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On my way to Budapest EDITED 12 November

Some may remember I do mostly transportation reports. Once a fellow RS person mistook them as texting friends because they are usually play by play reports. "this is an inappropriate place to be texting friends" was more or less the response I got.

Last trip was KLM, this time Lufthansa. If Turkish Air ever decides to be competitive again, I will gladly make the 3 hour drive to Houston to catch the flight for the better service. Took me 45 min to check in and I was 6th in line. Food was poor at best and flight was late. And I miss the little sock, mask, sanitizer, toothpaste kit, ohhh and cologne in the restrooms.

I remember the old Lufthansa leather seats .. they were amazing, buy a bit hard, no more :(

From Frankfurt it's the last gate A69 ... last coffee is at gate A58. I am expecting gate A69 to be a catch all bus gate. Arrival was by bus too, so don't cut your connection too short.

Passport control, 5 min at worst.

The first flight was a big 330 and maybe 2/3rds full. Second flight a little A318 packed to the gills. I got on early, aisle seat, now I am getting beat in the face with backpacks. Take them off people!!!

Flight arrived on time. Seats about as cramped as you could imagine. On board service was water and tiny candy bar.

Taxis have gotten more expensive, now about $30 to the center of town, but I would be curious what it would cost in Rome or Paris these days.

Arrived, went out grocery shopping, nap, then started cooking for dinner guests. I think in 20 years it's the 3rd time I have cooked in an AirBnb.

Temps here are approaching 60F which is nice and still quite a few outside tables.

Day two mostly shopping. Arena mall and some on Andrassy. Went to Big Fish Bistro on Andrassy for dinner. Not impressed. But worth the effort.

Today breakfast at Lions Locker and saw some friends. Then hit a meat market (not much in way of meat for sake in the small inner city groceries) Great butcher with great sense of humor. Got some beautiful Mangalica chops (is to pork as wagu is to beef ... a local long haired pig). Finally, went to the DM for all the things most people carry over in a 1qt zip lock. This is easier.

Then spent the rest of the day working (remote) to pay for the trip.

Got takeout dinner from a great hole in the wall Thai place a few blocks away .... and now off to Kadarka Wine Bar to wash it down. Then laundry and bed.

If you are curious about all the shopping .. to be settled in for a 30 day stay.

Today I think I did score a ticket to the national teams world cup qualifier match against Greece. Will know in the morning.

WAIT! he is going to post 30 more times?! No, I will save it for the high points. Most days will be work.

For those of you that like unique cultural experiences, tomorrow is bulk trash pickup day. So the sidewalks of Budapest are lined with massive rubbish heaps. Everything from construction materials, furniture, 1970's vintage tv's, to mattresses and the occasional kitchen sink.

The cultural part of it are the Roma, who scour the piles for gems, segregate the great finds, then set up camp for the night to guard their booty. I have a lovely couple outside my window.

Good news is it will be gone by the end of the day tomorrow. Then they sweep and wash the walks to like new condition. Really is a clean town with most sidewalks swept twice a week and washed about once a month.

The tourists dont seem amused.

Trash day is over and the town is clean again.

I found a good restaurant that was worth a seperate post: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary-reviews/ri-thanonh-thai-food-dob-utca-60-budapest

Posted by
8091 posts

Our flight last November to Berlin was bought thru Delta but it was on a KLM (partner) flight out of Atlanta--connecting at Amsterdam.

The food on the KLM flight was simply inedible and the flight staff stayed in the kitchen so they could minimize any contact with travelers. The flight was just a terrible experience.

Our return flight was a Delta flight, and they served so many drinks that we were about floating. And the flight attendants were very friendly--making our flight a pleasure.

Posted by
35 posts

Leaving CLT to Budapest on AA with a layover in London. Originally had a layover of 3 hours but BA cancelled the afternoon flight to Budapest, so we were changed to the evening flight and won't arrive until 9:55 pm missing a whole day. The wait in London also changed to 10 hours. Great job AA. Lucky, we have 33 days in Europe for the Christmas Markets. Thanks Mister E for your help.

Posted by
15560 posts

I'm so happy for you that you're back in Budapest. I'll be there 18 days. In the meantime, say hi to Arpi and Mr. Z for me.

Is Turkish pricier now? I flew last month R/T Chicago. As usual, they ran out of cherry juice toward the end of the flights. The food was good and they serve wine (I tried it, one sip was enough) and beer. I got two cans to take to a young man in chicago who loves beer. Two ample meals to Chicago, and surprisingly nice food on the TLV flights which are under 2 hours.

Posted by
15560 posts

I was there once for trash day eve. Once it was explained to me, I remember wondering where everyone stored all that rubbish - isn't it a once-a-month occurrence? It did make walking a bit difficult but it was interesting to see the wide variety.

Posted by
182 posts

Bulk trash is "lomkikészítés" and is scheduled once a year in each district.