This was our first big rail jaunt since 2018 when we’d taken the Eurostar to Amsterdam, flying home from Warsaw two weeks later. Our plan for the next one was to venture into Ukraine, sadly no longer an option. Instead, we decided to wend our way though Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to Budapest, one of the many trips H came up with after spending much of lockdown buried in railway websites.
Our first two nights were spent in Cologne whose twin cathedral spires were beautifully silhouetted by the sunset when we arrived. Rather like Milan’s cathedral which we’d admired last year, it took many centuries to complete, beginning in 1248. The architecture is, of course, superb but it was its stained-glass which struck me most. We pottered away the rest of the day in the botanical gardens, a late summer delight.
Climbing up into the hills just across the border into Czech Republic after a seven-hour train journey tipped us over into autumn. We spent a couple of days loafing around the pretty little spa town of Mariánské Lázně marvelling at the flamboyant Art Nouveau hotels the most outrageous of which is Hotel Pacifik topped by two huge angels, who looked more avenging than peaceful, and wandering along woodland paths. A much more laid-back town than nearby Karlovy Vary which we’d visited in 2016.
The temperature plummeted just after we arrived in Olomouc a couple of days later, resulting in lots of
sitting in cafes. I spotted the fabulously decorated entrance to the Vila Primavesi (sadly not open to the public) on the way into one of them. Olomouc was once a grand medieval city and, briefly, the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s capital. It has an impressive main square with an astronomical clock which puts on quite a show at noon, watched by us in light drizzle. The city is also home to the striking St Wenceslas cathedral whose interior painted walls have been beautifully restored, funded, surprisingly, by 
Norway.
A visit to the Archdiocesan Museum the following morning put the city in its historical context, followed by a wander through Smetana Park admiring its lovely autumnal planting. Many thanks to Paliparan whose excellent travel blog pointed us to Olomouc which we might otherwise have missed.
Wednesday’s six-hour rail journey took us up to the Tatras, skirting the Polish border not far from Zakopane
where we’d been in 2019, and on to Košice, Slovakia’s second city and birthplace of Sándor Márai when it was part of Hungary. On the corner of the street where he lived, now named after him, sits his statue, legs crossed looking pensive, opposite an empty chair as if waiting for a chat.
Not a huge amount to see in Košice but the old town is much restored with lots of Art Nouveau buildings to admire including the Cafe Slavia where we ate a couple of times. Not too far away is a huge Soviet high rise housing estate which we spotted from the train, but we were on holiday, resolutely turning our backs on real life.
Our last stop was Budapest where we’d spent a few days six years ago falling in love with this city which has something to admire at every turn. After two days soaking up the chilly October sunshine, drinking coffee in stylish cafes and marvelling at extravagant nineteenth-century architecture, we tore ourselves 
away from our busy schedule, taking the Children’s Railway up into the Buda Hills. Overseen by adults, children run the train service, from issuing tickets to making announcements but not, you’ll be relieved to hear, driving the train. The kids, both on and off the train, seemed to love it, taking their duties very seriously. A great way of teaching children how to co-operate as part of a team, much more constructive 
than competitive sports.
Unusually for us we’d only visited one museum during the first fifteen days of the holiday, but we managed to cram two into the last day, both within spitting distance of each other. On our first trip, I’d been keen to visit the Museum of Applied Arts, disappointed to find it closed for restoration. It’s still closed but a tiny slice of its collection is on show at the György Ráth Villa which has a particularly impressive display of ceramics.
After lunch we visited the Walter Rózsi Villa, a beautiful modernist house built for opera singer Rózsi Walter and her husband by
the architect József Fischer and his structural engineer wife Ezster Pécsi. Glowing brightly in the autumn sun, it was a delight inside and out: a clean stripped-down design – all pristine white walls and huge 
windows – meticulously restored after its time as a hospital at the end of the Second World War when the family fled to Argentina. We left Budapest already looking forward to going back.
Grateful thanks to H for spending so much time putting our trip together and for being, as always, the very best of travelling companions. If you’re wondering about that last photo, it’s Detective Columbo aka Peter Falk for whom, rather like the Albanians and Norman Wisdom, Hungarians have a particular, if inexplicable, fondness.
And the books? Rebecca Wait’s compassionate, witty I’m Sorry You Feel That Way which sees mental illness afflict a family already 
shouldering more than its fair share of dysfunctionality kept me going for the first week. I raced through Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot, a literary thriller about a blocked writer who uses the surefire plot a student recounts to him after he learns of the student’s death with dire consequences. The brilliant Being Various, an anthology of Irish short stories edited by Lucy Caldwell, was perfect for dipping in and out of on long train journeys.
Thanks to readers who’ve stuck with me to the end of what’s turned into a very long post. Back to books on Friday…
Sounds really wonderful Susan! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Always such a pleasure to write these posts (if a little self-indulgent!).
Indulge away! They’re a pleasure to read.
Thank you!
What a wonderful trip. You’ve definitely sold Budapest to me. All this and three book reviews in a single post! I might start with The Plot.
We loved it and The Plot was perfect holiday reading. Budapest is fast rising to the top of my favourite European cities list. I feel we’ve barely scratched its surface even with two visits.
