The Road to Budapest - Day 14

3/04/09
We had a very early start this morning – 6:15 train, so we were all a little worse for wear after our drinking efforts the night before. At least we didn’t have to do anything too strenuous for the day. It was another long travel day – we were off to Budapest, our final destination of our trip. (I managed to have a few snoozes along the way). Once we got to Budapest we had a little bit of time to rest before heading out for the night – our final night as a group. It was actually quite hot in Budapest and I had a sunburnt face from the day before in the snow, so I spent my time finding a t-shirt and some sunscreen – no rest for me!
We went for a walk to the river and then decided to have dinner at a nice Italian restaurant along the esplanade. While we were eating a group of guys from a stag night went past – the stag was dressed in Indian feathered head gear and a t-shirt that had ‘Gaylord’ in pink on the back. I saw a lot of stag parties during the trip – there were some in Prague and now here too. As it got dark the palace on the other side of the river and the Chain Bridge came to life in tremendous beauty – the view was stunning.
After dinner we met up with some of Antonio’s friends at a local nightspot – it was an abandoned apartment complex that has been turned into a nightclub. It is still all run down, and hasn’t been renovated at all – the lower level has an uneven concrete floor, and bars on either side. We climbed a crooked stairwell to the next floor – there are plants hanging and vines growing between the two buildings, which are also linked by walkways. The furniture is a jumble of old chairs, tables, lamps – basically anything they could find. There were even some chairs that were bathtubs cut in half! It was such a unique place, full of people and great music. We saw another stag party and started chatting to them (they were British) – it turns out they were the same party from the restaurant. They have been dressing the stag up in the outfits of the Village People – his latest attire was a sailor suit, with a red and black girdle and fish-net stockings underneath!! They were a great bunch of guys, and once they found out I was living in Cambridge we started having the Oxford vs Cambridge debate (they were Oxford Boys) – I told them I was impartial – I work for OCR : Oxford & Cambridge. They told me once I visit Oxford, I will understand what they are talking about 
We ended up leaving this nightclub to go to another one – it played Electro music and I just danced the night away. By the time I got back to the hotel it was 5:30am!!! I couldn’t believe it – I have been up for 24 hours!