FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX: Hello Hungary!

An early departure was in the books today. The troops did well to have finished breakfast, packed and loaded in the bus ready to go by 0645. The owner of our hotel was so kind and arranged a full breakfast ready for us with a smile by 0600. A far cry to the kerfuffle that transpired at The Council in Sibiu! George managed to get us all on to the right platform (there were NO lifts so heavy packers beware) and on to the train. We farewelled our awesome guide as we continued on our 8 hour train journey to Budapest. The train left Cluj Napoca on time and arrived in Budapest on time. Our tour agency had purchased first class tickets but we weren't sure what to expect as online reviews were mixed. We're happy to report that it was much nicer than expected with clean carriages and comfortable reclining seats. The children were ecstatic to find USB ports and power points, and wifi. Much to their dismay, these (and the heating...) didn't work until we crossed the border into Hungary (bahahaha)! Apparently this had to do with an engine change at the border?!? The border crossing was quick and easy with Romanian officers processing our passports and then once more with the Hungarian counterparts.

At Cluj Napoca Station waiting for our 0735am train

Carriages much nicer than expected

So spacious if you travel light

Not so spacious if you don't! 😂

On arrival in Budapest Keleti, we had to wait for around 5 minutes for our private transfer. It was handy as part of the arrangement was for him to meet us at the platform. We didn't have to contend with getting into multiple taxis and the total price was equivalent. We booked with https://bookinbudapest.com/ Perhaps the biggest advantage was that he was that he knew the best place for us to stop to have the shortest walk to our apartments. They are on a busy, main street with tram lines and we would've been very stressed trying to get out safely and find our way if we'd used a taxi or uber. Our two apartments were part of Little America Apartments but booked through booking.com. They were nice, clean and spacious inside but again, in old buildings so the lift is tiny. It took a while to get everyone and their luggage upstairs!

After being looked after by a guide and driver for the past 10 days, it felt rather strange having to fend for ourselves! We found a big statue of someone and nobody knew who it was or anything about them. I guess we had been taking that sort of thing for granted. Old instincts kicked in soon enough, and we were off exploring after dropping our luggage off. First up was to purchase a 72 hour travel card for our 3 day stay here. There is also an app (Budapest Public Transit) to look up timetables for various modes of transport.

We had dinner booked at Hungarikum Bisztro. This place is highly popular so if you are planning to dine here, a walk up is not a good idea! Even reservations are not easy to get. The restaurant has a homely feel to it with live music. The menu is traditional Hungarian. The food is hearty and the service excellent! We were offered Palinka to finish off our meals :)

We took the opportunity to meander through for a quick look at the Danube, Parliament, St Stephen's Basilica and Sqaure, and Elizabeth Square on the way home. It was always going to be a struggle to resist the call of the goodies at the Christmas markets...