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Friday, February 17, 2017

Tips for travelling to Budapest

I have gained so much from others in the international travel community that I would like to pay back. Here are some tips for travelling to Budapest even though I havent been there yet - but my research has turned up pointers that may not be so easily available from elsewhere...

Tip No. 1 : District VIII has had a mixed reputation i am told, but I find its location wonderful - from a plethora of Indian restaurants to choose from, public transport at hand, and historic buildings everywhere you look !

Tip No. 2 : Travellers can take a 15 day or monthly public transport pass which is much cheaper than the 7-day / 3-day / 1-day budapest travel card. I am not sure the host of freebies are that much added value for the price.

Tip No. 3 : You CAN get on top of the Castle hill without breaking your knees on endless stairs. There is an ancient gate under the castle hill, facing the chain bridge. Take the road to the right of this gate - the Hunyadi Janos Ut. This road loops back uphill to the Habsburg Gate on top of the hill in less than 1.5 kms - a scenic 1.5 kms through interesting old buildings. 

Thursday, February 09, 2017

The international travel community

I have been researching a trip to Europe for some time. It continues to be simultaneously a cradle of modern civilization as well as a beacon of light for the evolving human experiment.

I am struck (not for the first time either !) by how incredibly helpful the international travel community is. Random travellers devote a great deal of energy and knowledge in solving other people's problems - atleast online ! Then there are these colossus of the travel community - the man in seat 61, Rick Steeves, but also others who have devoted incredible amount of time, finesse, expertise and just charm in laying out europe before us. There is comparatively little financial gain to be had from this advice, I am sure, if any at all. So it is astounding what a labour of love so many people make travel to be.

I was thinking - that if the nations of the world operated like the travel community - the world would be by far a better place !