Last of Istanbul and Budapest Arrival

Well the bridge went exceptionally well with Norway, Sweden and France winning U26J, U21Y and U26G respectively. Australia failed to qualify in the U26J and the girls were on course to make the semi-finals but fell at the last turn. The 84 board finals were very interesting and commentating was a lot of fun. The Botswana U26J tea, won the Joan Gerard sportsmanship award hole a Swedish girl won the U21y and Australia's Jessica Brake won the Girl's award. 

Apart from the first day managed to get to nearby town one night and spend a day (after I finished work at 15:00) in Istanbul  where I had a great meal with Sue Picus and Alex Smirnov at the Fine Dining Restaurant (no that's it's name) on the rooftop of the Arcadia Blue Hotel. It is one of one magical settings looking out over the Blue Mosque to the Bosphorus and taking in the sunset while eating great food.  The Staff dinner was held at a great seafood restaurant on the water of the Bosphorus - delightful evening and relaxation. 

I really enjoyed this bridge tournament. Being somewhat isolated there wasn't a lot to think about or plan or such and I just relaxed big time. The weather during the first 5/6 days was hot and very humid and while the rest of the time was very warm the humidity settled back making it very pleasant.

Closing ceremony Saturday all packed and everything washed before bed. Sunday morning  and 08:00 bus to the airport for 12:15 flight to Budapest. Even though I sent some stuff back with one of the kids I was worried about weight but I needn't have been a few kilos over but no dramas.

Sat around for a few hours and boarded the flight which was running 45 minutes late. Smooth flight and arrival apart for lengthy wait for luggage. I have a game I play with myself to see how bad exchange rates are at kiosks etc. On arrival the buy and sell exchange rate for Australian Dollars were 19.8% from the midpoint. I think to myself who uses those services - well there was a queue of people to be ripped off. 

I get what I need from the ATM and get a cab for the 20km to the hotel. The taxi system is very civilised, you go to the booth tell them where you are going and they print a ticket which you hand to the driver. Welcome to Hungary as the driver hands me 3,000 change of 10,000 for a 6,030 fare. I asked him if he felt he deserved the tip to which he sheepishly offered me the balance of the change. 

The hotel I booked was the MGallery in Nemzeti. It is well located, a ten minute walk to the river and shopping centre of town. Like most MGallery it is a historic building redone as a hotel. 3 metre ceilings, grand stair cases etc. 

I "unpack" and go for a two hour walk towards the river and centre of action to get the lay of the land. It certainly seems like this city is about food as there are SOOO many restaurants EVERYWHERE. 

The architecture is stunning. Take the cars away and it feels like you are walking down pre-war European streets with people enjoying coffee and food in a much more relaxed time. 

   

I walked into the New York Salon, obviously an icon here, waited a few minutes to see an English Menu to be told by a pompous man that it was available outside. No thanks.

Budapest seems AMAZINGLY cheap, much cheaper than Turkey. Cappuccinos in some places just $1, two scoops of gelato/ice cream $1.50, baby clothes and other non-western brand labels very cheap indeed.

Back to the hotel and feeling tired I take the hotel special three course meal for $A15 option and it was lovely especially the Asparagus soup and Salmon Tartar. Certainly hit the spot, especially when all of the places near the hotel seemed to be Turkish ARGGGHHH. 

It was great to be in a king bed with fluffy doona, fluffy pillows, in a lovely hotel room after two weeks in a dormitory room with a single bed bottom sheet and blanket. I slept really well my first night here and look forward to some days of exploration.

Anyway I have a plan - buy a two day hop-on hop-off bus ticket and buy a three day city pass for free transport, admissions etc..

Let you know more at the end of my trip in three days time.

Best to all....

XD