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Hungary Journal
(Keith) Budapest is an awesome city; as we traveled from
Istanbul through Bulgaria and Romania, and to Hungary we not only got physically
closer to home, but also culturally. Budapest offers all the wonderful
conveniences of home (clean water, dependable electricity, clean streets . . .
), as well as, the beautiful Danube river and the palaces that line it. As
you'll read in Lea's write-up, our first night in Budapest wasn't the easiest,
but it offered our first view of the Chain Bridge and Buda Palace; both sites
were bathed in flood light. A short stroll down the Danube reveals
beautiful churches and well manicured parks.
One of my favorite experiences from Budapest involved wandering around an ancient labyrinth. Beneath Castle Hill lies a series of caves and passages that form an eerie labyrinth. The ancient maze has been "enhanced" by local artists to create a bizarre collection of sculptures, music, and paintings. It was fun wandering around for several hours underneath Budapest.
(Lea) We haven't written too much about the logistics we
deal with on this trip, so I thought I would give a little insight into the
things we sometimes have to do to find a place to stay. Before we arrived
in Budapest I decided to book a room because we would arrive late (after 8 at
night). We normally try to arrive at a new place early in the day so we can search for a place to
stay and see the place first, but the late arrival to Budapest could not be
avoided. Anyway, I found a flat on the web and booked
it. I told them when we would arrive by train and they sent me directions
to the flat.
The train arrived on time and after getting some cash we went to the metro, as per directions. Unfortunately we found the ticket kiosks closed and the only way to get a ticket was through a machine that only took Hungarian change. We only had bills. It took a half hour to find someone who actually could sell us a ticket. Finally we got on the metro and made it to the stop that was supposed to be a 3 minute walk to the apartment. I took out the map ready to navigate as this is usually my job and I normally am pretty good at it. However, I discovered the street name of the apartment was not on the map. 30, not 3, minutes later in the pouring rain we finally found the apartment. The owner was not there waiting. We called on the phone and buzzed the apartment to no avail. A nice guy who lived in the complex offered us his floor for the night - we declined but thought that was really cool. Anyway, at 10:00, wet and hungry, we had no place to stay. I pulled out my Lonely Planet to find a nearby hotel and the only one I could find was the Hyatt, quite a bit above our budget. But, we needed a place so we enjoyed wonderful luxury for a night.
The next morning I finally got a hold of the apartment owner and he apologized - we arrived and found a great place. After staying there two nights we decided we loved Budapest so much we wanted to stay another week. Alas, the apartment was already booked. So we spent the entire day inquiring at travel agencies and finally found another apartment. So on our fourth night in Budapest we moved into our third place! And it was wonderful. So in the end, it all worked out. Normally, finding lodging is a bit smoother, but sometimes you have to go with the flow and not get too frustrated. Being in a country with good, cheap beer helps ease the frustration.
Check out our Hungary Photos.