Buckebury Farm Park, Berkshire

My dream was to live in major cities of the world or to live abroad in general.  I'm sure that I have mentioned this before, I wanted to live in London when we first moved in the UK.  My mum's job was based in Reading so it was sensible to live in Reading then.  Reading for everyone's information is 25 minutes away with train to London Paddington.  Most of the people that work in London doesn't necessarily live in London.  It is quite expensive to live in London on a normal wage.  And no, not everything looks like Notting Hill.  I was fooled by that film as well.  Not a lot of people can afford that area as Victorian Semis can be as low as a million pound in price.  

Living outside London is great when you have a family or when you are planning to have one.  For one, the space that you get per square footage is big.  There is catchment area for most schools whereas in London, it might be difficult to get into the school that you wanted.  There are loads of parks outside Central London although one can argue that you can go to Kensington/ Hyde Park area anytime.  To each its own.  :)

Bucklebury Farm Park is ideal for small kids and kids at heart alike.  It is situated 30 minutes or so outside Reading town.  It has park, petting zoo and massive play area for kids.  You can bring your own food or buy on the day.  If you need food straight away, maybe it is a good idea to bring your own.  We had to wait ages for ours to get served as there is only one cafe that serves the food.  On peak days, expect the area to be very busy.  If I have to pick which one I like the best, it would be feeding of the animals.  You don't get to feed lamas on a regular basis don't you?  :)

Bricklane, London

I do have a life outside my marriage.  I love that Luke and I are have separate sets of friends and we can do whatever we want on our time.  I do have friends who are boys and he have friends who happen to be girls.  There are things that Luke and I don't agree on like my taste in music or my love for handbags and I don't understand how he can tell a car by the sound of the engine but I guess it is like me spotting labels from a far.  :P

Raymond is one of my friends.  I call him Ray or Ho.  He will be leaving for South Korea to teach English.  I just don't know what he will teach those kids but he got the job so I think he is qualified.  Just kidding Ray if you are reading this.

I love that Ray took me to Bricklane.  It is a place where it is too hipster for my husband.  Although Bricklane is famous for it's curries it is also a good place to go over the weekend and visit the market and support local trade, sample overseas cuisines and shop for vintage and unique clothing.  I do love the street art as well.  

Dream Boys Experience

I haven't been to a strip club for girls before.  I do have experience with clubs in Pattaya though.  You know, the Famous Walking Street.  It is no secret that my husband used to live in Pattaya.  He was once an expat for an Oil and Gas company.  I have visited him quite a bit when he was living there and on my first visit, we went to Walking Street.  

Anywayyyy, this is my first time in a strip club in London.  Would you believe that I haven't been to one?  Me who likes to try anything once.  Dream Boys is ideal for Hen Do.  For hens who are not afraid to have fun.  Let me do a break down of the performances.

1.  Male sexy dance performances.

2.  Audience participation with the strippers - oiling, touching, lap dancing, blindfold lap dancing.  You get the idea.

3.  Naked performance.

My top tips for people are going:

1.  Come to venue early so you have a pick of the seats.  I would suggest sitting near the exit/entrance of the performances near the stairs so you have full audience participation or grab seats nearest the stage.

2.  Eat before going.  Food is available but they are not enticing.

3.  Bring cash as most of the drinks are cash only.

4.  Have your photo taken with the strippers and download the copy to get reminded of the fun night.

Szent Istvan Bazilika

We were supposed to go back to the Szechenyi to properly explore the area but we decided against it as we don't wanna rush ourselves before our 6PM flight.  I'm glad we did.  It is one of the most impressive Basilicas I've been in and I have been to loads.  It was donation only as well.  I'm sorry to say that the photos don't do justice of the inside.  

 I love the symmetry on this.

 The Basilica housed the relic hand of Szent Istvan who was the First King of Hungary.

From the top, you can see the Buda Castle and Parliament.  

