So this is my attempt to convey the entirety of what our trip to Budapest was. I say our because I was travelling with Isadora AKA Issi
This is the most amount of time I have spent with someone consecutively who isn’t immediate family/long term friend. No idea if that’s relevant but it’s true, so there.
A little back story...
Issi and I were at school together, I remembered her name because it is not your run of the mill, Isadora. Sounds ever so whimsical, does it not? I struck up a conversation, via an awkward joke. By hook or by crook it continued, she wanted to travel, I have not been to many places. If anyone is planning a trip I always throw in a jovial “If you need and extra awkward dude…”
Sometime in December 2016 she sends me a quiz to see if we would be suitable travel compadres. And before I could complete it she’s booked flights to Budapest and said I can come along if I want. I’m flabbergasted, but excited. That night we’d booked flights, accommodation, and drawn up lists of things we’d like to do. Upon comparison our lists overlap an awful lot.
We try and fail to meet up a couple of times over Christmas, towards the end of Jan she comes to stay for the weekend. I am bowled over, I think I overwhelmed Issi with my endless talking. In Feb I pop up to Notts for the day and we have Brunch, I’m bowled over all over again.
Sometime in December 2016 she sends me a quiz to see if we would be suitable travel compadres. And before I could complete it she’s booked flights to Budapest and said I can come along if I want. I’m flabbergasted, but excited. That night we’d booked flights, accommodation, and drawn up lists of things we’d like to do. Upon comparison our lists overlap an awful lot.
We try and fail to meet up a couple of times over Christmas, towards the end of Jan she comes to stay for the weekend. I am bowled over, I think I overwhelmed Issi with my endless talking. In Feb I pop up to Notts for the day and we have Brunch, I’m bowled over all over again.
There’s always more detail but then we’d never get to the actual story, my memory, my curse.
April 19th - Day 1
I incessantly check my bag, the size, the weight, my weight, my size, my cables, money, wallet, keys. I’ve opted for airport parking because I don’t really want to leave the car on a random street for a week or so. We coordinate the time I’ll be picking Issi up.
There’s traffic in Grantham, so I get to Issi’s 14:00, I walk around the car contemplating my opening gambit. I have a history of not making the best first impression, when I went to pick Issi up from the train station I pulled up next to a bollard. The door would open but only about 4 inches or so… let’s move on.
I spot her coming around the corner but I do another lap of the car, before our inevitably awkward interaction. There is a people carrier obscuring her view of me. If I timed it right I could circle round behind her and… I opt against such tomfoolery, as fear, is not the best way to start a holiday.
She is as pretty and dainty as I remember, swoon. Our flight is at 17:15 and it should only take 30 mins to get to EMA, I explain how I was frightened by an old family friend’s horror story about the road to EMA.
Jet 2 car park, the cheapest car park, is a country mile from the airport. But we get there and ANPR does it’s job. I park up, we grab our bags, and walk away. A hundred or so yards in we realise that we don’t know where we are going. One is supposed to locate a bus stop and await the shuttle service, we laugh. She thinks my bag is lighter than hers, it isn’t, mine’s got enough socks and pants to last twice the anticipated length of our stay. A lesson I learnt whilst in Bordeaux last year. And my sturdy/heavy, tan brogues, I’m quite confident I could successfully hammer a nail with those bad boys only causing superficial damage.
A young family arrive, their boy is suitably boisterous. He gets all shy when an middle aged couple ask him if he’s off on holiday. The bus arrives I panic and check my particulars, Issi follows suit. We are a pair of skittish, serial over thinkers, heading to a paradise for explorers.
Exiting the bus, on approach to the airport, Issi utters what will become her catchphrase for the trip “What are they gonna do about it!” In reference to the airlines options once we’re at the departure gate and if our hand luggage is too heavy, or big. Surly to the core that girl.
Exiting the bus, on approach to the airport, Issi utters what will become her catchphrase for the trip “What are they gonna do about it!” In reference to the airlines options once we’re at the departure gate and if our hand luggage is too heavy, or big. Surly to the core that girl.
