Today I returned to Hungary to continue my walk along the E4 on the Alfoldi Kektura, but first I had to get back to the village of Nagykereki.
I caught a late bus to Gatwick and spent a number of hours on the floor of North Terminal waiting for the bag drop to open for my early EasyJet flight to Budapest. North terminal is surprisingly short of chairs in the check in area and I was not the only one lying on the cold, hard granite tiles. Despite using my "Buff" (a sort of neck scarf) to block out the bright lights of the terminal I did not sleep. The flight went smoothly and then I needed to get from Budapest terminal 2 to Ferihegy railway station by bus. I missed the first as the people ahead of me spent so long at the ticket machine trying to work out what to do and the driver would not let me buy a ticket from him (and I lost my place in the queue for the machine while asking him). (Note: you have to tell the machine you want to pay and then tell it how you want to pay). However I manged to get to the railway station and onto the train for the 4 hour or so journey to Debrecen. I checked into the Stop Panzio and the owner said I should have gone straight to Debrecen airport from London on Wizz Air, which would have saved me time and money. I checked, he was right, always annoying!
The first day is always difficult as you wonder if you have left something behind like your passport (as one chap did on the aeroplane, fortunately a stewardess found it and quickly returned it to him).
After checking in, and after a brief panic when I thought I lost my pills, I headed out and visited the Great Reformed Church. It's much simpler than similar Catholic churches in Hungary, and played a part in the 1848 revolution when Hungary tried, and failed, to gain independance from the Hapsburgs. The church has a lift so that you can get a view from the roof and can also see the top of the domed ceiling in an attic beneath the roof - not constructed as I expected.
The kind lady at Tourinform also helped me book accommodation for a place who had not replied to my e-mail. She also suggested I visited the big park on the north side of the town which had fountains, trees, cafés and if I had timed it right, various entertainments.
So now I am in a nice restaurant with a guitar player strumming Beatle songs and the like. Early start tomorrow for the train to Nagykereki.
I caught a late bus to Gatwick and spent a number of hours on the floor of North Terminal waiting for the bag drop to open for my early EasyJet flight to Budapest. North terminal is surprisingly short of chairs in the check in area and I was not the only one lying on the cold, hard granite tiles. Despite using my "Buff" (a sort of neck scarf) to block out the bright lights of the terminal I did not sleep. The flight went smoothly and then I needed to get from Budapest terminal 2 to Ferihegy railway station by bus. I missed the first as the people ahead of me spent so long at the ticket machine trying to work out what to do and the driver would not let me buy a ticket from him (and I lost my place in the queue for the machine while asking him). (Note: you have to tell the machine you want to pay and then tell it how you want to pay). However I manged to get to the railway station and onto the train for the 4 hour or so journey to Debrecen. I checked into the Stop Panzio and the owner said I should have gone straight to Debrecen airport from London on Wizz Air, which would have saved me time and money. I checked, he was right, always annoying!
The first day is always difficult as you wonder if you have left something behind like your passport (as one chap did on the aeroplane, fortunately a stewardess found it and quickly returned it to him).
After checking in, and after a brief panic when I thought I lost my pills, I headed out and visited the Great Reformed Church. It's much simpler than similar Catholic churches in Hungary, and played a part in the 1848 revolution when Hungary tried, and failed, to gain independance from the Hapsburgs. The church has a lift so that you can get a view from the roof and can also see the top of the domed ceiling in an attic beneath the roof - not constructed as I expected.
The kind lady at Tourinform also helped me book accommodation for a place who had not replied to my e-mail. She also suggested I visited the big park on the north side of the town which had fountains, trees, cafés and if I had timed it right, various entertainments.
So now I am in a nice restaurant with a guitar player strumming Beatle songs and the like. Early start tomorrow for the train to Nagykereki.
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| Inside of Great Reformed Church at Debrecen |
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