IN AND OUT HOME

My life in Budapest: part 0

2011-06-02T20:05:00.000+02:00

Today I just realized that I'm running this blog since the beginning of my life in Budapest and I haven't ever written about...MY LIFE IN BUDAPEST! Never too late! I'll work on a series of post: in each one a picture and a short description of an important place or event.

The Budapest Airport Ferihegy 1 in September 9th 2008: my very first day in Budapest

Here you can see my first picture in Budapest: it was September 9th 2008, the beginning of my Erasmus year in Budapest. Many things have changed since that day, even the name of the Budapest Airport! It was called Ferihegy, as you can see in my old picture. In 2011, the Hungarian government elected in 2010, renamed it after the musician Lisz Ferenc.

Hard Rock Café is set to open in Florence and in Budapest

2011-06-01T11:41:00.007+02:00

Hard Rock Café, the popular chain of music-pub s, is going to open next July in Florence (see here) and it will hold its Hungarian debut inside the Váci1 Shopping Emporium, in the downtown of Budapest very soon, but the period is still uncertain. Hard Rock Cafe, is nor a coffeehouse and nor a pub. It`s an exclusive kind of pub-restaurant dedicated to rock music. A status symbol for tourists and music lovers from all over the world. Two openings in two cities full of tourist and culture, such as Florence and Budapest are, are a huge success for the company. In Florence, the Hard Rock Café is in the place of the former cinema Gambrinus. This increase the responsibility of the management of the Hard Rock. The Gambrinus, in fact, was a very important part of Florentine cultural life. Here important film festivals gathered movie stars from all over the world. The place was very elegant, but with prices affordable for everybody. A kind of must for hold-fashioned (and smart) fiancees, very appreciated by women, who were allowed to wear theirs elegant dresses even not to go to a (very expensive in Florence) theater.

If you have been walking in Florence'a downtown in the last 3 years, you may have seen the label “Cinema Gambrinus” in Piazza della Repubblica, on the corner, close to the Edison bookshop. The cinema was closed and empty, but full of history. When I was living in Florence, walking every morning by the former cinema I could noticed the nostalgia it in the eyes of old madams who must have been there in their In the past. I watched some essay movies there and I have a pleasant feeling when I think about that place. Once I also met Alessandra Martinez, an Italian actress who is well known for a popular film saga of the Nineties called Fantaghirò. I`m quite nostalgic, I prefer when old things stay in their (former) place. One of the beauties of Florence is that you can easily find ancient details in the city center, as name of places that are closed since ages. I wished that the Gambrinus was going to be one of them. On the other side, I love rock music and I`m definitely happy to see an Hard Rock Cafe in Florence. Anyway, I can`t help but wander why could n`t they choose a place that won`t desecrate any memory.

In Budapest, the construction of the building were followed by Orco Property Group and completed last month, in the heart of Hungarian capital, close to Vörösmarty tér, along the pedestrian street Vaci utca. Inside the mall Vaci1 Shopping Center, opened in October 2010, Hard Rock Cafe will occupy 1,100 square meters located on the first floor of the building.

The Hard Rock Café was born 40 years ago (in 1971) in London and are now present in the capital cities and major centers in over 50 countries worldwide. Their business does not bind only to the beauty of local meeting places to eat and drink surrounded by memorabilia of great musicians and singers from the international rock scene and the various countries. The franchise has developed a line of clothing and accessories out of the ordinary happened, so strong as to require the construction of a shop inside the Café. In Italy, the chain has already opened two stores: one in Rome and one in Venice.

