Serbia to England

I arrived in Belgrade, Serbia, in the early morning, and took the train out of town again that evening, having left myself little time before a rendezvous in Hungary. On the overnight train from Sofia to Belgrade, I had an interesting conversation with a man who spoke excellent Serbian but no English, who attempted to discuss the intricacies of the World Cup Final headbutting incident with me, using mime and the words ¨Futbul¨and ¨Good¨. Further inspiration for learning Spanish in South America. The centre of Belgrade is largely rather pleasant, although I did manage to find and take photos of this bombed out building near the train station.



Belgrade´s castle.


During my trip through Eastern Europe, I spent an inordinate amount of time waiting in train stations at night, so here´s a photo. This is in Belgrade.
In Hungary, I met with a friend from Veliko Tarnovo and headed out to the vineyard of the friend´s friend´s father, near Lake Balaton for a couple of days relaxation. The food, wine, company, scenery and walking trails were great, though the lake resort itself made me appreciate New Zealand´s beautiful waterways and access to the coast.

View from the train, on the way back into Budapest.



















In Budapest, I went caving underneath the city, which was much more adventurous than I had thought it would be -- lots of long tight squeezes and clambering about. I should end up with a photo or two from that trip eventually. I also visited the House of Terror (pictured), a sobering and informative monument to the oppression Hungary suffered under the Nazis and then the Soviets, before capitalism liberated the country and Budapest was elevated to its current status as a stag party mecca.

I flew out of Budapest and spent a few days in London, before catching my flight onwards to South America. The best thing about London (apart from maybe the improved weather) was catching up with friends new and old, from countries as diverse as New Zealand, England, France, and Poland - who hosted me in grand style. Other highlights were spending a bit more time in London´s legendary museums, cooking a nostalgic Thai meal, and attending both days of Fruitstock (pictured), a huge free festival in one of the parks (Hyde Park?); ¨Aim¨ played there, which I thought was really cool, and may mean something to some of you also.

Next, I flew onwards to Argentina.