Interrail 2

 Friday 28th June

Up at 4am. Bus is now 10 minutes to 5am into Cardiff. Red skies and rainbows on the way in. McD security guard was telling me to get out before order was delivered, takeaway only. Flixbus refused a family because they had not brought a child seat - great! I got on with processing photos. Half hour late into Victoria, so not a long wait for National Express to Stanstead. I really don't like Stanstead. Ryanair put us down a hole and then onto an Air Malta plane, which was over an hour late in leaving and full as football fans had missed a flight. B&B at Baden Airpark was good choice but having flattened the battery on computer getting photos finished was not possible.

Saturday 29th June

Still having problems with computer, battery running out. So down to breakfast, but it didn't make much difference so I decided I might as well walk before it got too hot and was out of the hotel by 09:20. Walk was Ok around the airport and along the Rhine but by the locks my foot was beginning to hurt. Through town where I got 100Euro note I trimmed my toenails which made that better but my back continued to give grief. I think it was 20km in total, so when I found the hotel in Rastatt it was have a shower and collapse. Photos of the BSDRA Finals went pointilised towards the end - need to find out why - the Sony camera is too complicated. All uploaded around midnight.

Sunday 30th June

Train travel actually worked. It was a bit one step back for two steps forward. There were supposedly two trains direct to Karlsruhe within one minute and I was going to take the second but a delay came up on that so I jumped on that one. The ICE had plenty of room. Nearly missed the connection in Basel the platform had changed to 1 and there were two trains on that platform. Run into Lausanne was pretty with the lake and then it was back to Montreux on the lower line.
    Montreux is quite pretty, and has a shopping centre with a supermarket and a McD so I was happy.

Monday 1st July

Up early and out at 07.10. Was on the 07.34 Golden Pass all the way to Interlaken. Change of platform and on to the Panorama Express which was just as pretty to Lucerne. Time for a McD and purchase of  couple of packets of chocolate biccies before catching the train to Innsbruck. Also pretty, I don't remember following the River Inn. Also worked on providing photos of Cyril for Tristan. The computer continued to give problems, I think from a thermal cut out as the battery overheated. Got into the accommodation with cash and for the first time my shirt has failed to dry overnight. Wonder what that means for the weather.

Tuesday 2nd July

A limited breakfast and out quite early. Innsbruck station is quite modern. Railjet to Vienna, which is very modern and then the same to Buapest. Hotel is very conveniently located. Dumped bag and got a seat reservation for train to Bucarest. I have a 24hr travel card so tried it out getting on a bus going the wrong way but got own to the Danube an scouted out a river cruise. Back and put computer on charge overnight, battery was dead.

Wednesday 3rd July

A full breakfast and out. Budapest Rail Museum/park will take a lot of beating - it even had drinking water fountains, but there are quite a few of them here. Off to the park with big statues and then metro down to the river and a bus up to the castle. They are rebuilding many of the old buildings up there. Quick consultation with Jake on the way down as phone charged from Teilo's powerpack. Then own to book a cruise which I thought was 5pm but 16.30 suited. Back and picked up bag then to station and ate the pizzas ready for 19.10 departure.
    Lots of ticket and passport checks before midnight but I nust have slept for a couple of hours.

Thursday 4th July

Awake in my seat at 04.30, snoozed around 8am. The scenery did get better but not spectacular. The last few hours were a drag, but the scenery was better than flying and we did skip one time zone, which I had not expected. No sign at the station of a place to get a tourist card which would make travel easy. The hotel had a room available at 12 (check in 3pm) which was really nice so had a shower and changed. Out in search of a card, two places shown as travel agencies failed to exist. On my way to the third I passed a kiosk outside the station and the lady there sold me one, which worked. Short bus ride an metro ride but I had no idea where I wanted to go and it was hot and humid, so back to the hotel air conditioning. After 4pm I decide I should get out so went and had a look at the Arc of Triumph - as big as the French one, an with as much traffic. Then down to the parliament building, and back by metro. Tomorrow there should be a rail museum!  

Friday 5th July

Watched result of General Election, Alun Cairns is out. Breakfast and relaxed until nearly 10, when the Rail Museum opened, a 10 min walk. Cost was 6 lei, which I did not have but they took pity on me and let me in. Basically it was a massive train set with just a couple of rooms with some stuff. Came out and wandered a little around the old town and got some very expensive fridge magnets but decided it was getting too hot so retreated to the room and air conditioning. Checked in for flight and got charged for the recommended seat. Booked a free tour at 5pm and took the bus down to that, it started to cool off, I wasn't really impressed with the tour, the girl was too young to remember communism. 15min walk to get to a bus stop and back to room at 8pm. A lot of listening to BBC Sounds.

Saturday 6th July

The trip home. Breakfast was nice. The train to the Airport was pretty crowded and despite being only 2 carriages it appeared that people had reserved seats, still the Tourist Pass worked and the conductor was happy with it. Airport is an airport, but boarding was slow. A family had decided to occupy my seat, but having paid for a window seat, I was going to get a window seat, and the stewardess moved them. Then we sat on the runway for a long time - an hour late leaving and there was congestion at Gatwick so we flew up and down the English Channel for half an hour. Rushed the train into Victoria and suspect I paid full price using an Oyster/Credit Card. Missed the 15.30 bus I was booked on and had to pay another £21.50 to get on the 16.30. Ian met me at Sophia Gardens, which saved a half hour wait for the bus as we were early. 

Photos are at: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2sTnqWReT2JJpo8j6