Today has mostly been about the travelling, true trains, planes and automobiles style. My smugness at good packing was somewhat undone when Pete had to repack our toiletries because the ziplock bags i had used were millimetres ober the standard size. Other than that it all went smoothly. Bernard has flown once before, aged 3, so was super excited all over again: oh wow, oh my goodness! and managed about an hour before he got bored (the tablet battery having run out before we even got to the airport).
On arrival we were met and driven into town by the Erstwhile Dr Pockless his very self, which was just the height of luxury. The main road into town is still a dusty, billboard-strewn memory lane, if a little less shabby than it was 15 years ago; and i remember a surprising amount of hungarian. And I think that this iteration of Karen is more likely actually to use it.
Our AirB&B apartment is on the second floor of one of the old houses, very similar to my first flat here and right by Margit Bridge. Bernard’s bed is on a mezzanine floor above the sitting room, and if he wasn’t so tired I’m fairly sure he would have refused to sleep up there as it all feels a bit precarious.
The gourmand DrP had to head home, but recommended we try out a food festival about a km away from the flat. We walked up there, negotiated the entrance and the purchase of several glasses of wine, some water, a bowl of tagliatelle with pesto, three portions of csirkepaprikas, some langoskenyer to share, and some more wine. My hungarian is understood, even if it does still get answered in german – I remember that from before, too.
We then treated B to a ride on the tram, got off on the middle of the bridge, and watched a sound and light display at the fountains on Margit Island. With the last of the boy’s energy, we came back to the flat and he was asleep seconds after I finished his story, which is not like him at all. Pete and I made up the sofa bed and enjoyed all the wifi.
It’s going to be fun showing Bernard to Budapest, or the other way around.