The consumism of those who doesn`t buy

2011-05-02T11:31:00.001+02:00

The wealthy countries were crowded with shops, there is insufficient space to open new ones. The Goddess of Waste and Consumption began to consider ways of solution to the state of stalemate that threatened to end the consumer population, its devout believers. Create a large underground market? Too laborious, not to mention that because if humans did not live above the earth's crust, would have problems with claustrophobia. Or afraid of the dark. For similar reasons he dismissed the idea of a system of submerged malls. For a good week working hard on a proposed office blocks on platforms to sprout from the seas, not too far from shore. From his research, however, it emerged that the land liked places convenient and fast, easy to reach. Her basket was already full of papers when he was enlightened. Could intervene in the course of history, so that the inventor of the Internet to develop his intuition with the sole intent to sell. Thus arose a second market, called "virtual". Convenient, fast, cost-effective. In addition it was also potentially infinite, so the goddess of the waste could also get to sit quiet, he would no longer have to invent anything. He was wrong. After a few years, a new obstacle emerged that shook the foundations of consumerism. The goods on sale there, but there were too few people able to buy it. After looking puzzled, our Goddess understand that if the problem are the prices and consumer assets, enough to eliminate costs. Internet, the largest market in the world, begins to give away the goods. Besides, now you do not buy more elaborate objects. Who has time to dust the knickknacks? In his free time is better to listen to music downloaded from the net or watch a movie streaming. Or why not use a program at no cost to change your own photos? And here is that consumerism rises, change hair, flowers. Is becoming more beautiful and attractive, slim as it is fashionable in our years. Infects everyone. Prey to the unbridled need for information, the Internet looking for new challenges every day without even getting out of bed. Sometimes a chat on the Internet that is more than an afternoon of shopping, so the jeans will also find them on E-bay! Consumerism endemic does not spare even his own opponents, since its meaning has expanded. That old fox of the Goddess of waste - please do not tell her that I called her in this way (old), but the years pass for everyone! - Thought, in fact, make it elastic. Now I do not need to go in a fast-food American or loot shops for clothes are becoming consumers, because it consumes everything. Without love, almost anything. Have you tons of unread books and are you going one on buying new ones? Do you often read an article and move on to another before than finishing the previous one? Do you do the same with Youtube videos? You are a consumer.

Interview: Tópark, the best project of the world. A small Munich in Budapest

2010-07-07T19:25:00.007+02:00

Original article:
Intervista: il Tópark, il miglior progetto del mondo | ECONOMIA.HU - The online magazine of ITL Group - Notizie economiche da Budapest e Ungheria

Click here to see my: short pieces of Hungary from Budapest

2010-07-05T00:50:00.003+02:00

I'm not writing in my blog for ages right now, and it's a shame or a pity or maybe just a signal that summer finally arrived in Hungary! Yes! It's not hot, just pleasantly warm and cool during the night. I would like to stay always up, to enjoy and discover everything. Anyway...I also like dreaming all those beautiful thing, so now I'm going to meet Morpheus (yes, he's everywhere!). I'll leave you with a special gift. A top 5 of Hungarian peculiarities observed by me. I wrote them in a sunny Sunday some weeks ago, in order to participate to a contest. They judged them well and now they are published (in three languages: Italian, English and German)! Now I don't regret that Sunday at home! ;) Click on the title to reach the original page and to discover Néo, an interesting brand new on-line magazine to get in touch with cities and stories uncovered by mass media. Maybe you like writing too...Good night!
1. "Wine plus"
Hungarians love mixtures. One flavour is not enough; it has to be enriched, combined and mixed up so that it gets lost among other flavours. Take, for example, alcohol. Young Hungarians love sweet things and often drink Coca Cola mixed with wine or beer and fruit syrups. This creation is particularly beloved of the girls, but men are often quite partial to it as well. Young Hungarians have also acquired a taste for fizzy wine - called Champagne here - once it has been stirred for a while with a straw. The first time I saw this habit was in a club, where two girlfriends recommended that I do the same in order to get rid of the bubbles and make it lighter on the stomach. I thought about the fact that, even though Hungary contains vast areas of vineyards, the young people prefer alcoholic drinks other than wine, such as the locally distilled concoctions Palinka and Unicum. These are excellent products, among the best in the world. It must be because of this strong local link that these and other distillations or liquors have the honour of being drunk straight rather than diluted by the girls and boys.

