Mr Dyson (Csabi) was to be our tour guide to Budapest for the morning. We travelled in to the city on the suburban train and met Csabi at the station. We were taken to the hospital in the rock – an underground hospital from WWII and a “secret” nuclear bunker from the cold war. It is a very interesting tour and worth seeing. We then went to some more caves under the castle called the “Labyrinth” which was a very strange tour (old caves filled with modern art). After a spot of shopping and eating “Langos”, we said goodbye to Csabi at the train station and headed back to Szilvi and Anton’s flat.
An evening caving trip had been arranged with Peter Zentay, so we met Peter, Aggi and Peter’s father, Zsolt at the Pal Volgi cave for a trip into Matthias Cave. We had a great trip in the cave and got very hot – but cooled down in the pub with a beer!
Saturday, 30 January 2010
Day 133 Wednesday 27/01/10
We were invited to Marci and Agnes’s flat for lunch and saw Marci’s photographs from their recent caving expedition to the deepest cave in the world (-2040m) in Aphasia (near Russia). In the evening we went to the thermal baths at Gelert with Marci. MC had a dental appointment at 8:30pm with Marci’s dentist, so we had a meal in Budapest before heading up to the dentist (tooth problem that had continued since Tunisia).
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Day 132 Tuesday 26/01/10
We planned to drive to Hungary today but had an invite to visit Brana’s parents before we left Belgrade and Bebek wanted to show us some more of Belgrade too. We stopped off for tea and cake at Brana’s parents and jump started one of their cars from the Land Rover battery before driving to a local park to have a walk. It was great to have such wonderful accommodation, food and city tour guides for our first visit to Serbia. We cannot wait to go back and visit this country in slightly warmer weather and to explore the country and its caves. Many thanks Bebek and Brana!
We set off at 2:00pm to Hungary and the drive was very easy. The route was motorway all the way and we made it to Budapest by 8:00pm. We met our good friend, Marci, just off the ring-road and followed him to our next “caver” accommodation with our other good friends, Szilvi and Anton. We have been very lucky for our return leg of the journey to have so many good friends to provide help, great meals and a bed for the night!
We set off at 2:00pm to Hungary and the drive was very easy. The route was motorway all the way and we made it to Budapest by 8:00pm. We met our good friend, Marci, just off the ring-road and followed him to our next “caver” accommodation with our other good friends, Szilvi and Anton. We have been very lucky for our return leg of the journey to have so many good friends to provide help, great meals and a bed for the night!
Day 131 Monday 25/01/10
Bebek took the day off work to show us round Belgrade. We travelled in by bus and spent the day in the city, calling in on an old Turkish bar to sample the local beer.
Day 130 Sunday 24/01/10
We had an early start to drive to Serbia. On getting out to the Land Rover, MC found that someone had hit the Land Rover and damaged the back corner. The vehicle survived 4 months of North Africa and sustained its only bodywork damage with only one week to go!
It was very cold and we set off driving wrapped up in coats and ski salopettes. We thought that we may have some problems at the Serbian border as our Land Rover, at a gross weight of 3500kg, is classed as a lorry in Serbia. If we had to enter as a lorry, it would mean a long queue with many HGV’s on the border. As it happened, we sailed through the car lane in two minutes with no hassle!
We had arranged to meet Bebek, a Serbian caver that we met in Hungary last new year, in his home town of Jagodina and then travel to Belgrade with him and his wife (Brana) to their flat. It turned out that we were meeting them at Bebek’s niece’s birthday party and were fed before we could leave.
It was very cold and we set off driving wrapped up in coats and ski salopettes. We thought that we may have some problems at the Serbian border as our Land Rover, at a gross weight of 3500kg, is classed as a lorry in Serbia. If we had to enter as a lorry, it would mean a long queue with many HGV’s on the border. As it happened, we sailed through the car lane in two minutes with no hassle!
We had arranged to meet Bebek, a Serbian caver that we met in Hungary last new year, in his home town of Jagodina and then travel to Belgrade with him and his wife (Brana) to their flat. It turned out that we were meeting them at Bebek’s niece’s birthday party and were fed before we could leave.
Day 129 Saturday 23/01/10
Awoke to another cold day, so after sorting the emails and repacking the Land Rover, we went for a walk with Dudley around V.T. In the evening we all went to a local restaurant for a meal with some more ex-pats. Thanks again to the Thorpes and it was great to catch up with you!
Saturday, 23 January 2010
Day 128 Friday 22/01/10
With the weather in Eastern Europe being so cold (down to -20 degrees C) we decided to head back to the UK quicker than originally planned. We booked tickets to Thailand to spend February in the sun – caving with the Shepton Mallet Caving Club!
After lunch we headed out with Dudley to visit a near-by gorge and (frozen?) waterfall. On the way there, Dudley’s car got stuck in the snow, so MC and EP got out to give it a push. It was at this time that MC spotted a flat back tyre. A quick wheel change was needed and we headed to the nearby village to find a tyre repair shop. With a new, second-hand, tyre on the car we gave up on the tourist thing and headed back to V.T.
After lunch we headed out with Dudley to visit a near-by gorge and (frozen?) waterfall. On the way there, Dudley’s car got stuck in the snow, so MC and EP got out to give it a push. It was at this time that MC spotted a flat back tyre. A quick wheel change was needed and we headed to the nearby village to find a tyre repair shop. With a new, second-hand, tyre on the car we gave up on the tourist thing and headed back to V.T.
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