12 days of basketball – Travel much?
What to say about this day – Wednesday???
6.00 am Wake-Up at the hotel in Porto, pack the bags, check you have everything – get the ‘wake-up call’ at 6.30am from the reception, head downstairs for the Taxi to the airport
7.00 am Airport, as often tends to be the case in some countries, you get to the destination.. and the taxi driver says ‘€XX … that is OK??’ What are you supposed to say to that??? Especially when you are still half asleep.. just use the flipping meter and…
7.10 am Bag Drop … and through security.
8.00 am Been a while since last RyanAir flight – I forgot that we start standing in the queue like an hour before departure, bringing back memories of many UK flights.
8.50 am Ready to depart – how come the seats on RyanAir flights are so much narrower than on other airlines?? Still – lovely 210minutes squeezed by the window on the way to Budapest.
1.20 pm Landed in Budapest, and on luggage carousel my bag comes first.. oh the joy – although what do I gain by it?? Not quite sure…
1.40 pm Pick-up rental car.
2.00 pm Check-in at the airport hotel in Budapest – just to drop the bags into to the room, then to the rental car and off to drive to Levice, Slovakia
5.00 pm Arrive to Levice after and adventure on some smaller lanes through Hungary and Slovakia – I think I had SatNav on ‘avoid Toll Roads’ so got the scenic route – quick stop at Kaufland to grab something to eat and drink.
5.30 pm Arrive to Arena at Levice – say HI!! to KarhuBasket staff and players – there was ONE member of the team who said that I would be in Levice.. others didn’t believe.. so she had a good laugh at their expense.
5.45 pm Notice Duco Van Oostrum (father of Devon) – man, the places we have met. When I lived in the UK and Devon still played at the youth events (he’s 30 now!), his father used to travel to all events and I tended to be there as the FIBA photographer.. so we have a long history. But to meet him in here.. totally random!
9.00 pm Game over – quick words with the players of KarhuBasket.. then to the rental car and back towards Budapest for the night – raining slightly and migraine coming, loving the drive.
11.45 pm Arriving to Budapest airport, needing to refill the rental car, go to the nearest petrol station – can’t get the petrol tank cover open, drive around the station.. ask staff for help, they open it.. BUT!! While I went around the station, they closed the pumps for 30 minutes.. so, head to the NEXT closest station to refill and then head to the hotel.
00.30 am Arrive to the car rental return, leave the car there and decide to return the keys in the morning – head to the hotel room.. have a deep sigh, brush teeth and sleep..
Sleep very poorly all night, it’s too hot, can’t sleep.. watch tells me I slept 3hours and 20 minutes all night…
Is it the next day .. or are we still going on the same day.. who knows…
