12th to 15th of March, 2022.
I stay in a Burger King using the free wi-fi. There is no answer from my CS. I try to do some of my stuff but my head starts to give signs of migraine, so I lay my head down in the table. A lovely lady comes by and asks if I need anything, a coffee or a cake. How sweet! I kindly tell her I am alright, just waiting for an answer from a friend. Later on, another lady, but this time an attendant from Burger King, comes and in a rude way tells me there is a hotel across the street. I am with my computer opened, in front of me, what a hell? I just tell her I am waiting for an email.
When my head is really bad, my CS finally answers me. And even though I have been waiting for him for hours, he tells me he is getting ready to go meet some friends, so hopefully I can make it there before he leaves. Luckily for me it is only 15 minutes walking, so I make it.
By the time I arrive, my head is almost exploding. I first meet Allan, my CS host flatmate. He is shy but very polite. Collins, my CS host is taking a shower. When he comes out and we are finally introduced, I tell him that my migraine is killing me, so I have to lie down otherwise I will die. He understands and also he has to get ready for going out.
It takes the whole night and the beginning of the morning for my head finally get better. Collins came back when there was already light in the horizon. The only think I can think when I notice that is Dude, I cannot do something like that anymore…
I have some of my muesli with some milk and wait for at least some of the boys to get up. Allan does and by that time I take a shower to get ready to go exploring Budapest. I just arrange with him if there will be anyone at home by the evening, and he says he will.
I decide that I will mostly walk around the Pest side, around the parliament buildings, and tomorrow, I will cover that castle area and Buda side. I have decided not going up the famous hills because, lets face it, after all they are just hills. I will meet Yuliia and Milana at 4 o’clock in the centre, after I finish my tour.
Walking alongside the river, from both sides, it is already a great attraction of Budapest. From the free map I got, out of a really nice man at this small tourist info shops on the streets, I didn’t get much the vibe of visiting some of the historical buildings. But I am really surprised with the beauty of the parliament ones. It is truly incredible! Really stunning architecture! It does not matter from where you look at it, it is gorgeous!
I decide not to go to Margaret Island otherwise I will be walking to exhaustion and I don’t want that. But Yuliia told me it is a very nice place to visit, so if you have an extra day, you should definitely go. Plus it has a nice history too. Check it out!
It is good to see Yuliia and Milana again! Yuliia looks gorgeous, as usual, in her houndstooth coat and forest green turtle neck. They both have so much potencial! Yuliia is such a bright woman, always trying to improve herself and get into something new and better. And Milana is a wonderful and wise girl, eager to learn more and become an independent woman like her mother. It is such a shame that they have to have their lives affected and face such a huge alteration in their panorama because of this ridiculous war.
Yuliia suggests we go for a walk around the castle. David, Yuliia’s boyfriend, is also with them, and even though he is Italian, he is living in Budapest for some years, so he knows and tells us a bit about the city and this area.
At the end of our walk, we stop at a small and nice coffee shop right at the bottom of the castle, Corvin Cafe it is called. We all have coffee and sweets, a treat from David, and we spend some nice time chatting. But when it start to get dark, we decide to leave. I still have another hour walking back to my CS house.
Milana goes home but Yuliia and David offer to walk with me until the bridge I have to cross, Elizabeth Bridge, because unfortunately Széchenyi Chain Bridge is temporarily closed. Actually it is a very nice feeling walking around here during the night. I didn’t think I would enjoy that much. That’s one of the reasons why I never go for tours at night. But even so it might only be Budapest, now I might reconsider that for the future. It is truly pleasant to walk alongside the river at this time of the day. And the buildings, all shining like that, it makes a gorgeous background.
Because I don’t want to disturb them, I don’t stop to take any photographs of the castle and the parliament buildings (only taking one of the bridge), which look amazing at night. So I decide that tomorrow, I will leave Collins house in the afternoon instead of in the morning, so I can stay out until it gets dark and take my photographs.
Back at Collins, we chat a bit over dinner and I realize how little we have in common. Almost nothing actually. He has a very strange character and some weird ways of seen the world. Plus he cannot comprehend my decision of living without money. For him, as it is for so many young people nowadays, money it is a very important thing.
Next morning me and Allan chat over lunch. I have some eggs and bread. After doing some stuff on my computer, I go to visit the castle.
It is a huge complex, and being under reconstruction / restoration it does not help to see it through. It is gorgeous too. I mean, at least some parts. And the good thing is that you can walk all over the outside areas without need to pay. It is very interesting, and if it wasn’t for the huge amount of tourists and shops, it would remind me the structure of Burghausen Castle. You can also have a great view of Pest from here, and so I decide to wait for the sunset and see if I could get a good shot from here.
It is a good place for a photo but not the best. There is always something (a building, the top of a church, cables) disturbing the scenario. Surprisingly enough, the best photograph I took from the parliament buildings it is from the ground, right in front of it or towards your right side when you are facing it. It is an amazing view! I am shocked of how pretty it is! And I am very happy with the result of my photograph. I truly love it! The castle, the bridge and some other buildings also have their charm at night, “but nothing compares to…” the parliament buildings.
I decide to use my last coins to buy some ingredients and make a nice dish for Collins and Allan. I also try to buy some apples but I don’t have enough coins for that, so I tell the lady at the cashier to take them out. She is so lovely and let me have them! How sweet!
Unfortunately I cannot say the same about Collins. He does not even touch my dish! He prepared some meat for him, a terribly bad cooked rice for us, and we share a packed salad. But he does not even try one tiny spoon of the food I prepared. How rude! I don’t want to waste so I have some more and leave only one portion hoping that perhaps Allan will have it later. I had suggested earlier that we could watch a movie together because last night each one of us was at their computers watching something, so perhaps tonight we could all just watch something. But he simply goes to his room and don’t even mention anything. So I do the same and watch a movie by myself.
Next morning I prepare two sandwiches with the remains of the cheese I bought last night, take one apple and leave around 8 o’clock. Destination: Eger.
