Matt Visits Cologne, Munich and Budapest
Faced with the lengthy prospect of travel to the Czech Republic and Hungary by train, I knew that I wanted to incorporate some stop-offs en route, both to break my journey and to visit some new places to broaden my horizons.
I began my jaunt in my home town of Liverpool after a few days out of the office, and took advantage of the speedy journey with Virgin trains into London Euston, at just a shade over two hours. This flew by in next to no time, and coupled with the proximity of Euston to St Pancras, made it a comfortable idea to reach Cologne on day one. After a short walk I was soon checking in for the Eurostar to Brussels, and with the formalities concluded in double quick time I was soon settling down into my seat ready for another relatively short journey. London to Brussels takes under two hours thanks to the wonders of high-speed rail, so after a leisurely read of the morning’s paper, I was through the tunnel and out the other side, speeding through France en route to Belgium. I had allowed myself a short connection in Brussels, as it was simply a question of walking down a flight of stairs, before locating the platform for my departure to Cologne. In next to no time I was on board a high-speed Thalys service heading off to Germany.
As I was travelling in First Class for this section of the journey, I had the advantage of tucking into a light complimentary meal served at my seat, as well as a nice chilled beer. In next to no time I had arrived in Cologne and after a short walk past the imposing cathedral, I was checking into my hotel, the Mondial Am Dom Mgallery. As the name suggests, the location of this hotel is excellent and after the formalities of check-in were over, I headed off for a walk around the Altstadt and then made my way back walking along the Rhine as the sun began to set. I spent an enjoyable evening in the familiar surroundings of Peter’s Brauhaus, with plenty of local specialities on offer. The evening in Cologne had broken up my journey nicely, and the following morning I was on board an ultra-modern ICE train heading to Munich. Train travel within Germany is always relaxing, and this journey was no exception. My travel to Munich coincided with the announcement that Deutsche Bahn plans to run services from London to Cologne and Frankfurt in the not too distant future, something that promises to be an intriguing development. By early afternoon the ICE was gliding into Munich Hauptbahnhof, and I was looking forward to my first visit to Bavaria. On disembarking the train I was greeted by my colleague Simon waiting by the engine (I think he was taking notes – he likes that sort of thing!). He was returning to the UK as I was heading out, and we spent a pleasant couple of days finding our way around Munich. We were staying in the Holiday Inn City Centre, a comfortable hotel 4 stops on the local S-Bahn from the Hauptbahnhof.
That afternoon we, first of all, visited the Englischer Garten in the northern part of the city, before heading back to the central Marienplatz, which has undergone some amazing restoration work since 1945. My favourite part of the city was the Platzl area, where restored medieval streets provide a fascinating counterpart to the more contemporary parts of the centre. There is a real sense of history on offer walking around Munich, coupled with a modern relaxed way of life. In the evening we decided to join the crowds in the famous Hofbräuhaus, which is somewhat of a tourist trap, but does offer the “delights” of an Oompah band churning out Bavarian classics whilst you wait for your beer of choice to arrive. It’s well worth doing, but not somewhere to stay for any length of time, (perhaps unless you are a brass band enthusiast). The next day we went our separate ways, Simon returning to the UK, whereas I headed back to the station in search of the high-speed Railjet bound for Budapest. The ÖBB Railjet connects three gorgeous European metropolises: Budapest, Vienna and Munich. I thought initially I may have been a little ambitious in doing the entire journey in one go, but in truth, I need not have worried. The train was comfortable, and the option for First Class passengers to order a meal and drinks from a fairly extensive (and good value) menu is also very welcome. I also enjoyed the television screen suspended from the ceiling, which followed the route of the train and showed which places we were passing through as Germany became Austria and then Hungary.
It was early evening as we arrived into Budapest Keleti station, and I was thankful that I had pre-arranged a car to drop me off at my hotel, as I saw several of my fellow passengers being approached by various local “entrepreneurs” touting for business. I was staying for the first night at the K&K opera hotel on the “Pest” side of Budapest. It was now dark outside, so after checking in and a relaxing shower I spent a quiet evening in the hotel restaurant enjoying my first Hungarian Goulash of the trip. After an early night, I made (for me) an early start and headed out to see what the neighbourhood around the hotel had to offer. The imposing Opera building itself is located on Andrássy út, an iconic tree-lined boulevard, which is also one of Budapest’s main shopping streets. Originally modelled after the Champs Elysées in Paris, this avenue would have seen many carriages and horses belonging to the well-off pass along its leafy length in years gone by. At the far end of the boulevard is Heros’ Square, an impressive area filled with statues from various important times in Budapest’s history. After taking in this impressive part of town I decided to take the metro (Budapest has the second-oldest underground system in the world) back to my hotel and from there I walked through to the banks of the Danube. One thing the Danube definitely is not is blue, but I did manage to spend an enjoyable walk along the bank, taking many photos of the Buda district while I did so. Eventually, I ended up outside the Parliament building, which is, without doubt, one of the most impressive buildings in a city which is not exactly short of them.
The following day I would discover that the view is even more impressive from the opposite side of the river. In the afternoon, after a visit to the imposing Church of St Stephen, I wandered through the shopping district, before deciding that it was time to find somewhere for my evening meal. I have to say that I was really pleasantly surprised by the quality of food on offer in Budapest. I was unsure of what to expect beyond the famous regional specialities, but that night after more Goulash (when in Rome and all that) I had a lovely fish meal made up of perch and other fish from one of the tributaries of the Danube, in a small restaurant just a short walk from the Parliament building. The next day, I awoke to an overcast sky and decided it was time to go for a cruise down the river itself. The commentary was basic but informative, and the trip provided the opportunity for many great photos to be taken. After taking far too many pictures, I crossed the river via the famous Chain Bridge, which separates Buda and Pest. Once safely in Buda, I ascended to the castle district via the small funicular railway and was soon exploring the castle area itself and enjoying the views of Pest from my lofty position. One of the most famous areas in this part of town is the Fishermans’ Bastion, a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style. Whilst enjoying the architecture my mood was only slightly dampened by some traditional folk musicians, who insisted on following me and playing their limited repertoire at loud volume. That night I enjoyed another great meal of stewed rabbit casserole and reflected that I would definitely visit Budapest again at some point, as I felt I had only begun to scratch the surface of a very interesting city.The following morning I headed off for Prague, but there would be a stop off in Vienna, first of all, to break up the journey….
