Hello, szia, halo The wanderer has returned...again. For anyone fortunate enough to have avoided my endless supply of Instagram posts, well done. After just one month of ‘home sweet home’, I bid farewell to my friends and family for what seems like the millionth time this year. It almost feels as though I’ve not done anything other than travel this year, which is a game of swings and roundabouts in itself. On one hand, I’ve had so many opportunities, made a ton of lifelong friends and seen some amazing places. However, every time I return home it’s like nothing has changed, but I have and that makes me feel as though I’m a stranger in a place I used to know so well.
I’ve spent more or less the past three weeks travelling to see some of my most beloved friends, friends that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t made the leap and moved to France. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and that we were always meant to be friends. My first stop: Slovenia. Hana and her friend Lea were so amazing and came to pick me up from the airport. Obviously, after around six/seven months apart this is all we could do.
When we eventually made it out of the airport (Hana had a major blonde moment!), the three of us tucked into a quick McDonald’s then headed off. Hana and I spent ages catching up that night, we had a lot to talk about as you can probably imagine. The next day, the three of us headed to Lake Bled. I thought I’d be tired of lakes and mountains by now, but I’m still in awe every time I set eyes on one. After a slightly traumatising hike and a parking ticket, we made it to the summit and just admired the stunning views.
Major love to Hana and her family for having me, and to her wonderful friends (especially Lea, another soul sister!) After a rather abrupt goodbye, I headed off to see Meta in Ljubljana. We’d been apart since the beginning of October and it was so great to finally see her again. Due to her having to work, she supplied me with my very own tour guide, Martin. That poor soul spent his days off work showing me around the city and telling me all about its history, he even treated me to food - what a hero!
I genuinely thought I was going to die in Slovenia, spending every moment of every day on my feet, usually hiking. As an ex-army man and scout leader, Martin was absolutely ruthless in his technique, making me go so fast that I thought I’d pass out. I can’t complain too much because every time, without fail, the pain was totally worth it. I saw some absolutely incredible things while I was there and I have to give an extra special mention to Meta’s incredible family, who took me in and treated me as if I was family. They are, without a shadow of a doubt, some of the greatest, most generous humans I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Thank you guys, you’re the best!
A well-deserved grapefruit beer after a sweaty hike (along with some double chocolate cookies)
My bus journey from Ljubljana to Budapest took a mere 6 hours, boy was I glad to get off and stretch my legs. Thankfully, I was greeted by Krisztina who had supplied some tasty snacks (my saviour). We spent the first week at her parents house, about 2 hours away from Budapest. A beautiful little village where virtually nobody speaks English - perfect. As a country bumpkin myself, this was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of city life. Don’t get me wrong I love the cities, but the countryside is where I belong.
I suppose I thought that that was the end of my hiking days, oh how wrong was I? I basically haven’t stopped for 3 weeks straight, now I have legs of steel. Every cloud and all that… We spent one morning at Krisztina’s grandparents house, where I basically received an early morning shot of their specialty drink - palinka. I had to munch on a few slices of this DELICIOUS cake to recover, what a shame.
Then, we hiked up a hill to a little ruined castle, which was totally worth it, if only for the wicked views. When we descended, I got to have a cuddle with this adorable fur baby, totally ignoring the alarm sounding my potential allergic reaction.
Luckily, I didn’t puff up or stop breathing - success! I left there well and truly stuffed, as anyone does when they go to a grandmas house. Thank you so much for having me, I’ll be eternally grateful.
I was fortunate enough to go to the ‘seaside’, which is funny because Hungary is 100% landlocked. They have aptly named their lake the Hungarian sea, which is used much like the seaside so why not?
The following day, we went to a wine festival. Krisztina and I spent the day exploring the town, while her parents represented their wine region in a big meet up. It was excruciatingly hot, so I did my very best to stay in the shade at all times. I very much appreciated the regularly stationed free water stands, which honestly saved my bacon. We watched an archery show, a medieval spectacle and the wine parade, to name but a few. It was a long day, but a day well spent.
