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Euro Beer & Magnet Tour
  • Mike Walters

Euro Beer & Magnet Tour

A bit of a jaunt around Europe, to see some interesting spots and share beers with a few pals….plus collect a few fridge magnets along the way 💪 Read more
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  • Trip start
    March 27, 2023
    Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Dodging the French strikes via Perpignan

    March 27, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    After the Taxi of Pete got us to Leicester station nice and early, our luxury First Class tickets got us a light breakfast on board, before easily getting our Eurostar to Paris with no trouble.
    St Pancras was pretty busy, but the queue moved fast, & we got aboard for our comfortable seats and light lunch 👍

    At Gare du Nord we took the metro across to Austerlitz to complete the next piece of our Day 1 puzzle 💪

    Our original plan had us on an overnight train to Toulouse, but the impending French strike made us change tack just a couple of days before leaving. We were able to get a refund on that train, and we headed directly south to avoid trouble and get as close to Spain as we could 👍
    Hence we changed to go from Paris to Perpignan on a fast TGV: very comfortable.

    Once there, we had chosen the Hotel Kyriad inside the station.

    We made a decision early on to always try to find accommodation close to the stations, to minimise lugging our bags about. Might not be the most salubrious area, of course, but certainly on this occasion it turned out to be a good decision: Kyriad was easy to find and very pleasantly decorated with Space wall art, funky carpet and flooring ….very cool!    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Perpignon, & eventually to Figueres

    March 28, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Today, we started by figuring out how to escape France. There was an option of a bus, but that looked slightly confusing. Instead, we discovered we could pay a wad of cash for the ONLY train to Spain in the afternoon. This reminded me about much of my working career: “every technical problem has a commercial solution”.

    Although this was nearly £80, the alternative was spending out on another night in Perpignan and missing our first night in Figueres, so we took the hit: day 2 and we are already into the contingency funds 😱

    On the bright side, it gave us a chance to leave our luggage at the hotel and spend the day taking a look about town, where we started by discovering we could watch a small demonstration from safely across the river. The Police looked bored, and heavily over staffed for the small number marching: I think I could have controlled that rabble🤣

    We headed up hill to the Palais des Rois de Majorque - we didn’t have time to pay to get in, but there were some lovely views from the top, and it turned into a nice relaxing day 😎

    We headed back down and got aboard the Escape France Express.

    At Figueres, we had a good walk towards town to find our cheap Airbnb. Hosted by Paulina, she left her lovely mum to deal with guests….it was a nice spot!

    We wandered down the hill to Bar Caballeros we had spotted on the way in.
    The landlord, Fernando, appeared surprised - this was a “locals bar”, unused to tourists dropping in. He enjoyed our conversations via google translate, & we asked him to “surprise us” with some snack food.
    In the garden at the back, the smiling waiter brought a seemingly endless stream of snacks….some obvious (olives), some less identifiable (perhaps bulls *ahem* private parts 😳)….all well received, and washed down with cool lager 👍

    After a while, we heard “Oh Flower of Scotland” ringing out from inside the bar. It was clear we should investigate, & we discovered Scotland were playing Spain in the Euro qualifiers. We moved inside, & managed to get the locals (Catalans!) supporting Christine’s beloved Scotland, as they beat Spain 2-0: what a memorable evening 😎👍

    Back up the hill later to retire for the evening.    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Dali-town!

    March 29, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Figueres: what an absolute delight!

    We wandered into town, where it felt like EVERYTHING revolved around the crazy mind that was Salvador Dali.

    He designed and indeed built the museum from the shell of a building, and what a place he created: simply astonishing, & a fabulous place to spend some hours to learn more about his life and works😎

    From there, we walked into town, trying our best to follow the pavement ‘mice’, and visited the smaller art museum, Museu de L'Empordà - one ticket gets both entries. Some nice pieces.

    We had a nice lunch on the market square, as we followed the Dali ant trail about the town, past the home he lived in, and indeed out to the station we would leave from in the morning: Figueras. The local slow-speed trains…..not to be confused with the high-speed one we arrived in: Figueres 🤪

    A final beer at our favourite bar to round off a nice day before heading home.    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    To Barcelona

    March 30, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Time to say farewell to our lovely host (with the help of Google Translate, of course!), to move on, to get to our hostel (#privateensuite!) in the heart of Barcelona.
    Sad to leave, but so much to see ahead of us.

