At the National Library

This is a photo from the inside of the elevator of the National Széchenyi Library located in the magnificent Royal Castle on the Buda Hill. I always thought that it was funny that the main entrance (i.e. the ground floor) was on the 5th floor, a fact that newcomers find quite confusing. Basically most readers use only two floors, the 7th where the reading rooms are and the 5th to get in. So the rest is for heavy-duty researchers or staff who would know anyway which way they need to go. Why not make this easier?

Photo-copiers are open only from 12 noon. Having asked why, I was told that this was because nobody wanted to make copies. Hmm...

On Saturdays the Library is open but you can get no books from storage because it is closed. Why?

So every time I am there, I seem to run into some kind of petty regulation that prevents me from getting access to what I want. The only thing consistently open is the small büfé or snack shop. In fact, even though the Library opens at 10 am, the büfé opens at 8 am. Obviously, this is not for readers. But then if staff is treated so nicely, they should have the time to spellcheck things, like the "Special collactions" on the elevator photo here.

Or the "Nyitva tartás" (Opening hours) which are also misspelled in Hungarian(!) as the two words should be written together as one. This is on their main page and if you use IE to click on this link, nothing happens. (Evidently, it was designed for less mainstream browsers.)

Running in the city

With an eye to becoming healthier, a couple of months ago I started running on a daily basis. Initially, I ran around 6 am when there was much less traffic and the air was cleaner. But sometimes I cannot go that early and if I begin running around 8 am, I am bound to have some incidents.

On thing that happens if you start later is that you have more people on the street. The other day I have already completed about 35 minutes when an elder man stopped me for directions. I had my earphones on so I silently gesticulated that I can't hear him and that I am not going to stop anyway. Much to my surprise, he grabbed my shoulder and started running alongside. In the meantime, he asked where was whatever street. Since I run in that neighborhood every morning, I knew the street and I showed him where it was --- only a block away. He then thanked me and stopped. But this man of seventy kept running with me for a dozen or so yards!

Then last week as I was running behind Gellert-hegy, I saw a black furry dog on the other side of the road. It also noticed me and came over to join me. It sniffed me in motion and then began running by my side, so close that at times its fur brushed against me legs. First I thought that it would stop after a couple of blocks but it kept running with me the whole time. We ran in this manner for 45 minutes and ended up at my doorstep. At this point I went inside the building and it sat on the ground in front of the door. The funny thing that it had a collar so it was not homeless...

Best Chinese restaurants in Budapest (2)

Going back to my earlier post about Chinese restaurants in Budapest, I see that people have submitted a few comments and suggestions. Since I wrote that post a year and half ago, I think we need to make a few adjustments.

First of all, I ate at the Nine Dragons not too long ago and it was pretty good. You need to know, however, that there is a Chinese menu which is different from the one foreigners (i.e. non-Chinese) get. But you need to go with a friend who can read Chinese, otherwise you get Europeanized Chinese food. But it is also true that you get very bad service there, the waiters are always cocky and looking the other way while you are trying to talk to them. And the restaurant is incredibly noisy, with kids running around your table ALL THE TIME.

In the past months I rediscovered Lanzhou Restaurant near Rakoczy ut. In the past, the food was always salty and when we asked to put less salt we were told that it could not be done. Hmm... But lately I started eating noodles here and dumplings, and they are relatively good.

And two days ago I went to a new Szechwanese restaurant in Telepy utca, 9th district. And the food was great, I really enjoyed it. I finally had my fill of spicy things. Prices were also moderate and the best thing was that I could park easily, and it was free.

Back in Budapest

After being away for almost a year, I am back in Budapest once again. Only the timing is not right, the country's finances seem to be slipping into a bottomless pit. The upside of all this is a great exchange rate if your salary comes from outside the country. So visitors find the prices are cheaper than before. As expected, this is not true for locals many of whom are now below poverty line. People compare Hungary with Argentina, and they might be right.

Tax day in Hungary

Today is the last day to file your taxes in Hungary. The post offices are already crowded and will be until midnight. The solution? To file beforehand, not to leave it until the last moment. According to the news, a million taxpayers have not filed yet.

