From Budapest to Berlin

Here is an email I sent while on the road, so you know what happened...

Hello,

This is the first of my email accounts of my Europe wide walkabout. For those of you surprised to get an email from Berlin - I am backpacking Europe for a few weeks with Owen Dyke and our guitars. Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested and who I haven't got on the email list. To those people, sorry if you feel snubbed. Also sorry for any spelling probs, this keyboard has the letters mixed up, the Z and Y are assbackwards.

Anyway, we landed in Budapest on saturday night and as the Budapest marathon was running next day, so many of the hotels were booked so we had to settle for the 5* intercontnental which overlooked the Danube and the Buda side of the city, an amazing view - naturally our room was on the other side of the building. On our first night we were lucky enough to meet two eligible young Hungarian ladies who wanted to take us to an exciting bar full of live latino music - I really thought that our luck was in until we scoped that we were quickly falling for the evil wiles of a pair of con women - the beer in this bar started at 12 English Pounds for half a pint - I don't care where you're from -that's pricey. So we said adios to our hosts and found an English theme pub, unfortunately the only thing still open. Budapest I found was a very beautiful city, with ancient palaces, churches and bridges that put most everywhere else to shame. I also found it a little dull, nightlife wise, maybe we just never dsicovered the happening bars.

From Budapest we rolled north to Krakow. My first time in Poland - and a really great move it was too. Krakow is a beautiful little town encircled by a picturesque park and full of little ornate squares and unique buildings - we also got into a great hostel which had a good scene going on and a bar in the basement - we won the pub quiz with points to spare and scored a dozen free beers which were shared out.

Of course we visited Auschwitz which can't really be described but nevertheless will stay with me for the rest of my life - a humbling experience indeed.

We visited Wrocslaw for a night as well, another nice Polish town. We then planned to go to Prague but the only train left at 1 am. The train to Berlin however left at half twelve that lunchtime so we took a detour and here I am in one of my favourite European cities. We are in another good hostel which also has a bar in the basement and tonight is open mic night so hopefully we'll be able to step up and entertain. I've loved traipsing around the city and since I was last here in 1996 it has of course changed some more, most notably in the maze like monument to the holocaust victims built on the site of Hitler's bunker, a quite amazing sight.

Hopefully we will make it to Prague next but who knows. I'll email soon, with the next update - hope you're all doing well.

Auf Weidersehn

Justin

Poland Pictures

Somewhere beyond the Hungarian border Owen layts down some train blues.

Krakow!

The famous dragon of Krakow. It breathes fire once every five and a half minutes (yeah, we timed it).

Be you to have any spike, man?



Auschwitz.


I still haven’t quite come to terms with my day at Auschwitz and Berkanau – hopefully I never will.





A typical Polish street, in Krakow.

Owen takes aim in Wrojslav.
Me.

Budapest Pictures

Scene-setting picture lets browser get some idea of what Budapest looks like.

Failed Optical illusion #1. Owen makes like Samson with national monument.

Failed Optical Illusion #2 - I mean, it doesn't even look like a hat, does it?

The Atkins diet proved to be unexpectedly successful. Time for another beer before I pass out!

Cheers!