The musings of a man who is coming up to the next stage in life.
These are the stats for Midlifewanderlust1965 for July:
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August is going to be a quiet month. I will be doing very little as my trip to the Balkans is now only a month away. I did experience some lows in July but I am now over that. As always it is a case of moving forward.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
Budapest was a city that I always wanted to visit. I had originally planned to come in 2011 but ill health forced me to abandon the plan. So I was glad that I could visit this year.
I had arrived from Vienna. We all know that Vienna is a beautiful city with all its classical architecture. How would Budapest compare. When I arrived into the coach station my first impressions were not great. I took the metro and all I could see was the 70's style carriage and how dirty it looked. Once I left the Deak Ferenc ter station and saw the sunshine everything felt a lot better.
The city itself had a faded charm to it. There were a lot of old buildings that had seen better days yet you could imagine how beautiful they once looked. That said some of these old buildings have been put to use as ruin bars. The one I would recommend to visit is Szimpla Kert. It is described as the mother of the city ruin bars.
Like of a Europe's capital cities the majority of the sites can be reached on foot. I enjoyed the free walking tour which was a god way of familiarising yourself with the sites. The metro while only consisting of three lines is also a good way of travelling within the city.
There were so many sites to see in Budapest. The highlights included Castle Hill, St.Stephen's Basilica, House of Terror and Heroes Square. However, there was so much that I missed as Memento Park or visiting one of the thermal baths and much more. At least it will give me the perfect excuse to come back.
I could not say that I starved while I was in Budapest. The local cuisine was both delicious and filling. My favourite food experience was enjoying the Langos in the Great Market Hall surrounded by the locals enjoying their lunch.
Finally, I would like to say how friendly the people were in Budapest apart from the staff at the coach station. Wherever I went people were always offering help and recommendations. It helped make my visit more enjoyable.
Overall, Budapest blew me away with its charm and beauty. If you want a good value city break then it is a place to go. I cannot wait to go back.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
The House of Terror (Terror Haza) is one of those places you wish you did not have to visit. However, to get an understanding of Budapest in the twentieth century it is important that you go.
The museum is housed in the building that was used by both the Hungarian Cross Party (the Hungarian Nazis) and the secret police of the communists, the AVO and AVH. The irony being that the building itself is on one of the most beautiful streets in Budapest.
You know that you have reached the building when you see the platform on top. It has the word terror stamped into it along with the symbols of the Arrow Cross Party and the Communists.
As I waited to enter the building I noticed the photos on the side. I thought it was curious until I noticed the photo of Imre Nagy. It was then that I realised these people who had been tortured and executed in the building.
Once inside the building you take the elevator up to the second floor. The museum starts with the period around World War 2 and the Hungarian Cross Party. As you move through the rooms you see the fall of the Cross Party and the rise of the Communists.
Each room exhibits are well detailed with lots to see and read. There is also a A4 sheet that you can take that gives a detailed breakdown of what happened at the time. What I liked about the museum was the way it showed how everyday Hungarian life was affected especially during the rule of the Communists.
You make your way down from the second floor to the first floor. At the end of the first floor you wait for the elevator to take you down to the basement.
This is the slowest elevator ride you will ever take. As you go down a video is played to you. It is a former guard describing the process of taking a prisoner to execution. When the elevator stops you are in the basement. It contains the rooms of torture as well as the cells. Immediately I felt very cold. There is no other way to describe the floor but bleak. Inside each cell you can see photos of people who were held there.
Finally, you reach a small room. This contains the scaffold used for executing prisoners.
For a swift execution you needed to rely on the strength of the hangman. I could only think of the suffering as the prisoners were strangled.
You slowly make your way back up to the ground floor passing some old Soviet style statues.
The one memory I have from my visit to the House of Terror is the silence. Nobody felt like talking to each other. Sitting in a nearby coffee house I could only be thankful that I had gained an understanding of what happened in Hungary and that it should never be repeated. As Attila Jozsef is quoted in the leaflet “The past must be acknowledged.”
House of Terror, Andrassy utca 60, Budapest.
http://www.houseofterror.hu
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
It has been interesting to read the various blog posts about last weekends TBEX conference held in Toronto. There were a lot of comments saying how enjoyable the weekend was. I had to admit that I looked on with some jealously as I would have like the chance to attend. However, amongst the comments I read there were some negatives. They were saying that TBEX had become too big and corporate and it was no longer for them.
This brings me to the point of the post, when does blogging stop being fun. When we first set up our blogs it is initially to tell out tales. However, most blogs fail within twelve months due to various reasons. The dream is to be able to make money from the blog. There are many resources out there to help make this dream come true. The reality is somewhat different. It takes a lot of hard work to maintain a bog to that level. Saying that, it is still my dream but I will know that it will take time.