What a fantastic trip. I really enjoyed reading all about it. Thanks for sharing!
So pleased to hear that! Thank you
Slow travel by rail, sounds wonderful.
Flying back made me remember how much I dislike all that entails. We’re lucky to be able to travel by train.
I’ve just been to Paris and Epernay last week, train all the way there and back and so little stress involved and comfort and leg room, not to mention the views of the changing landscape, the pearl of train travel.
Exactly! I must mention that route to H who I’m sure will spend the winter with his head back in rail websites.
My pleasure, S.
This sounds so good!! I particularly love the Children’s Railway (what an awesome idea) and Olomouc and Budapest are on my list now. I had to go to Basel for work recently and insisted on going by train instead of flying—marginally cheaper, much more convenient departure/arrival times, and better for the environment, plus you get to see things out the window! No better way to travel.
All reasons why I try to travel by train if I can. So much more rewarding than all the time spent in an airport, too. Budapest is fast becoming one of my favourite European cities, and Olomouc is a treat. You’ll also heve it to yourself!
Thank you for sharing your trip with us. This is a part of the world I’ve never seen.
My pleasure! We started exploring Central Europe a few years ago, moving a little further east on each visit. It’s such an interesting area.
Looks a wonderful trip-thanks for sharing the pictures too. The children’s railway does sound interesting, and how nice that they’re given a chance to do this.
It was! I was so taken with the children’s railway. Lots of families riding on it, too, which made for a lovely atmosphere.
What a wonderful trip, I love the statues; the angels remind me of the German film ‘Wings of Desire’ where angels sit above the city watching over the people, I wonder if some of its shots were based on these 2 angels?
Ah, that I don’t know although it’s funny you should mention Wings of Desire as Peter Falk, whose statue as Columbo is further down the post, played a man who had once been an angel in it as you may remember.I loved that film!
How wonderful to have such a good travelling companion – and even better, organiser! It sounds like a great trip.
It was! I’m very fortunate: H gets on with the boring bits while I take care of the frills.
Our last big train adventure was in 2016 — we awoke in Vienna on the morning of the Brexit referendum result (groan). It’s long past time we had another. We passed through Cologne that time, but only to change trains. On the spur of the moment we had a day trip into Slovakia, the furthest east we got. The Children’s Railway sounds so charming!
Like your partner, my husband is the travel planner among us. Most recently he managed to plan our Outer Hebrides trip via public transport (and a rental car once we got there), which was quite a feat.
I’m glad to see you felt I’m Sorry You Feel That Way was worthwhile. I might have discounted it based on the cover.
Oh, that’s must have been painful. We were in Bratislava in September 2016 coinciding with the EU summit which felt like salt being rubbed in our Brexit wounds,
That does sound like a lot of finicky travel detail to fall into place. H always feels personally responsible if things go wrong while I’m just grateful he’s taken care of the often dull admin.
Yes, it was was cover motif of 2022, wasn’t it? My favourite example was the woman facedown in a cake sported by Claire Powell’s At the Table.
That was lovely – thank you for taking us with you on your trip. I really want to get to southern Spain by public transport some time soon, to check it can be done, although we’re taking the easy option on our upcoming holiday of a package holiday I have to admit. Good reading choices, too. Short stories are great for travelling, aren’t they, although I also like a travel book.
So glad you enjoyed it! It is easier to travel by train when you have more time which we have now. It took me a long time to learn that short story lesson.
I hope you have a lovely time in Spain. Should set you up for winter.
What a fantastic sounding trip, just the sort of places I would love to visit if I could. You picked just the right kind of reading by tge sounds of it. Lovely photos too.
It’s such an interesting part of world to explore. The short story anthology worked a treat! All credit due to H for the photos.
I always enjoy your travel post Susan. Sounds like another great trip.
Thanks, Helen. It was a adventure!
What a wonderful trip, I love all the photos. It’s so amazing how easy it is to travel through Europe by train. Something I’d love to do again.
Thanks for sharing. What a lovely read.
Thank you! It’s such a great way to travel, isn’t it. I’d like never to fly again but that’s not really practical.
So many I interesting places. I love the architecture. Things are so much older there – it must be fascinating!
The whole of Europe has opened up to us since the early ’90s. It’s a delight to be able to explore the Central and Eastern parts which were inaccessible before then.
What a marvelous trip. You made me feel I was there. ❤
So pleased to hear that!
What a fab trip – thanks so much for sharing it, the pictures are wonderful!
You’re welcome, and all credit to H for the pictures no to mention the organisation!
I always love travelling vicariously through your trips! Is it hard to choose the photographs for this type of post, or, when you’re travelling and snapping, do you just look at the odd photo and think, oh, yes, that one is one to share?! Also, I love the final paragraph of books because of course. /nods
Lovely to hear that! I like to illustrate what I’ve written about with a photograph although sometimes it’s just to share something beautiful or unusual.
Have you read Yellowface, by R, F, Kuang? Sounds like there are similarities with The Plot, right?
I haven’t but coincidentally Cathy left a comment on my review of The Sequel suggesting the same thing.