An Oriental Adventure...Return to Shanghai Part #1.1

SATURDAY 27TH FEBRUARY - SATURDAY 19TH MARCH 2016

An ill-advised decision was made in preparation for the trip, perhaps.

A new novel was needed for the duration of the visit; a captivating fiction away from my usual genre, an author whose name was unfamiliar to me and something easy to travel with...a slim, paper back from the 'recommended' section perhaps? Diligently, the shelves of Foyles were perused and a short-list selected, all fitting the above criteria. Suddenly, a cardinal sin was committed and a judgement made based on the cover of a book.

City On Fire, the debut novel from Garth Risk Hallberg, drew my attention from the intriguing title, font and graphics displayed on the cover of this thick, hardback book from the 'Authors A-Z' section of the store. Meeting some of the criteria, this narrative was clearly inappropriate for travel from its physical size, weight and length at over 900 pages but the lure of a personal challenge to read another hefty fiction was tempting. Then, I saw it. Proudly adorning the cover was a BBC Radio 2 book club sticker which unlocked a memory of listening to the rave review of this exact book during the drive home from work one evening a few weeks prior. This cemented my decision and the book was purchased.

...and what a brilliant purchase it would prove to be!

.....

Suitcases, hand luggage and saxophone in tow, my extended visit back to Shanghai had arrived. Fortunately, I has selected a serviced apartment located in the central business district of Shanghai, comparable to Kensington, London, surrounded by a plethora of restaurants and retailers, green parks with open spaces and a true sense of safety. The opportunity to experience Shanghai as a local presented itself every day whilst travelling to the office on the metro and the chance to observe the iconic skyline at night was appreciated from the windows of the gym during a determined run on the treadmill.

WORK AND PLAY

A kind welcome from the team (letting me know where I stand in the ranks):

Celebrating women's day:

Grid lock outside the office during one particularly heavy down pour:

My apartment:

View from the gym:

It was during one of these few determined runs that an uncomfortable event would crescendo in comedy. About a third of the way into my run, I took my eyes off the skyscrapers of Shanghai and quickly glanced around the gym. From the corner of my eye I spotted a gentleman to my right who was looking at me while he was working out. An initial feeling of gratification was swiftly followed by disquiet as, a few moments later, I stole another glance in his direction and confirmed that he head was still turned in my direction. Continuing my cardio with vigour, I was determined not to let a the voyeuristic nature of an individual affect my run. However, the unsettled feeling failed to leave so a further check was required.

A gradual tilt of my head was first met with the reassurance that this was a gentleman of a certain calibre...his arms were defined as they cut through the air as he also ran on a treadmill. As I lifted my head to inspect the direction his sight was following, I rapidly returned my focus to the front - his head continued to be turned towards me. A few repeats of this exercise were performed over the subsequent few minutes and each time, the same outcome.

Deciding this deviant should be confronted, the best course of action to follow would be to challenge this gentleman and meet his gaze head on. Taking a moment to compose myself, I suddenly turned to face my antagonist to be met with my own reflection! What I had been interpreting as another resident was in fact myself running on a treadmill in a mirror at the opposite end of the gym.

THE LOCAL AREA

Early morning exercise in Huaihai Park:

The uber trendy K11, including its indoor farm:

My local Starbucks with unique shop fit:

The Covent Garden of Shanghai, Xintiandi, with its traditional buildings renovated into stylish bars, shops and restaurants, plus unique marketing opportunities:

The Hen-ger Games Part #2 - Budapest

MONDAY 8TH FEBRUARY 2016

A blissful moment of morning was literally a moment...a moment of hope that I has escaped the throbbing head, the dry throat and the need for anything 100% carbohydrate based. But no. Within a flash, all three had entered my consciousness and with a lot of muster I was able to move myself from bedroom to kitchen, observing the croissant debris covering the dinning room table (of which I later found out that I was responsible for) and gulped down fresh water to rehydrate my wizened insides.

Exploring the apartment, it was clear who the other hard core culprits were from the previous night. The usual suspects were rounded up and the sharing of paracetamol and ibuprofen commenced. Those who has escaped with clearer heads headed out for the morning and left the self-inflicted four to slowly come around, clear our heads and allow the drugs to take effect.

.....

The temperature was cool, the rain was light and the air was fresh as we ambled along the streets of our local area in search of a suitable venue for lunch. A few streets away from the accommodation was a quaint Hungarian bistro which looked as authentic as the goulash tasted: the atmosphere, the service and the décor all combined to create an experience only found on the continent. The set lunch menu was like dinning at the hands of truly gifted chef. Delicious.

Fully revived but requiring relaxation, the thermal spas were next on the list. A short metro ride without unexpected de-tour delivered us to the ceremonial plaza of Hosok tere. At its centre is the Millennary Monument which includes a 36m high column topped with a statue of Gabriel who, according to legend, offered the crown of Hungary to Stephen during a dream.

Across the plaza and through the park led to the Szechenyl Baths. It's recognisable yellow walls enclosed the largest thermal spa in Europe, including outdoor pools with water jets and whirlpools and a maze of smaller pools and spa facilities within the main building.

It was brave manoeuvre to fully withdraw the comfort and warmth of the towel to expose myself to the cold air before being enveloped by the warming waters from the natural spring. The waters became so comfortable that removing oneself to explore the main building was a perilous thought but an act which we were compelled to do: and it certainly paid off. Once inside, there was a smorgasbord of pools to unwind and luxuriate in and, once finished with those, a selection of steam rooms and saunas were frequented. The experience was completed with an enjoyable but brief dip in the icy waters of the plunge pool.