One of the reasons we want to start a blog and make money is so to escape the corporate life. This is especially true of travel bloggers. The idea of getting paid to travel is appealing and is something many people aspire to. Yet working for yourself will mean that you will stay in the corporate world. The difference is that you are the boss. As I see it all TBEX is trying to do is help the aspiring travel blogger make their blog a success and make their dreams come true.
My Grandad used to say if you are no longer enjoying something then stop. So if running a blog is becoming a chore and you no longer enjoying it then stop. It is a simple as that. Plenty of established bloggers have done so. There is no shame in stopping and I do not see it as a sign of failure. It is better to have tried than doing nothing.
At this moment I enjoy working on my blog. Yes, it will never be the most read but I enjoying putting in the work. When I stop enjoying I will stop and you will be the first to know.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
Guidebooks are an essential tool for travellers. Whether it be for planning, using on your visit or just for reading your guidebook becomes your bible.
Once upon a time you just go into your local bookshop to purchase your guidebook, now we can go online for guidebooks to view on smartphones, e-readers and tablets. Which one is best?
I have tried both over the years. Recently, I had moved over to digital but I do have a problem with them. I am loathed to be walking around with my iPad on view. It must make a magnet for the opportunist thief. Can never understand why people use the iPad as a camera. When I used a guidebook on my iPhone I found that it quickly drained my battery. Overall a frustrating experience.
This is why for my Balkans trip I will be reverting back to the physical guidebook. Armed with my Lonely Planet guide to Eastern Europe I will be wending my merry way. It might take up some weight in my rucksack but there is something satisfying about looking at maps on paper. It is easier to highlight and read too. Sure I love my Kindle and iPad to read books and magazines but for guidebooks the physical book will always be the best experience.
Which you do prefer?
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
I am pleased to admit that my second visit to Vienna was more successful than my previous one. At least I avoided getting food poisoning and I also managed to get to see more of the city.
Vienna as a city has always held a fascination for me. I love history and art. The reason for my first visit was to see the ‘Madonna del Prato’ by Raphael. Sure enough I managed to get off my sick-bed to get to the Kunsthistorisches Museum. However, I left Vienna I felt that there was some unfinished business.
During the four days I spent in Vienna I managed to get to see the following:
I felt that I managed to experience a lot more of what Vienna has to offer. Yet there was still more that I wanted to see.
Overall, I loved my time in Vienna with its history, sights and smells. It is a city while a capital city still felt small enough to explore by foot and getting yourself lost. To experience an authentic Viennese coffee shop was a joy or experiencing the busker playing the cello outside the Hofburg on a cold Saturday night. These are the memories that never go away.
Yes, Vienna can be expensive but with careful planning there are bargains out there. Sometimes the best experiences are free. Would I visit again? The simple answer is yes. If Vienna is good enough for me then it will be good enough for you.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
As titled the blog has reached another milestone. I have now have 100 followers. Some might see this as no big deal. For me it feels tremendous. When you first start a blog there is a amount of trepidation on whether anybody will read it. After all there are a lot of blogs on the web and the fact that people take time out to read mine gives me the motivation to carry on.
So I move on towards getting the next 100 followers. I will continue to write on things that are of interest to me and hopefully for you too. I leave you with a photo of me from my recent trip to Budapest.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
This week's photo is slightly different to the norm. It is of myself at the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna.
As you can see I look rather pleased with myself. This photo is posted to help celebrate the 1st birthday of the blog.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
Yesterday, WordPress sent me a notification wishing me a happy blog anniversary. Happy Birthday to Midlifewanderlust1965, you have turned one. In truth I had forgotten about it thinking it was not due until May.
Still this should not stop me from feeling a little pleased with myself. I have managed to keep the blog going for twelve months without ever thinking about stopping. In that time I have managed to collect ninety five followers. I have also made three trip to Europe. They have made up a bulk of the posts on the blog.
Time goes by so quickly as it only seemed like yesterday since I made my first post. Now I want to the blog further forward. The next step is to purchase the domain name. I will have the flexibility to control and do more with the blog.
Finally I want to say thank you to everyone that has taken time out to view the blog in the last twelve months. I am truly grateful for your continued support.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy, keep smiling and raise a glass of beer in celebration.
Steve
I know it is an unusual place to visit but I find cemeteries fascinating places to visit because they are full of history. Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) falls into that category.
Opened in 1874 the cemetery became unique in Vienna as one of the first multi-faith. This was very controversial at the time in a very catholic country. It is now one of the largest cemeteries in Europe. It has become renowned as the final resting place for the following people:
There is also a memorial to this composer who was buried in a umarked grave.
What I found touching were the simple family monuments that had been looked after over the years.
If you are still wandering whether you should visit the Zentralfriedhof may I remind you one of the reasons why cemeteries were established. They were the original green spaces where people could escape from the city. In that respect it does the job as you can escape with no problem. The quietness and stillness really contrasts with the bustle of Vienna city centre. It made me think of my own mortality and remember the people who I have lost in my life. It also serves as a reminder that life is short and we should make the most of it.
Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.
Steve
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