Love...... The Journey

[anat0l]

Sun 15 Apr, Mon 16 Apr

Sunday 15 April 2012


The day after the wedding, most of us were in recovery mode. Not so much that we were plastered, but since yesterday was a long day, and it was a Sunday, everyone could use a bit more sleep. Nevertheless, I woke up and made my way to the restaurant for a traditional English breakfast.

Today was a pretty relaxed day, but there was still quite a few things to do. Most people were getting packed and planning their return or onward trips. Outfits had to be in ship-shape for return to the dress hire shop. Lots of moving stuff around. And I was heading out to Budapest the next day.

Flashware was very generous and allowed me to store my large bag at their flat whilst I was travelling around Europe. Which is just as well, as I was travelling with FR and even pre-purchasing checked baggage is a bit of a pain on the wallet, especially when most of one's remaining travel is in premium classes which allow so much more allowance. I had my small GCC backpack that I put in a few clothes and bric-a-brac that came in just under 10 kg. Perfect.

In the evening, Flashware and I head into town to catch up with his folks, who also had onward travel the next day and had relocated to accommodation in London for convenience. After dinner at a local pub, it was time for me to head to my accommodation and try and get some rest before my early start the next day.


Accommodation: Palmers Lodge Swiss Cottage
Room: Standard Dorm


Since I was flying FR the next day, most of the FR flights leave from STN. One of the easiest and cheapest ways to get to STN is by bus, and one of the buses leaves from Finchley Road. And one of the cheapest but comfortable places to stay for an overnight was a few blocks away, at Palmers Lodge, which also was a considerable 'base' for Flashware when he first arrived in London.

When I arrived at the Lodge reception, it was already getting pretty late, but I got my locker key, the wifi password (essential! ) and all the other rules explained. Palmers Lodge does offer free continental breakfast, but unfortunately I'd have to be out and on my way well and truly before they started serving. Palmers Lodge is set in a well kept refurbished old building. The only thing is that it seems almost near impossible to not make a noise as you walk across the timber floors inside the dorms, and with most people already asleep, it's a really awkward situation.

I put my belongings in the locker and went back outside to chill a bit and check some messages, but it wasn't long before I decided that I'd better get some sleep or I'll be really tired tomorrow. Besides, it was pretty rowdy at the reception as a big group of Dutch people (I think they were Dutch or German) were having a bit of a pow-wow, as well as checking messages and Skyping people on the limited computers in the reception area.

The beds in the dorms are quite comfortable, so after setting my alarm, it wasn't long before I drifted off to sleep.


Monday 16 April 2012


I felt my device vibrating and a soft alarm tone sound. It was waaaay too early in the morning. Still......

If it was awkward walking across the timber floor in the evening when people were trying to sleep, it's even more awkward walking across it in the dead hours of morning when everyone should still be asleep. I went to the bathroom for a quick freshen up before gathering my bag, checking my locker and making my way to reception to check out. Then, it was out into the dark, cold morning towards Finchley Road to catch the National Express bus to STN.

Waiting at Finchley Road for the bus to STN. Brrrrr!!

One thing about buses is that you really never know when they will arrive. They usually arrive late, but sometimes they do arrive on time, and even rarely arrive early (then leave ahead of schedule!). You just have to be ready for everything. It takes about an hour by bus to get from Finchley Road to STN, then you factor in allowing enough time to allow for delays or an extra bus, because if you don't make it to the FR desk for documentation check before the flight cut-off, it's game over, no questions. As I waited for the bus, a few more people started to rock up. The bus eventually came about five minutes or so late, but once on board, it was quite comfortable. The pitch between seats was quite reasonable, and the seats sloped back a bit so you have a bit of recline, which is great for catching a few more winks on the way to the airport, which is exactly what I did. This bus also had wifi onboard, though the connection was a bit flaky. If you prepay and print a ticket online, you can get the one-way journey for a low as GBP 5.50 or so, but the services I had in mind were not much cheaper than the walk-up rate of GBP 10, so I just paid the walk-up rate.

There's not much to see in the dark morning on the way to STN. By the time I had arrived at STN, daylight had well and truly broken.

Stansted Airport frontage. Pretty innocuous looking.

The first thing you see when you enter the doors at Stansted - a welcome, and an ad.

London Stansted is a home to many budget carriers (AB perhaps notwithstanding), but by far the biggest presence at STN is the infamous Irish airline, Ryanair. After I had decided to travel to somewhere else besides London for this trip, Flashware made the worthy suggestion of Budapest and Bratislava, both places where I wanted to go and could be done on a thin budget. In line with keeping on a thin budget, however, also meant finding cheap airfares. As far as they went, Ryanair was the cheapest. Some of us swear off flying FR like swearing off flying JQ, but I thought I'm not getting to BUD any cheaper than the peanuts I paid for my FR flight, so I booked.

So here I am in STN. I found the check-in desk for BUD flights and had my documents checked. There are cabin baggage sizers all over the place - if you are travelling on FR, make sure you know that the cabin bag is the correct size! FR takes no prisoners when it comes to cabin baggage, as I found out later. Also, for goodness sakes, don't forget to print your boarding pass out before you arrive at the airport, otherwise you'll be up for a very hefty surcharge for a boarding pass at the airport. FR allows you to print BPs two weeks in advance of departure, so that's plenty of time.

Landside STN.

One little known fact about STN is that there is a Priority Pass lounge available, and in addition to that, Priority Pass holders are eligible to use the Fast Track security facility at STN. As my Amex Platinum Reserve had two vouchers on it, I thought that this worked nicely (and seeing as I won't be using those vouchers for the rest of the year, might as well use them now!). Fast Track security delivered and I was through to the main airside concourse in no time. The main airside concourse begins like a typical shopping centre - shops, eateries, more shops - you get the idea. A solitary signpost a bit of the way along then gives you the directions to the gate piers.

Airside STN - shops, shops, shops.

No prizes as to who rules the roost here.

From the first signpost to every pier, the time planning signboard reports an approximate required walk of 12 minutes. It was pretty much on the money, as getting to my gate involved going around and up and down rather plain hallways, a couple of escalators and then finally at the correct pier. STN looks pretty boring as far as an airport goes, but a good use of glass and at least a clean look made it acceptable. Not bad for an airport primarily supported by budget carriers, especially FR, who would've squeezed every last pence out of the airport.

FR gate concourse at STN.

The Priority Pass lounge at STN is operated by No 1 Traveller, who actually have 2 lounges at STN - one for FR flights near Gate 49, and another for non-FR flights near Gate 16. Normally these are pay-per-use lounges, but people with certain airport lounge subscriptions can use the lounges included in their subscription. Or, in my case, for one of the two vouchers given with my Amex Platinum Reserve every year. It's quite a juxtaposition compared to the rest of the terminal where budget carriers abound.

Entrance to the No 1 Traveller lounge at Gate 49, STN.

 

[anat0l]

Mon 16 Apr

The No 1 Traveller lounge is quite small; probably not bigger than some of the regional lounges in Australia. I guess they never figured that many people flying FR will have lounge subscriptions or will cough up for an entry. The decor is quite nice - elegant yet simple. As I entered the lounge, my Priority Pass card was taken and I was issued a receipt for my entry. After that, I was given a quick tour of the lounge, shown the small free buffet, and informed that my entry entitled me to one free substantial item from the a la carte menu. The lounge has wifi and a nice view of the tarmac. There was a little lounging area with a TV for those so interested. There was also a bar, but it was too early in the morning, and I believe it's a cash bar.

Inside the No 1 Traveller Lounge at Gate 49, STN

Breakfast buffet selection - all complimentary here

The substantial morning a la carte menu consisted of two items - a bacon roll, and an omelette roll. I selected the omelette roll and asked for a latte, then sat myself on one of the nicely upholstered leather couches near the window. There was a power point near by which meant I could get a bit of charge into my devices. A code on a slip of paper at the front desk enabled the use of the wifi, which was at pretty good speed. Soon after, the roll arrived on a little wooden chopping board. The roll was nicely toasted and the roll appeared to had been assembled fresh, rather than say just a prepacked roll that had been microwaved then given a quick go over in the sandwich press.

Breakfast roll from the a la carte menu.

I finished up breakfast and then started to think about making my way to the gate. It was approaching T-45 minutes to departure, which probably meant it was a good time to start thinking about getting into the boarding queue. Although priority boarding on FR can be purchased for a fee, it's free-for-all seating once on board. I gathered up my belongings and made my way back down the concourse to my gate, just as it was about 50 minutes before boarding.


