Good morning and a beautiful, and in my case, snowy day to you. It is beautiful
today, the snow stopped, melted mostly, just wait 'til the big truck goes by, but there's
still snow around it's still really cold I'm going to need more clothes than this.
But today saying farewell to Budapest it's been wonderful here even in the
cold and the snow, although the snow has added the atmosphere, it's time for
another train journey to yet another country
Now this is more like it for going out and about in the snow.
Nice woolly hat, thick jacket, some layers, good thick socks waterproof shoes I'm
still missing a decent pair of gloves that I can use when I'm filming but I've
got to go and catch a train, come on, let's grab them bags and get out of here.
Oh, I was just walking outside past a building and somebody closed a window and a whole
raft of snow fell off a roof on top of me.
It's in my bag and worst of all it fell down my
neck and now I've got a wet back.
Oh, Oh the trials of walking in the snow!
Remember the Christmas tree? This is what it looks like now.
Looks a bit better now than when we first arrived.
They were just delivering it.
Hmm, so I have found my train
at least I hope it's my train, it's got Bratislava on the
side, it's got to be going there, so let me show you a second-class train from
Budapest, the train actually goes Budapest to Prague so when you're
looking for your Bratislanva train look for Prague. Now I'm second class
there's two types of second class the sort of open traditional one we're used to and these ones.
Now they're quiet compartments so they're meant to be a bit, you're not meant
to make noise in them. I have six seats, a table, there is lots of room for your
luggage in the luggage racks. There is a power point, two pin round, typical European.
If you get a window seat obviously you unfold the table like this to do some work
or just put your head on it and sleep.
I have a window seat to see what's going on outside, but yes I have it yes
very nice and neat, at the moment my trains nice and quiet so hopefully it'll
stay that way or if people do come in my carriage they'll be nice and quiet for
the journey, so I'm gonna bag myself a window seat here put my bags up top get my
camera out, my book out, some snacks and enjoy the journey from Budapest to
Bratislava in Slovakia
Oh ,welcome aboard the train. This is the train that goes from Budapest to Prague in the
Czech Republic but I'm gonna hop off at Bratislava the capital of Slovakia on
the way. Now, interesting thing this morning, I found out this morning that
there's actually two railway, main railway stations in Budapest and of
course I went to the wrong one, I went to the one that I arrived on which was the
train from Vienna
which of course was the wrong one, but you can buy tickets
for all the destinations at both the railway station offices, so I bought my
ticket there, then I got a couple of metro trains to this station and then I
then I had plenty time so I went and had a coffee, now I'm on the train so it wasn't
a bit of a train smash, but if you had already booked your ticket and you were
running to a deadline, something to note off there is two
stations where trains leave from in Budapest, make sure you go to the right
station first time, it'll save you a little bit of time. And we're off!
Smack on time.
Farewell Budapest, it's been a fantastic few days, it has been cold but that's
what I get for visiting in December, the snow was really brilliant to experience
it was early snow so I think everyone was a bit surprised but it made it look
beautiful, unfortunately I couldn't go out and get any pictures in the snowy
day because it just snowed all day and it was snow and grey, and I'm leaving
today, so upside didn't have a go traipsing around in the cold snow the
outside I didn't get any beautiful pictures of Budapest in the snow,
something else to come back for.
Budapest is a beautiful city
the buildings, the location, makes it, I can see why it is such or maybe one of
the most popular cities in the central part of Europe to visit.
It's not cheap cheap, but it's not that expensive so, you know, again, as always avoid typical
touristy areas and you can get some really good value, the food is really
beautiful, the people are friendly nice, English is so widely spoken it's
humiliating. I tried to learn one or two words...
and you just go "eh ah" and they start
speaking to in English, and you know and this goes from people in the
supermarket's people at the train stations people random people on the
street, people who have got no necessary business needing English for their job
but they switch to English and they are super nice and super helpful quite
polite as well so be nice to them, the city is nice, easy to get around quite
compact if you've got a good pair of walking legs you can walk to all the
areas quite easily, and you can zip from distant areas on the metro or the
trams really nicely too. So enjoy Budapest, the markets where, the
Christmas markets which I came to see were nice too, and now it's to another
country Slovakia, and go and see their capital Bratislava. Never been to Slovakia
before, well this is my first time in Hungary as well so I'm quite excited it's about a two
and a half train journey, two and a half hour train journey and I must remember to get
off at Bratislava, because this train goes all the way through to Prague and I
start an end in Prague but I've got lots more to do in the middle so let's have a
look out the window, ooh it's so snowy, and show you
snowy Budapest farewell
And welcome to Slovakia! We have crossed the border but being part of the
European Union there is no stop at the border no border
control so the train just rolls through but had a change of crew and on the
train and the announcement has changed as well and now no longer Hungarian
train is now it's now a Slovakian train, train service. So landscape still it's a
beautiful, beautiful sun, still a dusting of white snow over the landscape here
and I think just about another hour to go and I'll be heading off the train.
What a beautiful journey managed to keep the carriage this compartment entirely
to myself so I had nice peace and quiet, nobody coming in disturbing me, and the scenery
has been stunning, the light dusting of snow and then I had some patches of blue
sky and sunshine, sun now but some big clouds coming up, and going past some
lakes and mountains and towns and villages it has been beautiful I spent
most of time glued to the window looking outside at the passing scenery it is one of
the nice things with train journeys, you can sit back let somebody else do the
driving and look outside and enjoy.
But...
oh no, this is Branislav I've gotta get my gear and get off. Okay come on let's go,
grab bags
oh no, I am not at all ready, I've left this a bit late, let's get going,
wait wait waiit wait wait....
I've got my bags, let's get off before the train leaves
Now, how do I get out of here?
Exit, exit this way.
Thank you train.
Welcome to Bratislava.
OK, managed to get off the train in time, just!
Everybody was busy piling on, huh
I was busy talking to the camera and I didn't realize I was in Bratislava!
That was nice easy journey.
So now, out of the station and yes, you guessed it, I've gotta find my way to my
accommodation, now I've got to get tram one to... somewhere
Tram one? Bus one?
Tram one to the central area and then I've got to walk a little bit because my
accommodation is in a pedestrianised area so it should be nice and quiet from
traffic anyway
ah tram stop...
tram stop... any information
how do I pay for it, how do I get the ticket,
I am so unprepared.
Okay I found the
machine of some kind. I think it's a pocket station, no it's, err...
how do I make it speak English to me?
Pay with card, back to Euros here in Slovakia.
Now it seems to be select the type of ticket you want and press select one ticket.
now
two region... 70 euro... a 60 minute ticket, a thirty minute ticket...
I'm going to buy a 30 minute ticket
is one Euro.
I do you have Eroes
So, here's all the things that's got two people 15 minutes I think that means, 2 region
I have no idea why.., oh that's for a young I think so I've
picked this one 30 minutes, 2 region, 100 and 101? No idea what that means but
but let's press that,
give it my Euro
it seems to have eaten that nicely,
I got some change anyway, not it's printing my ticket...
Hey, give me my ticket...!
And,
here's a ticket. Now I don't if you've got to validate it or not,
but I shall guess.
Now I've just got to work out where to get off.
oh and that was nice and easy to find.
I got my key, it was a four-minute walk
round the corner from where the tram stopped to the accommodation, and let's
show you what it's like
Isn't that lovely? That is really nice.
OOP, sorry I've gone a bit wonky,
whoooop
Okay, isn't it, it is really lovely, really spacious and right in the heart of
Bratislava, so now I'm here I don't have to go anywhere else
I am just going to walk to everywhere, show you Bratislava
but first today, it's time
to get some food. I'm hungry again