It's been a while....
I was away on holiday for two weeks and have forgotten how to write. I carried my little notebook everywhere we went, but all I recorded was just one conversation between three girls on the train down to Luton, then I produced a lousy poem about Sunflowers dying in the Puszta, and that was that. I am a poor writer, and once again am really doubing myself in this respect. Since we came home a week ago, I have picked up a pen three times, which just isn't enough, but at the moment, I just have no energy for anything. I feel drained. 

So let me tell you about the holidays, just to get back to the routine of writing:
We flew from London to Budapest on a Saturday evening, leaving this ever drizzling and windy island behind us, and when we stepped off the plain at our destination at 8 pm, it was still 25 degrees there!
It was a bit of a trip back in time for me: My parents and I had regularly travelled to Hungary when I was little, at least once a year. For us East Germans Hungary was as close to the West as we could get. (You could by Danone Yoghurt and Pepsi Cola and get to know real West Germans and Austrians).
Our hotel was on top of Gellert Hill,  big square shaped block with celings like an egg carton and random concrete pillars everywhere. It was actually used as student accomodation, but during the summer holidays the rooms where rented our to tourists. The typical socialist architecture and sparse interior made me feel at home at once.

Budapest is one of my favourite cities. The architecture is fantastic, the streets are safe, there is a great night life and restaurant scene,  and in general loads to see. If you ever go there, make sure you go to one of the thermal baths. We went to the famous Gellert bath, and my god, it was unbelievable. If I lived there, I'd go there every morning before work. We just enjoyed every minute of it, apart from our last evening,St.Istvan's day. It's Hungary's independence day, and there's lots of bands playing along the river, market stalls and outdoor bars, plus a massive fireworks at 9pm from three of the many bridges that connect the Buda and the Pest side. 

Anyway, we'd booked a table in one of the riverside restaurants, with full view onto the two main firework's bridges. We set off from the hotel at 6, thinking we'll have plenty of time to get to the other side and be at the restaurand by 7, but: all the bloody bridges in our vicinity were closed! Plus, a horrible thunderstorm started, and with it lashing it down we had to take shelter in a bar on our side of the river, not really knowing what to do. The clock was ticking and we did not know how to get to the other side. The bartender called us a taxi ( i am still deeply grateful to him!) and when the thunderstorm was just about to hit hardest, the taxi really did turn up and I asked him would he take us over to the other side for 20 EUR. Bless him, he really did the best he could with the rain beating down and the air being sulphury yellow. The city seemed to be under a state of emergency!
We made it to the restaurant on time, soaking wet, only to find out it was closed.! Thank God we got our 4000ft deposit back. After a aimless and endless walk through the town centre, in extremely low spirits,. the weather finally cleared up and we returned to our restaurant. They had opened up again, and we could not believe it when we finally sat at our table and had our well deserved meal and enjoyed the fire works.

Ende gut, alles gut.