Flight: Ryanair FR8353 London Stansted (STN) - Budapest (Budapest Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér) (BUD T2)
Depart: Sched 0825h; Actual 0856h
Duration: 2 h 20 min
Distance: 904 mi (1,455 km)
Aircraft: EI-EFB Boeing 737-800
Class: Economy
Seat: 32D


One thing was missing, however. Our aircraft. There was no aircraft at our gate. Uh oh... delay. Nevertheless, everyone had started to get in line in anticipation of boarding, and even with the delayed arrival of the aircraft, no one was going to sit down and give up their place outside the queue, because that just means less chance of getting a good seat (and overhead space) once on board. So everyone just stood and waited. Most of the crowd seemed to be Hungarians, judging by the language of the murmurs. I started looking at some of the bags being brought on board and thought, "This will not end well for these guys".

Minutes passed by. Some people left the line to do last minute shopping, or use the bathroom. Soon enough, however, a FR aircraft was seen taxiing at what appeared to be full speed towards our position, then a sharp turn into the stand and preparing for docking.

FR aircraft are a bit unusual in a number of ways. FR use all Boeing 737-800 aircraft and the front door has a retractable stair case built into it. I guess this not only saves money at some airports as that's one less set of stairs required, but it also enables FR to land at airports which may not have such facilities (or enough of them), i.e. the smaller regional airports which have cheaper rates than the primary hubs. FR boards from both the front and the back of the aircraft, with an additional set of stairs wheeled into position at the back. The arriving passengers were quickly scrambled off the aircraft as all of us at the gate finally prepared for boarding.

STN is interesting in that it appears to be a fairly modern terminal with the trimmings of being so, but boarding is interesting. Whilst there is a jetway at our gate, it was not used. Instead, all of us boarded the aircraft by descending down the stairs onto the tarmac, and then we followed the paths to either the front or the rear boarding stairs. Boarding proceeded and basically consisted of two checks. The first check involved a staffer checking the sizes of bags and guessing their weight, and pulling aside people who may be in breach of the cabin baggage guidelines, who were then asked to test their bag in a sizing bracket. If it didn't fit the bracket, it wasn't going on, and several people were pulled aside and forced to repack or consider checking in their bag (at the at-airport rate, of course). All of us had our A4 sheets of boarding pass in hand, which was promptly scanned and the counterfoil at the bottom of the page crudely torn away as we passed through.

Since FR have a no allocated seating policy, my strategy was to race to the back door and take the first viable seat I could find. I was reckoning that most people may not fill from the back as quickly as they do through the front, and all I was happy for would be an aisle seat, preferably with some space in the overhead, but I'd take that as a secondary. My strategy seemed to be vindicated as I headed through the back and found a seat a few rows in. A quick scan of the overheads going forth showed little prospects of a good seat with overhead space, so I satisfied myself with the seat I found and sat down before anyone else had the same idea as me.

FR legroom.

I'll be frank: there isn't a lot of legroom in FR seats. For those of you who are quite tall or plump, you may struggle a little bit in your seat, and it does not help if you cannot put your cabin bag in the overhead. It was adequate for a flight not much longer than a BNE/MEL. The seats are leather with a plastic shell and have no recline. Life jackets are located in the overhead panels rather than under seats. It's a tight fit aircraft, not much different to an average non-luxury bus, carrying up to 189 passengers at (mostly) rock bottom prices.

FR cabin. If you've ever owned a pair of yellow gum boots before, the colour accents are probably familiar to you. The blank panelling on the overhead bins are reserved for advertising space, which is another revenue stream for FR.

FR has lifejackets stored in the overhead panels.

Safety information printed on a small panel on the back of each seat, which eliminates the need for loose safety information cards.

The FR crew - short of ensuring their legal and safety obligations - seemed to exhibit as much frivolity in their mannerisms, similar to that of their company CEO. I overheard some joking that we (pax) shouldn't complain so much about FR being cheap, after all, toilets were still free of charge! Then, as we prepared to close out the cabin and push back, the purser came on with, "Good morning ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls..."... the only thing he could've done to make it more cheesy would be the stretch out the 'Goooooooooooooooooood morning'. We pushed back from gate and a short safety demo was given. We had quite a taxi from terminal to runway; our pilots put their foot to the accelerator, so to speak, in making the long taxi to the runway, and continued their urgency as they powered up the engines and took off.

I was one of the very lucky ones on this aircraft. There was a spare seat between myself and my seat mate in 32F, and we definitely wasted no time stretching to the spare seat space as well as moving our belongings to the spare foot space in 32E.

Ryanair, like most other budget carriers, raise a significant amount of revenue through buy-on-board sales. Throughout the flight, Ryanair sell three kinds of products to raise revenue: your standard buy-on-board refreshments (snacks, drinks), duty free (including Ryanair bric-a-brac), and raffle tickets for prize draws; the last one apparently raises money for a charity rather than FR pockets. Nothing is free on board - not even water, and not even ice. Without fail, of course there were many people on board who handed over their cash to purchase refreshments and drinks, even if it was the cheap tasting (or so it looked) coffee, or the simplest cup of tea. I, of course, bought nothing from the trolley, but instead just relaxed on the flight and tried to get a bit of sleep. I just imagined it as just another BNE/MEL flight.

I did have to use the bathroom once during the flight, and yes when I flew them that time, use of the bathrooms was free of charge! At least it was clean.

I caught up with some sleep on the flight until we started to approach BUD. We landed at BUD with a soundly thud, then started our hasty taxi to the remote stand. FR crew still crack jokes here and there, such as, "If you would like to smoke in the airport, we'd like to remind you that it's a dirty and expensive habit, but you'll still have no luck as it is not allowed in the terminal." The usual long winded announcements followed, ending with the usual company plug. We parked at a stand quite some distance away from the terminal. Shuttle buses were summoned into place as the stairs were positioned for disembarkation. We poured off the plane into the waiting shuttle buses, which were stuffed to the gills before we were allowed to move towards the terminal for arrivals procedures.

Our FR aircraft parked on the tarmac at BUD. This photo was taken from inside the shuttle bus as we made our way towards the terminal.

 

[Flashback]

Re: Mon 16 Apr

Don't forget the smokeless cigarettes they sell! That's usually the first item they come through with...

 

[Kylie36]

Re: Mon 16 Apr

Hi Anatol,

Another great TR : ) am looking forward to the rest. I immensly enjoy reading all your wonderful TR's

 

[anat0l]

Mon 16 Apr

Welcome to Budapest - BUD T2 arrivals area

Love... A Magyar Meandering

Clearing passport control was pretty easy, and of course having no checked bags means a simple walk right out the door into the arrivals area.

First priority - need some currency. As per the usual procedure by many on this forum, I found a sole ATM in a corner of the arrivals hall. Thankfully it has English and it accepts my 28 Degrees Mastercard. A quick inspection of the ATM to check for suspicious devices, then a couple of minutes later and I'm charged up with Forints, which is a 'large' currency (i.e. get used to handing over hundreds and thousands of the stuff).

Next, I'm going for my transport. There is a shuttle bus service where you pay a nominal fee depending on destination zone and collects pax as required (both from BUD T2 and T1). Nice, easy and hassle free, and a good price, too. I paid for my spot on the bus, and didn't have to wait long before I was called up for the next service, with no other pax around. The bus did have to pick up some other pax from the other terminal, however, but we weren't packed to the gills and were soon off towards Budapest city.

Budapest consists of two key regions about the river Danube (called Duna in Hungarian): Buda, which is west of the river, and Pest (pronounced so that the s is a sh sound instead) which is east of the river. And within Buda, you have a walled complex known as the Buda Castle Hill. The main downtown area, including the city centre, the commercial centre and Hungarian parliament, are all on the Pest side. My accommodation, however, was unusually in Buda Castle, which can be quite expensive, but this one was of slightly more palatable expense.


Accommodation: Hilton Budapest (Castle)
Room: Executive King


Entry of vehicular traffic into the Buda Castle complex is controlled with boom gates and guards. The Buda Castle is a UNESCO Heritage site and presents wonderfully, with old style facades and cobblestone roads. There are two Hilton properties in Budapest - one on the Buda side (this one) and the other on the Pest side (downtown). I managed to get my stay with a combination of points and cash (plus the regular Hungarian city tax that must be paid in addition). The hotel is located right next to Matthias Church.

Frontage of the Hilton Budapest (Castle)

The shuttle drove right up to the door and soon I was outside the property. As I walked in, it felt a bit unusual, as the staff were probably expecting someone who was rather well dressed and carting a small rollerboard or even a larger bag, not a casually dressed tourist with not much more than a backpack. Nevertheless, as I walked up to the front counter, the staff greeted me with a hearty Hungarian salutation, and then proceeded to check me in, offering me an upgrade to an Executive room in the process.