The sun created the most stunning sky full of an astonishing array of oranges, pinks and yellows as it descended on the city for our last night in Budapest. Still keen on seeing more sights, a select group elected to continue to explore the city and headed back to The Var to experience the Siklo, a nineteenth-century funicular railway that took us from the River Danube and Lanchid up to the Royal Palace (now the Hungarian National Gallery) and the Sandor Palace.

The sight of the shining parliament building was striking against the backdrop of an inky black night sky.

Looking out from the top of the Siklo, the illuminated grandeur of St. Stephen's Basilica rose from the city in the east. I had underestimated the size of the imposing building which appeared to grow in size at an unexpected rate the closer we became, filling the full expanse of our vision as we walked along the pedestrian street leading directly to the basilica.

The sense of calm, peace and spirituality of any church is always a welcome experience and St. Stephen's was no exception. The quiet hush and respect of visitors, the votive candles flickering in the vestibule leading to the nave and the surrounding frescos depicting scenes and events from The Bible all combined to create a tranquil space in a busy city.

Arriving back at the apartment, it was clear a low key evening was needed as our bodies had not fully recovered from the shenanigans of the previous night and the prospect of an early wake-up to catch our flight home was looming in our thoughts. Low key still included lots of wine, lots of laughs and a few forfeits which the bride had to perform.

TUESDAY 9TH FEBRUARY 2016

An early start led to a relaxing breakfast at the airport before boarding our flight and heading home to Bristol. Budapest is a great city which was made even better by the awesome company of the Cabot Crew.

The Hen-ger Games Part #1 - Budapest

SATURDAY 6TH FEBRUARY 2016

All was not quiet
All was not still
All we could hear was the sound of Jo's shrill!

An adventure ahead
Jo could not have guessed
That the hens were all off to Budapest!

The only information disclosed to the bride in the run up to half term were the dates of travel, a list of appropriate clothing which would be prudent to pack and to ensure her passport was in date.

The time was set, the first venue booked and Cabot colleagues from past and present gathered in The Cuban where the destination would be revealed. One by one, cryptic clues were passed to the bride and, with each question, Jo's face passed through the emotions of confusion, hesitation and uncertainty until, thanks to the lyrics of a particular red-haired singer/song writer, the destination was between two very different yet desirable destinations: Barcelona or Budapest.

The final clue was handed over, read and quickly answered...with a sheer shriek of excitement, Jo knew where our flight would be landing.

With suitcases in tow, the brood of hens arrived at the airport, were through security with no additional searches (although quizzed as to the contents of our hand luggage and if there were any 'naughty' items which security should be aware of) and passed the time waiting for the announcement to board our plane with a glass of the finest vino.

Arriving at the apartment close to midnight, we swiftly decided on sleeping arrangements certain a good night's sleep would be best for our first full day in Hungary.

SUNDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 2016

Through the light of day the true magnificence of the accommodation could be properly observed and it was the a little spot of luxury we had all hoped for.

Situated between Belvaros, District V, and Elizabeth Town, District VII, it was the prefect position to be within walking distance from many of Budapest's sights and attractions, close to the metro and, most importantly, the main drinking establishments of the city.

Over a leisurely breakfast, we mapped out our first day from places to visit and sights to see to how we would travel there and which mode of transport to use. However, all was not to be...

Casually rambling along the road, all were chatting and gossiping, pointing at interesting edifices and stepping around the homeless as we passed them by. The first inkling that something may be awry was the sudden realisation that we had walked a couple of kilometres and the first sight should have been reached within 800m. Reviewing the map and re-orientating ourselves, we set off again in what we hoped to be the correct direction. However, all was not to be...

During the next leg of the mis-adventure, the architecture diminished from grand to utilitarian, the tidy streets began to become littered and the frequency and sound of sirens increased. All of the brood were confused and unsure how we had made such a mistake again and wandered into a part of the city not meant for tourists. With time passing by, we climbed onto the next tram to exit this part of town and, with the desire to explore the city ever present, Jo took it upon herself to communicate with the locals to get us back on track.

Following another tram and a metro ride, we alighted at Astoria station two hours after leaving the apartment: Astoria being a two minute walk from the accommodation! Unknowingly, our fatal mistake occurred at the end of our road when each person of the party failed to spot that we had turned left and not right. After this point, every time we studied the map our west was actually east and the same was true of north and south. Hence, our unfortunate incident of the teachers in the day time!

Back on track, the first official sight was The Hungarian Parliament building. Inspired by Pugin's Westminster Palace, architect Imre Steindl embellished the Gothic Revival style with Renaissance and Baroque flourishes to design a building spanning 268m along the embankment, a central dome 88 meters high and adorned with 88 statues of Hungarian rulers.

Our path led us over the River Danube crossing the Margit Hid (Margeret Bridge), out of Pest and into Buda.

Lunchtime had been and gone but, if we were to sustain the rest of the day, refreshments were in need. Following the course of the river south along the embankment, we stumbled across a little square with the ornate St Anne's church on one side and a local bar on another. Here, a couple of ciders were quickly drunk and a little nibble on a local pastry was soon swallowed (we dismissed the lure of one unfamiliar drink!).

There was a distinct echo of Paris as we walked along the winding cobbled streets leading up to The Var. Scaling the steps and entering the summit from below Fisherman's Bastion, the imposing yet magnificent sight of Matyas Church met us with its colourful diamond patterned roof and pristine façade. This was swiftly followed by the undulating white rampart of cloisters and stairways intersecting at seven conical turrets of Fisherman's Bastion and the serene view looking down over Buda, across the River Danube and on into Pest. Between Matyas Church and the bastion is a statue of King Stephen, the founder of Hungary and surrounding this area of The Var are beautiful buildings and streets.

Day had quickly turned to night and it was time to head back to the apartment for fun and games before heading out on the town...much of which remains a blur.