Hungary - May 2014

My Guinness in Budapest was had at Jack Doyle's bar only a few hours after arriving this impressive city. Bratislava is only three hours up the road so I thought if that had got picked out as my next destination I needed to leave sufficient time to make a mad dash up the Danube. I was a bit spoilt for choice for places to drink Guinness in Budapest as a quick trawl around the internet revealed a fair number of outlets.

Owner Charles from Tipperary picks out Brussels

Wandering past Jack Doyle's on a Friday evening however it seemed to fit all my criteria. It had atmosphere, live music and food as well as Guinness. I ordered a Guinness and asked a friendly photographer working there if he could take a photo using my camera. He duly obliged and after explaining what I was up to he suggested that Charles the owner would be the best to ask for picking out my next destination. Charles, a friendly chap from Tipperary, agreed and picked out Brussels as my next stop. That shouldn't be too difficult given the amount of time I spend there with work.

The music was good as was the guest poet, Neil McCarthy who recited some of his work. It wasn't till I got home did I realise that he wasn't just an ex-pat living in Budapest but a real poet. That would explain why he was so good! Worth looking him up if you get a chance. So what of the rest of my time in Budapest?



Neil McCarthy - a fine poet

I stayed in Wombats hostel which is very central and well run. My £10 three-day travel pass not only got me into the city from the airport but enabled me to hop on and off the buses, trams and metro as well as use the boats on the Danube.

The commercial part of the city is Pest, on the east bank of the Danube where as Buda is the hillier, and historic area on the west bank. On day one I wandered up Gellért Hill, exploring the monuments and geology. The second day was more spent in the historic town area, old fort and cathedral quarter. Finally on the last day I strolled around Margaret Island, an oasis of calm on the Danube.

This is the first time on a Guinness trip where I have used my hobby of geocaching as the principal means of taking me to the historic and interesting parts of the city. I found over 50 caches in total over the weekend and walked a fair number of miles!

London - April 2014

A fun day was spent in London with family and friends that culminated with a Guinness or three in Ye Olde Bank of England in Fleet Street.  Earlier we had been up in the London Eye and seen the city's landmarks from above, before walking along the Thames to the Tate Modern and then over to St Paul's Cathedral.

The bar staff appeared rather busy and pre-occupied so I asked Margaret's cousin, Oliver, to pick out my next destination which turned out to be Budapest, Hungary.