The old courtyard outside the lobby of the Hilton Budapest. The courtyard is still used for special events and dining.

Lobby lounge area of the Hilton Budapest, which also overlooks the old courtyard.

The decor of the property is likely nought but modern, but rather reflects the very traditional setting where the hotel is situated - old world grandeur. I've been told that the property still reflects a lot of the designs and motifs from the old Soviet communist days.

The Executive Floor is rather unusual. The Executive Lounge, rather than being a separate "room", is actually located in the middle of the floor such that, to get from the lifts to my room, you had to pass through the lounge. I know that's pretty hard to visualise without a map, but try and believe me here . The hallways of the property are quite dimly lit. I was fortunate to have a room near the corner of the property, and overlooking the Danube River.

The Executive Lounge, viewed as you enter from the hallway leading to the lifts. The hallway in the distance (12 o'clock position in the photograph) leads to other guest rooms, including mine.

A darker anteroom of the Executive Lounge, containing a few seats, a computer workstation, and stain glassed windows.

Dark hallways of the Hilton Budapest.

Entering my room, again the decor is quite old world, but quite comfortable. The window opened out to a wonderful view of the Danube River and the Pest side of the city, including Hungarian Parliament. The bathroom was quite large with both a decently sized shower and a bathtub. The bar area is kept in a small compact corner of the room. It's a nice big room, and I'd say quite generous on quite a few measures. Nice for a Category 5 property!

Entering my Executive Room at the Hilton Budapest.

Open bar area.

 

[anat0l]

Mon 16 Apr, Tue 17 Apr

Rest of my room - big bed, a big chair and a pretty decent sized desk, and still plenty of space to swing a couple of cats.

View of the Danube and Pest from outside my window. The red-domed building on the right on the Pest side is Hungarian Parliament.

Once I was getting settled in, I planned to spend most of the rest of the day getting maps, relaxing and setting up the next few days. Travelling on a short budget is never quite fun, but being deep in Eastern Europe, there was a chance to see some great architecture and some wonderful old buildings, which I loved. And the best thing about wandering, is that it is free!

No sooner had I started settling in, a knock came at the door. A hotel attendant appeared with a small glass platter with three small sweet treats on it. Afternoon tea, courtesy of the Executive Floor.

Afternoon tea platter. This was repeated daily.

I wanted a cup of tea to complement the afternoon tea snacks, but as I filled the kettle and got it boiling, it started to leak out the bottom. Pretty soon, the tea tray was flooded. With electricity running around at the same time, that's not good. Power off, isolate energy sources, then called housekeeping. They replaced it with another kettle, but pretty much the same thing happened unless I boiled only a very small amount of water (we're talking a little less than a cup in a jug which can boil up to 3-4 cups of water at a time).

Although I had to prop up some cash for my stay at the Hilton, the Executive Lounge here meant that a few meals were going to be included . Of course, the downside of such 'convenience' is that you do tend to miss out a bit on the local food, though there were some interesting Hungarian wines to sample each night.

The Executive Lounge is always staffed with a waiter and a desk attendant, who also acts as a very capable concierge. During my stay the desk attendant was regularly the Executive Manager - Petra, who was very courteous and offered excellent advice about getting out and about. She could not be more helpful in offering maps and tourist information. One of the key events which caught my eye were two walking tours - one for Buda and another for Pest. Both were done on alternate days, so I could do the Buda one the next day and the Pest one on the one after. Perfect!

Once again, the decor in the Executive Lounge was a bit dated, and when I was there it should be noted that some of the chairs felt a bit rocky on the legs. Probably doesn't help when an overweight individual like yours truly has to sit on it. I never broke a chair, but I almost dared not to move whilst seated because the flexing in the joints of those chair legs to the base was not the most comforting feeling! The staff couldn't quite work out why the chairs were rather rocky, but I did note it on the feedback.

The Executive Lounge was kept well catered for all parts of the day. In the morning, there was a decent breakfast spread, including warm selections (eggs, sausages, etc.). All-day spread included select mini open sandwiches, sweet bakeries, rolls and fruit. Afternoon tea tended to feature some very nice cake slices. In the early evening, crudites, cold meat selection and cheese tended to start proceedings, whilst the warmer and more substantial items featured in the evening proper. And best of all, the food service didn't stop until about 9pm (if I recall correctly), and the lounge itself doesn't close until about 11pm. Complemented with a decent selection of Hungarian wines, a few beers, enough soft drinks to keep everyone happy and your standard robot barista and Dilmah tea box selection, I think it made for a very pleasant lounge.

I relaxed for the rest of the day whilst doing some planning (and tended to the emails from work, which couldn't be put off until later), but I did head out for a little stroll behind the Matthias Church towards the edge of the Castle Hill complex which looked over to a spectacular view of the Danube and Pest. I guess one of the only key weaknesses of staying in the Buda Castle complex is that you are far away from the city centre, so if your idea is milling for bars or a spot of entertainment (or even just a lot more people), you're probably much better finding accommodation in Pest, otherwise your only other option is to take the bus 16 or 16A (check timetables), or taxi it. (Note that there are no train, metro or tram services within the Buda Castle complex - you need to go outside the 'walls' to get to these services). The cobblestone streets of Buda Castle are not very brightly lit at night, giving a little bit of an eerie feeling as you walk around, only punctuated by the 'lighted sanctuaries' offered by the odd restaurant or bar, or major ones like Matthias Church, or the Hilton.

Hungarian Parliament, on the Pest side on the banks of the Danube, lit up at night.


Tuesday 17 April 2012


I awoke the next morning, desiring a bit more sleep, but there was sightseeing to be done, and I had to be up, washed and a good meal into me ready for the Buda walking tour in the morning.

The showers have great pressure and good flow of hot water. I think I find myself enjoying the new Peter Thomas Roth accessories compared to the former Crabtree & Evelyn, especially the fragrant body wash, though they are both good amenities. I satisfied myself with breakfast in the Executive Lounge, although I was told that I was free to go downstairs and enjoy a larger buffet at the restaurant.

Now I will comment now that I've seen a decent amount of Europe rather intensively. Having done many churches, museums, monuments and the like, you eventually start to develop a bit of a ennui to see more of them, as they are mostly the same. I agree that's quite an unfair statement for the various cultures that make up Europe, but it starts to feel a bit like that. That said, I absolutely love seeing every different place in Europe and the difference in the architecture, how the cities are laid out, the views, the buildings and the statues and so on. So a lot of this TR will consist of showing off some of the nicer photos I took whilst wandering, to give you an idea of how the city looks.

Matthias Church (Mátyás templom), right next to the Hilton Budapest (Castle). Wonderfully preserved, the tiling work on the roof of the church is magnificent.

Another street corner near the square in front of Matthias Church, showing off some of the clashes of architectural styles.

The Buda walking tour started rather innocuously enough. The odd thing about walking tours is that they tell you the starting location, but because there can be so many of them (paid or not), and the starting locations can be the same, they don't seem to make it clear which group you're part of - there are no big signs saying so-and-so company's tour. Thankfully after a while and a bit of help, the guide for our walking tour was located as well as the rest of our group. Our very proud Hungarian guide, Sophia, sported a bright red umbrella which she used to lead us like a beacon, and she also made it her mission to make sure all of us could pronounce / speak a bit of Hungarian by the end of the tour! She was a pleasure to listen to.

The "plague monument" in front of Matthias Church, which was the start location of our walking tour.

Heading towards Fisherman's Bastion (Halászbástya), one of the key lookout areas looking over to Pest and the Danube.

 

[Flashback]

Re: Mon 16 Apr, Tue 17 Apr

The room looks the same size as what I had. So either I was upgraded to an exec level style room (without the bennies, I was only HH Blue at the time) or the rooms are much the same! Agree though it was very comfortable and I even had a nap on the chair!

 

[anat0l]

Tue 17 Apr

Statue of St Stephan (Istvan in Hungarian) near Fisherman's Bastion.

Looking out from Fisherman's Bastion. To the right of frame with the red umbrella is our tour guide.

More of the Castle complex from Fisherman's Bastion. The detail on the stone work is excellent.

The Buda walking tour kept us within the Castle Hill complex. There's actually not much to see outside of the Castle walls, except more of the common city on the Buda side, and to access more public transport. So all of the interesting stuff was inside the walls. Walking around the entire hill was easily achievable in a few hours, but if you wanted to stop and go inside the various buildings, you could easily spend a day on the hill.

Hungarian guards outside the President's Palace.

The Palace of the Hungarian President, also called Sándor Palace.

Stairs leading down to the Castle Labyrinth.

One word is Hungarian, the other is German. Either way, both mean somewhere you can drink beer.

