather was fab and it's given me an impression of the central part of the city.

I felt quite dwarfed by the size and grandeur of the buildings - just amazing in terms of preservation. (Sadly the only monument I saw that was rather neglected was the "Nimmer vergessen" WW2 memorial near Schwedenplatz close to where I was staying - it was extra sad.) I took loads of photos and will probably struggle to identify them all, but from the old stock exchange to the university, city hall, royal palace and the top-end hotels, everywhere you look demonstrates the power and the glory of the Austiran empire 200+ years ago. Even an office building had these bad boys guarding the entrance

I loved the Museum Quarter - really impressed with the way everything was linked, and accompanied by restaurants and a few shops. It made it a relaxed place to wander. I opted for the modern Leopold museum and had a look at the work of Austrian Expressionist artists Schiele and Klimt - I think most of the latter’s work is at Belvedere Castle, but some of his landscapes and less glitzy pieces were here. I also enjoyed art nouveau furniture and objets by Joseph Hoffman, who furnished much of Klimt’s study which is reproduced in the musuem.

I lunched al fresco under the imposing statue of the Empress Maria Theresa, founder of the Habsburg dynasty - she was pretty impressive in more ways than one. I nipped to the station to check out the situation with trains to Budapest on Friday, and came back to take a peek at the opera house. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea and the queue for a tour was a bit long, so for some inexplicable reason I was drawn to talk to a slightly sweaty and swarthy man in a bad 18th century wig and costume (not the way you’d choose to dress in temperatures over 30 degrees) who was selling tickets for Mozart concerts, and as luck would have it there was one that evening. He was very sweet and found me a cheap seat at 29 euros as I had a sudden urge “when in Vienna” - and it seemed a nice way to spend an evening rather than sitting alone in a restaurant.

I sauntered down one of the boulevards towards a massive fountain and a set of imposing black military sculptures - I’ve not been able to work out exactly what they were commemorating, but they were very impressive, and the strong breeze gave me a refreshing mist every now and again. I found myself giggling at the feel of it, plus my good luck and the sheer joy that the sights and sounds of somewhere new can bring.

Ice cream at the Konzerthaus cafe in the Volkstadt park followed (I went back there for a quick supper before the Mozart), and then headed back to the Pension to pack and freshen up.

The concert was very much a tourist affair - the Golden Halle is quite beautiful and very ornate, and the excellent orchestra and singers were suitably attired for an evening of Mozart’s top 10 and a little bit of Strauss. I managed to move down a row so that I got a better view - it wasn’t very full in the cheap seats. The audience comprised mainly south-east Asian tourists, most of whom listened respectfully and clapped enthusiastically, but from my bird’s eye view in the balcony, quite a number of them were playing on mobile phones which I thought was not quite the done thing.

I stopped judging them when after replying to a Facebook post just before the second half, I was inwardly tutting at the sound of music coming from a mobile phone beneath me when I realised to my horror that I must have set the Deezer app off when I slid the phone back into my bag. I don’t think anyone noticed as I nonchalantly switched it off, but inside I was mortified.

A strong wind blew me back to the Pension and of course I had to say as I closed the curtains “Goodnight, Vienna”....

Buda or Pest?

Friday 18 September

[I cocked this up - read Hurtling towards Hungary first if you haven't already]

Pest it turns out. Arrival was a little hairy. Keleti station was once obviously very grand, but it’s now pretty dilapidated and just a bit seedy. On leaving the train I was immediately approached by unofficial taxi drivers coming in from a side entrance - I’d already decided to get the metro as it was only one stop - and one was especially persistent, though in fairness responded when I told him firmly but politely to leave me alone.

Of course, to get down to the metro, or even the lift to the metro, you have to go down steps, and Nellie can be particularly awkward at times. I certainly didn’t need the sweltering heat or the first lift being out of order, but I managed it in the end and proceeded confidently to metro line 2 past all the ticket machines. At many stations in Budapest we found a pair of inspectors man the top of the escalators to check you have a ticket or pass, and in this instance it worked in my favour as they were happy to sell me tickets on the spot and one of them was especially keen to make sure I knew where I was going.

Before I descended I noticed I had several missed calls from Agi, the owner of the apartment I’d booked through booking.com. Turns out she’d misread my emails and thought I wasn’t going to be there until 3pm, which was almost 2 hours away, but I said I’d head over anyway and find somewhere to eat. Common problem on arrival at a large metro station - which exit? A kind soul helped me bring Nellie up the steps, and it all then got a bit confusing as I consulted the map and then set off purposefully in the wrong direction, though in fact I’d more or less got the right exit.

The area was a bit run down, and they don’t make it very easy to be a pedestrian - very few dropped kerbs, and quite tricky to find somewhere convenient and safe to cross the road., which became a priority when I called Agi for help and it was clear I needed to retrace my steps. There were quite a few other people pushing trolleys, but sadly they were much dirtier and hairier than me and their life possessions were in a few carrier bags and the trolleys were the supermarket variety. Homelessness and the begging that often accompanies it are fairly prevalent in Budapest - and I know that’s true of any major city these days but I can tell you that the majority of the poor souls you see in London look in far better shape than their Hungarian counterparts. Sweaty and slightly stressed as I was, I counted my blessings.

I found a lovely little restaurant in the same street as the apartment with a smiley waitress and a dual-language menu. (And yes, I am very ashamed that I don’t speak the language at all - but I kind of excused myself a little when I found out that Slavic languages such as Hungarian bear no resemblance to Romanesque so it’s really difficult to decipher as we don’t have common roots.) My French toast feta cheese sandwhich came with a rocket salad and was much nicer than it sounds, and I’d just finished my beer when I got a message from Agi’s husband Paul saying he’d managed to get to the apartment early.

The apartment was on the ground floor of a 4-storey tenement building, overlooking the central well. From the outside it’s pretty shabby, but these are places which I guess are being snapped up and done up because they offer so much potential. The apartment was massive, a huge contrast to the compact and bijou rooms I’d rented in Ghent, Amsterdam and Vienna, really well equipped, with funky furnishings and spotless - just lovely. I think we paid about 90 euros for two nights, and it was worth every cent. I even managed to get 2 loads of washing done.

After settling in, armed with a tourist map that was only slightly rubbish, I strode off towards the city centre and the Danube, passing the famous synagogue and Deak Square, where we needed to meet for our free walking tour next day. Fortified by an Aperol spritz overlooking Buda and the castle, I walked back again via the Spar shop for provisions, having vaguely orientated myself, to await the arrival of Neil, who was bang on time at 7pm. 

After much squealing with delight at seeing each other and our lovely apartment, and a celebratory glass of extremely cheap wine (alcohol is ridiculously cheap - I think it cost me less than 2 quid for the bottle), we hopped a couple of stops on the metro back down to the embankment for dinner.

We found a nice Italian-Hungarian place where the food was good and the entertainment gave us the giggles. The couple playing electric piano and singing karoke style to standards from the last century appeared stuck in a 70s time warp from their hairstyles and clothes to their style of music, but it was inoffensive and in tune so we didn’t mind too much. A nightcap at the Buddah bar near the Elizabeth bridge rounded off the night and we walked home excited to be somewhere new that felt just a bit edgy and exotic.

A rude shop sign