Day 209 - Komarno - Southern Slovakia
Some journal entries from the last week or so:
Thursday 27th September - Szeged - Hungary
We both got sore throats last night from talking so much. Beers in a bar followed by pizza, then another bar and more beer. Went to look at the (very impressive) town hall clocktowers and were attracted by a huge bunsen-blue flame blasting from one corner of the square - a nightclub called Burn. They wanted student cards on the door but I blagged us in - told him our cards were in the hotel and looked desperate and he just said OK and let us in. Peoper student nightclub - lots of beers, lots of people, shit toilets, music a bit RnB for my taste, but it was ok. We drank beer and Jagermeister and danced like fools. By about 4am I was knackered and hungry so we went.
Monday 1st October - Budapest
Nice riding, again. Perfect weather (can´t believe I´m still cycling in shorts and a vest in October), flat roads with good surface, traffic OK. Saw more weed at the side of the road and lots of prostitutes about 6-7 miles from Budapest. Was waiting for it to get really busy and horrible but it never did - went straight to the centre, along the Danube, all the way to the chain bridge.
Tuesday 2nd October - Budapest
Walked up to the castle on the other side of the river. Nice views of the city. Went into the art gallery thinking we´d be able to go up and outside the dome for better views but after 5 flights of stairs and only boring old paintings to look at we were told we didn´t have the ´special tickets´required to continue, despite asking for them initially. We could get them, back down in the lobby. Fuck that. Went instead for postcard writing and white wine in the ´Old Town´.
Wednesday 3rd October - Budapest
Went to a ´Rock Bar´ which was more like a school disco. DJ wouldn´t play our requests and was very rude and a guy in the bar was being quite agressive towards Ashley. We considered beating him up or something but just left, heading for a club the barman told us about, next to the opera house (near the flat). Went there - cellar type club, lots of beer, karaoke, people dancing etc. Got out at 4am still asking people where to go out in Budapest. Go to bed! They told us.
Sunday 7th October - Komarno - Slovakia
The first thing I did today was cross the river into Slovakia. No passport control from Hungary but, surprisingly, there was a guy looking at them, comparing faces and photos, on the Slovak side. First impressions were of a very ´Eastern European´ looking place - lots of towers blocks and a sort of neglected air to the place.
It´s really weird to think that it´s all winding up. I was thinking about the ferry ride over from Portsmouth and, of course, it seems ages ago. But all the hopes, fears, expectations I had then have been lived out now, nearly. I will be relieved to not have to think about it so much, when it is over, but I will miss that feeling of discovery every day, of adventure yet to come. That´ll be the weirdest thing I think, being back. Not having the daily adventures. The fact that they´re gone. The fact that all of this - the three years of planning, saving, spending, thinking - is gone. Over. I´ve lived it - I am living it. But it will end. Then I will need to look forward again, to focus on other things. It goes on, life goes on, of course, but stick something like these last seven months in it and it´s a strange, perhaps unique feeling. That´s why I´m here.
They have the biggest, blackest mosquitos here. One was biting my arm a minute ago and I just tried to grab one hovering over my beer. I missed.
Thursday 27th September - Szeged - Hungary
We both got sore throats last night from talking so much. Beers in a bar followed by pizza, then another bar and more beer. Went to look at the (very impressive) town hall clocktowers and were attracted by a huge bunsen-blue flame blasting from one corner of the square - a nightclub called Burn. They wanted student cards on the door but I blagged us in - told him our cards were in the hotel and looked desperate and he just said OK and let us in. Peoper student nightclub - lots of beers, lots of people, shit toilets, music a bit RnB for my taste, but it was ok. We drank beer and Jagermeister and danced like fools. By about 4am I was knackered and hungry so we went.
Monday 1st October - Budapest
Nice riding, again. Perfect weather (can´t believe I´m still cycling in shorts and a vest in October), flat roads with good surface, traffic OK. Saw more weed at the side of the road and lots of prostitutes about 6-7 miles from Budapest. Was waiting for it to get really busy and horrible but it never did - went straight to the centre, along the Danube, all the way to the chain bridge.
Tuesday 2nd October - Budapest
Walked up to the castle on the other side of the river. Nice views of the city. Went into the art gallery thinking we´d be able to go up and outside the dome for better views but after 5 flights of stairs and only boring old paintings to look at we were told we didn´t have the ´special tickets´required to continue, despite asking for them initially. We could get them, back down in the lobby. Fuck that. Went instead for postcard writing and white wine in the ´Old Town´.
Wednesday 3rd October - Budapest
Went to a ´Rock Bar´ which was more like a school disco. DJ wouldn´t play our requests and was very rude and a guy in the bar was being quite agressive towards Ashley. We considered beating him up or something but just left, heading for a club the barman told us about, next to the opera house (near the flat). Went there - cellar type club, lots of beer, karaoke, people dancing etc. Got out at 4am still asking people where to go out in Budapest. Go to bed! They told us.
Sunday 7th October - Komarno - Slovakia
The first thing I did today was cross the river into Slovakia. No passport control from Hungary but, surprisingly, there was a guy looking at them, comparing faces and photos, on the Slovak side. First impressions were of a very ´Eastern European´ looking place - lots of towers blocks and a sort of neglected air to the place.
It´s really weird to think that it´s all winding up. I was thinking about the ferry ride over from Portsmouth and, of course, it seems ages ago. But all the hopes, fears, expectations I had then have been lived out now, nearly. I will be relieved to not have to think about it so much, when it is over, but I will miss that feeling of discovery every day, of adventure yet to come. That´ll be the weirdest thing I think, being back. Not having the daily adventures. The fact that they´re gone. The fact that all of this - the three years of planning, saving, spending, thinking - is gone. Over. I´ve lived it - I am living it. But it will end. Then I will need to look forward again, to focus on other things. It goes on, life goes on, of course, but stick something like these last seven months in it and it´s a strange, perhaps unique feeling. That´s why I´m here.
They have the biggest, blackest mosquitos here. One was biting my arm a minute ago and I just tried to grab one hovering over my beer. I missed.
posted by Percy Herbert @ 6:08 pm
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