    From Figueras, it was an easy journey.
    At the station I was able to make the day for one man who was rushing to the toilet, dropping his wallet on the way. He came out very anxiously a few minutes later, & was relieved to be rejoined with his ID and money!

    At Barcelona, there was some mild confusion as we were unable to exit the train from the main station to the local network…..eventually some staff let us through, & we had some local transport to take in order to reach our hostel near Las Ramblas….pretty straightforward enough.
    We took our time to settle in, orientate ourselves, and then headed out to BierCaB, a bar with food recommended by my Parisian pal, Yves. A great decision - good beer, & good food🍻💪

    Back at base, we were to discover that our room was great, but by heck the bin men and street cleaners work ALL through the night…Room 4 was a very noisy front room at an otherwise delightful hostel 😱    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Casa Batllo

    March 31, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    I was suffering some groin pain, but not walking was not an option: this was a day to wander about.
    Christine was of the view that if my pain hadn’t eased by Montpellier, we would have to go home, & as things felt, I couldn’t really argue…..so getting things looked at was pretty important. Reception suggested we could visit Hospital Del Mar 🏥

    But first: the target was Casa Batllo.

    What a fabulous Gaudi building & indeed history: we paid up for the the “augmented reality” tour, & it felt like money well spent!

    Afterwards we headed down to the hospital, where I was in and out inside an hour: the young doctor declaring it was not a hernia, just a groin strain. He prescribed some double strength ibuprofen, some Tramadol, and some Nolotil. A quick google suggested the last one should never be taken by north European people, since it can cause seriously reactions leading to death, so the decision was taken to just kill the pain with the known ibuprofen 😳

    Reassured, we returned to rest at our hostel with celebratory microwave empanadas and a couple of bargain beers 🍻👍    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Sagrada Familia

    April 1, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Had a bit of a lie in, to rest the leg….and also considered buying a roller bag to avoid lugging my rucksack 😱

    Then on to the spectacular Sagrada Familia. What a place. Just an amazing structure, a veritable forest of columns inside.

    Antoni Gaudi was in no rush to finish his work there: he considered God to be the client, and ensured enough of his plans were understood so that the work could be completed after his passing.

    Speaking of which: such a sad death.
    At the end, aged 73, he was so obsessed, he was living in the Cathedral. He was taking a daily walk for prayer and confession when he was struck by a tram. People who saw him assumed him to be a tramp, and he failed to get the immediate care he needed. Only recognised the following day, it was too late. Very sad end for a total genius.

    We walked up one of the towers: the art of Gaudi is truly amazing, and it was a joy to spend some hours there.

    Afterwards, we wandered on, choosing to dine at Honest Green, where a beautiful salad and roast cauliflower fed us well.

    In the evening, we headed out to Ølgod, a fine brewpub offering flights of ales 🍻👍    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Joan Miro and Parc Guell (almost!)

    April 2, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Last day here, so we headed to the funicular and went to visit the Miró Foundation: another very cool place to visit 😎 ….although his massive single line ‘triptic’ did make me feel I should pick up the brushes and give it a stab 👨‍🎨🎨🤣

    Barcelona showed us some great bars (Biercab, Ølgod) & quality cafes (Honest Greens, Oakanda stood out!)

    After an incredibly steep climb, we learned that Parc Guell is now *entirely* ticket entry only, & of course they had sold out (changed in 2019!). Pffft: looked like a poor man’s Disney park anyway 🤪

    I’ve had a painful groin strain since day 2, so taking it easy on the walking front, but still averaged almost 12k steps each day 🤪

    Getting more au fait with the travel/tickets etc👍    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    To Valencia

    April 3, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We left around 9am to find our train at Barcelona-Sants for Valencia.
    One man at a ticket booth couldn’t understand why we wanted the slow train. Short answer was that train reservations were pricey, and doubly so for First Class in France and Spain.

    Spain, indeed, was not very Interrail friendly. As The Man in Seat 61 put things, our tickets have lost their convenience factor, because every Spanish long-distance train requires a reservation….and can only be booked at a Spanish station…

    Anyway, we enjoyed a comfortable 5 hours, arriving in the lovely Valencia Estació del Nord for a short walk to our Casual València Vintage hotel.
    A stylish spot to stay, with room for us to do a little hand washing before heading out.

