"FINDING THE BEST OF BUDAPEST" a Budapest Travel Page by Duffelgirl

Arriving in Budapest after a long train journey from Prague we were greeted by half a dozen touts who found the word 'no' difficult to understand. We were tired and I was grumpy, no-one seemed to understand English and I certainly didn't understand Hungarian!

After an unsuccessfully attempt to purchase a tram ticket to our pension we wandered out onto the streets outside. A blast of pollution, chaos and strange voices washed over me.

Fortunately Greg, my travelling companion, is never far from his trusted friend- 'The Lonely Planet Guide'and after quick consultation with the map pages we were soon walking in the right direction (albeit with a 20kg rucksack and a headache from hell!). We trundled over a bridge towards the Buda side of the city where the streets were hilly but calmer, and we found the accommodation we had booked the previous night.

We were met by the receptionist with a big smile, her English was better than mine and she soon equipped us with various tourist information leaflets, travel cards for ease of getting around and suggestions as to where we may like to eat!

A cold drink and a rest later we braved the outside world. As we strolled down the street in the warm, calm air, passing big old buildings and parked Larders I found myself having a good feeling about this city.