The final day in Budpest and the 9.15pm from Keleti-Pu

Castle Hill, Budapest
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Today is going to be a long day as my train to Prague does not leave until 9.20pm.

Having to kill twelve hours in Budapest is going to be tricky, especially as there is no hotel for me to go back to rest. My hotel has been very enjoyable - nice and clean with a big burly jolly Magyar on the desk. The Magyars have been a revelation - certainly very interested in outsiders. After the quietness and respectability of Vienna I enjoyed the rush and hustle of Budapest. They are incredibly polite here. Yesterday on the subway I saw a middleaged lady give up her seat for an old man, and a young lady give up her seat for her.

This one had a statue of a set of mounted wicked looking magyar tribesmen. Keeping with the Transylvannian feel is Vajadunjad Castle

Vajadunjad Castle in the city park
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I hauled my case down to Deli-Pu and took the subway to Keleti-Pu. Today, being monday morning,it is much busier with soldiers, beggars, teenagers and businessmen milling around. I stowed my case in left-luggage disturbing the attendants who were intent on their game of chess. Then, I promptly got back on the subway and went back to Buda.

Emerging at Moskva Ter this is a different side of Budapest and alot rawer with Ukrainean migrant workers and old women selling vegetables on sheets. Then uphill to Castle Hill and the Vienna Gate. I checked out the Museum of Military Museum where an elderly Slav gentleman offred to show me around for a small fee. The museum had numerous guns, swords and a stuff wild boar but it was near a rampart with beautiful views of the Buda hills where I lazed with a copy of the 'Independent' and relaxed in the hot sun.

The backstreets of Buda
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Then down to the Danube and the Chain Bridge where I got a terrific view of the stone lions.and enjoyed the cool air off the river. In Pest I caught the sights I missed such as St Stephens Basilica and the Opera House. Then Andrassy Utca which is a huge boulevard and ended up at the Varosliget (City Park). God, it was hot. The pavements were baking and you see could the heat haze at the end of the boulevard. There are one of those superb monumental plazas at the end that most European capitals have. This one had a statue of a set of mounted wicked looking magyar tribesmen. Keeping with the Transylvannian feel is Vajadunjad Castle. A superbly gothic edifice straight out of Bram Stoker overlooking a moat and forest.

I spent the rest of the afternoon at the Varosliget and after a lunch of chicken stroganoff at a cafe I went to Budapest zoo. I wish I went to Sczenyi baths nearby instead but the zoo was good despite the animals suffering in the heat. I stayed there until about 7.00pm and the zoo's sunset closing time and walked back to Keleti. Keleti comes across as a rather poor station and seems to be under constant rerepair. There was no way of telling what platform your train would come in and I had to check my train was coming in from Bucharest at 10.00pm. Keleti turns a little creepy at night with a number of derelicts roaming the station so I kept to myself and tried to look inconspicuous.

For all its ramshackle appearance Keleti is not a bad station - its a little ragged around the edges but the number of little old ladies wandering around trying to interest travellers in houestays means it is not dangerous. A Canadian backpacker called Sarah befriended me and we waited for our train to come in on its way to Berlin. It came in late, as expected, and we got a compartment together and laid out on the seats.

Its going to be a long night, I will need to get us much sleep as possible.