2. House parties
In the film "La boum" ("The Party", 1980), the characters meet at a house party. While in Italy, America and elsewhere, parties at home were fashionable until a couple of generations ago, here in Hungary we are still riding the crest of that wave: twenty-fifth birthday parties that start at four in the afternoon and finish around eleven; Saturday nights spend drinking with twenty other people, crammed into a tiny room; evenings with the girls trying to imitate the American television series of the moment. The rules are simple. Bring a bottle of wine, claim it is the best wine in Hungary - at every party at least five different vineyards are honoured in this way - and then kick off your shoes, sit down and start drinking. Once at a birthday I asked for water and caused general hilarity, only saving myself by explaining that at that moment I was thirsty but afterwards that I would be happy to sample something stronger. In the course of the evening, you end up eating generally uncomplicated dishes in no particular order: savoury aperitif biscuits, toast, snacks, chips and desserts, all eaten while chatting and drinking. Around midnight it's time to call a taxi and go dancing until morning.
(Picture of one very nice house party. The girl in the middle, Henrietta, cooked for us bruschetta with tomatoes, pasta (fusilli) and offered us a delicious Hungarian cake with raspberries. I've learnt a lot that evening, since all the girls where so nice to speak with me despite of my poor Hungarian. I hope to never forget evening like that!)
3. A woman's touch
Hungarian women are very beautiful and are very careful of of their appearance. One aspect that always attracts the attention of visitors to Budapest is their nails. The Hungarian manicure is like an operation of self-renewal. They wear their nails at least two or three centimetres long, generally fake, varnished with brightly-coloured nail polish and embellished with all sorts of decorations, from simple spots to rhinestone polka dots. The most recent fashion, launched in 2009, is that of pointed nails. It's an extreme choice, as I am aware following continual observation, which renders human contact dangerous and the simplest of practical operations, such as holding onto a handle in the tram, impossible. But one must suffer for beauty...

4. Turo-Rudi: A symbol of Hungarian childhood
It's called Turo-Rudi and it's a delicious snack that can only be found in Hungary, a status symbol for the modern generations. It's something you keep in the fridge and it is made of Hungarian soft cheese covered in chocolate. Hungarian soft cheese or turo is a soft, coarse-grained cheese and is used in quite a different way from Italian ricotta. The Turo-Rudi is a cylinder about the size of a lipstick; there are natural or filled versions, and variations include cherry, apricot and hazelnut. It is a status symbol for the new generations, as well as something the whole country can boast about. There have been picturesque advertising campaigns and a song, but the Turo-Rudi is a product made by a number of different companies. The most important one produces only this. Characterized by unmistakeable red-dotted white packaging, it was voted the brand best loved by the Hungarians in 2010, surpassing even Coca Cola.

5. An oddity - Spring cleaning
One morning at the beginning of spring, I stepped out of my building and stumbled over a bedstead. I mentally blessed the nice man who had left it just in front of the entrance to the building, before realizing that the entire footpath had been invaded by furniture, books, clothes and all manner of knick-knacks. My curiosity was aroused and I explored the nearby streets, only to find the same phenomenon everywhere.

Around eight, the Hungarians started to arrive, in vans or on foot, pushing wheelbarrows. They rummaged, tried out, chose and brought things home. They picked out all sorts of things, even objects that I thought too worn-out to be useful for anything.

In the afternoon, excited by my discovery, I asked a Hungarian colleague about it and disovered that I had found myself in the middle of a legal, organized custom called Lomtalanitás ("clean-out"). Lomtalanitás happens between March and October, one district at a time, according to an established calendar.

