As always, my preparations and planning were meticulous which meant I was a pants short and had a rough idea of what to buy in the city as I headed downtown. It was the swedish national day, which I discovered meant that few shops were open. None to be precise. I at least got some sun blocker.

A quick’n’dirty packing later and I met up with Mirsada and are now chilling at Landvetter Airport with plenty of time and a lovely ice chai. At the check-in we were told that the travel agency had booked four people and wondered about some “Jenny and Marcus” which we never heard of, go Via Travel. Of course the frequent flyer cards hadn’t been used either.

It feels good to leave sunny and warm Gothenburg for a rainy and rather temperate Budapest, last forecast mentioned more rain and around 15 degrees. But bad weather hasn’t killed anyone.

The flight went fairly well, the usual kids and babies graced us with their presence but the flight was only two hours and slightly delayed. We picked up our luggage, got a taxi and the driver found his way, things were going a little too good in other words. At the gate to the hostel we read a sign saying that one should call a number to check-in but a fellow traveller apparently knew the code and let us in to the hostel. There was no double room with private bathroom to be found, only a loft double bed and a shared bathroom.

The manager couldn’t be found and the reception seemed to also function as a kitchen for the dorm where at least some people have had the decency to buy two crates of beer. After a few tries we realized that the manager doesn’t respond to calls on the number written down. The fellow traveller comforted us by explaining that that yesterday a girl waited two hours outside the gate and we at least have good music since some music festival just outside started. We borrowed a locker, dumped our stuff and wrote the manager a note and left to explore the neighborhood.

We strolled around and passed a barber which had a rather familiar character as logo. Then we actually got a call from the manager who explained that we have another room when I pointed out that we didn’t find a double-room in the hostel. Fair enough, we walked back to the hostel. Due to some problem with the gas that room wasn’t available so he offered us a flat in a slightly more central location for the same price. Things suddenly looked a bit brighter again.

It was now time for dinner and we decided to pay a place called Spinoza a visit, apparently a jewish restaurant with a live pianist. I’ll spare you the details but suffice to say, Mirsada won’t be winning any prices for her navigating skills neither. After some circles and realizing we were on the edge of our map now, and not in the middle where we thought we were. By the time we reach the restaurant we are both rather hungry and manage to order within the minute.

After some nice food, a large beer and classic music we walked back home, now managing to cut the walking time by half. We decided to call it a night and realize we are rather old when we appreciate our own quiet flat over a crowded dorm with drunkards from all over the world…