Budapest 2023 Chapter 5 - Megaday

Welcome back Reader!

I'm really catching up on sleep and having some vivid dreams. The night before I was Fred Elliott from Coronation St and I was lying on a window ledge about 20 floors up trying to crawl to an open window. Last night I was Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series of video games but I have no recall what I was doing. Probably on a quest for tea bags. Whilst we're on that subject, the day starts with a call to reception to order tea bags they neglected to leave again. Man asks how many; I say four - I'm not unreasonable. 5 mins later there's Monica fanning out four bags like Carol Smilie fanning out a wad of notes on Wheel of Fortune, and like the other day she has that slightly unimpressed look on her face - a hint of disdain which I read as "here's your tea you inglish nob".

Tea rage

Lizzie requested last night that we don't go out until Midday. Someone's tired...

After failing to figure out public transport I make time to watch some YouTube vids on the subject. All tickets work on Metro, Bus and Tram, you just need to validate them when you get on. You can buy a bunch of 10 tickets for 3000Ft. Singles are normally 350Ft; 10 is an awkward number but the losses are small if we don't use 2. There's also a group ticket, which might be a better option but didn't find much info on those. We need transport to Buda side today to see the castle and labyrinth. I feel today is the day for Goulash and Palinka.

Lisa is watching Matilda

While the others are getting ready I go to the gym. I do a mini sesh but it's hard work. There's a sauna there and a terrace too.

We head out to find a purple ticket machine. There's one at the tram platform but the screen appears shagged. We go underground to the metro, machine is good there. I buy a group pass for 24hrs, costs 5000Ft (about £12). It's amazing value. We are issued two bits of paper, different sizes. I know we have to validate one of these, and at the entrance to the escalators there's machines with little slots, I tentatively put the little paper in and something is printed on it. So of we go to Batthyány Ter station. It's easy. We get out and get a tram to the Funicular Railway.

At the funicular I check sign - kids are classed as up to 14. Els is magically 14 again just for today, save 2000Ft. We ride Funicular up to the castle and mooch around that for a bit. There are amazing views. Some soldiers with guns march about. There's preparations for a wedding happening. I hear a British voice on the team doing the flower arch. We're everywhere.

Fun fun fun on the Funicular, for 14000Ft (£32)

We walk Labyrinth. You go down several flights of stairs in the near dark to get to the ticket booth. At the bottom statue an American guy says it's shut until 3pm; it's 2:30. We go back up, and I tell someone on way down the same message.

Then onto find Hadik's Horse and his lucky nut sack. We find it and Els tries to get good luck but at full stretch cannot quite reach the brassy ball bag. An American family clock what we're doing and as we leave their little kid cracks up when he sees them.

Then over to Fisherman's Bastian which is a beautiful sight. Time for ice cream and insta-worthy pics. Then back to Labyrinth.

Hadik's Scrote

Fisherman's Bastian

We wait at the Labyrinth entrance for a good 10 mins whilst we wait for the gatekeeper bloke to come back. He asks if girls are students and we say yes, but we have no proof. He lets us off 1000Ft, thanks gatekeeper man.

The Labyrinth is sooo much fun. It's darker than we expected, and really misty in parts. Two Asian girls in front of us get about 3m in and then start freaking out, and want us to go first so they can follow. They do this for the whole time we're in there. We're also joined by another family. A drip lands on one Asian girls and she shrieks then giggles. There's little statues of past kings and queens, and also Drakula's chamber. I remember the souvenir shop guy saying Transylvania used to be part of Hungary so guess that's why they have vampire shiz. The pictures won't do this experience justice but it was great.

Then back down on the funicular and onto a bus which takes us across the Danube to a restaurant we liked the look of the other day. We see the aftermath of a motorbike accident en route.

Ouch

At the restaurant I finally get a cup of goulash soup and it's delicious. Girls have pasta, Liz likes hers. Lisa has Caesar salad, doesn't get on with it. Lisa and Liz have Pina coladas which are creamy and good.

Goulash soup has beef, potato and cauliflower chunks

After dinner we take a tram. We have to run for it, which nearly kills us. It takes us past the shoe memorial thing which Lisa wants to go and see. Then past parliament building. Then it stops near Colombo statue, that's more like it.

Then it's a short walk to the Flippermuzeum. A museum devoted to pinball machines with some old arcade games. Today has been my heaven - castle, caves and arcade with some goulash thrown in.

We spend about 1-2hrs in arcade, our feet and legs are aching though - today has been tourism without mercy and we need to get back. A tram stop near Columbo is where we can get one straight to hotel. It's soooo easy. We're back at 8ish and there's talk of Sky Bar but ultimately we're pooped.