Budapest is divided into 23 districts, large areas run by the local administration, which sends letters to inform residents and announce the annual Lomtalanitás dates. One weekend per year, each area is filled with anything people want to get rid of, which remains available to passers-by for over 24 hours. During the day, it's necessary to walk carefully to avoid the people busy searching in the piles of objects. Cars have to stop so that they do not interrupt discussions and swaps that have begun in the course of this community operation. For a few hours, the distance between the rich and the homeless disappears, in that moment in which even actors and wealthy tourists deign to handle the "goods". By now it's common knowledge that, a few years ago, the French actress Catherine Deneuve was sighted bargaining for a couple of valuable chairs in front of the Pest Opera theatre. In some parts of the city, however, the custom has become connected with brawls and illegal buying and selling, however strange it may seem to make a business out of rubbish. In reality, people throw out anything they don't need, including books, ornaments and frames, to the delight of treasure hunters, but also of criminals ready to pass off old junk for art. The remains, usually damaged bits of furniture, are taken away before dawn of the next day by the urban cleaning lorries. The street cleaners accompany them so that, by eight on Sunday morning, the streets are clean and clear again. It's a fantastic recycling system, simple and economical. This year I found a stuffed dog. I named him Rubbish.

In the picture: Rubbish, comfortably established in my bedroom, with Fulvio (on the extreme left) the Traveller Panda, surrounded by my Erasmusfriends' candles (an unforgettable present).

Interview with Ekaterina Naumenko, photographer in Budapest

2010-06-09T23:34:00.000+02:00

The National Holiday of Italian Republic

2010-06-02T08:17:00.004+02:00

The special Homepage made by Google.it in 2010 celebrating the anniversary of our Republic. These airplanes are called "Frecce Tricolori" (Tricolour Arrows). They`re the official Italian acrobatic team. Today, in Rome, they will animate the parade for the 2nd of June. Meanwhile they are flying, their planes leave furrows in three colors: green, white and red.

This year, they`re going to celebrate their 50th birthday.
The Italian Republic, instead, is 54 years old.

Ps: The one that is in force nowadays is not actually still the First Republic, but the Second Republic. In 1992 our first Republic, established in 1946, collapsed for the effects of a big political scandal called "Tangentopoli" (I can try to translate it in "City of bribes"), discovered by the operation "Mani Pulite" (litterally "Clean Hands").

In Italy today is holiday. In Hungary we are working, of course, but the Italian Embassy organized a special event for this evening, close to the Buda Castle!

Toy Traveling: send your Teddy Bear on vacation in Prague

2010-04-30T15:07:00.004+02:00

Prague - A group of inventive young and fearless, quite frightened by the fact that a business that does not meet any need, at least not human beings, can be a flop, in times of economic crisis. Definitely smart. People can save on the quality of products they buy at the supermarket, but usually do not give to whims. Living in Prague where everyone has his work "seriously" or, we might call "ordinary". One of them was none other than the Czech Minister for Information Technology and now, with the other members of Toy Traveling, handles the first travel agency to puppets. No tricks, the crisis is being fought with strokes of creativity, quality in this part of Europe, fatevelo say one who lives in Hungary, certainly do not lack. The limits of absurdity. Do you have a favorite toy that offers your company changes since your first steps, you hold a teddy bear to cry at the end of your relationship or bring with you but you leave home during the holidays terrified or idea to lose? If you believe you feel the feelings, then you `d agree that the agreement should also have needs. Could, for example, want to see a little of the world, feeling alive and adventurous. Traveling Toy exist for this. Or want to make a funny gift to a friend, you amaze me completely and a laugh with him when the traveler arrives plush home again and he will understand that, no thieves are not crazy and have started making puppets theft. The plush, on the other hand, began to travel!

We talk to Tomio Okamura (37 years), Vice President of the "Association Tour Operators and Travel Agents of the Czech Republic" and man of affairs in the travel industry.

How is Toy Traveling born?
Our founder, the project manager Hlávka Marek (22 years), began to fantasize about this project after seeing the famous French film "The Amélie" where the protagonist gets help from friend to send hostesses postcard to the father of his beloved garden gnome from the four corners of the globe, making him believe he traveled. In that case it was a hoax and a dwarf. We do indeed, but with puppets. The idea emerged out during the television show Den-D (Czech version of the popular Dragon's Den, a Japanese invention made famous by the BBC network. A group of entrepreneurs, called the Dragons, they propose their idea to make and evaluate put in place by experts. Ed.), where I and the Former Minister Dana Berov were two investors. Eventually, we decided to transform the idea and founded the investment in our agency. We have been operating for three weeks.