Szechenyi Thermal Bath

I'd like to think that I planned this trip perfectly but I didn't.  It just happened that I wanted to visit the spots on the first day and thermal bath on the second day.  We arrived on a Friday and we did the tourists spots on a Saturday.  I did this as Sunday is usually a shorter trading day in Europe and Mondays in Budapest seems to be a non-business day.  Such a dream to work in if you are in the retail industry.  :P

Things that you need to bring to a Thermal Bath:

1.  Towel and or Robe.
2.  Slippers especially during winter.
3.  Swimming costume or swimsuit as we call it in Asia.
4.  Change of clothes.
5.  Toiletries.

Basically, just pack things that you bring when you go to a swimming pool or gym.  Otherwise, you can always rent.  Yes, even swimsuits can be rented here but that will add up to the cost.  Just to get in cost us 5200 Hungarian Forint per person for a cabin which is less than 20 GBP each.  We read somewhere that it is worth getting a cabin than a locker as you have bigger space.  A cabin will fit two people but in this Thermal Bath, if you pay two, you get two.  You need your bracelet to get in so you can't cheat.  :P

Szechenyi Thermal Bath offers different services but you have to check the website as I don't work there.  Hehe.  I was supposed to get a massage but since I don't speak Hungarian, staffs kept offering the most expensive package there is.  Also when I told the staff that I have changed my mind of the massage service, she turned snobby.  She must have worked for commission for that drastic change.  Not having a massage was a better option for me as I was able to spend 2 hours with my husband in the bath and also we were able to explore the place together going to different pools with different temperatures and different sauna and steam rooms.  If you don't have any skin disease then skip the medicated water as it was kinda gross. 

If you finish early with the Thermal Bath, you can go to a zoo, circus or ice skate.  They have museums in the area as well but we didn't go as we have nicer museums in the UK that are free on my opinion.  I bet now you get the theme here, when we travel, we chose what we want to do with little expense as possible.  We stay on nice hotels in the city centre and splurge on food.  It is only wise.  :)

Tourist for a Day: Budapest

I'll let you in a secret.  This is how I plan our trip:

1.  Google interesting place to visit in ____ (insert city)

2.  Write down the place.   I judge by the photo.  If it's good enough in the photo then it's good enough to be visited at least for me.

a.  Write metro or street name.

b.  Opening times and fees.

3.  Use google earth to locate the places.  Then divide which tourist spots are near each other.

In my opinion, it will take 2 days to explore the tourist spots in Budapest providing that you travel off-peak.  Walking around took us 5 hours from the Jewish Ghetto where we stayed.  Armed with map, Luke and I walked around the city. We were lucky enough that the Hotel Continental Zara is 30 minutes away from major spots.  

Walking around Budapest, I was in awe with the amazing architecture.  Just like Prague, Art Nouveau and Baroque is prevalent.  Yeah, I like to throw that from time to time so people will find me interesting.  Hahaha.  The city is not congested and it is feels very spacious.  So without further ado, let the day begin:

 The Budapest Parliament

 Shoes on the Danube Bank.

This is in memory of the people who are shot in the Danube river by Arrow Cross Militiamen.

 You can see the Buda Castle from the Chain Bridge.

 Okay, we walked in the grounds of the Buda Castle, which is massive by the way but we didn't go in.  Just can't be bothered paying to be honest and we've been to castles before as well living in England.

 Matthias Church

 You have to pay to get in to the Matthias Church.

I think it's worth seeing.  The fee, just like the Sagrada Familia in Spain goes to finishing the structure and in this case, for restoration.  The whole church is hand painted with Gothic details.  Uhuh, I threw that again.  :P

Fisherman's Bastion

To do this tour, would be cheap.  You only have to be ready and able to walk up the side of the mountain.  We only pay for the entrance of the Matthias Church. We usually scrimp on everything else apart from the food which I will make a separate blog post of.  :)

Hungary's Guide to My Tummy

I am not a foodie, I simply enjoy food.  I may regret the calorie content of my meal but that's what I have to pay for experiencing the "authentic".  Luckily, I don't have any dietary requirements.  I have little known allergic reaction usually from beer back home and recently kiwi but it is not alarming that I have to be concerned about.  

