Budapest Hungary

We have booked a boat in a marina on the Danube for our stay in Budapest. The owner needs paying in Euros. I tried to get some in Poland with little success. There are lots of exchange booths but to get euros you need to buy zlotes at a nasty rate then exchange them for euros at a nasty rate. So we had to wait till we got to Budapest. I was trying to be all cool about it as Norman gets stressed about these things but must say I was slightly worried. We alighted at Budapest Nyagli railway station, found an ATM with good rates and also changed our remaining zlote notes into Hungarian Florins. Next step, find a taxi. Gary (the boat owner) had e mailed me the address of the marina and also provided his phone number. The taxi driver looked blankly at the address, scratched his head, tapped things into into his sat nav and then rang Gary for directions. Lots of rapid fire Hungarian later and we are on our way.

10 euros later we arrive at the Marina. It is stunning. Its in a small cove behind a spit of land on the Danube. The Wiking Yacht Club is an big old barge, what was the hold is now a swimming pool with comfy seating under a huge awning and a bar selling beers, soft drinks, ice cream etc. I ring Gary to announce our arrival, he says`I know, I can see you, I am on my way, look at the boats I am waving at you` Sure enough there is Gary waving. This boat is not cheap, and we are paying in cash, so I am secretly thinking not a penny is changing hands till I see what we are getting. I need not have worried.

Gary shows us to `Summer`, it is an American cruiser from 1999. Absolutely spick and span. Gary says it is `fast and greedy` whereas `Carpe Diem` Garys other boat moored next to us is from The Netherlands and is `slow and cheap`. Summer is a four berth, with a double at the stern and twins in the bow. Below there is a galley with fridge, hob, kettle and all the cutlery etc you could need and seating with a big table. On the stern deck there is more seating and a smaller table plus even more comfy seating to relax in. There is a wet room with a marine head (a marine head is a lavatory with a stirrup pump and switch on the side to pump out the dirty and pump in the clean). We are used to this from our early days on the Turkish gulets. Gary recommends we only use it for `nocturnal number ones`. And that we use the brand new swish shower blocks for all other activities. When I say swish, I mean swish! Monsoon shower heads, spacious, spotlessly clean. At full capacity the marina holds about 80 boats, there are no daytrippers, it is a private yacht club, there is 24hour security, the bins get emptied twice a day. Why would we struggle in a tiny wet room when we have a luxury shower room on the jetty? It is basically gorgeous. We love it. Gary is a nice guy, very helpful and will be on `Carpe Diem` overnight with his teenage boys who spend their entire time fishing.

On the spit of land outside the Yacht Club is a bistro called Gyugyi`s, which Gary recommends but we plan to have some simple food on the boat. Eating out all the time is a bit too much, we are longing for a simple salad or a jacket spud. There is a small supermarket 5 minutes away or a larger shopping centre with a big supermarket 15 minutes walk away.

So, our first evening on the boat. We stock up on essentials (wine, salad, yoghurt) and settle in for the evening. This is bliss. Fish are jumping, ducks are quacking, the sun is slowly and spectacularly setting. The boat gently rocks, the mooring creak quietly. Faint sounds of people enjoying a beer in the club house. Wish we had booked two weeks. We need a holiday. Its been a hectic time. I text Gary. He texts me back. YES! We can have Summer for next week too. Same rate, and if we like he will take us down the river (this means he will take us on a boat trip, not con us!!!:-)) Various options, from a couple of hours to two nights away. Very happy Trurans.

Forgive me Slimmingworld, I have synn`d! Today I sat on the deck for breakfast and had proper coffee, fresh orange juice, croissant, butter, apricot jam and a peach. I enjoyed every mouthful. Lunchtime I did watermelon and feta salad with a squeeze of lemon, at home it would have a drizzle of honey but we have no honey so there you go. I had a lovely swim in the pool while Norman had a beer. Basically we lazed about all day doing pretty much nothing. We were not hungry at dinner time so I made a couple of cheese salad rolls that hit the spot. The sun has gone down again, its blissfully quiet, just the sound of a fish jumping everyso often. Its just gone ten, we are in our pj`s already, tired and ready for sleep.

