Budapest Tuesday May 30th

 I awoke to a certain anticlimactic feeling then I realised that I still had two days to go and the feeling subsided. It was another lovely sunny day but the forecast was for showers. A lot of last night's neighbours were leaving to go onwards towards Belgrade. 

I had breakfast with Gerard and all of a sudden it clicked that Gerard was the same Gerard that I had met on the Rhine on my first campsite who wanted to change his plans to ride with me on Day 2. Small world.

I pretty much stuck to my usual routine without taking the tent down (not something that I will miss) and armed with a plan of the Budapest transport system I set off at around 08.30 to explore the metropolis. I had earlier walked the km or so to Aldi for breakfast provisions and managed to find my way back without madame Google's help.

Budapest is vast so any exploration is going to involve underground and overground transport as well as a lot of walking. I opted for a day pass for 2450 HUF about 6.5 euros which allowed me unlimited travel on all forms of public transport for 24 hours. The nearest underground station was a 10 minute walk away on line 3 which went into the very heart of Budapest. Because I was early there weren't too many tourists around and the "ants" and their guides were altogether missing. 

I had the impression of a centre on the up with many of the buidings cleaned and restored to their undoubted glory formerly. Further from the centre the picture was a little different but still interesting. As I toured the sights I kept an eye out for bike shops but it became clear that they were few and far between. By 11.00 I started to search in earnest and I was on my 7th bike shop including a Decathlon in a shopping mall before I found one with a box that they were willing to spare. I was starting to wonder just what I would do if I couldn't find a box. However Nella Kerekparbolt came to my rescue and for 8000HUF will package my bike up and tape up the box. Sorted.

After lunch in a Lebanese restaurant and a bit of photo taking and people watching I returned on the famous tram 23 which follows the Danube and went to within 600m of my campsite as recommended by the lady owner when incredible of incredible I sat next to her in the underground in the centre of Budapest. Two million people and I sat next to the campsite owner. We looked at each other and smiled. She told me she was off to Buda for shopping and suggested some tourist things to do including tram 23.

When I returned Rosie a German cyclist having a tourist day in Budapest was back before me complaining that Budapest was just too big, a sentiment that I may share, although I think after a week that could perhaps change. A French lady from Dijon. Sophie had also arrived who was en route to Belgrade from Dijon. At the moment the two have their heads together planning the route in a mixture of German English and French with the odd translation thrown in by myself. 

Hungarian Parliament Building

RR away day?