Check out these set of wheels.

Mary Magdalene Tower (Mária Magdolna torony). A church stood here until it was destroyed in World War II. Now only the tower and a sole momento window of the original church are left standing at the site.

Our long walk around the Castle complex ended back in a loop near Matthias Church. I had to go back to my room to freshen up (such an advantage to being so close), and also happened to have to put some work away whilst there (not so great). Then, I decided to head out and check out more of the Royal Palace and Gallery.

 

[anat0l]

Tue 17 Apr, Wed 18 Apr

In case you're wondering about the poorly lit photos, on that day, the weather was rather gloomy. It never rained, but certainly there was plenty of cloud cover.

That apparently is not an eagle. This is the mythical Hungarian falcon-like bird, called a Turul.

The Hungarian National Gallery (Nemzeti Galéria).

The Chain Bridge (Széchenyi lánchíd) - the most popular and photographed bridge in Budapest.

Near the Royal Palace, a typical hunting scene captured in sculpture.

A panorama shot of the Royal Palace (Királyi palota).

My next bit of planning related to my next transport, which was getting from Budapest to Bratislava. I had decided that I would take the train to get there, but unlike some other European train websites, I could not make sense of how to use the Hungarian State Railways website to purchase a ticket in advance. So, I would need to purchase it from the station directly. The Hilton concierge would purchase a ticket on my behalf, but they would be charging a hefty fee to do this.

To make things a little bit more complicated, there are three main railway stations in Budapest (not as bad as Paris with six, but anyway). One of them - Budapest-Nyugati - doesn't do many international operations, so it was down to the other two: Budapest-Déli (located on the Buda side) and Budapest-Keleti (located on the Pest side). I decided to do a bit of a wander to Déli, given that it was nearer to the Castle compared to Keleti. My wonder uncovered two things: (1) my train to Bratislava would more likely be leaving from Keleti, and (2) Déli is a pretty beat up train station. The crowd around the station looks a bit rough, and some of the corners and passageways smell of urine (not entirely unusual for larger railway stations), but nothing that couldn't be avoided by not drawing attention to yourself.

I'd resolved that tomorrow I would do the Pest walking tour and purchase my ticket to Bratislava as well. On top of that, tomorrow was going to be an interesting day...

Another nocturnal beauty - Matthias Church lit up at night.


Wednesday 18 April 2012


Waking up to my third day in Budapest, I decided to have a glass of juice and some fruit in the Executive Lounge before heading downstairs to try the larger buffet for breakfast. Besides, I needed to check some messages anyway.

As I fired up a couple of emails, there were a couple of URLs to videos. I accidentally had my sound on very loud and Tibor, a most wonderful waiter and great person to talk to, happened to be passing by, when my device blared a familiar tune, which I scrambled to reduce the volume to avoid further embarrassing myself. Tibor chimed in...

"Is it your birthday today, Sir?"

"Yes," I replied sheepishly.

"Happy Birthday!" Petra, the Executive Manager and working the Executive Lounge desk this morning, overheard all of this, and soon appeared alongside Tibor to also wish me well.

To be honest, it was pretty exciting. It was the first time ever that I had spent my birthday outside of Australia.

I finished checking my messages, then headed down to the restaurant for breakfast. The breakfast buffet was larger than that in the Executive Lounge, though not by a terrible amount. Of course, one of the key advantages was probably eggs cooked on demand, which beats having the usual formula-scrambled, but otherwise the Executive Lounge breakfast would usually suffice.

Breakfast finished, I was straight out the door and heading back towards the plague monument and a bit beyond to wait for the 16 or 16A bus to head to Pest. The buses (or at least the ones I was on) in Budapest are not very big at all. Some of us might think they are more like mini-buses rather than the full sized buses that we're used to in Australia. The small bus puttered out of the Castle complex and on its way into Pest, terminating at the end of the line at Deák Ferenc Tér, which is also handily near a metro station for a couple of lines.

Once again, finding the start position of the walking tour proved to be a bit of a challenge. You get the location - sort of - then you kind of try to work out the rest from the limited street signs and your map prepared at not quite the required resolution. The start point today was the tourism office which is also the base for the walking tour guides. Luckily, it was quickly found down a small open alley.

Pest, not being under UNESCO Heritage protection like most of Buda, looks more like your typical city scene. Still, there were many buildings with traditional architecture, so it's not quite retro-modern everywhere, though you do get the odd new business complex or shopping mall here and there which stands out from the rest.

Waiting outside the tourist office in Pest.

A few of us were gathered outside the tourist office waiting for Sophia, our guide from the Buda tour the previous day, who had said she would be taking the tour this morning as well. A few familiar faces in the crowd from the previous day as well. Time passed on - minutes, half an hour..... no Sophia. I think a few people walked into the office to ask where she was.

Eventually, about an hour later or so, someone else appeared and introduced herself. She apologised on behalf of Sophia and explained that she unfortunately was unwell this morning, so they had to scramble quickly to find someone else to take her place. Our new guide was willing, but spoke a bit softly and her English was not as good as Sophia. We all had to crowd around her quite a bit to hear her, and it wasn't helped by the busier and thus noisier Pest atmosphere.

There are quite a few attractions within the city centre in Pest, but there are many more interesting attractions quite a bit out of the city centre if you follow Andrássy Avenue (Andrássy út), which is also easily navigated by catching the Metro M1 line.

Another walking mall in downtown Pest, with small stalls being set up.

Small park in the middle of downtown Pest.

Váci Street (Váci utca), built up mainly to cater to tourists. One of the most purported tourist traps in Budapest.

 

[yohy?!]

Re: Tue 17 Apr, Wed 18 Apr

very nice TR, the F buggy ride is the only way to do a BKK transfer! i do shudder at the fall from grace between OZ F and FR though!

 

[anat0l]

Wed 18 Apr

A shop and restaurant with an old frontage on Váci Street.

This Mercure property has a nice modern frontage with a bit of tradition with the statue adornments. It's also handily situated on Váci Street, so it's nice and near to the city centre in Pest.

Stairs leading to a Hungarian market below the ground.

As we moved through Váci Street, our guide had us stop at a Hungarian bakery to sample a Budapest delicacy called Kürtőskalács, which is also colloquially known as a stovepipe or chimney cake.

Sampling Kürtőskalács. Our tour guide is in the centre background with the white coat.

Parish church on the Pest side of Elisabeth Bridge, directly across from Gellert Hill.

As we made our way through another building and ended up at Elisabeth Bridge, we boarded one of the trams to make our way towards Parliament.

Budapest tram.

Looking across from Pest towards Buda Castle.

Hungarian National Parliament (Országház). Entry is only allowed with a tour ticket, and only when parliament isn't sitting.

 

[anat0l]

Wed 18 Apr

A grave site to an unknown soldier in front of the Hungarian National Parliament, with a Hungarian flag with a hole in it. The hole in the flag denotes the hammer and sickle that used to occupy that spot. The flag with the hole commemorates Hungary's freedom after the collapse of communism.

Our last stop on the walking tour took us sort of to the edge of the Pest city centre, which was the most recognisable church in Pest (and one of the most recognisable in Budapest along with Matthias Church), which was St Stephan's Basilica.

Walking towards St Stephen's Basilica.

St Stephen's Basilica (Szent István Bazilika).

We had a small walk inside the Basilica, where a school band (I guess) was practising for a performance later. They sounded quite good and the Basilica offered a resonance to their music which was absolutely beautiful.

Inside St Stephen's Basilica.

Once we had finished our walk around the Basilica, we went back outside and the walking tour ended, quite late from schedule but at least it was done. We thanked our tour guide, then decided to go up the Basilica to the top. Going to the top of the Basilica involves buying a ticket to go up a lift. From here, you can see inside the dome before reaching the roof top, offering an excellent panoramic view of Budapest.

Great views from the roof of St Stephen's Basilica, including the Basilica towers.

After soaking up the view from the top, I went back down and decided to head towards Heroes Square, where there are more of the apparently oft-skipped attractions of Budapest. Heading to Heroes Square can be done by simply walking along the whole length of Andrássy Avenue, which is what I did for a while, snapping a few key buildings along the way. But after a while, I was getting tired and impatient, so I decided to settle on catching the Metro which also ran the length of the Avenue.

Budapest Metro rolling stock. The Budapest Metro is the fourth oldest underground railway system in the world. The Metro line M1 uses the yellow rolling stock which is rather slow and feels a bit more like a pulley car or cable pulled car. The M1 line is now listed as a World Heritage Site. The light blue rolling stock was observed on the Metro line M2; this rolling stock is former Soviet Metrovagonmash, thunders with an unforgiving clatter down the tracks, and still has the markings of the Moscow Metro on some of the carriages.

