I'm on my way to Romania on my now-preffered route via Budapest. I always have an hour or two to kill at Kelleti station, and this time was no exception.
The trains from Kelleti to Bucharest actually start in Vienna, and this particular journey has been going since the railway was first built. The old Empire ( Austro-Hungarian that is) was very definitely knitted by railway tracks. It's temple's were the wonderful railway stations in even the smallest outposts, with their solid stone construction and excellent facilities.
What strikes me, however, is how all the countries in a swathe through what is now the proper outposts of Europe, although they run North to South, look very much East and West. This was true even in Franz Joseph's day, when the Empire looked West for culture and East for markets.
Budapest remains a very Parisian city. You can smoke anywhere. Vegetarians are regarded as being seriously ill people. On the menu I was reading tonight there was a beautiful selection of beef, pork, chicken, and veal dishes. Pages of them.Then one line - " Vegetarian food". No description, just a price.
Mind you, I'm not sure I would have wanted one pork dish - " Pork medallion, Brasso style".
But to Kelleti station.
It has been shrouded in wooden planks and scaffolding ever since I have been coming here. Tonight, just in time for the end of the tourist season, they have unveiled what was the old booking hall. I had never seen it, although I had seen pictures of it in it's heyday.
It is now simply stunning. The gold leaf ( stolen by the Russians) has all been replaced and the original frescoes lovingly restored. There is even a plaque commemmorating people who died in 1945 protecting it from the rape of the Red Army. Standing in the centre looking up you can feel history washing over you. I have not been as impressed with any restoration, ever. I felt again the importance of a people's history to it's soul, something the Chinese very definitely played to in their Olympic opening ceremony.
Makes our ghastly effort at the closing ceremony of the Olympics look truly pathetic.
Sighisoara tomorrow morning.
Showing posts with label Hungary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hungary. Show all posts
Monday, August 25, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Overnight
My last day in Romania was wonderful. We were in the fields with the sun beating down, finding out all sorts of interesting things. We were surrounded by clouds of the most brilliant butterflies, who flitted about us all day.
Not least, someone had planted corn on one of our bits of land. The interesting thing was that we had bought an entire block, but the miscreant had only used a small part at one end. It transpired he came from another area, had not heard we had bought it, had been renting it for several years, and the vendor never bothered to tell him it had been sold. A quick visit got the agreement to transfer the rent to us.
The goat man reported we had 12 extra goats ( I'm not sure quite how, as we only started with 6 nannies), but of the 12, 6 were billys and would be sold in October. So now we will own 12, and on the present rate of increase by next year we will have about 30. I don't understand it either.
The day was rounded off by agreeing to buy some other disparate pieces of ground , some of which we actually wanted. The problem is the government only pays the pension to the vendors if they withdraw entirely from farming, ie sell all they own. Frequently - if not all the time - we have to buy bits here and there we don't want. Every now and again, some of the odd bits join up and then it becomes rather more interesting.
The day finished with a drink or two in the Mayor's garden ( we helped collect the Mirabelles from which he makes a delicious drink) followed by dinner at almost the right time in the Unglerus in Biertan. It serves the best cabbage salad of anywhere.
Nothing would do after dinner but that the Mayor would visit his friend the artist Ion Constantinescu who lives nearby. Of course, another bottle was broached which naturally meant we had to buy something....But it did mean we got free invitations to his next show on 17th October. Alin told me that the ending of his name (.. escu) indicates an important man in Romania, or one with connections, that all important part of doing business there.
After all this it was back onto the night train back to Budapest which leaves Sighisoara at 23:26. As I've mentioned before, night travel is now my preferred time to move about. As my Granny would have said, " What kind of night-hawk are you?" There was hardly anyone on the train, and it arrived bang on time the next morning. The station hotel knows me well now and allows me to shower and shave in an empty room, before taking their breakfast. I spent a lovely day in Budapest and flew back to Prestwick in the early evening.
The most important thing to do in Budapest is to haggle, especially with the taxi drivers. A trip to the airport can cost as much as Eur 50 or as little as Eur 10. The problem is finding the right driver. I discovered by accident that they can change the charges made per kilometer on their meters, so it is critical to get the price agreed first.
Not least, someone had planted corn on one of our bits of land. The interesting thing was that we had bought an entire block, but the miscreant had only used a small part at one end. It transpired he came from another area, had not heard we had bought it, had been renting it for several years, and the vendor never bothered to tell him it had been sold. A quick visit got the agreement to transfer the rent to us.