We are decide to go it alone through security, both my bags are checked. Empty hip flask and my toiletries were not in a clear plastic bag, rookie mistake. I had to take my belt off and to prevent my trousers from descending I adopt a semi lunging stance.
We meander in and try to find somewhere to eat, settling for Burger King. Issi’s order is understood, the lad behind the counter can not comprehend what I want from him. I resort to pointing at the menu, he is still none the wiser. He eventually gets it burger, fries, bacon cheese bites, £11.38, I felt monetarily violated.
The departure gate is eventually announced and we make our way there, there’s a queue. Naturally we join it and confer as to whether this is indeed the correct queue for the flight to Budapest. The gent in front assuages our doubts, a few minutes later he leaves the queue and Issi ventures forth to investigate. Turns out it is the correct queue. We are split up as we’ve been allocated seats at opposite ends of the plane.
I sleep for a bit and awaken an hour before we land, take off was delayed for… reasons. We get there at 20:00, but Hungary is an hour ahead so we’ve lost an entire sixty minutes in flight. I text Issi that I’m on the other bus, I don’t know why. I also touch base with our host. We saunter through with our fellow plane compatriots. We feel safe with the herd but it looks as though they are heading for the car park, we spy the 200E, the bus that will deliver us to the metro station.
Issi seizes the initiative and purchases our bus tickets, I don’t realise and try to buy one for myself. The bus driver looks at me with a sense of quiet desperation, we go and sit down. We’re near the rear door of the bus, Issi takes the window seat leaving me with the aisle, it has an odd extra extension. I check to see if the bus has wifi, it does! It’s called something like “Croatian Bus”, Issi points out the incongruousness of the name with the country we’re in! She also helps me locate and activate the data roaming. What would I’ve done without her!?
We meander in and try to find somewhere to eat, settling for Burger King. Issi’s order is understood, the lad behind the counter can not comprehend what I want from him. I resort to pointing at the menu, he is still none the wiser. He eventually gets it burger, fries, bacon cheese bites, £11.38, I felt monetarily violated.
The departure gate is eventually announced and we make our way there, there’s a queue. Naturally we join it and confer as to whether this is indeed the correct queue for the flight to Budapest. The gent in front assuages our doubts, a few minutes later he leaves the queue and Issi ventures forth to investigate. Turns out it is the correct queue. We are split up as we’ve been allocated seats at opposite ends of the plane.
I sleep for a bit and awaken an hour before we land, take off was delayed for… reasons. We get there at 20:00, but Hungary is an hour ahead so we’ve lost an entire sixty minutes in flight. I text Issi that I’m on the other bus, I don’t know why. I also touch base with our host. We saunter through with our fellow plane compatriots. We feel safe with the herd but it looks as though they are heading for the car park, we spy the 200E, the bus that will deliver us to the metro station.
Issi seizes the initiative and purchases our bus tickets, I don’t realise and try to buy one for myself. The bus driver looks at me with a sense of quiet desperation, we go and sit down. We’re near the rear door of the bus, Issi takes the window seat leaving me with the aisle, it has an odd extra extension. I check to see if the bus has wifi, it does! It’s called something like “Croatian Bus”, Issi points out the incongruousness of the name with the country we’re in! She also helps me locate and activate the data roaming. What would I’ve done without her!?
I get jealous of the drip that is dripping on her knee, the rain outside has found its way through the top of the door and is dripping on Issi. We fail at all attempts to deflect it my way.
We get to the metro, faff with the machine and it issues us two tickets and beeps super loudly. On to the metro and sit facing each other on opposite sides of a carriage. A mistake as we’re both quite quiet. The carriage slowly fills and I message my bro about the mistake I’ve made sitting so far from away. His reply is pure gold
“Would it be gauche to facetime someone who’s on the same train as you?”