    The afternoon was warm, and we met our old volleyball pal Simon at the appropriately named Beer and Travels bar, before moving on for a fine tapas dinner, with Sarah joining us. A smashing evening 😎👍    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    A day storming Valencia

    April 4, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Got up for a rare hotel brekky, before setting out to walk all day - 22k steps ahead for us 😱

    Started in the city centre, with the interesting Silk Museum, then on through the busy market and out to the main park in Valencia.
    The Turia River used to flow through, but flood management mean that it was diverted, and the result is a long, winding park with many features along the way.

    It was a hot day, and we paused to try the local horchata and fartons - a sweet creamy cold drink with a sweet pastry to dip. Unusual yet tasty!

    Onwards to the Science Park with some simply astonishing buildings. No time to visit the museums, however: we will have to return one day: we continued to the seaside, where we sadly chose a very average paella.

    Finally, realising our exhaustion, we caught a bus back to town.    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Unscheduled Ulldecona bus replacement

    April 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Our journey back north was interrupted by a bus replacement service…..the first of a few.

    This one was a simple case of following the clear directions and joining back with the train a bit further north.Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Girona - crazy Roman festival!

    April 5, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 12 °C

    I love it when you arrive in a new town and the Romans rock up with a massive display in your honour 🤪

    We found our Airbnb close to the station - a stylish apartment belonging to Flori and Joan: their English was as non-existent as our Spanish, but it was all smiles….so once our bags were sorted, we set off to explore the small but beautiful city.

    We soon discovered a City Wall you could walk, so up we went. It dropped down near the Cathedral, a Game of Thrones location for those interested, only to discover something of a buzz….a few Police around, people appearing to gather.

    Soon, Romans began to emerge from a church, and we suddenly found we had arrived on one of two evenings where a Legion of around 150 Roman Soldiers march through town as part of their Easter celebrations 😎

    It started with a few….then a few more….then those mounted horses, and suddenly the square was full of them!

    Utterly bizarre yet absolutely fascinating.
    We followed them through the narrow streets, then watched some marching displays in a square: very impressive.

    After a while, we headed back to a boujee little restaurant we had spotted earlier in the tiny streets.
    There, we found a Senegalese fella, Denis Singuila, was playing and singing, and soon I had a djembe thrust in my hands, joining in. Turns out our small audience of diners were doubling as percussion.
    Slightly pleased that he felt I had “skills”, it made for a fun meal!

    Later, we heard the Romans returning, which was quite a sight late in the evening in the tiny streets!    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Girona…walking, Jews & films

    April 6, 2023 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    For our second day we had a lazy wander through town: over the Eiffel Bridge, designed by….well, I’m sure you know!

    We discovered the Jewish museum, although they had been gone for over 500 years. We later had to be chased out of the Cinema Museum when it was closing: thoroughly riveting!

    A final meal turned out to be at a Mexican place, with perhaps the best nachos I’ve ever eaten, and fantastic “Day of the Dead” wall art inside!    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Travel day to Montpellier

    April 7, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We were able to leave Girona quite late: Joan kindly ran down 5 flights of stairs to get the lift to come back up for us with our bags!

    We had a long day to get to Montpellier, made longer by a bus replacement through some winding coastal towns to get from Cerbère to Perpignan….but eventually we arrived, and picked up some salad for tea.Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Montpellier

    April 8, 2023 in France ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We were staying close to the Sant-Rich station in a bargain Airbnb with Veronique: a lovely room in her equally lovely house!

    A short walk to town found the famous and huge Place de Comedie was closed for refurbishment - City of Culture in 2028, they appear to be getting a head start!

    That said, there were some grand old buildings to be found; a couple of small exhibitions we happened upon; plenty of cool architecture; Montpellier’s most popular bakery (checkout the line 👀) and much more….

    Keeping a sharp eye on our budget, but without a kitchen to cook in, we succumbed to the Tasty Corner takeaway near our lodgings for dinner…naughty but nice!

    Averaging over 14k steps each day….pretty shattered all the time, but wouldn’t have it any other way!    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler
    Maison Carrée

    Beautiful Roman Nîmes

    April 9, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    A spectacular city to visit, very easy to do as a day visit from Montpellier.
    Nîmes was a great place to visit on Easter Sunday.
    We started by taking an audio tour inside the best preserved amphitheatre outside Italy. A chance to hear “first hand stories” from a gladiator. Very impressive 😎

    From there, we moved on to the beautiful Maison Carrée Roman temple, also in astonishing condition.