 

[anat0l]

Wed 18 Apr

Heroes Square (Hősök tere), a magnificent site appointed with impressive statues.

Vajdahunyad Castle (Vajdahunyad vára), which is an interesting clash of three types of architectural design, all rolled in to make a rendition of a Transylvanian fortress.

Pull up a chair, and stay a while!

"Am I in the presence of the Spirit of Christmas Yet-To-Come?" (with apologies to Charles Dickens)

One of the things I would've liked to have tried is the hot springs in Budapest, which are a popular activity when visiting the town. One of the nicer spas was in the vicinity of Vajdahunyad Castle (which is also near the Budapest Zoo), called Széchenyi Spa (Széchenyi Fürdő, also the name of the M1 Metro stop nearest to it). Unfortunately time escaped me, and I had also forgotten to pack a hotel towel and - more importantly - swimming gear. (It's been said that at all Budapest spas, the towels that you can rent are more like bedsheets, so bringing your own towel is recommended. At Széchenyi, there are some select spa areas which are clothing optional, but in the common public spas, swimming clothes are required). So I started on my way back to the hotel.

Before I headed all the way back to the Hilton, however, I still had to buy my train ticket to Bratislava. So back on the Metro and to the other major long distance train station in Budapest, Keleti. The inside of Keleti station was not much better than Déli, but it at least looked a bit cleaner. I found the ticketing office and took a waiting ticket before finding somewhere to sit down. Except... there wasn't anywhere to sit down.

The ticket office was packed. Lots of people were waiting, and there were only about 3 counters open. It was standing room only. This was going to be fun.....

Fifteen minutes later, the line is growing, the people getting served at the counter aren't necessarily making it easy on themselves or the clerks, and I'm still deep in the line. Some people give up and move away. Some came in pairs, so one could hold the position in line whilst the other goes and gets food. Some others are wanting to depart soon, see the line, then storm away cursing.

It's finally my turn. I walk up to the window and I'm greeted by the courteous attendant. A ticket to Bratislava (practically open dated as it seemed - no need to record the exact train I was taking the next day) was quickly drawn up (literally - the ticket was handwritten onto stock). Although train fares can be a lot like air fares, where last minute purchases are punished by higher prices, given that my ticket was 'open' it didn't seem to matter in this case, and my trip to Bratislava was well priced and there were five services I could pick the next day.

After finishing purchasing my ticket at Keleti, it was back to the Hilton. As I reentered my room, I noticed this on the credenza where the TV was situated:

With a card saying "Happy Birthday" inside it.

I popped the sec open and started to pour out a couple of drinks. I decided for my birthday that I had to try some Hungarian cuisine (rather than Executive Lounge dinner). I had noted that there was an appealing looking Hungarian restaurant just down the road from Matthias Church. I decided that I'd give it a go. Like many people, I didn't know much about Hungarian cuisine except goulash (which is a bit of a misnomer as I read deeper), although I did know that Hungarians like plenty of their food with paprika.

In the evening, I started to head down to the restaurant, called Aranyhordó Étterem. As I passed through the Executive Lounge, Tibor and Petra noticed me again and once again wished me a happy birthday.

Inside the restaurant, I was seated and offered a menu. The decor and fittings of the restaurant gave a very medieval feel. A violinist and guitarist were inside the restaurant offering songs and serenades for tips.

Inside Aranyhordó Étterem.

 

[anat0l]

Wed 18 Apr, Thu 19 Apr

I ordered a beer to start with, then proceeded to order some typically known Hungarian dishes. Some might say I chose the most boring selections I could, but at least I definitely know what a real Hungarian goulash is now. One point of note: Hungarian food has plenty of paprika in it. They also don't mind throwing in the spice.

Soon enough, I was spotted by the musicians and they asked why I was here (probably more because I was by myself). I told them that I was celebrating my birthday and wanted to try some Hungarian fare. You know the next bit... well, it's probably better than dimming all the lights and making all of the waiters stride out in a chorus line, but either way, the two talented musicians played an articulate rendition of Happy Birthday. A small tip later, they proffered to play another choice of song. I asked them to play something Hungarian. So they played the Hungarian Dance No. 5, which for anyone who has ever learned to play a musical instrument before, particularly piano, would know and recognise playing that song some time in their life.

The food came out with a generous bread basket. I thanked the musicians for their performance and wished them a good evening, before tucking into dinner.

This is goulash (gulyásleves). As can be seen, it is merely a paprika laden soup, though there are some variations which are cooked to a stew, but still very soupy.

This dish is commonly called a goulash outside of Hungary. This is called pörkölt, and this one is served with small dumplings...

...and accompanied with a pickle vegetable salad, including some hot peppers and chillis.

I'd have to say that the food tasted great, though that said I'm no authority on Hungarian food so it may have been done better, I don't know. On top of that, being that it's a restaurant in the Castle Hill complex, and they give you a menu in English, there's always a high risk that you're dining at a tourist trap. Still, I didn't have to part with a whole lot of money for what was a decent quantity of food (and very filling at that), so at the expense of taking a naive risk, I think I did well. I thanked the waiter for his service and commended the food, then started heading back to the hotel.

As I walked into the Executive Lounge on the way back to my room, I was intercepted by Tibor and Petra. They asked if I had a good dinner, and said that it was now time for dessert. Tibor sat me down and offered a glass of Hungarian Tokaji sweet wine, as well as a slice of Dobos cake (Dobos torta). There weren't many people in the lounge, so Tibor managed a good conversation out of me, as well as ambitiously keeping my glass topped up with wine. I had to beg him to stop pouring the bottle, otherwise the result may not be ideal! (Didn't help that I still had sec left in my room!)

Slice of Dobos cake and a glass of sweet wine.

I managed to make it to my room on my own steam, and around my room as well. For the rest of the night, I prided myself on not chucking up as I was full of beer, wine and sec. I even managed to do a load of laundry and set it on the air conditioning vent near the window to dry out overnight. A bit of a walk around my room to let the food settle before I laid in bed to get some sleep before my last day in Budapest tomorrow.


Thursday 19 April 2012


I woke up to a sunny last day in Budapest. There was still at least one place I wanted to see in Budapest..... but first thing's first. Breakfast, then packing my backpack, then checking out. Now I would be able to go straight from hotel, do some sightseeing, then straight to Keleti to catch my afternoon train to Bratislava. I bid farewell to Petra and thanked her wholeheartedly for her assistance during my stay.

Apart from a spa session, the only two other places that came to mind in Budapest that I wanted to see (apart from possibly going into places) were Gellert Hill or Margaret Island. The latter is an island in the middle of the Danube River, and filled with parks and green space - a lovely place to go for a walk. The former was one of the first places I saw as I was being driven from the airport, particularly the large statue on the top of the hill, located near the old citadel that stood there. In addition, caves had been carved into the hill.

So the decision was made - I was going to Gellert Hill (Gellérthegy). A walk down out of Buda Castle near Déli and a bus towards the base of the hill. Another bus in connection took me a fair way up the hill, but even after that it was at least another 15 minutes of walk up the rest of the hill to the Citadella.

You get a great view of all of Budapest once you're at the top of the hill from the citadel; also, it seemed to be a popular hangout for shell game scammers, for some odd reason.

A great view from the Citadella on Gellert Hill.

The citadel on top of Gellert Hill has, to no surprise, been historically a place of great military strategic importance. Most significant in two Hungarian revolutions and World War II, it's been occupied by Hungarian monarchy, Axis powers and the Soviets. The courtyard at the very top of the citadel makes a wonderful place to walk around, as well as showing a bit of history of Hungary's political past, however you do need to pay to get in (but it's very cheap). A special bunker exhibit is an eerie and dark museum about the naz_ occupation of Budapest.

Courtyard at the top of the citadel.

An old gun near the walls of the citadel.

A mannequin guard in an imitation guard house stands near the entrance to the eerie bunker exhibition.

The Liberty Statue on Gellert Hill. This very tall statue can be seen clearly around Budapest at great distances due to its size and position on top of the hill. Erected in 1947, it commemorates the liberation of Budapest from the Axis forces and honours those who have died in World War II.

 

[anat0l]

Thu 19 Apr

One of the features of Gellert Hill is a church which is built in caves into the hill. Getting down from the top of the hill to the church proved to be a bit more difficult than usual. I had completely underestimated the time required to descend the hill - even only part of it - not to mention the numerous meandering dirt paths, which are a slip trap for anyone without suitable footwear. I got a little bit lost, but with a little bit of guessing from my map and a bit of navigational intuition, I managed to find the entry to the church.