This certainly was a brutal year for most people, the Tax Bureau bent backwards trying to squeeze money out of enterpreneurs. I heard some truly ugly stories in this respect.

Bicyclist hit by a car

A bicyclist was hit by a car this morning, according to the news. It is an ugly rainy day and traffic is, once again, crazy in the city. But Budapest is definitely not a bicycle friendly place, I don't understand people who decide to ride here. Life-threatening, both from the drivers and pollution.

Are there any good places to ride your bike in this city?

Shine a light: The Rolling Stones movie

Just saw Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones movie at Lurdy. I was expecting the film for quite a while now and today was the first day that it was on. We went to the 7 pm show but there were only two other people in the audience beside us. That's quite shocking, isn't it? The 7 o'clock show on a Thursday night. Is it that the Rolling Stones are not popular in Hungary? Or people do not go to the movies on Thursday?

By the way, the movie was great. The best part was Buddy Guy, he really outsang Jagger. I wonder why he did not show up at the very end for bowing out.

Hospital patients running lose

I drove to a hospital (I will not mention which one it was, lest they sue me) this week to visit a friend and, as I was about a mile away, I noticed a man in pajamas and barefoot walking in the opposite direction. With his half-stripped top and dishevelled hair, and the lack of shoes on a chilly morning, I guessed that he was running away from the hospital. So at the ***ology where I was visiting, I mentioned to the people on duty that I saw a potential patient escaping. The staff got extremely excited, exclaiming, "We found the patient! Quick, call the police so they can pick him up!" Everybody started running around, making calls and all.

At this point I tried to describe the guy, saying that he had a beard and that he was a man of about 50. "But our patient is a woman!" they told me suddenly. "False alarm! This is not one of ours! Must be from another department." So now everyone calmed down.

But this made me think. Is this so common? I come across two patients in one day who run away from the hospital? There must be dozens of them every day. And the other question that comes to mind, why are the patients running away? Aren't they free to leave whenever they wish to?

Salaries in the Hungarian Army

Just heard over the radio how much Hungarian Army staff are making. I never knew this, perhaps it is useful for others as well. So privates earn about 140,000 Ft a month before taxes, which comes to about $550 net. Not that much, is it? I pay more for my apartment and utilities.

Now officers, on the other hand, make almost twice as much, but this is only a general average. I guess there is a difference between a paycheck of a sergeant and a colonel. But even so, it is only about $12,000 a year. But then there are not many opportunities to risk your life for your country, if you are in the military in Hungary.

Hail storm in Budapest, falling bricks damage cars

This afternoon there was a terrible storm in Budapest, with gusts of wind blowing bricks off the roof in downtown areas. I have not actually seen the news but I did see quite a few cars in the downtown area which were completely damaged by fallen bricks. I am not sure how bricks dislocate themselves from the top of these buildings but they sure hit the ground (and cars) hard. Just imagine if a bunch of bricks falls on someone's head, he would be dead in a second.

There was also hail. I was driving at the time and the wind was so strong that the rain and hail seemed to be coming horizontally, rather than falling from up above. And my car was shaking even after stopping by the side of the road.

As a result of the storm, lots of traffic lights were out of order. It was a good thing that this happened over the weekend and not on some busy weekday, otherwise the entire city would have been paralyzed.

Unfortunately, I did not have my camera with me, but if someone sends me a picture, I will put it up here.

What's the best thing about Budapest?

What is the best thing about Budapest? From time to time I notice that I mostly project a negative image of this city, as I am always pushed to write when I experience something abnormal or annoying. In my less malicious moments I simply do not write.

So what is good here? What are the best things? I would really be interested in what others feel. As for me, music would have to be on the top of the list, that's for sure. And the beautiful women. Not necessarily in any nasty way but in general, as an aesthetic observation.

Food is not good, prices are not cheap (anymore). Oh, the baths. Yes, I love the bath houses even though only go there about once a month. Still, the impression stays with me for the rest of the month.

Also, the relative freedom. If you are a foreigner and do not work for a bank or an investment company then you probably have some free time on your hand and can enjoy the slow pace of Hungary. This is even more so for smaller cities like Pécs or Szeged.

Can't think of anything else at the moment. Let me know if I missed anything...