So, yesterday, Wednesday, you may recall that our two tasks were laundry and transit pass. The transit pass took all afternoon.
After our gyro lunch (we will head back to the restaurant we call "Turkey" soon-the gyro was good and cheap and other offerings looked really good) we headed to the metro. We have accomplished the escalator system, so right to the Metro ticket window. The sweet young thing behind the window indicated that we need a photo and that there is a photo machine around the corner. She was right. The machine required a 200Ft and a 500Ft bill. So, I trotted off to the CHANGE counter and the man indulged me by giving me the 4 500FT bills for my 2000Ft bill. However, the machine was having none of it-spit back every bill we fed it. So, we headed off for the Mall.
The Mall could be in New Jersey. Three stories of shop after shop of consumer goods (that apparently few people can afford, so the mall is something of a museum of modern consumerist culture) and a Hilton. The Canadians have put up some of the money for this mall, so there is a water feature at the entrance called Niagara. Marcia gazed at the falls and the ubiquitous Coke signs as I explored. Spotting the Hilton entrance, I decided to try for an English speaker and found a most gracious and helpful man who directed me to the Agra photo shop where one could get, for 1000Fl, a set of 4 photos. That would be, one for the transit pass and three souvineers.
After bringing Marcia for her photo shoot, I needed to find the WC. So, I asked the photoshop employee for the toilet. Marcia has since told me that in Magayr the emphasis is on the first syllable, so toilet, in English works! French toilet' does not. "Beyond the Mega Doughnuts." was what I thought she said, so I headed past this lovely fountain in the floor and found the WC sign past McDonalds. So much for doughnuts.
There seem to be Burger Kings and McDonalds on every other street (granted, we are in the artsy and touristy district). They were not here in 1990, I can assure you. It is a bit disconcerning to me. We prefer Turkman burger (where we get our gyros). At least there are no apparent Starbucks in either Rome or Budapest. I'm sure the land of espresso would not be better served by a Starbucks. Starbucks should consentrate on the UK, China, Japan, Thailand.... We are actually quite happy with our 100% Arabian Expresso which we buy in the Kaiser Szupermarket already ground.
So, back to the Metro desk and the official two week transit passes were ours. For Wednesday, it was enough to go to the szupermarket for a few things and head home. Of course, you know that I managed another 1.5 hours at the internet cafe.
Julia arrived at 8 for our car ride about the city. What a treat! I'm hoping to get photos up today. This photo is a memorial to martyrs.
After our gyro lunch (we will head back to the restaurant we call "Turkey" soon-the gyro was good and cheap and other offerings looked really good) we headed to the metro. We have accomplished the escalator system, so right to the Metro ticket window. The sweet young thing behind the window indicated that we need a photo and that there is a photo machine around the corner. She was right. The machine required a 200Ft and a 500Ft bill. So, I trotted off to the CHANGE counter and the man indulged me by giving me the 4 500FT bills for my 2000Ft bill. However, the machine was having none of it-spit back every bill we fed it. So, we headed off for the Mall.
The Mall could be in New Jersey. Three stories of shop after shop of consumer goods (that apparently few people can afford, so the mall is something of a museum of modern consumerist culture) and a Hilton. The Canadians have put up some of the money for this mall, so there is a water feature at the entrance called Niagara. Marcia gazed at the falls and the ubiquitous Coke signs as I explored. Spotting the Hilton entrance, I decided to try for an English speaker and found a most gracious and helpful man who directed me to the Agra photo shop where one could get, for 1000Fl, a set of 4 photos. That would be, one for the transit pass and three souvineers.
After bringing Marcia for her photo shoot, I needed to find the WC. So, I asked the photoshop employee for the toilet. Marcia has since told me that in Magayr the emphasis is on the first syllable, so toilet, in English works! French toilet' does not. "Beyond the Mega Doughnuts." was what I thought she said, so I headed past this lovely fountain in the floor and found the WC sign past McDonalds. So much for doughnuts.
There seem to be Burger Kings and McDonalds on every other street (granted, we are in the artsy and touristy district). They were not here in 1990, I can assure you. It is a bit disconcerning to me. We prefer Turkman burger (where we get our gyros). At least there are no apparent Starbucks in either Rome or Budapest. I'm sure the land of espresso would not be better served by a Starbucks. Starbucks should consentrate on the UK, China, Japan, Thailand.... We are actually quite happy with our 100% Arabian Expresso which we buy in the Kaiser Szupermarket already ground.
So, back to the Metro desk and the official two week transit passes were ours. For Wednesday, it was enough to go to the szupermarket for a few things and head home. Of course, you know that I managed another 1.5 hours at the internet cafe.
Julia arrived at 8 for our car ride about the city. What a treat! I'm hoping to get photos up today. This photo is a memorial to martyrs.
Julia took us over the Iron Bridge-which I remember fondly. Stas and Walter and I walked over it in 1990, and Stas played hide behind the lion statues (though he was a little afraid of them). Anyway, over the Danube to Buda and up the hill to the Citadel for a fantastic view of Pest, a Solviet statue in memorial of Hungary's losses in WWII (which seemed to me to say something like, "Those nasty Nazis are gone and now we will take such good care of you.") , and a ride by the most fantastic of the baths-Gelliert, over the Margaret Bridge and home again.
Today is not looking too good for the train tickets to Venice either. The MAV office on Andrassy ut. is closed. I'll check out the travel agent next to Wasabi. The good news is, St Steven Crown wine is on sale at the Kaiser. 399Ft per bottle-a bit over $2. Cheaper that bottled water.
Marcia is looking for bottled water without a ton of minerals. I am sure that the Kaiser does not offer such a thing. It must be said that we are sitting on a geological fault-hence the thermal baths, and the water is more mineraled than we are accostomed to. We are also illiterate, so our first containers of water were what we call sparkling and what Europeans call, "with gas". Our second set of 6 containers of water were obtained with the help of a szupermarket stocker who explained, in English, that pink tops mean no gas. Upon closer examination, we saw that the mineral content was listed on the label. We may have found our water in a natural foods store enroute to the internet cafe. Now, to find bio soja (my soy milk). I still have several days worth, but it seems prudent to scout.
Today is not looking too good for the train tickets to Venice either. The MAV office on Andrassy ut. is closed. I'll check out the travel agent next to Wasabi. The good news is, St Steven Crown wine is on sale at the Kaiser. 399Ft per bottle-a bit over $2. Cheaper that bottled water.
Marcia is looking for bottled water without a ton of minerals. I am sure that the Kaiser does not offer such a thing. It must be said that we are sitting on a geological fault-hence the thermal baths, and the water is more mineraled than we are accostomed to. We are also illiterate, so our first containers of water were what we call sparkling and what Europeans call, "with gas". Our second set of 6 containers of water were obtained with the help of a szupermarket stocker who explained, in English, that pink tops mean no gas. Upon closer examination, we saw that the mineral content was listed on the label. We may have found our water in a natural foods store enroute to the internet cafe. Now, to find bio soja (my soy milk). I still have several days worth, but it seems prudent to scout.
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