It had always been our intention on our trip to do some work/volunteering as we travelled. It’s not only a great way to save money and elongate the trip, but also a wonderful way to meet people and immerse ourselves in the culture. Unfortunately, due to travelling in low season, the opportunities were far between. We had planned another week’s worth of English teaching in Poland due to start in April but before then we were crossing Slovakia from Hungary. We took this opportunity to try our luck on help exhange once more.
Author: bristolianbackpacker
Halušky, Hubert and A Happy Day in Bratislava
We actually hadn’t planned on going to Bratislava. We were going to leave Debrecen and go straight to Help X farm work we had lined up in a small place in Slovakia. However, the couple we were going to work for/with asked us if we could postpone it a couple of days. We didn’t mind, and so headed to Slovakia’s capital for two nights and one full day. As much as we enjoyed our time in Debrecen, we were looking forward to heading to a busy city and perhaps having a night out. We arrived in Bratislava and checked into …
The Adventures of Unknown Debrecen
Ever heard of Debrecen? Probably not. Most people visit Hungary and go to Budapest, naturally. Other recommended cities you might find are the wine region of Eger or Lake Balaton. The great thing about Angloville was that we met people from different areas of Hungary, even better is if you get to know them they are happy to offer you to stay with them. This is what happened with Debrecen and the wonderful Judit.
Ignorance: It’s Not Bliss And It’s Not Our Fault
I was feeling a bit strange as there is a lot going on at the moment; adjusting to life back home and thinking about the future. It’s safe to say I was feeling a little overwhelmed and not quite with it. I felt like I needed something to cheer me up so I went in Waterstones, because, I love books.
The Buzz of Budapest
Budapest was the biggest city we’d visited so far on our trip. Upon arriving after a long train journey from Bratislava I said to Mitch that it reminded me in some ways of London: busy, buzzing, metro stations, international restaurants and shops greeting us. He laughed in his ‘I-hate-London’ way and told me it was nothing like London. He was soon put in his place when we were told that the main bridge connecting ‘buda’ and ‘pest’ was designed based on Hammersmith bridge in London and other parts of the city were actually quite similar. For the record, I love …
Angloville: More than just teaching English.
Our dedline for getting to Budapest by March 23rd was due to our first bit of ‘work’ as we were travelling; a week-long English immersion programme called Angloville. Before we started travelling, a friend of ours said that if we get to Poland we should definitely do it. It’s a great opportunity to teach English and for travellers like us we get free food and accommodation for the week in a lovely location, all in exchange for doing something natural to us – talking.