DATELINE: September 5th, Gonyu, Hungary
Yeah, this isn’t exactly Budapest. The Danube’s low water prevented us from getting in, so we docked sometime in the early hours of the day outside this little village with fuck all going on instead, and an hour and a half drive from the big city. And it was damn cold this morning too, a woman on the boat with a big mouth told us so, and she was rather put out that we ignored her advice to put on a jacket. It was 21 degrees Celsius. Like Jesus Christ eh, we’re fukkin’ Canadian, so leave us alone.
Anyway, so on the coach buses we go. The drive in is actually pleasant, reminded me a lot of Southern Manitoba, and a few of us even had naps. Max said that every man on the bus was ripping it out with some serious snore action and I’m like, “yeah well not me,” and her somewhat hostile response was . . . “ oh yes, very much YOU.” Look, it’s that jet lag thing, okay? 8 am here is 12 midnight at home, and even though we’ve been here six days, I still want to sleep when I should be awake and I’m awake when I should be sleeping. But I wasn’t snoring and there’s no video so I’m pretty sure it didn’t happen.
That’s the Royal Palace on the left side of the Danube, inside Buda, and Pest (pronounced Pesht) on the right.
Bet you can’t spot the Grumpy Man in the pool. These are the Szechenyi Public Baths. 18 pools of various temperatures, showers, saunas, steam rooms etc., etc.. It’s an absolutely massive complex. Viking gave us robes, towels and slippers, and of course the robe was too small. Yeah, serious!!! I’m not that big of a human okay, who are they making these robes for anyway? I’m starting to develop a complex, man! The big pools were great, the smaller, indoor ones well, maybe not to my taste. Everyone just piles in and maybe they are just used to not having space but yeah, I couldn’t do it. I’m like, “nope, fuck that, we’re going outside.” It wasn’t bad out there either, as you can see by the picture (water was at 100 degrees Fahrenheit), although we did have one dude in a leopard print mankini and that was not something we needed to see (yeah sorry, no picture).
This city warrants more than an afternoon. We were in and out in a flash of a mankini (not mine) and that’s not enough. Budapest is magnificent and deserves our attention and especially our love. There’s been a city on this site since Roman times and it’s seen some things, not all of them good. I feel real pain here which is sort of hard to describe but yeah I very much feel it, like in the same way I felt it walking along the river front of Savanna Ga. (a beautiful spot but some bad shit went down and the soul knows). Budapest is resilient and lovely to look at and hides it’s hurt well, but this grand metropolis really needs a hug.
DATELINE: September 6th, Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, Zagreb, Croatia
The cruise part is over. We left our ship on the Danube a little after 8 am this morning, 3 couples, a Croatian bus driver and Slovenian tour guide, riding a giant tour coach with a bathroom that didn’t work, on freshly paved highways across the Great Hungarian Plain. Eventually we made it here to Zagreb.
To this magnificent hotel, built 101 years ago to attract passengers from the famed Orient Express route Paris / Venice / Istanbul (the train tracks are right behind the hotel). We are not exactly international jet setters but sometimes maybe it’s fun to pretend that we are. And compared to the cabin aboard ship, our room here seems palatial with a king-size bed, full bath with tub and shower, a magnificent marble top desk to blog on (Hell yeah) and also a coffee maker with espresso shots (double Hell yeah).
DATELINE: September 7th, Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, Zagreb, Croatia
The temperature today is again North of 90 (degrees Fahrenheit), so yes . . . very hot and summer-like. I do so want to complain too because God damn I’m Grumpy eh, but then I see that home is rainy and miserable, so I shut up and look for more gelato.
And free washrooms, which are very few and far between. If you need to ‘shake a leg’ (or pop a squat – yeah I know eh, I’m so fucking vulgar) it will cost you upwards of 1 Euro (but usually less) and don’t worry, they take credit cards too if you are short on change.
Okay right, so Zagreb . . . what do I think?
The city parks are amazing, maintained with pride and well used.
Did you know the necktie was invented in Croatia? Yeah, and they have a museum for it too. And this was in the museum’s windows. In case you are wondering, English is very widely spoken here lol.
Okay, so Zagreb – maybe let’s change it to – how do I feel?
How about . . . I feel — cafés and cake while sipping macchiatos. Time is maybe a bit slower and less meaningful yet also more, and all at once. Nothing changes yet everything does, and the city lives on in one shape or another, so have another drink and enjoy the visit.
See you in Slovenia!