Our first full day in Budapest started reasonably early. We had a good breakfast in the apartment, and Brian and I left for Hungorring by about 9.30am. The first practice was to begin at 11.00am.

The girls wanted to see as much of Budapest as they could, so they were ready to catch the Hop on Hop off bus.

The walk to the Metro was about 15 minutes, and then the Metro trip itself was about 15 minutes to the end of the no 2 line which was our destination. F1 had organised buses opposite the Metro to take people to Hungorring. We followed all the instructions and arrived at the bus pick up point…. together with about 1000 other people. The queue extended around the corner and up the road. Buses were programmed to come every 30 minutes. We saw the first bus turn up, and the driver had a few problems because taxis were lined up where the bus was supposed to park. As soon as the bus stopped it was a free for all, with people jumping railings and fighting their way through taxis to get to the bus. Honestly, this was so badly organised. However, we were patient and waited for the next bus, and then the next, which was ours. Again, the chaos happened, but I had my bouncer with me. Brian and I had just made it onto the bus, and the bus was full. But as usual this great big vertically challenged overweight Ferrari supporter and his mate decided they wanted to hop on. Brian spoke to him in Ausgarian and told them that the bus was full, and they needed to get off because the doors would not close. Which they wouldn't. Like most Ferrari drivers, they are very stubborn, so Brian placed his hand strategically in the middle of his back, and gave him the old heave ho. A lady standing in the line waiting for the next bus had a great laugh and gave Brian the thumbs up. Europeans do not line up, they simply bog in. Obviously, she was having the same issue and was glad to see somebody take a stand.

The bus took around 45 minutes to get to the track and by that time we had missed most of the first practice.

The track itself it purpose built. It is first class. It is situation in a valley (3 sided), so in some ways it was like a bowl. Our seats were on the main straight and sat up very high, which gave you a great view of the valley and the surrounding towns. It was very beautiful and is a good example how you can blend a racetrack into the surroundings without it being detrimental to the beauty of the area.

As soon as the second practice session had finished, Brian and I bolted for gate 3, where we were to catch our bus back to the Metro. Getting through the crowd was difficult, so it took about 20 minutes to get to the gate by which time another big queue had built up. Same old story, when we got to the bus, and it was a free for all. We were lucky, we got on. All in all, from the time we left our seats to the time we nearly reached our apartment, it took 2 hours. On the way back we had stopped at a small restaurant near the Intercontinental Hotel to have a drink. We text the girls to meet us down there for tea. It was a long day for us, but the girls had a great time doing their tours, discovering all the sites of the city. (many of which they have posted on Instagram).

We all were a little exhausted, so we did not stay out long and went back to the apartment about 9.30pm.