A trip to Budapest. The flight was uneventful and I quickly caught a cab to the Intercontinental Hotel. It was rush hour so the drive was pretty fiddly. I don’t speak Hungarian but I think the driver was cursing the traffic. I checked in, unpacked and did some work. My room had a spectacular view of the Danube. At this point the river is very wide, and the buildings on the Pest side of the city , on the opposite bank, are built in a style to match the scenery. Breathtaking.

Later on that evening I set out in search of food. Walking down a side street near the hotel I found very close an “English” pub (I think it was called the John Bull) which I thought I would stop by for a drink. Going inside and ordering a beer I discovered that they had European Champions’ League soccer on- I think Manchester United were playing.

In European games my patriotism takes over from club rivalries- I will even support Arsenal against foreign teams (given the number of foreign players in the Arsenal team this could be argued to be a somewhat misplaced patriotism). Anyway the Brits won and I had a hearty meal (not the most haute cuisine I have ever eaten but tasty and plentiful).

The match over I walked back to the hotel.

I should mention at this juncture that due tripping on a pavement in Athens just before this journey, I had fractured my shoulder blade, and based on medical advice was carry my left arm in a sling to take the weight off my shoulder. I was just close to the hotel when I was accosted by- let’s call her a “professional lady”- who tried to strike up conversation. I’m probably naïve and lacking imagination, but I was thinking “Lady, with my arm in a sling I don’t think I’m likely to get up to much mischief with anyone, even if I wanted to”. If you are thinking yes I am naïve and feel like explaining why, please don’t, I’d rather stay as I am.

Anyway diplomacy won out and I politely declined her generous offer.

A good day of meetings at the office and then a cab back to the hotel. I called in at the same place intending to find a better restaurant later, but the TV was about to show Spurs playing against FC Twente. As a Spurs fan there was only one option.

The game was great with several incidents, a sending off, several dubious penalty decisions, and most importantly , a four to one win for my team. Yayyyy!

The game over, I walk the hundred or so metres back to the hotel. This time there are three ladies of that ilk, and all seem to think that my arm is no barrier to business. Again I politely decline.

The following morning I take a cab to the airport hotel where I am due to give a presentation. I meet the meeting organiser, a Hungarian guy called Barnabasz (or Barna for short). It’s great to meet genuinely nice people and Barna is one of the gentlest and sunniest people I have met. The day goes well, and features a very bizarre buffet lunch in terms of the odd mix of choices. As I leave for the airport Barna tries to give me a bottle of spirits, but I am not checking my bag in and it will be confiscated by airport security, so he promises to keep it for another time.

The hotel shuttle takes me to the airport, and I have a marathon journey. Again I have to connect via Munich, and again the Munich flight is late. Boarding the connection flight at Munich I realize how much our company relies on this Lufthansa flight- if it ever crashes we are almost guaranteed to lose some senior managers. I ask the stewardess to help me get my bag into the overhead locker and she tells me to do it myself. I show her the sling (is it invisible?) and she is mortified and apologises endlessly for the flight duration

We arrive in Athens in the small hours, and after a much truncated sleep, into the office for another day.

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