I’m still feeling a bit ropey

A liquid breakfast and toast is all I managed. And I said hello to it again an hour later. There’s no rush. Leaving at 1200 I left my bags at the hotel, booked another night in Bucharest, costing £78 each night, which is about 400 lei. I’d be pushed to find a Travel Lodge for that. From now on it’s budget, unless it’s a sleeper car.

St. Margaret’s island is my destination today. On the way, I saw Ronald Regan, and memorial statue erected overnight by Victor Orban in 2014. This is controversial as it claims that Hungary in the shape of the Angel Gabriel is being attacked by the Nazi eagle. This image hints that Hungary was the victim of the Nazis in WWII when they were at least complicit with them. It has been stated that Hungary sent up to 450,000 Jews to camps and their death. The accusation is that this is a white washing of history. Hungary was the first country to join the Axis in 1940. When I saw the bullet holes in the church the other day, I assumed they were Nazi bullets and not Allied.

A counter protest from July 2019 can be found in front of this monument with stories of people who where sent away. Suitcases, shoes, and combs made this even more pointant, especially given the antisemitism row in the Labour Party back home.

I made it too the park. An iced coffee went down really well, but I’m still not hungry.

And so to air quality! I borrowed a usb charger and changed my Plume password so I could type it in on my dodgy phone. The air pollution is high. Plume Labs have added more cities in on their app and Bp is red. But just for the moment on Margaret Island I have moderate air pollution – for a minute! Time to move and see if I can work up an appetite.

Nope! It’s 1652 and I’m still not hungry.

Dreher 0.5% is a good drink. This is my second bottle, and I have a view of guess what? The Danube! That’s me back on the 0.5 and 0.0%. Everything is better for it. Perhaps the beer made me tired.

1731: Way off my 2310 train time. One more Dreher. I’m comfortable here. Not so much about the dance\rap music I don’t recognise – none of it.

My thoughts on Budapest – it’s not Paris.

The running track around Margaret Island is a great idea. Shame about the air. But none of this is as good as the parks around Wein. Male attitudes to health and fitness seem to be rooted in the 70s.

I still have a couple of hours to go out and get a good meal. What do I weigh now? 78KG was my stating weight. It must be 74KG now. If I can’t manage a big meal I’ll have some sushi. Let’s see how they do it here. One last gulp of Dreher and I’m off.

The place – Hot Stone Steak House. Stella do a 0.5% in a 0.51cl bottle, too. Finally, a decent sized bottle and a good drink inside it.

Looking back, I should have pushed on with the low alc before now. It really makes no difference to me. When I arrive home, then I’ll become vegetarian again. Budapest hasn’t gone vegan yet.

How much? 48 Euro for a tasteless meat! I had meat sweats, but I think it was from the heat and the bad air. Never mind, I’ve eaten. Back at the hotel, one Coke for 660fr and a Sprite, then a 4000 taxi ride.

The station isn’t busy and I’m sitting around for 40 minutes waiting for my platform. You could squeeze three people in this compartment, but they’d need to be good friends (actually 2 people). I forgot to write the date in my interrail pass, so the conductor had to come back with a pen. That’s trip #6!

I have a toilet, a shower, and a strange smell from the vents. Not me this time!

We’re off and I have no idea when my morning knock up is. I turned the lock on the door, and it wont unlock. So, it must be central locking. I’m parted with my ticket again.

I’ll visit the buffet car in the morning. I guess there’s a buffet car. This little room an window may not do the journey justice.

Good night!