All pictures are 1024 × 768 pixels, other than three of Darjan's contributions which are a slightly more widescreen 1156 × 768.
| MONDAY 06.07.2009: LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA | |
| Cankarjevo Nabrežje: reminds me a bit of Venice... |
| The trapped skeleton that Darjan pointed out for laughs |
| Tromostovje: the famous triple bridge |
| Nazdravje! |
| My favourite (and Metal Camp's favourite) Slovenian beer |
| The lesser spotted Slovenian beer troll |
| Darjan gets in on the picture... sort of! |
| Burek: Slovenia's answer to a late-night kebab |
| Looking across the Ljubljanica river to the old town from Petrovškaja Nabrežje |
| Frančiškaska Cerkev, Prešernov trg, at night |
| TUESDAY 07.07.2009 - KECSKEMÉT, HUNGARY | |
 | This looks like a good place for a late lunch, or early dinner... it was about 4 pm at the time.
From the Rough Guide to Europe On A Budget: "An unforgettable dining experience, Kecskeéti Csárda serves Hungarian food at its richest, tastiest and most calorific: 'colossal' is the probably the best way to describe the portions." They weren't lying! |
 | ...and this looks like a good place to sit. |
 | I quote directly from the menu: "Hungarian pancakes flavoured with herbs, filled with Fisherman's stew, made from the different fishes of Tisza". Fantastic start! That Hortobagy-style sauce with paprika and sour cream goes very well with it, and all... |
 | And there's a measure of exactly how much Fisherman's stew is packed into the pancakes. A lot, and then some! |
 | "Home-smoked Mangalica csülök pork slices, potatoes, dumplings with bacon, cottage cheese, baked 'Makó onion'." They've got a strange definiton of slices, but... look at it! It's the size of a cake! |
 | And not wanting to do things by halves, I had dessert as well... "Home made bread with raisins and vanilla milk, baked walnuts, chocolate sauce with rum, whipped cream." In short, bread and butter pudding. A great way to round it all off! |
 | And a display of paprika outside, just to remind us which country we're in. |
| WEDNESDAY 08.07.2009 - BUDAPEST, HUNGARY | |
 | Breakfast at Zugligeti "Niche" Camping: chocolate-filled pancakes, coffee, and something resembling a cross between a croissant and a doughnut, served with the only jam Hungary has ever heard of... apricot. |
 | Zugligeti "Niche" Camping is in the site of a former railway station at the foot of the János hill, in northwest Budapest. The station building has been well preserved and is now used as the reception, bar and restaurant for the campsite. |
 | No sooner had I got off the bus into central Budapest than I found this... they must have seen me coming! |
 | Looking down the Danube, towards the Parliament building (left) and the Vár (centre, in the distance) |
 | The statue of Lajos Kossuth, Hungary's first Governor-President |
 | The Hungarian Parliament building, by day |
 | The statue of Francis II Rákóczi, Prince of Transylvania 1704-1711, near the Parliament building |
 | Also near the Parliament: the flag with the former communist symbol cut out, from the 1956 revolution: as a plaque nearby says, "the system of communism has failed in every sense." |
 | A monument to those who died in the 1956 revolution, under the flag |
 | Apparently, newly married couples put a padlock on this gate, and throw away the key. The product of one of those couples is standing next to it... |
 | The central fountain in Erzsebét tér |
 | Erzsébet híd (Elisabeth Bridge) |
 | The statue of St. Gellért, at the west end of Erzsébet híd |
 | Guns on the Citadella |
 | Looking north along the Danube, from high up on the Citadella |
 | Liberation Monument, on top of the Citadella |
 | Szabadság híd (Liberty Bridge) |
 | Andrássy út 60, former headquarters of the Hungarian secret police; now the House Of Terror, a museum to the awfulness of such organisations |
 | The statue of Imre Nagy, Hungarian Prime Minister during the 1956 revolution, at Vértanúk tere |
 | The surviving Soviet war memorial, at Szabadság tér |
 | Dinner time, and what could be better than goulash served in a ceramic bucket? Note that the portion was twice this size, I just had to eat half of it to show the ingredients a bit better... |
 | Battered catfish and fried spuds. Fish and chips, Hungarian style. |
 | Don't forget a shot of Unicum to finish, Hungary's notorious herbal troll brew. Even the candles were advertising it! |
 | And the marvellous place where I had dinner: Csarnok Vendéglő, Hold utca 11, not far away from the Soviet war memorial. Great for a quick and easy and very Hungarian meal. |
 | St. Stephen's Basilica, at night |
 | The Chain Bridge, lit up at night, with the Vár in the background |
 | The Parliament building at night |