DE HQ Reunion Barge Trip

The Reunion barge trip is over, we travelled on the Stourport Ring, to and from Tardebigge, via Worcester, Stourport, Wolverhampton and Birmingham.  I made a video recently!

I have started to upload and convert the images and videos. I used a Nokia phone, and a Sony camera and Handycam so there’ll be some mucking about to make a video/slide show for youtube, laptops and the ipodtouch. The rest of the pictures are on flickr in a set called Barge Trip 2011. …

Back Home in London

Sunday 19:30 BST And back home after an uneventful DLR journey home from LCY to the flat.

Sunday 16:40 CET So 40 minutes to change flights at Zurich, and I remember the insufficient 50 minutes slot I was given at Frankfurt, but we got a gate not a coach, and it’s all within one building, and I stayed on the same airline because I kept to my rules. Despite this, the Swiss Air staff were just as un-helpful as last time, merely saying that 40 minutes was enough, which was true and that we were early, which was not. My experience is that short/medium haul are never early; the ground resources are not ready.

Sunday 11:45 CET I got to Budapest Airport early, again. They won’t check you in until 2 hours before, but now Priority Pass can get you into four lounges. How to choose? However, they’re all airside, so I had to wait for checkin to open. The Taxi company this a.m. were marvelous, so thank you for that but they’re expensive, I wonder if they have multiple tariffs and if I come back I am definitely going to work out the public transport option. Either bus to the Metro and on, or Bus to Terminal 1 and the overground to Budapest. …

Memento Park, Budapest

A sculpture park full of the public statues from Budapest during the Communist era. The Hungarians, after the fall of the communist state in 1989 had a long and protracted debate about what to with that state’s public art. I think its important that they’ve chosen to preserve it, and also to do so in the context of this museum. If you visit this park yourself, buy the guide book, “In the shadow of Stalin’s boots”. As it says in the guide book, the Memento Park is not about Communism, but the fall of Communism.  …

A not so long way home

Sunday: 9:30 Leaving the Hotel Bristol, for the Airport via Memento Park. I am looking forward to the statues, and the weather is fine.

Saturday 23:59 An early night this time, although we did explore a local bar round the corner from the Bristol, but in bed before midnight.

Saturday 19:30 I said we had to return to Gundel so we did. Here’s their famous guests page, you’ll note we’re not there. Maybe we should suggest we should be. We ate on the terrace, and the experience was enhanced by the howling of the neighbouring Zoo wolves. Thanks for the good time.

buda

Saturday 15:30 A refreshing libation at Negro and then a walk along the east bank of the Danube, taking in the view of the Castle, Royal Palace and the National Parliament building, decorated by Charles Barry who also finished of Westminster Palace aka the Houses of Parliament in London.

Saturday 14:00 We have been shooting guns, in the words of Neo from the Matrix, “Lots of Guns”. See Top Gun Tours’ “Red Army Experience” to get an idea. They have some pictures of the hand guns and assault rifles we used. (This’d be good with a picture, and when I post them, I’ll link or include).

Saturday 01:45 Having moved on via the Place of Heros to the Meridien, once the central Police Station and then onto a bar called Negro which has a writeup at the World’s Best Bars site abd where I thought the service and atmosphere was good, we headed back to the Bristol. I thought it was a good day. And so to bed….

Friday 14:00 I got up late, walked across the City Park, past the zoo and ended up at Gundel for late lunch. This was excellent, great service, food and wine. Needs to be done again. …

A place to lay my head

22:45 CET We pop out for a swift one at Morrison’s Music Pub. I really mustn’t leave the research to others. I did quite enjoy it in the end though. If the Karaoke bar had had “Anarchy in the UK”, I’d have been up there.

budapest

20:15 CET I have finally arrived in the Hotel Bristol in Budapest. Nice people, free public Wifi. English speakers had best watch out. Remind me, why do I have to spend £5 an hour to connect to the internet when staying in British and US hotels. Obviously not in San Francisco.

19:15 CET And finally, Budapest, but I have not got any HUFs, but I do have Euros, which I hadn’t realised most people will take, not the best exchange rates but you never do when your buying retail. I speak to the exchange in baggage reclaim and fortunately they make a mistake and only book a small transaction because I had used a credit card; once I get out into the arrivals lounge there is an ATM. Marvelous. I booked myself a seat on the Airport Shuttle Bus while in baggage reclaim, which you can pay in Euros and avoids the need to navigate in Budapest. The public transport options are far cheaper, but need experience and the Taxi’s are not cheap.

16:00 CET Zurich Airport, I arrive and need to depart from the same terminal building, excellent. Priority Pass get me into the Swiss Business Lounge, which was nice very quiet and I got an hour’s free Wifi. (There was no cheese).

13:00 So off to Budapest, making the most of my city living style I have decided to fly via London City Airport, LCY. This means I have to switch flights at Zurich, since I am flying Swiss and there are no direct flights to Budapest from LCY. (Is that a distance/size thing at LCY, or isn’t there the demand? Both Swiss and Lufthansa offer you changes. Do BA actually still use City?) Anyway the AMEX exchange there doesn’t offer HUFs, bad news! The journey to LCY took 45 minutes, also not good, but LCY’s awesome compactness and efficiency means I made the flight on time. I love City Airport. …

Around and about in London

Back at work after our first weekend in our newly rented flat in London. We took a turn about Docklands, visiting the London Ice Sculpture festival, and on Sunday, we went out to the London Boat Show, which is at the ExCel Centre on Victoria Dock.

sunseekers

While I had to look at some of the boats, and couldn’t avoid looking over a somewhat excessive Sunseeker, I also visited a couple of training exhibitions and several of the holiday companies, which has given me some ideas as to what I might do this summer. Sail Ionian is offering passage from Gibralter to Greece via Sardinia, which might be fun, depending on the personality of the skipper and rest of the crew, although it takes a while and I may not have the leave. Sailing Holidays might be another way to do the Ionian or even the Saronic Gulf on the east coast of the Peloponese and both Nisos Yachts, another greek charter company & Moonfleet Sailing, a training company had stands. We also looked over a couple of J boats, although I can’t imagine buying any of them. …

Xmas Markets

I am staying in London this year for my Birthday holiday. I was very tempted by the Guardian’s Xmas markets and winter glacier trip, particularly Prague & Berlin but we decided to stay in London. I am throwing the paper advert away today. So this year, I expect to visit the British Museum and see_Avatar. I’ll have to make up on the WinterFests by having lunch at the Canary Wharf barbecues.

Perhaps we’ll do Prague & Berlin next year, the Guardian promised a train trip to Brussels, then onto Prague for three nights, and home via Berlin. It’d be good to do it, perhaps next year. …