Highway toll pushes people off the highway

I was just talking to some elderly citizens here and they told me that they never take highway M7 to Lake Velence because of the toll. Instead, they prefer to drive on the free road #70. Yes, it takes twice as long, mainly because of the other people who try to avoid the toll, but then again, they are retired so there is nowhere to hurry.

What amazed me most about this is that I have been living in Hungary for years now and never realized that people actually stayed off the highway in order to get to Lake Velence or Lake Balaton for free. I just always assumed that people complained about the highway toll, which about HUF 4,000 for a month, but then paid just the same. At least that was my own reaction. What? A HUF 4,000 toll? Ah, well, what can I do?

At the same time, one has to keep in mind that driving down road #70 is like driving in the city. You cannot drive faster than 50 miles and hour and sometimes can go as slow as 10 miles per hour. So if you drive down to Lake Velence more than a couple times, it is probably cheaper to drive on the highway because you will save on gasoline. But then again, a retired Hungarian would drive something with which he gets good mileage.

Countess Bathori: A Hungarian vampire lady

Countess Bathori: The Blood Countess

Just read the story of Countess Bathori who lived in Hungary sometime in the 17th century "in a castle on the edge of the Carpathian Mountains, which had a mysterious and evil reputation in the neighborhood."

According to the story, young girls and boys have been disappearing from neighboring villages without trace. Only after the castle of the Countess had been searched was it revealed that she abducted these children and kept them chained in her dungeon. Every night she would open up a vein in the arm of one of them and drink the blood and wash her face in it. Supposedly, "she had a marvelously smooth and lovely skin, a complexion like snow and roses."

Six children have been recovered but the bones of several others were also found in the dungeons.

Source: Vampires: Facts and fiction behind vampire stories

Now I don't know how much of this story is true, I have not come across it before. Perhaps there was a countess like this, perhaps there were many of them. I would love to read a good book on the history behind these tales.

Drowning vacationers

Just heard the statistics over the radio that although the summer is only half way through, nearly 70 people have already drowned in summer resorts in Hungary this summer. These drownings usually happen on Lake Balaton, Lake Velence, the Tisza river and some smaller lakes around Budapest. One of the primary reasons for drowning is the inability to reach the shore once the storm hits the area. If you are on boat or water bicycle and the wind blows the other way then you are definitely in trouble because you will never outrun the storm. It will take you further away from the shore and eventually turn your boat over.

Yesterday, for example, there was a family of 5 at a small lake and one of the kids walked into the lake and suddenly disappeared. The whole family jumped into the water to save him and everyone drowned except for the smallest child. He was the one who told the story.

Pepsi takes over Margarent Island?

I was at the Palatinus pools yesterday in a desperate attempt to avoid the heat. The pools were great, it was well worth spending the day there instead of a hot hot building downtown.

So I was getting some food and asked for a Coke but was told that there is only Pepsi. Oh, said I, really? I prefer Coke. Then the vendor said that I will not find Coke on the entire Margaret Island because Pepsi has bought the rights to sell Pepsi here. Wow, was my impression, can a company do that? Then I remembered a couple of years back that Coca Cola took over the entire Lake Balaton under the title of "Coca Cola Beach Party" or something like that.

So is this something doable? Can Coca Cola or Pepsi tell a small vendor at the pool side what he can sell or not sell? I am really interested in finding out how I could do the same in my line of business.

The other side of the story is that when I exited the pool park, right across from the entrance there was a small stand selling Coca Cola and Fanta. Perhaps Pepsi could not pay them enough? Or they were ignorant of the fact that they had been paid?

Croatia and the Adriatic Sea -- Tourist paradise?

Now that the World Cup is over, suddenly there is no accommodation available on the Croatian coast. Places that were empty are suddenly full and you have to try really hard to be able to book something for July or August. Prices are not that expensive but there is simply nothing available at this point.

Speaking from our last year's experience, the Adriatic Sea is gorgeous, it beats Miami, the Caribbean and Thailand. But only the sea, otherwise there is no infrastructure whatsoever. No restaurants, no bars, no cafes, no shops, no products. And when you do find a restaurant or a bar, you find that there are no local people there at all, only foreigners who are, like you, paying high prices for very ordinary service.

Still, they are fully booked and, if you live in Budapest, you will probably meet a couple of your neighbors down there.

More heat -- find water

Now it seems that heat has been trapped in the city for ages. It feels suffocating in these air-conditioningless apartments and there is nowhere to go. The only solution is to find water somewhere. If you have the time then it is definitely worth going down to Croatia for a week or two. The next choice would be Lake Balaton, then Lake Velencei (either Agárd or Velence). If you have to stay in Budapest, you can go to one of the pools: Dagály, Palatinus, Római fürdő, etc. The best of these is definitely Palatinus on Margaret Island where you have a selection of over 10 pools in the open and a bunch of slides. It is a milder version of a Waterworld.

One bit of advice though -- do not leave valuables unattended. Better yet, leave them at home and take with you only what is needed. Pools are notorious for pickpockets and pickpockets are notorious for targeting foreigners. So be alert and remember that when in doubt, there is no doubt.

Italy wins World Cup - Quiet celebration in Budapest

Tonight Italy won the World Cup and became world champion once again. The streets of Budapest, however, remained relatively quiet, especially in comparison with the turbulent response of English or German fans when their teams were winning. Back then, the streets were filled with people singing and drinking. Tonight, there were only a couple of small groups of fans rejoicing over the Italian victory and a small convoy of cars with Italian or diplomatic license plates. Otherwise, there was no absolutely sign of the World Cup ending.

I think people lost interest in the World Cup as the matches dragged on. There was none of that spectacular play we used to have on former World Cups -- this year's championship was simply pathetic. So by the time we got to the final, everyone was sick and tired of the whole thing.