Like I said, my husband is in charge of food.  On this trip, I only have one thing in mind, Mangalica/Mangalitsa.  If it's anything exotic, count me in.  I have tasted balut, century egg and bugs from Thailand.  So eating Mangalica is not something that I would shy away from.

I am gonna write an account now of every restaurant we have been in.  Don't worry, it wasn't much.  We usually just splurge on dinner as most of the hotels we choose offers free buffet breakfast and we tend to leave late.  It is holiday after all.  :)

1.  PIG 37  

Nothing fancy about this place.  It is a straight up cheap burger joint.  You don't have to dress up or impress anyone.  :P  But it would have been one of the best burgers we had.  Every burger is served fresh and by the grams.  No ventilation on the place though so if you are thinking of re-using your jeans or jumper, you can't.  It will definitely smell of oil.  

TIP:  Try tasting their local beers.  

2.  SZIMPLA  

Our hotel is the perfect location if you enjoy the night life.  We have bars everywhere street we go in the 5 minutes walking radius.  Szimpla is a bar not for the faint hearted.  What I mean is, it looks rough from the outside and the inside.  I loved it.  I wouldn't change a thing about it and I wish we have something like this in Reading but I don't barhop anymore. :P  It has installation everywhere and the best thing is, the art installation is interactive.  It was visually stimulating.

PRO:  If you like socialising, then this is for you.  The chairs are arranged for people to share.

CON:  I won't deny it, the toilets are mingy.  

3.  PIKNIK PAVILION

This is one of the restaurants that we didn't plan on going.  It just happened that I was a little bit hungry from all the walking and I needed to use the loo.  It was a deadly combination for me on a holiday as it is a guaranteed bitch mode.  I have to say, this served one of the best hot chocolates that I had.  Thinking about it, I think they serve real good hot chocolates in Budapest no matter what the price is.  Piknik Pavilion is a very cozy restaurant with little shabby chic details.  It is situated just across the Matthias Church. You can sample different meat and sausages and the price is not so expensive. 

4.  PESTI DISZNO BISZTRO

I have written down a place which served Mangalica but what I didn't realise was that, the restaurant has been permanently closed.  So much for my research.  We chanced upon this restaurant when we explored an affluent looking area near Szent Istvan.  To describe it, it was like a small version of Regent Street in London.  Because of our curiosity, we passed by the Opera and the place similar to walk of fame in the US.  Too bad though, we didn't know any Hungarian Stars but never mind.  I think this is why it's good to explore sometimes, provided that the place looks and feels safe and deviate from the plan as long as you have a map of course.  

How do I describe Mangalica?  I can't tell the difference to be honest.  It just looked like the meat is whiter than normal pork.  It feels softer as well.  But it did satisfy my curiosity.  This was the night that I had Palinka as well.  It didn't turn out well.  I put my husband's video on my instagram but I saved mine here.  

5.  NEW YORK CAFE

I must have read somewhere that Budapest have impressive looking cafes otherwise, it wouldn't be on the list.  It must have been my love of architecture that led us to this place.  One word comes to mind when I saw the interior, grand.  There is something romantic about the mixture of high ceilings, murals and art nouveau details.  I know, this is me going on about it  again but that's what attracted me to the place.  The food is nothing amazing.  I mean for what we paid for, I could have expected more but I think you pay for the experience.  

CON:  A tea for two will cost you more than 30 GBP.  It is a lot in comparison to most places in Budapest.  But like I said, you pay for the experience.

6.  KOLEVES

Luke has always been fascinated with Jewish food and since we stayed in the Jewish area, it is only right to taste their cuisine.  My experience with this restaurant was amazing.  The staffs are nice and friendly and the food is good value for money.  I ordered Jewish Matza Soup and rabbit as we don't usually eat rabbit in the UK and Luke had goose leg.  For the first time since forever, I didn't have food envy and was very pleased with my selection.  

TIP:  Make sure you come early or take a reservation as we passed by this place on a weekend and it was packed.

Come hungry as well as they have massive servings.

There you go.  My restaurant picks from our trip.  Imagine the calories and this doesn't include the daily buffet yet.  :P