During my last Sunday, we spent the day by the lake. I finally got the chance to submerge myself in the cool water, which was a relief after sweating consistently from the moment I arrived! It was another day of staying in shade, so that my awful tan lines didn’t worsen. I’ll be honest, I was relieved that I finally got to relax and do nothing.
Monday 20th was a national holiday in Hungary, so we travelled to Budapest for the firework display over the Danube. I didn’t manage to get any decent videos, but let’s just say that the finale nearly blinded me! (I'm pretty sure you can find some videos on YouTube if you type in 'Budapest fireworks 2018.) We took a little boat ride on Tuesday to appreciate the parliament building properly. Meanwhile, I got to devour a traditional Hungarian sweet treat, kürtös kalács, that was covered in chocolate and coconut, what more could I possibly want?
We went to Margaret Island in the early evening, where there was a fountain show with lights and music. It was fantastic and had some absolute classic tunes to accompany the lights.
Afterwards, as if that wasn’t enough for one day, we went to one of the famous ruin pubs, Szimpla Kert. Even on a Tuesday it was chockablock, so we struggled to find a quiet spot to sit down. After much searching, we ended up sitting in a ‘lab’, where you chose your drink from the periodic table, super cool. A girl was walking around selling carrots, don’t ask me why because I haven’t the foggiest idea, but the people we were sat next to ended up buying us one each. This sparked a conversation between us, in which I ended up being named the mother of Jews. Again, don’t ask.
On my third day in Budapest, we went up to visit Buda. Who knew that one part is called Buda and the other is Pest, depending on which side of the river they are? Not me, that’s for certain. The panoramic views from up there are utterly breathtaking. After mooching around the old part, we walked up to their Statue of Liberty, where we watched the sunset and ate what I would call Hungarian Oreos. They are so much better by the way, vanilla one side and chocolate the other, with a soft chocolate cream in the middle - truly scrumptious!
We spent Wednesday evening through to Thursday morning watching a busker in the city centre. Originally, it was a man and a woman taking it in turns to playing the guitar and sing, but they found another guy who was far better (awkward!) and he ended up getting a lot of money for them.
Thursday was spent walking around, seeing whatever was left to see. We walked along the river again, taking more pictures in front of parliament and the famous chain bridge. Then, we went to an indoor market where I tried langós, a fried dough with sour cream and cheese on it. Although it was nice, it was incredibly greasy and filling so I didn’t manage to finish it all.
At night, Krisztina took me to a ruin club. The idea was that you walk around and listen to the different types of music in each room but, much to Kriszti’s disappointment, I spent much of my time in the ‘rock’ room. When they bang out tunes like Pumped Up Kicks and Chelsea Dagger, it would be rude not to stay. Also, everywhere else either made your ears bleed or was overwhelmingly hot and sweaty. I definitely made the right choice!
I didn’t get much sleep on my last night at Kriszti’s place. After getting in at around 3am (I know, dirty stop out), her parents arrived pretty early so I had to get ready even earlier. Krisztina kindly dropped me off at my hostel, where I originally thought I was alone in a seven-bed dorm. I was thrilled when two beautiful Italians came in and offered to keep me company. We spent the evening walking around the city, taking pictures and chatting. I served as a bit of a whistle stop tour guide, showing them potential places to go and things to do in just a few hours. After all that walking, we were desperate to fill our bellies. It took a while to find a budget-friendly restaurant serving genuine, Hungarian food, but we managed to find one not far away and shared three dishes between ourselves. My one conclusion from my trip to Hungary is that they LOVE paprika. They would literally put it in anything, I swear. Now, I’m by no means anti-paprika, but there is a limit. Every single plate we ordered was swimming in it and I left feeling like a spice dragon, not ideal. It was a truly wonderful end to a great trip and I hope I keep in touch with them both because they were so lovely and kind to me.
Thanks again to my fantastic friends and their generous families for hosting me and taking me to such unforgettable places. I don’t know how I can ever repay you all! I love you guys. After a brief stay in Southend-on-Sea, I’m finally back home, if only for a short time. I’m ‘jetting off’ to Norfolk for a few days to camp by the sea, so I sincerely hope the weather improves! See you on my return.