The goat man reported we had 12 extra goats ( I'm not sure quite how, as we only started with 6 nannies), but of the 12, 6 were billys and would be sold in October. So now we will own 12, and on the present rate of increase by next year we will have about 30. I don't understand it either.
The day was rounded off by agreeing to buy some other disparate pieces of ground , some of which we actually wanted. The problem is the government only pays the pension to the vendors if they withdraw entirely from farming, ie sell all they own. Frequently - if not all the time - we have to buy bits here and there we don't want. Every now and again, some of the odd bits join up and then it becomes rather more interesting.
The day finished with a drink or two in the Mayor's garden ( we helped collect the Mirabelles from which he makes a delicious drink) followed by dinner at almost the right time in the Unglerus in Biertan. It serves the best cabbage salad of anywhere.
Nothing would do after dinner but that the Mayor would visit his friend the artist Ion Constantinescu who lives nearby. Of course, another bottle was broached which naturally meant we had to buy something....But it did mean we got free invitations to his next show on 17th October. Alin told me that the ending of his name (.. escu) indicates an important man in Romania, or one with connections, that all important part of doing business there.
After all this it was back onto the night train back to Budapest which leaves Sighisoara at 23:26. As I've mentioned before, night travel is now my preferred time to move about. As my Granny would have said, " What kind of night-hawk are you?" There was hardly anyone on the train, and it arrived bang on time the next morning. The station hotel knows me well now and allows me to shower and shave in an empty room, before taking their breakfast. I spent a lovely day in Budapest and flew back to Prestwick in the early evening.
The most important thing to do in Budapest is to haggle, especially with the taxi drivers. A trip to the airport can cost as much as Eur 50 or as little as Eur 10. The problem is finding the right driver. I discovered by accident that they can change the charges made per kilometer on their meters, so it is critical to get the price agreed first.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
On the train across the Austro-Hungarian Empire
I'm back in Romania for the first time since just before Christmas, and came via Budapest, now my preferred way into Transylvania.
The train is a wonderful mixture of the old Empire and the subsequent Communist regimes, laced with efforts at the New Improved Capitalism that is putatively espoused.
Two images stick out.
The first is what I assume was a university athletics team on it's way to a meet. It included the javelin throwers who were on the train complete with their javelins, well able to kill anyone within 100 mtrs - and no corks on the ends either. I can't help but think Elf 'n Safety would have been after them.
The other was the divi. This consisted of ALL the train officials, including drivers, guards, restaurant car AND the border guards etc etc, both from Hungary and Romania, getting together to divi-up everything that had been "begged borrowed or stolen" from the passengers. This was done in no-man's land - clearly because no-one had jurisdiction there.
I was talking to one of the senior men ( as defined by the amount of scrambled egg on his cap and uniform) about it over a beer, and told him it would not be something that could happen in the UK - at least not as openly.
" Ah" he said." But you do it secretly. I have been reading all about your MP's and how much they steal."
I remonstrated with him, saying that these expenses were, if not necessarily generally approved of, at least they were legal.
He smiled. " My friend, not so long ago, people who did in our country what your MPs do were shot. Now we only imprison them. And what we do? Everyone must live."
I'm not sure he regarded this as a forward step.
The train is a wonderful mixture of the old Empire and the subsequent Communist regimes, laced with efforts at the New Improved Capitalism that is putatively espoused.
Two images stick out.
The first is what I assume was a university athletics team on it's way to a meet. It included the javelin throwers who were on the train complete with their javelins, well able to kill anyone within 100 mtrs - and no corks on the ends either. I can't help but think Elf 'n Safety would have been after them.
The other was the divi. This consisted of ALL the train officials, including drivers, guards, restaurant car AND the border guards etc etc, both from Hungary and Romania, getting together to divi-up everything that had been "begged borrowed or stolen" from the passengers. This was done in no-man's land - clearly because no-one had jurisdiction there.
I was talking to one of the senior men ( as defined by the amount of scrambled egg on his cap and uniform) about it over a beer, and told him it would not be something that could happen in the UK - at least not as openly.
" Ah" he said." But you do it secretly. I have been reading all about your MP's and how much they steal."
I remonstrated with him, saying that these expenses were, if not necessarily generally approved of, at least they were legal.
He smiled. " My friend, not so long ago, people who did in our country what your MPs do were shot. Now we only imprison them. And what we do? Everyone must live."
I'm not sure he regarded this as a forward step.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)