Budapest

This city certainly appreciates the value of tourism and is aware of its beauty as well as that of some of the locals. Namely, a couple of attractive young ladies boarded the train just out of town and walked through handing out maps and answering questions. One of them even offered to help me carry my bike box when we arrived at Budapest, however I politely declined, citing chivalry.

I did struggle getting the bike box to the hotel, however fortunately I had picked one close to the train station. After a shower and change of clothes (I felt smellier than I have ever felt) I set off for a quick look around town.

Later; for a change, I went on a bike tour. It was a great way to see the main sights of the city quickly, and it did not hurt that the host was, you guessed it, an attractive young lady.

I wandered around afterward and found a restaurant that looked fairly genuine. The older bloke working there was not big on the chat or service, however I guess he was around 50-60 and had lived through some pretty dark times in the city's history.

On the way home I did get lost. Well let us just say I did not exactly know which direction I was headed for a while until I got my bearings. I felt a bit pompous staying in a nice hotel, however a clean shower and nice bed were very welcome. So was sleep after another 36 sleepless hours!