Zagreb to Budapest
Sunday, October 16th, 2005Zagreb was a pleasant surprise. It’s not a really popular stop on the standard backpacking circuit, but we decided to break up the long trip between the Croatian coast and Budapest with a stop in Croatia’s capital. Our arrival in the city was not so exciting. We came on one of the infamous buses (that averages 30 miles/hr) and when we arrived, we were stuck in a traffic jam for another hour. (I had to pee the whole time, so you can imagine it was a fun afternoon for Fabien.) When we arrived at the bus station, we prepared ourselves to meet the old women shouting “sobe” and to our disappointment there was no one there… so for the first time in a couple of weeks, we had to look for a place on our own. We went to the youth hostel, a dingy, seven floor building with squeaky doors and dingy rooms, but at least we had a warm bed to sleep in. The temperature also dropped considerably from the coast to Zagreb, so I put on everything in my backpack on and we went out to check out the town.
The architecture was very similar to Prague, the cafes and bars were packed and the prices were considerably cheaper than we found on the coast (this is actually a town for the locals and not the hoards of tourists.) We spent a couple of days just wandering the streets, popping our heads into shops and churches, and shopping the local market for great picnic makings.
We left yesterday afternoon on a train to Budapest. So, here we are, the last stop on our European adventure. I’ve been here a few times before to sort out my Czech visa and visit friends, but it’s a city that definitely has a lot of energy. We got here last night, met a few people at the hostel, went to a light/music festival on one of the main squares downtown and hung out a bit. Today Fab and I climbed up Gehlert hill, the highest point in Budapest, to get a view of the city. Tomorrow, we’re going to spend a day relaxing in the thermal baths…life is good.
I’ll write a bit more before we head off to Asia. This has been a great warm-up, and as always, I’m in love with Europe.
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