    On to the Jardin de La Fontaine, but our aches and pains meant we wisely avoided walking right up the hill to the Tour Magne viewpoint 👀

    We enjoyed a fine vegan lunch in the gardens at Restaurant La Fabrik before heading back to the centre and taking a look inside the Musée Romanité: a startling structure next to the main amphitheatre, designed loosely as a Roman Toga!
    Some great exhibits inside, including some astonishing old scale models of various Roman buildings.

    Finally, we headed on the short return train back to Montpellier.    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Séte - a seaside wander

    April 10, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We took the suggestion to visit this nice seaside town. Veronique, our host, also recommended trying the local delicacy - la tielle setoise. Kind of mussel pasty….not over keen on them, but bought one from the market stall to try: tasted surprisingly good!

    We found La Maison Verte for refreshments, then wandered round the coast. Stepped into an artist studio where the lady used Nespresso pods for some of her creations: very cool!

    Out to the Théâtre de la Mer, then continued on up the hill to see the cemetery with the grave of local poet, essayist, and philosopher, Paul Valery, before finally heading back into town.

    Struggled to decide on where to eat: ended up at a very “fast foodie” looking joint, The House, which somehow garnered good reviews: they presented me with an amazing plate of fish, great stop!

    A walk back up to the station before taking the train for one final night in Montpellier.    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    A long day to Genoa

    April 11, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Today was a BigTravelDay™, joining up 5 trains: what could possibly go wrong🤞

    Well, delays through Monte Carlo saw us miss the Italian connection at Ventimiglia. Every cloud has a silver lining, and with a bar across from the station, a cheeky beer was drunk instead….on the bright side, the next train was direct, making things mildly easier.

    Genoa was but a bed for the night, although the reception lady recommended a fine small restaurant round the corner - Trattoria O Becco Fin.

    Simple yet delicious Italian fare, & the young waiter got all excited when I noticed his decorated crash helmet and rushed outside with us.

    I assumed he would proudly show me his amazing Ducati, or Moto Guzzi.
    Instead, he reached into the top box of his little scooter to give me a Genoa football team sticker. I am now a local 😇    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Beautiful Pisa

    April 12, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Our train turned out to be direct (despite suggesting a change was needed), so our journey was seamless…..and Pisa was a breathtaking spot to visit😎

    Our room was within sight of the tower, & after settling in, we moseyed over to the hoards of people in the main area.

    It was just beautiful, even with all the visitors.

    We walked a 6km loop of the City walls, watching some students playing volleyball along the way.
    The wander back through town was pleasant, and we had an evening slot to climb the 297 steps up the Tower for fine views as the sun was setting. A lovely spot to watch the sun setting!

    Finally, we ate well in a fancy looking place, forcing them to find some beers instead of the vast wine list they offered us.    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Verona….from Dante to Bier House!

    April 14, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    On to yet another beautiful place with a nice vibe. Well worth a visit!

    A little confusion over breakfast with our host, Mario…we gave up discussing that the listing had it included. Then he called me at 9pm to apologise: told us to go to a local cafe on the corner and mention his name, so all sorted 🤣

    We found a very cool Dante exhibition at the top of the funicular to visit: free, but book online before you go in👍

    A nice man in a little opticians tightened my glasses up….then adjusted the fit, then gave them a good clean, and waved away any suggestion of payment.

    Dining was at the huge Pizza Napoli, just round from our room - utterly delicious. A final cheeky beer at a nearby beerhaus closed off our time here.    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    A Birthday in Trieste 🎂

    April 15, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    On Saturday, we moved further east to Trieste, with one change.

    At Venice Mestre, the platform was heaving: it transpires that a cruise ship in port meant lots of folk with big bags.
    We had a chat with a small group on the platform from San Diego.

    Aboard, we found two old ladies absolutely dominating SEVEN seats between them with their bags (which could have been left in a luggage area well within their sight!).
    I politely asked them to squeeze around a bit (they spoke English). Absolute refusal, so we engaged in a full and frank discussion, with me smiling at their angry faces.

    The result was them agreeing to move, but only on the basis that I was a very nasty man. A fair swap 🤣

    SanDiego man joined us for a chat and said “thank you” - I felt we had the entire busy carriage wanting victory against the self entitled old bats 🤣

    Trieste: a very grand place!