The church allows you to go in for a self-guided tour outside of mass times. The inside of the church was compact and the fact that it was a cave added a solemn and eerie feel to the atmosphere inside.

Entrance to the cave church as viewed from the base of Gellert Hill.

Balcony built into Gellert Hill, which forms part of the Gellert Hill cave church.

Inside the Gellert Hill cave church.

After walking around the cave church, I checked my watch, and it was time to make my way to Keleti. To do this, I crossed the Liberty Bridge (Szabadság híd) at the base of Gellert Hill, then it was a tram from the Pest side of the bridge to Astoria, followed by catching the Metro M2 from Astoria to Keleti train station.

A final look at Gellert Hill as observed from the Liberty Bridge.

Arrival at Keleti station Metro stop - now onto the long distance trains.


Train: EuroCity EC272 "Avala" Budapest Keleti (Budapest Keleti pályaudvar) - Bratislava hlavná stanica
Depart: Sched 1525h; Actual 1540h
Duration: 2 h 45 min
Class: 2nd

Keleti long distance train platforms.

EuroCity trains are almost always operated with various rolling stock; part of the fun and games of operating inter-country services. Usually, different cars (rolling stocks) are designated for certain destinations, i.e. if you are going to a particular place, you need to be sitting in particular cars. Cars may be disconnected at certain stops and new ones attached; same deal with the driving locomotive.

Going from Keleti Metro station up to the long distance train station was pretty simple. The time approached 1520h, but there was still no sign of my train. Whilst the EC standard is usually a maximum of 5 minutes of stop time per stop (sometimes 15 minutes), they usually arrive with a bit more time up their sleeve, so where this train was I had no idea. The train eventually appeared about 5 minutes late, then stayed at the station a bit longer until it eventually left 15 minutes after scheduled departure.

Train has arrived! I settled into a car which was Czech Railways rolling stock.

The train seem lightly loaded as I managed to find a six-seater compartment with no one in it, so I had a bit of space to stretch out. However, unlike flying, an empty seat (or seats) when you leave your origin is no guarantee that it'll remain that way all the way to your destination!

Inside the train, ready to depart for Bratislava.

One advantage that train journeys have in exchange for the speed of air travel is that you get to see some great scenery on the ground. Seeing the change of built-up area from one country to another, or an urban area to a rural one and vice versa, is amazing. It's quite relaxing, and most of the time, unless you're travelling in the rush hour / season, you'll usually have enough room to keep yourself satisfied. Most of the decor inside the trains are pretty old looking, but at least they are usually clean (of course you do better when you board the train closer to or at the origin of the service) and for most part, fairly comfortable. There's no free food or drink - even drinking water (whether the available tap water on the train is drinkable is debatable!) - so you're well advised to pack your own (and clean up your own mess, if you know what's good for you!).

As fate would have it, halfway through my journey, a couple entered my compartment and took a couple of seats opposite, closest to the door. My ticket ended up being checked twice by the conductors (i.e. two ticket check runs) - sometimes conductors notice you have been checked before, whilst others insist on checking your ticket every time and putting the stamp on to make sure. The couple got off a couple of stations before we finally pulled up in Bratislava. The other great thing about train travel? You are usually closer to the city centre on arrival compared to flying into an airport.

 

[anat0l]

Thu 19 Apr, Fri 20 Apr

Love... A Slovak Sortie

Inside Bratislava main train station (Hlavná stanica).

Welcome to Slovakia.

Bratislava main train station from the outside.

Doing my homework on looking up how to get to my accommodation from the train station paid big dividends, as there is hardly any transport support around, unless, of course, you know how to speak Slovak. Bratislava (or Slovakia for that matter) is definitely not one of those places where you can easily pluck out someone who can speak English from the crowd; Slovaks are quite proud of their language and tourism in Bratislava is actually more recent than most think, so the only places where English abounds a bit (including English signage) is in the old town centre (i.e. concentration of tourist attractions).

Bratislava public transportation uses all of buses, trolley buses and trams, and is ridiculously cheap. A no-transfer journey up to 15 minutes is 70 Euro cents, whilst 90 Euro cents will get you up to a 60 minute journey (or 90 minutes on weekends) with unlimited transfers. Those familiar with the ticket system in Germany will have little trouble negotiating the system here, where you buy a ticket from a fare machine, which is then validated using the validation boxes on board the transport.

I eventually found the bus stop outside the train station corresponding to the bus I needed to take to get to my accommodation, which was quite far from the city centre (or old town centre). By road it didn't seem too far, but it was definitely too far to walk comfortably. The buses were running fairly well on time this evening, so I boarded the bus and made my way eventually to a stop which seemed to be on a stretch of major traffic road (2 lanes in each direction). Crossing the road proved to be a bit of a challenge, even with the cross-signals located about 100 m away from the stop.

My accommodation: Holiday Inn Bratislava.


Accommodation: Holiday Inn Bratislava
Room: King Deluxe Room


As I found out later, the Holiday Inn Bratislava is actually a very popular conference venue, and for some odd reason there do seem to be quite a few conferences happening in Bratislava at any given time. Check-in was nice and effortless; I was advised of the breakfast available in the hotel restaurant (not free and not quite cheap either), and I had been given a room on the highest floor in the property. Can't complain - after all, it's just a Holiday Inn. Getting my room on a bargain basement number of points was great, and the fact that there was free internet (albeit wired internet) was even better.

My room at the Holiday Inn Bratislava.

View from outside of my hotel room window.

The room was clean and appointed... well, pretty much at Holiday Inn standard, which is plain but decent. Interesting to see that the doona supplied with the bed was quite small. There was no thin bedsheet - just the bed cover and the little thin doona. Not a big deal - climate control in the room makes everything OK. Two bottles of complimentary sparkling water were supplied on the coffee table.

The bathroom was a bit dated, but it was at least clean, with no leaks and the bath fittings looked OK. As seems to be common in Europe, the shower amenities are not in separate bottles near the sink, but rather there is a squeeze bottle of shampoo and body wash (courtesy of Dove) in the shower.

I had a bit of a stroll outside the hotel, where shops and restaurants were oddly far and few between. It wasn't the city centre so that definitely explains a lot, but I didn't expect this area to be that sparse. I managed to find somewhere to have a small bite for dinner (managing to successfully order something and pay for it without needing to speak a lot of Slovak). There was a Lidl supermarket nearby, but it was already closed when I passed it.

The front desk staff at the Holiday Inn were very helpful. With the exception of their recommending that I take a taxi to and from the city centre (at a nominal cost of EUR 10 per trip), they were great in telling me where to get public transport, offering a tourist map and showing routes, and they also sell public transport tickets from the desk (with no inflation or fees).

I retired to my room after a long day - sightseeing in one city followed by arriving in another. I had Wikitravel out with a pad and paper plotting out what to see in my one full day in Bratislava tomorrow, before retiring for bed.


Friday 20 April 2012


Sightseeing would have been off to a full start the next morning... if I hadn't checked my work email. Grrrr.... that's when I noted that there was a fire to be put out. Don't you just hate that?

By the time I had finished putting away work, it was already close to midday. Bummer - half a day gone. Lucky Bratislava is quite small, and I still had at least a half-day the next day. I headed out towards the bus service towards the city, which was about a 10 minute walk away from the hotel. Bratislava buses look a bit old on the inside and outside, but the best thing is that they announce the names of the next stops along the journey. This makes it hard to miss your stop. A handy skeleton map of major lines and connecting hubs also helped with orientation and connections.

Once I was in the city centre, first thoughts was food, as I hadn't had anything in the morning and by now was starving. I wanted to try a traditional Slovak dish so I found a pub which didn't appear to be for tourists as there was no English menu. I managed to make out some of the dishes on the menu posted outside the pub, so I went inside, sat down and took a set of cutlery. A waitress appeared quickly and took my order. She immediately sensed that I was a tourist whose Slovak was anything but even rudimentary, but my order was pretty simple and she understood it all.

Starting proceedings with a beer. Like in the neighbouring Czech Republic, beer is drunk in decent quantities in Slovakia, and often is priced very reasonably with good taste. Surprisingly, even the local Budweiser is quite decent.

This Slovak dish is called Bryndzové halušky. It's small dumplings with sheep's cheese and topped with meat, which in this case was bacon bits. The slightly sour cheese compliments the other ingredients well, but naturally this is comfort food, and not good for those on a diet.

After finishing lunch, I started heading towards the Bratislava old town centre to start sightseeing.