How does Toy Traveling work?
People love their teddy bears, do you know that there are over 1 billion in the world? Through our website www.toytraveling.com customers can choose the package you choose, pay the amount requested and send their favorite stuffed friend, you will enjoy a comfortable trip in the beautiful Prague. On arrival we take care of puppet traveler, who took photos and, at the end of the stay, I returned to the owner with his luggage.

What are your packages composed by? How much are them?
Like any travel agency offer different options depending on your price range. The basic package starts from 90 euros, but you can get up to 150 euro more expensive the package, which includes massage, aromatherapy and a special box with blanket and pillow to make homecoming more enjoyable toy. Add always a surprise, like a jar of Bohemian crystal or another small gift, plus a certificate and a travelogue. Aromatherapy involves the taking pictures while the doll is in the beautiful room of a salon professional aromatherapy, inhaling while lying on the couch to greet a special flavor. The massage is the case in front of a famous monument of Prague, of course with pictures proving that the toy has enjoyed a massage in Prague. We also have an additional option : Thai massage.

Is it Prague the only one possible destination for puppets?
Our city is our starting point and springboard activity. In a few months we will add more destinations: Berlin, Budapest, Monaco, Vienna, Bratislava. We plan to come to add towards the end of 2010, including New York, Tokyo and other cities. We want to become global. We are also working on the translation of our homepage (now in English) in German, French and Japanese.

What about your first weeks? Many clients?
We have already received hundreds of orders, especially from the United States, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom. Toys also came from countries such as Brazil, Australia, Mexico and Hong Kong. From this week you can pay directly from this site using a credit card.

I'm curious: how long is the journey?
Depending on distance and weather, from 1 to 5 days. Our friends must have photo light, a beautiful day. Sometimes one must be a bit 'indoors and wait until conditions improve, before heading out for sightseeing. When we return the toy to the sender send a CD and a special passport.

Congratulations on your originality and good luck!

On second thought, it was time that there was a service for our friends and stuffed toys. When I was six years have been traveling to the Canary Islands with my family on an island, La Gomera, I received a small toy panda, whose name we have given Fulvio. Since then, Fulvio travels with me or with my brother and I must admit, the many changes of air made him the most interesting and fulfilling of all my dolls.

Transparency.hu: video in Budapest

2010-04-27T10:55:00.009+02:00

Intervistare: Ispirati da Amelie fondano a Praga l`agenzia di viaggi più originale del mondo: solo clienti di peluche

2010-04-23T17:16:00.000+02:00

Intervistare: Ispirati da Amelie fondano a Praga l`agenzia di viaggi più originale del mondo: solo clienti di peluche

The American prize for journalists belongs to Hungary

2010-04-15T23:57:00.009+02:00

Many Hungarians became famous for some reasons. Actually I thought it's a bit discriminating write a sentence like this one that I used to introduce my topic of this evening. Why do we must be surprised and "Wow!" if some important people came from Hungary? Is it a country of nothing, in which one can barely be literate? Not at all! Althought it's a fact that the very cream of mondial science, physic and so long was born in this skilled country. I can mention Rubik, the inventor of the popular cube - I dedicated one of the first post of this blog to him - or the illousionist Harry Houdini, but since I broke up with sciences when I was at the High School and considering that my dream is to be a journalist I will tell you about...wait for it...
Joseph Pulitzer. Or I should say Politzer József, using his true name. Yes, the one of the prestigious prize that every journalist wish to deserve, I am sure that you've heard about it, at least in some movies! He was also the ideator of journalism's courses for university, even if tehy started to be organized only after his death. (Just one year later...) Anyway, he was born in Makó, in Hungary and he was son of jews parents. It was running the year 1847. He lived in America since when he was still 17 year old, because he joined the army for the French Foreign Legion after having been refused by the Austrian one because of his age and poor eyesight. They sent him to Mexico - there was the Civil War to fight - and from there he was sent to Boston. Then he entered in the Union Army, so with the North and fought for this group of countries despite the fact of being from a small, far, European piece of land.