    Lovely feel, beautiful buildings in an Austro-Hungarian style. Some Roman ruins too.

    We had a spacious apartment (chosen as a treat for Christine’s birthday 🥳🎂), and our hosts had kindly left a bottle of bubbly for her 🥂
    My plans for a swanky dinner were slightly trumped when we found a very cool and highly rated cafe named Genuino, serving delicious healthy food.
    As a bonus, it was close to the Geco bar 🍻😎

    The next morning, we took a bus to the amazing Grotta Gigantic - a vast place, 100m tall and at one point the biggest known showcave on earth by volume!
    500 steps down: one lady was too scared and gave up!
    Of course, there were also 500 steps up 😱

    On our final day, we hopped on a train to go and spend some time at Miramare Castle: a sad tale of a young man desperate to be someone, but a nice place to visit with lovely gardens.
    Inside was interesting, but the building had a slight Shrek vibe in the main staircase: very Lord Faquaad with the wooden carvings!

    Popped to the beach to touch the Adriatic, and had an earnest young man rush over to politely tell us it was a protected area. He was so nice about it (since the signs were not obvious!), we enjoyed a chat then left.
    We also saw a dolphin jump!
    Well….we saw a massive splash, & he agreed it was probably a dolphin 🤷‍♂️

    Another walk back up the hill to get the next train back to town for a couple of beers before a sunset up by the Monumento ai Caduti di Trieste - the War Memorial on the hill.    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Lake Bled - a walk, a scramble, a row…

    April 18, 2023 in Slovenia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Sad to leave our vast apartment, we met another “Interrailing for the Older Crowd” couple, Judith and Paul, as we left Trieste….but after only a short time to chat, said our farewells as we leapt off at the first stop to hop across the tracks to our slightly grim looking 2-coach Grafitti Express - we were staying at the Island end of the Lake.

    We were to enjoy another bus replacement service on this journey, but with Christine now fully into checking the local train web sites, we were expecting it 👍

    This is why I employ her 💪

    Lake Bled: what a revelation!

    A truly beautiful spot to stay….after checking in at our very quiet place, we set off to walk the Lake. I took a solo excursion up a very steep hill for the viewpoints, then knuckled down to row Christine to the Island for an icecream.
    We completed a full loop, via the Art Cafe Bar, of course 🍻

    I STRONGLY recommend a visit here, ideally out of the main season: the boat fella agreed this was the best time to visit before things go crazy….he actually preferred it during Covid, when nobody visited 🤪    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Ljubljana: Filmfest, Umbrellas & Castle

    April 20, 2023 in Slovenia ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    We arrived in more beautiful sunshine.

    After a 10 minute walk, we found our home, with our lovely friendly host, Marija.
    Her place was a really beautiful old building in the heart of Ljubljana - she is the only umbrella-repairer in all of Slovenia and was very house-proud of her rooms 💪

    We wander off, and were soon acquainted in this small but character-filled city.

    We discovered we had arrived in the middle of their annual film festival, so we went to see an engaging tense dystopian tale named “We Might As Well Be Dead” at the stylish Slovenska kinoteka.
    In true film festival style, there was a quirky film festival intro followed by a welcome and thank you from the German director. After the film we all clapped, then reverently sat through all the credits before finally leaving!

    With no energy for food hunting, evening pizza & beer was procured at the Cutty Sark, with some football on TV.
    Back at base we found the most channels on our TV yet, including one showing some snooker: hurrah, the World Championships were under way, & this was the first time in 4 years we hadn’t gone to see a live session.

    Our second full day here saw us join a guided walk to make sure we hadn’t missed much.
    We learned about the main architect of Slovenia, Jože Plečnik. He apparently got wackier in his old age, producing the huge University Library that has walls allegedly representing a carpet…..
    We also discovered the tale behind Dragon Bridge (& how there are only 4 on it - the rest were wyverns!)
    In a break, we snacked on some cheap and tasty bread products from the well hidden indoor market, next to the main street market 👍

    After the guided stroll, a nice cuppa beckoned, before we walked up the park to the Castle on the hill: rather more focussed on selling features, & we heeded the wise earlier advice of our guide to avoid bothering to pay - you can walk around the courtyard for free!