Bratislava is no where near the size nor grandeur of its former single-nation counterpart, Prague (i.e. the former capital of Czechoslovakia and now capital of the Czech Republic). Certainly, there are not as many tourists in Bratislava compared to Prague, and unlike Prague, the Old Town (Staré Mesto) is not a UNESCO Heritage site. Nevertheless, the Old Town is the concentration of most of the attractions in Bratislava. Compared to Prague, Bratislava seems more like a small town, which you wouldn't take for a national capital.

They say history has not been kind to the people of the Czech Republic. I'd say it probably equally hasn't been kind to those in Slovakia.

Architecture and style in Old Town Bratislava.

 

[anat0l]

Fri 20 Apr

First major sightseeing site in my Bratislava adventure was the famous St Martin's Cathedral. It's the largest church in Bratislava on the edge of the Old Town, and within an earshot of Bratislava Castle. The cathedral inside was quite open compared to some other cathedrals which have several sections or anterooms. One section of the cathedral contains some valuable artefacts; in these rooms, photography is prohibited and an extensive network of monitored security cameras make sure people keep their cameras well away.

Another notable attraction at the cathedral was the stairs going down to the catacombs, where you can read the inscriptions of some of the clergymen who are buried underneath the cathedral.

Outside view of St Martin's Cathedral (Dóm sv. Martina).

Inside the main hall of St Martin's Cathedral.

Part of the crypt located in the catacombs underneath St Martin's Cathedral.

As I exited the cathedral, I checked the time and realised that I probably didn't have a lot of time left to go into another attraction and enjoy it. Plus, I looked up and the weather looked like it was going to turn for the worst. So I thought it's best to just do the walking tour through the Old Town and start thinking about heading back at the same time. Oh, and find a Lidl on the way to pick up breakfast for the next day.

And good morrow to you too, fine Sir!

In the middle of the Old Town is the Roland Fountain (Rolandova fontána), which is a depiction of the king of Royal Hungary, Maximilian II.

Old Town Hall (Stará radnica).

Another small square in the Old Town, and one of the few green spaces near the Old Town centre.

 

[anat0l]

Fri 20 Apr, Sat 21 Apr

Despite the pouring rain, I eventually managed to dodge from building to building until I got to the bus stop. Luckily by the time I had to walk back to the hotel, the rain had subsided and all that was left was the gloom.

As I trudged into my room slightly damp, I planned out the next day's activities. I would have almost the full day in Bratislava as my flight back to London wouldn't leave until late at night. That all considered, there was also check-out time to be factored in, plus my backpack was really starting to wear out. I'll tell you, they don't make tough backpacks like they used to.


Saturday 21 April 2012


Last day in Bratislava, and in Eastern Europe. I woke up to find that the dark clouds we had yesterday had disappeared, leaving nothing but fairly clear sky peppered with white clouds.

I packed up my bag and headed downstairs to the lobby to checkout. The plan was to checkout, then leave my bag behind with the reception. Return later in the day, then make my way to the airport. I reasoned that even if I got an extended checkout, I was unlikely to be back at the hotel by that time. I then headed for the bus and back into the city centre.

First up for today was the Presidential Palace, also known as Grassalkovich Palace (Prezidentský palác / Grassalkovičov palác). The palace is not located in the Old Town, and is quite a few blocks away. Although you could get a tour inside, you can still satisfy yourself with the excellent gardens which are located behind the palace.

Fountain outside the Presidential Palace.

Frontage of the Presidential Palace.

The extensive and colourful gardens behind the Presidential Palace.

A visit to Bratislava is not complete without visiting the quintessential tourist attraction in the city, which is Bratislava Castle. Located on the top of a hill not far from St Martin's Church, the castle has become a namesake slogan for Bratislava. The castle grounds are great to walk around and you can get an excellent view of Bratislava city as well as sweeping views of the Danube River (called Dunaj in Slovak).

Whilst entry to the castle grounds and even the castle courtyard is free of charge, if there is a special exhibit inside the castle itself, this is not free, which was the case when I visited the castle. The castle grounds also seems to be a popular spot for wedding photos, with at least two wedding parties using the castle grounds for timeless photos with the backdrop of the Danube.

On the way to the castle - a Capuchin church (Kapucínsky kostol sveta Štefana).

Bratislava Castle (Bratislavský hrad) viewed from the back of the castle. Most of the castle grounds are still being reconstructed.

Great view of the Danube from the Castle.

Front view of Bratislava Castle.

Guard statue at Bratislava Castle.

After walking around the castle grounds, I headed back into the Old Town to see the Primate's Palace. No, this is not the palace containing monkeys, it is the seat of the mayor of Bratislava. No, the mayor is not a monkey!! Anyway.... the palace was opened up to the public, and there was a singer entertaining the crowd in the palace courtyard. The Slovaks have, in general, a great interest in the performing arts, and there are several notices of concerts, music nights, plays, operas and so on. It is common in throughout the town on weekends to see small public performances - singing, bands....

Primate's Palace (Primaciálny palác), the office of the mayor of Bratislava. This photo was taken the previous day, when the weather was not so sunny.

 

[anat0l]

Sat 21 Apr

Inside the Primate's Palace courtyard, with many locals wandering about...

...and live entertainment included.

For the best and highest view of Bratislava, you have to go to the observation deck on the top of the New Bridge (Nový most). The observation deck is shaped like a flying saucer, hence the name of the attraction, UFO. There's a restaurant and cafe at the top, as well as an open air observation deck.

The UFO on top of the New Bridge.

Bratislava Castle as viewed from the opposite bank of the Danube (after crossing the New Bridge).

Bratislava Old Town as viewed from the observation deck at the top of the UFO.

The cafe and restaurant at the UFO.

After the UFO, I had a look at my watch and decided it was time to start heading back to the hotel to pick up my bag. The bus between the Holiday Inn and the main train station only has one afternoon service on weekends, so I had to be back there in time to get this bus. This still meant, however, I had enough time to walk the "long" way through the town and soak in more of Bratislava...

Locals out for a leisurely afternoon - sitting and chatting, listening to the brass band.

[video=youtube;0PZt-rCyyiY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PZt-rCyyiY[/video]

A large chessboard on the ground. Too bad the pieces have a day off today. Just kidding - just wrong timing.

Slovak National Theatre (Slovenské národné divadlo).

Michael's Gate (Michalská brána), which is the last of the four gates of Bratislava to remain standing.

 

[anat0l]

Sat 21 Apr, Sun 22 Apr

Back at the Holiday Inn, I got my backpack back, then paced hard to make my connecting bus back to the main train station. I managed to get to the stop with a couple of minutes to spare according to the schedule, but the bus ended up arriving about 5 minutes late. No matter, a short-ish ride later I was back at the main train station, where the public bus 61 to the airport departed.

There didn't seem to be many people at the airport bus stop when I arrived, but closer to the departure time it really started to get packed. The bus eventually pulled up as I jockeyed to get as close as possible to the doors. The doors opened and the scrum of people quickly tried to pack into the long bus. I secured the nearest window seat I could find, then watched as the entire bus filled up until it was packed to the gills. Didn't really help with the multitude of "cabin baggage" of the rolling wheels kind being brought on board, occupying valuable standing room. The bus driver had a bit of trouble closing the back door, but we were soon on our way.

Front of Bratislava Airport

Bratislava Airport had in recent years undergone a significant facelift. It isn't a big airport by any means, and doesn't have a whole lot of scheduled flights. Many of the flights are chartered or seasonal, and the biggest operator from the airport isn't a national carrier of Slovakia. In fact, it is...Ryanair. Still, when you're a small airport and the national capital, you'd probably be taking whatever you can get.

Check-in area at Bratislava Airport.

When I walked into the terminal and headed to the FR check-in, I was glad to see that the lines were still short. Considering that the area is not too big and you could easily have up to 170 or so pax per plane, and there were two late night services to London tonight (one to LTN and another to STN), this area could have so easily been a nightmare.

Security lines were also pretty short when I passed through, which is always great.

Bratislava Airport airside (A zone).

For a small airport, I was surprised (but delighted) that there is an airport lounge, and that it was a Priority Pass lounge, too. The Caproni Lounge is normally for SkyTeam elites and Business class passengers, even though there doesn't seem to be many, or any, SkyTeam flights from BTS.

Once I entered the lounge, my Priority Pass card was imprinted and a receipt given. Yes, you read that right - remember the old days of credit card purchases with the clickety-clack inking manual machine? Priority Pass still have some stations that use that. My entry entitled me to a free sandwich, so I selected a ham sandwich.

The lounge is very basic. There's a decent enough selection of soft and alcoholic drinks, as well as a coffee machine for warm drinks, but that's about it. There are no edibles in the lounge (apart from that ham sandwich I was offered). There's a couple of PCs, a toilet, and a TV. You can sit and have a good view of the check-in area, but that's it - no tarmac view. It's not a large lounge by any means - it probably wasn't bigger than the No 1 Traveller lounge I had used in STN previously.

