I’m still furiously tagging and uploading my travel pictures, after which I will post about my experiences in Hungary and Vienna last week. In the meantime, though, I want to give a quick shout-out to the people who helped make my experience an unforgettable one:
Thanks to Andras and Bogi, who hosted us for 3 days in Budapest. They were both obviously very experimented at hosting, and were immensely generous with their home and their time. Our evening chats were a wonderful complement to the day’s explorations. I found Andras through CouchSurfing, which I cannot recommend enough.
Feri and Gabi welcomed us into their home in Budakeszi for 3 days of delicious Hungarian home cooking, and relentless explorations of Budapest, Szentendre and Esztergom. I have rarely encountered people so generous and friendly, to the point that I felt bad for receiving so much from them. Their daughter and her friend (both called Agi) also joined us for a very pleasant dinner across the border to Slovakia. Thanks immensely to my friend Dorian, who set the whole thing up for us.
The Believe it or Not Hostel is where we stayed in Vienna, and it was one of the nicest, cleanest and most well-located hostels I’ve stayed in. Jonathan, the staffer on duty, is a great guy and a fellow geek. Check them out if you want a quiet place to stay in Vienna.
Last but not least, thanks to my brother Philippe, who agreed to this last-minute trip, and proved an enthusiastic, patient co-traveller. Here’s to our next trips!