Day Seventeen

DAY SEVENTEEN

Captains Log – Supplemental to Day Sixteen – We came back to the camper to enjoy part two of the Bourne Trilogy. During the wee hours of the morning, the captain – with the weaker bladder needed to use the WC, and being the good camper – sometimes, he decided to make the trek back to the building where the toilet is located to use the facilities, only to discover that it was locked. He returned unsuccessfully back to “Betsy” and went back to bed after having warmed up. Later this morning, we woke at around 7.30am and Glenn immediately got up and after grabbing his shower gear, decided to make the precarious ice skate across the skating rink in his slippers to go for a shower. He too like the skipper returned begrudgingly to Betsy since the door to the ice rink was still locked. Glenn and I pondered this for some time as to how it was possible that people so quick to serve and take care of our every need could have left us without facilities. We have come to the conclusion that this new “Cultural” experience has to be without doubt the strangest one we have encountered yet. The Hungarians it would seem don’t consider WC and Douche (shower) important facilities at all. Well its now 8.15am and I watched with anticipation as Glenn skated to the showers in his slippers and am waiting for his triumphant return from the showers….

Well alas Glenn returned informing me that he had around 2 minutes of warm water. Now those of you who know Glenn know he likes to spend at least 15 minutes standing under the warmth of the water and so I decided to have a splash in the Shower of Betsy. We went into the “lodge” to enjoy a hearty breakfast consisting of Bread, Cheese, Ham, Pancakes and a large mug of sweet lemon tea. We left the campsite after some further directions from our host and proceeded to catch our first Bus of the trip in Europe. The language in Hungary is totally different from that which we are used to and as a result navigating at first became quite a challenge. By the end of the day, Glenn and I unanimously agreed that we had become true professionals of the Budapest Bus and Tram network and actually enjoyed changing buses and trams all day.

Our first stop in Budapest was the Grand Market. The market is one of the largest I have ever seen and contains shops selling goods to locals and tourists alike. The shops offer meat, vegetables, breads and pastries as well as novelty gifts, souvenirs’ etc. The layout of the centre is in a beautifully renovated warehouse that has lots of natural lighting and is spotlessly clean. It was great to wander around the stores taking in the smells and sounds of the location. The food here in Hungary appeared to cost about the same as back home in South Africa and it is a treat to be able to order food and know that you are not paying an arm and a leg for goods. We bought some Gluwein and some locally made Strudel for the road and after having bought some gifts for you wonderful followers back home, we proceeded onto the Buda Castle.

The Castle complex is simply huge and contains numerous Museums and buildings for viewing and it was a pleasure to be able to wander around the Castle grounds without having to pay and also being able to take in the most wonderful viewing sites of Budapest. The Sun came out for a portion of the morning and made for the best possible photo opportunities. We then decided to take a tour of the Labyrinth underneath the Buda Castle. The labyrinth stretches for a total of 1.4 kms and is a maze of passages and tunnels under the Castle. It was great to experience such an awesome spectacle and we subsequently found out that its one of the 7 Underground natural wonders of UNESCO. The tunnels were created by the warm thermal vents that prevail all around Budapest.

We then decided it was time for our daily cappuccino and dropped in at a quaint little restaurant located in the Castle Grounds. We had traditional Goulash soup and bread for lunch/dinner and thereafter made our way back by bus to the campsite. The temperature outside has started to fall and is currently -1 degrees and we are planning to go into the “lodge” to do the Blog update and some face-booking.