A Legjobb is The Best

So, my time in Budapest began with a week of general explorations with Max. Budapest took me completely by surprise, a far more European than eastern bloc flavour, and simply more super-models walking the streets than I've seen in my entire life...



Budapest is split down the middle by the Danube river. The two halves are known as Buda and Pest. People had told me this fact before. I had simply assumed they were joking.

Alongside our best and completely failed touristic intentions to see every historical part of Budapest, cycle to the monument up on the hill of Buda, ride a boat through the Danube and learn some Hungarian, we managed at least to eat goulash, sleep in past 1pm, and get lost in the middle of the night in a small neighbouring town called Budakesti.



Hungarian that we did manage to learn:

• kösönöm = thanks


• a legjobb = the best


• with gas = soda water

So, after almost a week of stumbling around Budapest the main point of going to Hungary began - the Sziget festival! 500 Hungarian bands, 200 foreign acts including Prodigy, Radiohead, Iggy Pop, Placebo, DJ Storm and Franz Ferdinand, with music ranging from Gypsy Roma to Rock to Afro-latino to Techno. And all spread out over a full 7 days on an island in the middle of the Danube.

120 euros gets you a weekly pass including camping, but with the constant roar of speakers and drunks and the attraction of an actual warm shower and comfortable bed at our borrowed flat in Pest we found ourselves only sleeping every second night onsite. Apart from the constant music, there are live theatre performances, cafe and restaurant areas, activity tents, even a Hungarian army tent where you can go fire off a few rounds. As you do when at a music festival.

Anyway, I could go on for ages. This party was awesome and I recommend it to anyone over this part of the world. In the meantime, here are a few photos of the week in madness.











So, since then it's been a slow and fairly uneventful trip back through Germany with a spot of meditation in Aschaffenburg (as you do when in Aschaffenburg), a visit to Mannheim and Karlsruhe once again to pwn a bit of playstation, and then to meet up with friends again in Cologne and Ede as I wind my way back to face the fates of life in Amsterdam.

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And that life begins on the 29th. And this trip is over!

Dunno when I'll next write on this blog. Maybe not till the next time I go for a European roadtrip. Perhaps any interesting photos of daily life in Amsterdam...
I'm sure I'll find some creative use for this. In the meantime, and till next time, Chopps.