Bratislava does have free wireless internet throughout the terminal, so that's a nice plus.

Inside the Caproni Lounge in BTS.

Ham sandwich, free with my Priority Pass entry.

After a long day on the go sightseeing, I was really, really thirsty, so I was putting away the soft drinks like there was no tomorrow. I was grabbing two bottles at a time (one was always water).

For the entire time I was in the lounge, there was no other passenger who entered. So this was a first for me - the only passenger in the lounge for a couple of hours or so.

I unfortunately had to allow myself at least an hour or so before departure to go to my gate, as my flight was a non-Schengen flight, which means I had to pass through immigration before heading to the gate. Ryanair waits for no one, even if you tell anyone in the airport, so passing through immigration and making it to the gate all in time was all my responsibility. Just as well I left a bit early, because the immigration line was rather slow, even though there were at most a dozen people in front of me. As soon as I got through immigration, I panicked a bit and ran all the way to zone B towards my gate. When I arrived at the gate for my flight to STN, boarding hadn't started yet, but we were under 30 minutes from scheduled departure. So much for the run.


Flight: Ryanair FR2319 Bratislava (Letisko M. R. Štefánika Bratislava) (BTS) - London Stansted (STN)
Depart: Sched 2100h; Actual 2100h
Duration: 2 h 15 min
Distance: 795 mi (1,280 km)
Aircraft: EI-DHP Boeing 737-800
Class: Economy
Seat: 31C


Boarding eventually begins as our passports and boarding passes are checked. Of course, the FR ground staff, vigilant as ever, pull aside a good deal of people for size and weight of cabin bag violations, resulting in a nice little area on the floor where people are strewn around frantically trying to repack their bag. My bag was almost falling apart unfortunately; using my large coat I managed to comfortably add a bit more cargo without arousing any suspicion of weight concern.

As we passed the BP check, we were ushered into two holding rooms. One room was for those who had purchased priority boarding, and the other was for the rest. From what I could ascertain, we were being bus boarded. So we waited until all passengers had been processed. There wasn't a lot of seating in the holding rooms at all, and some of us were getting quite tired. Women, especially pregnant or accompanying little children, and the elderly were being given preference for the limited seating that was available - completely through the public's volition, no forcing.

I check my watch and I see that we seem to be creeping over scheduled departure (so how FlightStats recorded that we left on time is beyond me). There are about 120-140 passengers being stuffed into a space that can't be much larger than a board room......and then they start boarding the priority pax first. I see their exit doors open and they shuffle out. Once all the priority pax are out, I'm expecting that they will have a couple of buses ready for the rest of us. About five minutes later, our exit doors open, everyone takes a deep breath (fresh air!) and start to head downstairs.

Once I get downstairs to the tarmac, I've expected a bus, but there's nothing there. I then realise that we aren't boarding by bus, but simply walking to our aircraft, which is parked about 60 m away from the terminal. At this point, my mind is telling me to remember that it's a non-allocated seating policy, i.e. first-in-best-dressed, and that goes for overhead bin space, too. So I start to jog across the tarmac towards the plane. I feel a bit foolish in that no one else is doing this, but then again FFers do many things about where they sit or where they can put their bags that others can't understand what the hell is all the trouble worth.

My action is somewhat vindicated as I board at the rear stairs and immediately locate a row with no pax and lots of overhead space to put my bag in. I take an aisle seat and wait for the rest of the aircraft to board. I soon surmise that it's going to be a full flight with nary a seat to spare, and once again my judgement is vindicated as a woman approaches me to take the window seat, and a little later near the end of boarding, a well-dressed man in a business suit with a rollaboard requests the middle seat, having surveyed the available seats left and having to settle for whatever he can get. Unfortunately for the business man, there's no more room left in the overhead lockers, so there's only one more place to put his rollaboard - yep, under the seat in front of him. I'm surprised that it actually fits under the seat. Despite having pretty much all of his leg room deprived, the man sits with his feet on top of his cabin bag. The things you do when you fly Ryanair...

Safety demo is completed as we leave our parked position and start on our way to London. The flight was pretty uneventful. The three of us in our row ended up striking a conversation, probably much to the benefit of the business man in the middle as keeping your mind occupied helps ignore whatever pain you're going through (and helps you ignore all the crew offerings for cash food, drink, duty free or raffle tickets). Pretty soon, the 2 hour flight just flew by. We touched down at STN, taxied quickly to a gate (the pilot really pushing the accelerator whilst on the ground), and were soon disembarking into the terminal without a very long walk to border control.

I really love (not literally - you know that) how the UK clearly have a sign or banner delineating that as you cross the passport control point, you are now officially crossing the border into the UK. I was asked the usual two questions but then was stamped and on my way.

Once outside STN, I had to get to my overnight accommodation, which was the Holiday Inn Express at STN. Given that it was quite late at night, getting a bus into London would mean not really checking in until midnight-ish. After checking for the bus stop corresponding to the shuttle going to the Holiday Inn Express, I waited in the cold weather for the bus to arrive. The buses are on a 20-minute frequency (most of the time) and they are not free of charge, even if you have a confirmed reservation at the property, so having some spare change is useful. Once the bus arrived, it was a shade less than a 10 minute ride to the Holiday Inn.


Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Stansted Airport
Room: King Bed


One thing you know about late night flights and airport hotels is that they go almost hand in hand. So when we arrived at the HIX, straight away you know it's not going to be a breezy check-in. There was already a line even at the Priority Club counter, but luckily the staff were on top of their game and had everyone processed nice and quickly. I got to the front of the line and was quickly given my room key as well as a voucher for a free soft drink at the bar (or alcoholic drink with dinner), due to my being a Platinum member. I was also given a discount voucher for the hotel's wireless internet. Wireless internet is only free of charge in the hotel's lobby lounge; in the rooms, it was chargeable.

HIX rooms are all the same. Apart from the bedding, they pretty much have the same design and features, and pretty much all over the globe. My room was located quite far from the lifts, requiring the traversal of two lengthy halls. I feel sorry for those with large luggage, as having to push through several fire doors isn't easy here.

My room at the HIX STN.

After settling in, I went downstairs with my laptop so I could use the free wireless in the lounge. Naturally seeing as that was the only free wireless on the property, many people, including those who I had seen at check-in, all had the same idea. There were also several people knocking back a few drinks from the bar, snacking on some chips etc. from the vending machine and playing some pool.

Lobby lounge at the HIX STN.

I managed to check a few emails and plan my routing to get to London the next day. I tried to take up as little time as possible doing all of this, as I really needed to get some serious sleep.


Sunday 22 April 2012


The next day I woke up... and there's a funny feeling when you're back in a place where everyone speaks English. Don't know why, but anyway...

Great thing about staying at HIX properties is that continental breakfast is included with your room rate. In some cases, it really is just continental, although in the case of this HIX, they had some hot selection as well - eggs, sausages... comfort level at best, but it was there.

My backpack was really not looking in good shape. If I had it on my back much longer, the tension between the back strap and the rest of the bag at the top might just come apart and cause everything in my bag to spill. So for most of the day, I was forced to carry my bag using the top strap, which wouldn't be so bad except carrying 10 kg constantly for the entire day by the top strap rather than on your back is a workout at least for your hands.

Breakfast finished, showered and changed, it was time to head into London. I had a couple more days in London before I had to fly back to the antipodes, so I decided I would visit a tourist attraction I hadn't gone despite having visited London twice, which was the Tower of London. First I needed to get back to STN in order to get to the coaches which would go into London. I then boarded a National Express coach to Liverpool Street station. What followed from my arriving at Liverpool was a bit of random meandering as I negotiated a bunch of street markets and the like, until I wised up and at least located a familiar location to me - Aldgate tube station - of which from there, walking to the Tower of London was relatively simple (following the signage to get there is not; using a map is much better!).

One thing I hadn't counted on was that today was the day of the London Marathon. Which means blocked roads and so on...luckily it did not make the walk to the Tower much more difficult, but it did explain the dramatic increase in people traffic around the area.

Lots of people have differing opinions about the Tower of London. Whilst many London attractions are free of charge to enter, or are quite cheap (cf. most of Europe, where entering almost every church, monument or museum can set you back a princely sum when added all up), the Tower of London is by no means inexpensive. I managed to use my Australian university student ID to get a discount on entry (thumbs up to the Tower's administration for being so open minded about accepting different forms of student ID), but that's still not a trivial amount. Some say it's a quintessential and eponymous attraction when in London; some say it's a prime tourist trap. Whatever, I decided to give it a go.

Walking towards the entry to the Tower of London.