He started with manual and humble jobs, like mules' keeper or waiter in a pub, then he found a position in a German language newspaper published in St.Louis, Missouri, where there was a developed German community. Later he founded The St. Louis Dispatch – still printed – before than moving to New York , where he bought The World, at that time the biggest newspaper in NY. He was the first to publish comics in a newspaper.

Quote:

Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.
Joseph Pulitzer

NEWS about the PULITZER PRIZE:

This year for the first time an online newsroom has been awarded with the Pulitzer Prize. It's Pro Publica (www.propubllica.org) an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest, based in Broadway, New York. Word and journalism are still evolving...

Easter in Hungary: sprinkling and painting eggs

2010-04-01T09:01:00.003+02:00

Easter is coming! In Italy we use to give chocolate big eggs with a surprise inside, a gift for children and sometimes also for other members of the family. Our traditional Easter`s cake is the Colomba, the Easter Dove, not so different from Panettone and Pandoro, but with the shape of a Dove."Which part do you prefer?" "I want the bottom!" "I wish the head" (that`s of course the same both in appearance and in taste!) It`s the regular after-Easter-lunch conversation in my country. However the only other tradition that I can remember is the one of Catholic people, who bring eggs (regular and chocolates ones) at the Holy Mass to the benediction. Then they use to eat them as starter, before lunch. In Hungary there are more customs.
Sprinkling
A very curios, particular, folk tradition regard young boys and girls. On Easter Monday men visit their loved women and they sprinkle them, nowadays with cologne, in old times with water. The reason is in the fertility effect of water they believe in. Women will give hand-painted eggs them as gifts. During the week before Easter women must prepare themselves for the occasion, cleaning up the house, cooking very good desserts and painting dozens of eggs with a special technique they learn from old Hungarian women. It seems that women are ashamed during the sprinkling rite, maybe because of its sexual meaning.
Painted eggs...not eatable!
Here you can`t buy eggs with surprises, but rabbits. Eventually you can find chocolate eggs, but they are quite small and - sadly - empty...

Strudel? No! Rétes!

2010-03-30T18:09:00.007+02:00

I think it`s time to give to the very famous Hungarian cousine the appropriate space into my blog. So welcome recipes! I don't want be useless. If you wish you can find all Hungarian recipes in books, encyclopedias and on the Internet too. I will write down only my own way of cooking some Hungarian dishes. And I will mention their history and some curiosities, togheter with my judgement. I'm going to start, of course, with my favorite one. I am a big fan of apples. Seriously, they are one of my reasons to live! (almost!) For sure if I could choose to save only one kind of food from a huge disaster that would be fruit, green granny Smiths apples if I had to pick up only one specific item. So, it comes with this information, that my favorite cakes are all the variations of an apple pie. When I arrived in Budapest I fell in love with rétes, the Hungarian strudel. It's different from the one that we are used to. Austria and Hungary has been parts of the same emperor for centuries, so you ca easily understand that they shared something. But still they've always been two different realities, nothing to argue about it. Retes it's made with a thinner pastry, almost like ostia. It's stuffed with apples and nuts or with cherries, or cottage cheese. Some other kinds are with apricots, cabbage and poppy. Since its dough it's about 1 millimeter in thickness, with a rich filling, it's similar to a piadina, or to a rolled pizza, but sweet. I love to think that I am eating a fruit sandwich when I am having a piece of it. I know it sounds stupid, but I like this idea.