We had to google what gauche meant. Off the metro, across the street, and briefly down the wrong street. We find Zichy Jeno Utca and commence striding forth. Our flat is located towards the west end of the street, I try to buzz flat 21, the button marked 1 won’t depress properly. Issi gives it a go, works first time…
The door is open and we stride into the darkness, a light comes on. We walk past a young lady. Turns out this is our host Zsofi’s sister! She explains all that needs explaining, I sign a thing and we are handed two sets of keys. We briefly plug in, log onto the wifi, nose around the cupboards etc. They have the Hungarian version of cinnamon grahams! Issi had declared that we must go out. I am more than game, I tend to not move much, as a rule. Probably why I have such a task managing my weight.
We stride out into the darkness to back to the east end of our street and north up Bajcsy-Zsilinszky. We walk for what seems forever spotting potential bars that don’t quite call to us. We turn right towards Nagymezo, spotting a likely 24 hour shop across the road on the corner. We amble about and come across somewhere that looks likely. Issi orders us two halfs of Hungarian draft, I buy two shots of Unicum!
The draft is pretty much lager, the unicum is syrupy, herby, and totally sippable. She takes a pic of me looking super into it. A local man lets me know that Unicum is a classic, or he was sarcastically saying it was classy. We never did get to the bottom of that one. Issi’s not feeling the Unicum so I down both shots, I accuse her of trying to get me drunk. Three drinks in and I am steaming! I blame the lack of food, sleep, etc. We take the glasses back to the bar and walk to the 24 hour shop. Issi goes for chocolate, water, and milk. I get a big bottle of water. The lady behind the counter is whip thin and has the graveliest of voice. We search for midnight sustenance and find non.
The door is open and we stride into the darkness, a light comes on. We walk past a young lady. Turns out this is our host Zsofi’s sister! She explains all that needs explaining, I sign a thing and we are handed two sets of keys. We briefly plug in, log onto the wifi, nose around the cupboards etc. They have the Hungarian version of cinnamon grahams! Issi had declared that we must go out. I am more than game, I tend to not move much, as a rule. Probably why I have such a task managing my weight.
We stride out into the darkness to back to the east end of our street and north up Bajcsy-Zsilinszky. We walk for what seems forever spotting potential bars that don’t quite call to us. We turn right towards Nagymezo, spotting a likely 24 hour shop across the road on the corner. We amble about and come across somewhere that looks likely. Issi orders us two halfs of Hungarian draft, I buy two shots of Unicum!
The draft is pretty much lager, the unicum is syrupy, herby, and totally sippable. She takes a pic of me looking super into it. A local man lets me know that Unicum is a classic, or he was sarcastically saying it was classy. We never did get to the bottom of that one. Issi’s not feeling the Unicum so I down both shots, I accuse her of trying to get me drunk. Three drinks in and I am steaming! I blame the lack of food, sleep, etc. We take the glasses back to the bar and walk to the 24 hour shop. Issi goes for chocolate, water, and milk. I get a big bottle of water. The lady behind the counter is whip thin and has the graveliest of voice. We search for midnight sustenance and find non.
We walk back to the flat, I am unaccustomed to walking so I am shattered. We get in and eat the complimentary sweets, we also bust out the breakfast pastries that our host has kindly left us. Issi declares that cherry is simply the best, I have no strong opinions on chewy fruit flavoured sweets. The TV won’t tune, alas, no confusing Hungarian late night shows. We chat, change, I realise my water is sparkling and not still, and hit the hay, she reads a book on her phone. I try my best not to encroach on her space.
During the night I almost fall off the bed twice, it’s so warm we sleep through the builders arrival at 08:00. It’s 11:00 before we awaken properly. A good night's sleep was had by all.
The Other Days...😖
Day 1: Backstory, Burgers, Airport, Arrival, Bus, Metro, Unicum
Day 2: Builders,Terror Haza, Andrassy, Hosok Tere, Danube, Ruin Bars, Karavan
Day 3: Signature Stance, Buda Castle, Chimney Cake, Labyrinth, Wine Cruise
Day 4: Central Market, Columbo, Symphony, Araz Etterem, Giero, Martini
Day 5: Thermal Baths, Souvenir, Langos, Packing
Day 6: Bus, Plane, Pizza, EMA, Embarrassment, Yes
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