Well, an eventful day. Gary took the Japanese family renting Carpe Diem out for a spin up the river but got turned back by the bomb disposal squad & river police because they had discovered a bomb left over from the war by the chain bridge. So he took them downriver instead. The two boys aged 6 & 10 approx, took some convincing that Gary wasn't teasing. Exciting for them.

After lunch we went to the yacht club, me to swim and Norman to drink beer and watch. A storm has been forcast, and sure enough we watched it gathering over the mountains. Norman went back and closed down the tarp`s on Summer. From gulet experience we know that boats are watertight from the bottom, but not so watertight from the top. Just in time! Its lashing down with rain. We could be stuck in this bar for hours :-)

Had a couple of cocktails in the bistro, Mai Tai`s. Norman is getting hooked on cocktails. Then went back for dinner. Gary had said the bistro had a good reputation - he was not wrong. We had a fabulous meal. Chicken with a hazlenut crust and a salad with rockets & pears. Chicken masamon with jasmine rice. This was washed down with a bottle of delicious dry Hungarian sparkling wine. Unfortunately the bottle does not show what grapes were used in production. We both agreed this was probably the nicest meal we had eaten out since the start of our adventures.

As we walked south down the river into Budapest city we found riverbus pontoons. The timetables are easy to understand, but where do we get tickets? The instruction is clear `no ticket = no travel`, we found we could buy them on board. (Locals all seem to have season tickets, and we are not staying in a tourist area). 2 euros each, bargain, wonderful boat trip down the river with historic buildings all around. Now, here we have a problem. Ignorance! What are these buildings? Who? Where? What? There is a gapping hole in our education. Track down Tourist information, they should be able to provide us with something. No! We were firmly sent to the ticket touts at the bottom of the ferniculare railway. Of course they are all keen to sell their particular tour. Eventually we bought 48 hour Budapest passes. This covers all the public transport (including riverbus) and free entrance to loads of museums, and a trip on the castle bus. Great. But we still dont know what these fabulous buildings are about! Frustrating! And the castle bus driver apologies because her English is not good, so speaks to us in German and gives us a German guidebook. My German is limited to `good morning/afternoon/evening` and being able to order two dry white wines. So I am soon out of my depth. We decide our best option is to find a bookshop selling guides in English. Meanwhile we gather maps. No one map shows everything we need - public transport links, important landmarks, street names etc. We end up with six maps that I shuffle according to what we want. Frustrating.

My advice would be think carefully before you buy the Budapest pass. The public transport system is easy to use, very efficient and most of all cheap. Our metro fare from the chainbridge to DunaPlaza (near the marina) one way was 350HUF (about 95 pence). The riverbus for a simiar journey was about £2, but you are getting a great view thrown in. A lot of attractions are actually free anyway, so do your research.

There is so much to see, where do I start! St Stephens Cathedral, the view from the top is fabulous and the decorations inside stunning in their richness and so ornate. The parliament building, again so highlyI decorated. The ironwork a masterpiece of scrolls. Impressive statues are everywhere. Duna castle full of history and commanding an impressive sight up on the hill overlooking the Danube and Budapest. The fishermans bastion is like a fairy taletale castle of turrents and towers, so ornate. But even if you walk a few streets away from the main tourist area you find lovely architecture, carved and decorated, pictureque wrought iron balconies with flowers in pots and baskets. In fact, these are the places to find a quiet cafe or bar for lunch. Much cheaper and nicer than the tourist areas and you will see normal Hungarians going about their daily buisness. No visit would be complete without a trip to the market building. A lovely building in its own right, but filled with food! Heaven! So much glorious food displayed and presented so beautifully. Just as wonderful as a display of exotic flowers. Even the humblest of vegetables are centre stage in all their glory. I wish it were possible for this to be a `smelly-blog`, the scents of peaches, strawberries, paprika etc are intoxicating. I am tempted at every stall. Fabulous sausages, salamis, cheeses, dried fruits and nuts. Coffee and liqueurs, chocolate and cakes. And the most wonderful thing is that normal citizens of Budapest shop here. Normal wifes and mother buy their fruit, veg and meat here. Its not like Harrods food hall just for the rich and well healed.