Recipe of FRUIT (Apple and nuts or Cherry) Retes:

rétes tiszta (dough) or if you are not in Hungary a regular dough (but the result will be completely different!)
3-4 tablespoons breadcrumbs (or flour), 2-3 spoons of sugar,
1 table spoon of water
1 egg
30-40 grams sour cherries or 3-4 apples and nuts (as many as you like. You can use every kind of dried fruit and even cereals.)
A few edible oil for lubrication

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Open carefully the retes dough in a slightly dampened towel. Brush or sprinkle gently with oil, sprinkle the bread crumbs mixed with sugar (can be reserved for the top).
Take a bowl, put inside a spoon of water and an egg and mix them togheter. Add breadcrumbs or flour. Then add the fruit that you choose (clean and cut). Add sugar and mix. Put the filling upon the dough and with delicacy, slowly roll it. Bake the
strudels in a preheated oven for 35-30 minutes.

Curiosities and historical background:
It seems that this recipe comes from Egyptians or Sumerian population.

(the picture is taken from www.litera.hu)

And I imagined Budapest, or some other cities where I have never been

2010-03-26T11:07:00.008+01:00

Budapest
by Billy Collins

My pen moves along the page
like the snout of a strange animal
shaped like a human arm
and dressed in the sleeve of a loose green sweater

I watch it sniffing the paper ceaselessly
intent as any forager that has nothing on its mind
but the grubs and insects
that will allow it to live another day

It wants only to be here tomorrow
dressed, perhaps, in the sleeve of a plaid shirt
nose pressed against the page
writing a few more dutyful lines

while I gaze out the window
and imagine Budapest
or some other city
where I have never been

Earth Hour 2010 - March 27th 20.30: SWITCH OFF LIGHTS!

2010-03-25T12:40:00.002+01:00

Klaudia

2010-03-22T12:17:00.001+01:00

Saturday, 20th March, was my nameday. In Italy we don`t celebrate it, but here I got some wishes, a present and I made a pie (apple pie). So, BOLDOG NEVNAPOT to me! :)

If I had a magic wand...

2010-03-16T16:04:00.000+01:00

If I had a magical wand to change something about Hungary, I would be chosen those 10 things:
1 – More smiles, in particular in shop-assistant's faces;
2 – Higher salaries and less unemployment, to have not so many homeless and an happier population;
3 – A Better political class, that Hungarians don't have to consider like their cancer;
4 – People not standing in both of the sides in the Metro mobile-stairs;
5 – Real bread, not gummy one;
6 – Some programs in English in Hungarian TV;
7 – A short free introduction to Hungarian language available to all the expat coming here to study or to work;
8 – Some kind of lighter biscuits (and ham, bresaola, eatable pizza…);
9 – Nicer clothing;
10 – Beautiful shoes' shops (at least decent!).

Hungarian National Holiday: 15th March 1948

2010-03-15T10:00:00.003+01:00

LIBERTÀ, AMORE!

Libertà, amore!
Voglio queste due cose.
Per l'amore sacrifico
La vita,
Per la libertà sacrifico
Il mio amore.

Sándor Petőfi (1823-1849)

Freedom, Love!

Freedom, Love!
I want those two things.
For love I sacrifice
life,
For freedom I sacrifice
My love.

Sándor Petőfi, Hungarian poet (1823-1849)

How the relationship between Italy and Hungary started

2010-03-09T13:37:00.002+01:00

At the time of King Ladislao commercial trades between Hungary and Italy started along the Hungarorum Street or through the Adriatic Sea. In the year 1200 a regular commercial flux between Hungary and Venice has established. In this period lot of Venetians move to Hungary. Hungarian export were mainly of precious metals as silver to produce the Silver Lira (the Venetian currency of that time). The Middle Age saw the development of links between Florence, the main medieval financial center of Europe with its rich bankers, and Hungary. Big and famous unites of Florentine companies came to Hungary to invest in copper mines.During the fights against the Turkishes, that invaded Hungary, Venice helped Mattyas` troops with a big amount of money provided yearly. Later on, Mattyas started the export of cattle's. This export got in trouble after that the Hungarian lost the battle of Mohacs. However Venice kept alive the relationships with Hungary, buying Hungarian grain and rye. In the Seventeenth Century Venice established a profitable trade with Transylvania, buying mercury, wax and copper in exchange for money, silk furnishing and wool.