    Finally dined at Sarajevo’84 for some Bosnian-Serb cuisine - very filling!    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    7 hours on IC247 💪

    April 21, 2023 in Hungary ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We headed out early.
    Sad to leave our beautiful lodgings in Ljubljana, but with over 7 hours on one train, we had a long day ahead.

    By quirk of luck, I once again became The Man In Seat 61.

    For a short while, we had a Slovenian gent with us in the compartment. He struck up conversation: we talked about the fine beers we had enjoyed at the film festival, as we passed one of the breweries. He discussed train delays, and we agreed they happened all over Europe: turned out his job was something to do with the unions on the trains, and he was familiar with the strikes back home.
    Nice chat, but he eventually left the train.

    We got comfy: listening to music, reading books, snacking.

    Eventually we arrived at Budapest, and took the M4 underground to Keleti, then had perhaps our longest walk to our Airbnb, at around 15 minutes. Clean rooms, and a chance to wash all our kit in the washing machine👍

    We discovered a delightfully healthy Eqyptian restaurant nearby, Oriental Bar Keleti, to round off our day nicely!    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Budapest: Military Fun & Repression

    April 22, 2023 in Hungary ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Another day of exploring ahead👍

    We discovered a “festival” in the huge city park near to our apartment. More of a recruitment fayre for the Military & Emergency Services! Fun, yet mildly disturbing at the same time.

    A beautiful and calming new House of Music venue raised the tone, followed by a walk up a magnificent edifice over the new Museum of Ethnography.

    The Police motorbike display team were outside, showing off their skills, & we took a quick visit to check out the nearby Széchenyi thermal baths: looked fancy, but somewhat pricey. A walk across to the Vajdahunyad vára lakeside fairytale castle before we finally tore ourselves away from all the action to walk to town.

    Seeking nourishment, it was nice to relax in the Scandi-feel of the A99 cafe, even with the instagrammers giving the place a bad name around us, posing and pouting 🤣🤷‍♂️

    Realised we would pass the infamous House of Terror, we felt we should pay it a visit.
    What a sobering experience 😳

    Fascinating yet terrible at the same time: so much repression over so many decades, first briefly by the Nazis, then by their “liberators”, the Soviets.
    Some harrowing tales on many video screens around, before slowly descending to the basement where so many were tortured and hung 😔

    This is the only place where the perpetrators are called out: there was no equivalent of the Nuremberg Trials for all the wicked deeds done 😡

    After a solid 2 hour visit, we needed some air, so continued our way to the other tourist hotspots.
    Works at the Parliament Building meant limited access, but visits to Heroes & Liberty Squares and of course the Danube raised our spirits on a pleasantly warm day. Interesting Reagan and Bush statues surrounding the Communist memorial….& a small frog statue also found rapidly by Christine!

    Liberty Square also hosts a “Memorial to the victims of the German occupation”. A controversial memorial the current Prime Minister Orbán had deployed during a night in 2014 to attempt to “white-wash” the terrible State choice to allow the Nazis in, the decision that resulted in the massacre of almost half a million Jewish, Gypsy and Hungarian homosexuals before the end of WWII 😳
    Nearby, we found a curious nuclear bunker vent….all interesting evidence of another era.

    The day was rounded off with a delicious traditional Goulash & Septoni beer at the Blue Rose restaurant, alongside some animated Greeks before a final slow amble home 👍    Read more

  • Mike WaltersEuro Beer & Magnet TourTraveler

    Last full day in Budapest

    April 23, 2023 in Hungary ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We had a lazy start, plotting and planning ahead the next couple of weeks.

    Eventually we took a number 5 bus across the river & hiked up to Castle Hill - the Fisherman’s Bastion.

    Great views across to Pest before dropping for a lunch snack by the river, as a full size coach literally “drove” through it: a step up from Duck Tours!

    Walked across to Margaret Island for a stroll: a very popular spot for people to relax at the weekend, apparently.

    On round to the sad “Shoes on the Danube Bank” just past the imposing Parliament. Plenty of people taking pictures.

    In need of cheering up, we headed to a nearby “Ruin Bar”. Over a pint, we agreed we had seen much worse places 🤪
    I was also rather pleased to finally find a Rubik’s Cube mural…

    A final march home, and a good decision to have one more beer in the late sunshine across from our apartment in the lovely City Park as a final farewell.

    Unsure how Budapest left us feeling….the “military recruitment” festival and Museum of Terror certainly made us a little uneasy, but there was really no other reason to dislike the place….    Read more

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