Unfortunately Roman has been the victim of the odd snore from yours truly but our lovely host has slept right through or is too polite too mention it. A month or more of secluded night time accomodation can lead to noisy nocturnal habits. It turns out that Romans worries were not the level of noise but that in his stuper he forgot that I was there and with me being on the floor, when he looked around he still could not see me. I leave with heavy heart and have really enjoyed my companions company. The quest lays heavy on my mind and the need to meet my deadline to get the plane home is all the more real when Roman mentions some of the hills I might encounter. To counter balance that we talk about my route and he shows me his Danube path route which takes me all the way to Belgrade and also visits all the places in the book. If all goes well I can perhaps make the plane on 85kms a day and I feel the weight released slightly from my shoulders. However, time is pressing on, Kitti has gone to work and Roman has a date with the Hungarian parliament so I must press on. I walk with Roman to Blaha Square where he catches the metro and I sit disillusioned in the square amongst the homeless with open sores and the poor picking up cigartte butts from the floor but also putting litter in the bin at the same time. I'm confused about what is important any more and have to indulge myself in a pastry to get back on an even keel. I wander off into the streets and decide to head back west and north and take in the full length of the Danube before heading South to Belgrade. As I wander the streets taking in the amazing architecture of a time before the soviet occupation I feel melancoly. I really like Budapest, I loved it the last time I came here. It can't quite be explained, its a buzz, a feeling and having some interactions with the locals has definitely increased the feeling. I wander down the Danube and bump into an English couple who come from St. Albans, a city (not really a city) next to me. As if this is not coincidence enough, the woman knows of Maddy's head teacher. My mind is whisked back home for a while, the couple are lovely but they remind me of home, good and bad and I want to stay here even more. But off I go down the Euro Velo No 6 towards Serbia. It hugs the Danube/Donau/Donu for the next 400km to Belgrade. The wind is blowing a gentle breeze in the 25 degree heat and I stop to take a photo of a building with four statues outside it. I stop a short while to take advantage of a WC within eyesight of the bike and have a squizz at the map. I'm right next to the University where Kitti works. I try a long shot and text her to see if she has time for a coffee or lunch. I'm so happy when she replies. She fancies a coffee and agrees to meet me in the foyer. It's the building with the statues. We grab a coffee and sit outside so I can keep an eye on the bike. I tell her about my confused state in the square and how I don't want to leave Budapest. She goes back to work and as I wheel down the river my head is intoxicated, turned by the coquettish flutterings of another. The warm welcoming bosom and the delights of an all too strong temptation have seduced me. I'm powerless against her advances. Viewing the world through my Romantic Raybans everything is hazy and soft, like sitting in a cloud and looking out. This feeling lasts the entire length of the bank of the river before I cross onto the other side and find a cafe. I need to write these thoughts down and have a glass of reasonably priced fine Hungarian wine in a nod to Stevens who I have not forgotten.
When I mentioned to Kitti that I had lovely night with her and Roman and didn't want to leave she suggested staying another night. She is embarrassed for saying it because she does not want to be the person who makes me fail my mission, but deep down these words are what I need to hear. When she also said that I would be welcome to join them because she was going to a friends birthday party this evening that was the deal clinched. Seductress Budapest has won my heart and the quest must rest in order to refresh and recover for the big push to Istanbul.
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