Budapest
Yes, I know the song is pathetically unimaginative.....but I am in Budapest, what else could I use?
It was an easy and pretty 53 into the city, though it took ages because it involved 2 ferries, both of which run hourly and I timed arrival at both rather badly.
Then it was a VERY exciting 12 mile dash to the airport. I had devoted rather less time to planning this bit than the previous 850 miles and this turned out to be a mistake. There is essentially one, arrow straight road from the centre of town to the airport and I shared it with the whole world. Luckily I had a big tailwind so put my head down and went as fast as I could, partly to get it over with but also to reduce the times I was overtaken with inches to spare.
As you will have seen, my room last night was spacious and cheap. It also had one of those funny loos favoured by Jonny Foreigner where ones extrusion is caught by a handy little shelf so you can admire it (and maybe poke it around a bit with the end of your toothbrush ....no NOT the brush end!). When pulling the flush I can't help feeling like I am conducting a burial at sea. I must buy a little bosun's whistle and learn the appropriate tune.
The thing about Hungary is that, despite communism having ended 25 years ago, it all a bit, well, soviet. Some people have cottoned on to the idea of a service economy but most just scowl and throw the change at you while looking like they are sucking on a lemon. They also play the exchange rate game to perfection.....even P&O aren't as good. They are happy to take euros at a scandalous exchange rate but then give you change in florints, converted back from euros at the inverse scandalous rate.
I am at the airport where things are firmly stuck in the 1960's. The queue to buy a drink, served by a scowling crone, and pay for it in 'western' currency at a laughable exchange rate would have made Stalin proud. I have had no data signal since leaving Austria but the airport offers free WiFi. Naturally it doesn't work - I'll file this one I get home.
It was an easy and pretty 53 into the city, though it took ages because it involved 2 ferries, both of which run hourly and I timed arrival at both rather badly.
Then it was a VERY exciting 12 mile dash to the airport. I had devoted rather less time to planning this bit than the previous 850 miles and this turned out to be a mistake. There is essentially one, arrow straight road from the centre of town to the airport and I shared it with the whole world. Luckily I had a big tailwind so put my head down and went as fast as I could, partly to get it over with but also to reduce the times I was overtaken with inches to spare.
As you will have seen, my room last night was spacious and cheap. It also had one of those funny loos favoured by Jonny Foreigner where ones extrusion is caught by a handy little shelf so you can admire it (and maybe poke it around a bit with the end of your toothbrush ....no NOT the brush end!). When pulling the flush I can't help feeling like I am conducting a burial at sea. I must buy a little bosun's whistle and learn the appropriate tune.
The thing about Hungary is that, despite communism having ended 25 years ago, it all a bit, well, soviet. Some people have cottoned on to the idea of a service economy but most just scowl and throw the change at you while looking like they are sucking on a lemon. They also play the exchange rate game to perfection.....even P&O aren't as good. They are happy to take euros at a scandalous exchange rate but then give you change in florints, converted back from euros at the inverse scandalous rate.
I am at the airport where things are firmly stuck in the 1960's. The queue to buy a drink, served by a scowling crone, and pay for it in 'western' currency at a laughable exchange rate would have made Stalin proud. I have had no data signal since leaving Austria but the airport offers free WiFi. Naturally it doesn't work - I'll file this one I get home.
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