Norman and I are learning that there is a massive gap in our knowledge of the history of Europe. And in particular Hungary. This beautiful country has been ravaged and torn apart by the Turks, Russians, Nazi`s. Its people have been terrorised, murdered and stamped down time and again. But they are proud and generous people, and so welcoming.

Two heartbreaking stories.;

The shoes on the Pest side of the Danube. A memorial to those people lined up and shot so that their bodies would fall into and be swept away on the current of the river. They were shot by a faction of the Nazis called the Arrow Cross.

The massacre of unarmed people by the Russians in the uprising. 25th October 1956 is a national day to remember these people. They had gathered in the square to protest peacefully in their thousands. They did not know that Russian soldiers were posted all along the roof tops and that the tanks standing on the streets were ready to open fire on them. The tanks had been stationed there for weeks and people had become used to them. The people in the square were not soldiers, they were not armed. They were citizens, men, women and children gathered together to show solidarity for what they wanted for their country. Suddenly, the Russian soldiers start shooting and the tanks fire their cannons into the crowds. There is no where to hide, no where to run to. There is an underground memorial in the square behind the parliament building. One video sticks in my mind. A man who witnessed this atrosity recounts seeing a mother holding her dead daughter in her arms. The daughter aged about 12 had been shot and completely bled out and was waxy pale. The mother would not let her go and when the carts came to gather up the dead she carried her daughter onto the cart and sat down amongst the bodies with her child still in her arms. One of many heartbreaking stories.

Hot new! Its official! I have broken my ankle! After nearly 3 weeks of hobbling, I caved in and saw a doctor. Gary (boat owner) arrived today on Carpe Diem and suggested AGAIN that he should maybe get a doctor to check out the leg. After two days of solid walking around Budapest my ankle was sceaming `get me out of this pain`. The ankle looked like the inflatable Donald Trump.....only not so nice!! Anyway, Gary is in control. A few phone calls later and I am in a very upmarket health center. All mod cons. Lovely ladydoctor checks me out with the help of a medical interpreter. Off for 6 xrays. Back to the doctors office `yup, its broken,!) I have a fracture of the knobby bone on the outside of my ankle. So, I was fitted the most snazzy spaceage immobilizer. I have to rest and elevate it for two weeks, then start to exercise gently. I am so impressed with the service, I had to go privately (Gary said the public health service was very good, but I would have to wait in a queue for possibly 4 hours - what's new?). So consulation with the doctor, 6 xrays, medical interpretor, space age leg brace. Total cost HUF 38,500 (£103.95). And all done within a couple of hours.

Its our last night and I am so sad to be leaving. Today we walked to Bubbles (launderette) so we are travelling fresh and clean. The launderettes are fabulous here. Comfy seating, state of the art machines that self dose. Quick and cheap. So, housework done, we went to lunch at the yacht club. Then had a pleasant afternoon reading by the pool. I unleashed my ankle and took it for a swim, it was a case of floating around in the Pauline Paine posture. Aqualadies will know what I mean. This damned ankle has meant there is a lot left unexplored. Oh, well, just have to return another time.Got back to the boat, packed ready for the morning.

Our last morning - very sad to be moving on. Gary arrives at 9 and takes us out for a spin in Summer. We have a two hour trip up river with Gary giving us a running commentary along the way. Past the Parliment building, Fishermans Bastion, Duna Castle etc, under the chain bridge, past the whale building and the universities. Its a fabulous way to see a fabulous city. And lovely to have Gary to answer our questions. Then we turn around and, after a quick check to ensure everything is lashed down, Gary opens up the throttle and Wow! Summer is fast. You could water ski off the back! :-) We have a look at the working parts of the river, boat yards and Wiking headquarters before heading back to the marina. There is not much time to say goodbye, but we talk about coming back in a couple of weeks to do some work for Gary in one of his other ventures, a campsite on Danube Bend. We both love Hungary and still have so much to see of this lovely country and its beautiful people. So, watch this space!

Meanwhile I have booked an apartment in Heviz which on the websiteway says is just inland a kilometres or two from the town of Keszthely on Lake Balaton. Easy and cheap train ride from Budapest Deli station and runs along the south shore of this spectacular huge lake. There is a thermal spa in Heviz which is supposed to make women younger and more beautiful, and men more handsome and strong. I have only booked a week here, maybe I should review our plans. Ha ha.i