18th June 2018

Cathy Posting

We left Lake Balaton this morning and set off for a city camp site Camping Haller just 3 kms from the centre, I rang the campsite in advance to hopefully reserve a shady spot, I had read on camper contact and park4night that there wasn’t too much shade, I also wanted to check the price as they have ACSI and also a stay 3 get 4th night free offer on. It only took about 1.5 hours to get to the camp and on arrival we were pleasantly surprised to find a bit of shade.

We are guided to a spot with some shade and only one side of us has a neighbour, there is a huge group of about 20 camper vans who are together from Austria and they have a chain link around their set up, no sneaking in there then, they were replaced a couple of days later by a french group. The site is surrounded on one side by a hospital and the other a big block of apartments but strangely once you are pitched up you don’t see them, there are enough trees around to break the view, and we are in a city! I take a walk around and see there is a very pretty little restaurant all decked out with red and white gingham and readers of this blog will know I’m a sucker for that! a large TV with the sound turned down, high-tech washing machines and dryers, insert payment card or cash, choose machine number and all for €4, all pre-loaded with detergent, impressive for a city site.

We decide to have tea on site as we’ve not much food left and it’ll be cheaper than Budapest, I put on a new white top I bought in Pecs, do my hair nicely and choose some jewellery Dave bought me in Burano island Venice, I feel like dressing up tonight, and there’s not much dressing up when your living in a camper, there’s footy on and we get chatting to the owner, the camp is under new management with a Hungarian guy who has lived in Scotland, Orkney for 14 years and his accent is broad Scottish!  he tells us about his time there and says he plans to open this site more in Winter as the previous owners didn’t. He recommends a pork dish with Hungarian dumplings, a type of goulash with lots of Paprika, we both love that so we didn’t bother looking at the menu, the young girl arrives with the food and as I’m still talking and looking at the guy opposite me when I’m suddenly covered in my dinner! from head to toe! she is so shocked she can’t speak at all! I’m also in a state of shock as I wasn’t looking, I just felt it! the guy apologises and I head quickly back to Pogo and strip off my pale blue trousers and white top, Dave rushes them over to the high-tech machines and the Scottish speaking Hungarian gets the wash on Pronto!

Within minutes I’m changed and back at the table, this time it all goes smoothly and the meal is lovely.

After saying goodbye we head off for the Metro as we go into the City to see the England v Tunisia game, we’ve been recommended to go to Liberty Square, stumbling in to Szent István tér 1, a vast square, we came across St Stephens Basilica, it was an awesome sight and absolutely huge. The square was vast with many tourists taking photos in the fading evening light. I stand and admire this while Dave heads over to the ATM as we are all out of HUF!

St Stephens Basilica, Budapest

Liberty Square is set up with a HUGE screen and table and benches for the revellers, around the edges are bars and snack stalls, we arrived just in time which was lucky as Dave thought the kick off was an hour later!.

Liberty Square Budapest, can you find me?

At half time we move to a bar with more comfy tables and chairs, another group want to sit down but they need another chair, I tell them we’ll squeeze over but the waiter isn’t having that, 1 table 1 bill he says! so I suggest to the group of 4 that we will give them the money for our drinks and they thank us and take their pews ready for the second half, chatting a little Dave discovers they are on a work project and live in UK, when the footy is over we have a good night with them, the ”boss” buys us all a palinka which is the local tipple drunk as a shot, we wish each other good health with the local word for cheers, egészségedre, pronounced egga-ceshake-edre! and then it’s time to leave and they won’t let us pay for any drinks! thanks so much guys it was a fun night and I hope those business expenses get paid!

Car of the day

Off to the Metro and it’s closed! oops what now? were told by a lady that we need to get the replacement bus service, with more help from friendly people we are at the bus stop but which bus? a young lad with a backpack helps us out then back at camp we can’t get in! the gates are locked we’ve been naughty and stayed out late, there’s a button so we press it and a couple of minutes later a security guy arrives to let us in, everyone else is sensibly fast asleep. Must try harder.

Cathy