Trains, Feet, Buses and Automobiles.....your commute.

I walk 20 mins through downtown Budapest. One of the joys in life. Either I walk down a street in Pest that features the improbable joy of constellating itself southwestward in such a way that, somehow, the liberation monument on top of the Gellert Hill, several kilometers away on the other side of the river, perches directly above the street, as if suspended over the hanging streetlights; or I walk up the other way, passing the church and music academy past which a street goes eastward that somehow, in its unspectacular but graciously typical exemplariness of what a Budapest street looks like, makes me thank fate for getting me to live here every single time.

Whether I go down the one way or up the other depends on a momentous decision I sadly have to make every morning: do I stop by at the Jewish bakery to collect some of the city's finest pastries for breakfast & lunch, or do I instead head over to the cutest coffeeshop in town, where Zsuzsa makes a Latte Macchiato I love and the mood is always gentle. Cant do both. The latter option has the advantage, apart from creating at least the hypothetical possibility of staying awake through the day, of having me head down O street afterward, a picturesque narrow street with a church tower at the end on one side, and then past Saint Stephans Basilica, a majestic if somewhat intimidating presence. But - no decent pastries to be bought on the way.

Life's dilemmas.

Lol! My heart bleeds for you!

Any photies?


I hear Budapest is a stnningly lovely city....

Will check the berries for evidence of, um, tipsy-creating abilities. Thanks for the tip (hic!).

Wind and rain highlighted today's commute,
but not really too bad.

Having listened to the local weather report,
I expected cruise ships washed up on 128.

Did the weather folk make things sound alot more dramatic than it actually was, George?

drank waaaay too much last night, woke up late, had to call a cab to get to the train station on time. slept on the train, somehow dragged myself to work, don't even recall being alive today. i did, however, notice that they finished the reconstruction of the parliament building, took all fences and scaffoldings away. it now shines in bright white and is all bestatued. very purty. since i came i sit here and stare into indiscriminate distance.

it's this, only pristine white now. plus they added these funky ramps coming up... meh, can't explain, will just have to take photos.

Looks a bit like our art gallery, only we have less statues.





This morning I found where the Rosellas I pass are nesting!

There is a double line of plane trees all along this very main street.

I noticed various rosellas clinging to the bark of these trees (one pair per tree) and putting their heads in and out of hollows in the bark.....babies!!!

All the nests are facing into the traffic, and just above my head...I stood quietly and watched the parents for ages.

Antigone should be so dramatic.

Aaaaaargh......the awfullest thing happened last night....


My version:

I ran into one of the little city supermarkets before I caught my bus, to get a few things. Suddenly, one of the shelves began tipping over on me, and I screamed.


What really happened:

I ran into one of the little city supermarkets before I caught my bus, to get a few things.

I was gazing fixedly at a shelf, looking for the brand of something I wanted, which I could no see, but I figured must be there. I was tired, and focusing utterly on what I was doing.


Unbeknownst to me, I was blocking the path of an enoormous African man, who was wearing a brightly coloured tunic. He was standing next to the shelf, waiting kindly for me to move.

I could see him from the corner of my eye, but, since he was so tall that my eyes were on a level with his diaphragm, all I registered was colour, which I thought was another shelf.

He then moved to get past me, but I registered the movement as the shelf falling on me and screamed.

What I fear his version must have been:

I am shopping in this supermarket and this woman blocks my path. Rude person does not move aside, so eventally I try to get past her.

She screams!!! What a racist bitch! What did she think I was going to do??? Sheesh.


He gave me SUCH a look!

I desperately wanted to explain, but I was still shocked, and all I could think of to say was "Oh, I am so sorry, I thought you were a shelf!"

I don't think that would have helped a lot.....

Hehehehehehe...!

Could you explain you have Tourrette's?

Hubby's poo car/ shabbymobile (bought for $1, worth about half that) gave up the ghost again (maybe we should call it the catmobile, it's had about 7 lives so far) and so he took my car and I'm carless. He was actually supposed to take the bus today and I had stuff planned for while sozlet was at preschool -- I decided to just hoof it and do that stuff anyway. Walked her to preschool, then walked a mile or two to a shopping district to do some errands, then walked home.

It was great! It was quite cold, but I kept up a good pace and got myself warm enough that the cold felt good. Saw all kinds of neighborhood details that I miss by zooming by in a car.

Gad! You do live a life of high adventure, Deb, dont'cha?

the view across the road from my work

I couldn't have remembered the WORD Tourette's, I was UTTERLY mortified.

I just touched his arm and muttered weak words of apology, and giggled nervously.


It IS great seeing all the details, isn't it Soz?


Well, MA, there have been times that my life was rawther colourful, upon looking back, but now I am just a sweet middle aged lady.

I see knitting closing in.....








I LEFT MY GODDAMN WORKING SHOES AT NEW JOB, and I am going to old one for the next two days. (Taking two days holiday from new job to finish paperwork at old...drat!)


So, now I have to get into new work tonight and pick up my goddamn shoes, or it's no exercise for me for four days.

one more time

Nice.....

I had an 88 Ranger. No A/C, standard, radio-tape player broke. Burned no oil, used about 10 bucks worth of gas per week. A few months ago, I upgraded to a 2000 Ranger, with A/C, speed control, automatic shift, CD and tape player, etc. Oddly, I felt more comfortable in the other truck. Plus, I hate spending $20 plus on gas. Lordy me, what have I done?

Deb, the guy didn't say anything to you, like "Excuse me"? I mean, how the heck are you supposed to divine that he wanted to go around you. Weird.

Beautiful, dj.

Very dark this morning (like it has been for many mornings lately) coming in to work. I started the time clock at, eep, 6:30 AM. This is not new for me. Oy.

I still need to check out the possible gin-like berries where I park. In the meantime, a colleague took one of those little styrofoam bagels off my DVD spindle and is holding it over her head (the, er, bagel, is maybe 2 inches in diameter) and is running around, saying she has a halo.

Hey, Halloween is coming, and we're an odd bunch. A different colleague gave me a party favor yesterday, one of those things you blow and a streamer extends, this was for getting the testing out early.

Tomorrow we are having a company barbecue. A different colleague (he's a department head, but not of my group) made up a detailed chart and spreadsheet and a map (!) of where all the homemade food is supposed to go. I am bringing cranberry relish.

Like I said, we're an odd bunch.

Jes...the poor fella just moved to squeeze past me, after waiting politlely for me to finish what I was doing, and I screamed at him!

How was he to know that he was but a colourful blur out of the corner of my eye to me, and I thought he was a shelf!


Food MAPS??????


Hmmmmmmmmm.......

Techie folk do seem a little odd.

nah, i'm with jes. he should have said 'pardon me' or at least mutter something. he at least half deserved to be screamed at. what right do people have to be colorful blurs and frighten the devil out of us?
i slugged to work on my bike today. gorgeous day, but no energy. finished a painting yesterday though (hence stayed up late). red and yellow leaves everywhere, my bicycle likes to crunch them with much gusto. must fix the front brake though, it's rubbing...