BudITALIANpest

2010-03-08T11:42:00.006+01:00

Italy and Hungary are connected to each other throughout several roads. I've been here in Budapest for more than one year now and my job is based on Italians' interests for Hungary, so it's definetely time to write something about my country in relation to the one in which I'm living in.
First of all, we have to remember the historical influence that our ancients have had on those lands.
The Romans settled in the actual Hungary, creating a province and calling it "Pannonia". They founded some cities that are still existing, with different names of course. In Budapest you can notice Aquincum, the Roman ruins of the ancient centre in the present-day Óbuda (old Buda), united with Buda and Pest in 1873.
A king in love with Italy (and with an Italian woman!)
Going forward, the famous Hungarian King Matyas married an Italian girl from Naples and brought a lot of Italian renaissance in his court and his kingdom. In the National Library Széchényi there are a lot of Italian books, such as the Corvinian Codes, realized in Florence and Naples.
Garibaldi in Budapest
An Italian who played an important rule for Hungary and for its independence is Giuseppe Garibaldi. There is a street dedicated to Garibaldi in Pest (Garibaldi Utca) and a statue, also, with written "The Hungarian country to Garibaldi.". Works of Italian artigians, textile from Florence and so on, are spread all over the country.
Francesco Perlasca: the Hungarian's jews resque
Recently, in the XX century, an Italian who assurge a very important function here has been unknown for decades, but now we know about Francesco Perlasca and about his courage in saving hundreds of Hungarian jews during the German occupation in the Second World War.
Hungarians who speak Italian
Nowadays there are schools of Italian language in Budapest, Universities with bachelor and master degrees in Italianistic (Corvinus and Elte) and a quite active community of people arountd the Italian Institute of Culture. In Italy, students can study Hungarian language, history and culture at the Florence University of Languages, in Ferrara, in Rome or in Bologna. There are also other universities that are teaching subjects related to Hungary. We could go on mentioning all the Hungarian artists and writers that lived for some years in Italy and viceversa, but we wil do it in an other post. At the moment that's all. Explore more connections reading some magazines:

www.tuttoitalia.hu (in Hungarian)
www.economia.hu (in Italian)
www.osservatorioletterario.net (in Italian and in Hungarian).

Pink sky

2010-03-04T11:04:00.004+01:00

Different flavoures in Hungary

2010-02-13T11:22:00.007+01:00

I noticed that in Hungary and in other cold countries the ranges of products are wider than Italy. For example Danone is producing several products that I never ever seen before and that I'm consuming regularly as Kefir (a very light yogurt, good for salads and for macedonia as well), Gorog (kind of Greece yogurt -but to be honest- very far from the real one) and a new DANETTE that I just tryed this morning.
It's the one with Pisztácia (PISTACCHIO) and i must admit that it's not bad. It tastes almost like marzipan (maybe it's because it tastes a bit like almonds). I think it's made just for Hungary because it doesn't exist in France neither. [In Belgium they have it at the taste of Crème Brulée.]

But Danette is nothing compared to a kind of product that really surprised me. Flavoured water. Not kidding, you can go to an automatic machine and choose to buy natural water, water with gas, or peach water, even strawberry or aloe water. This is officially marketing! A completely useless genre of beverage. If you want drink something fruity, let`s have a juice! Aromatic water...what is tea made for? Speaking about tea here you don`t have only lemon or peach ice-tea but also blue-berry! Actually I think it`s a good idea, also because the tea is tastefully and pleasant to drink. Instead I am not in favor of strange water with flavors. Water is completely healthy liquid to drink, I don`t think that people need to assume calories even drinking water!

Here you have some pictures

2010-02-05T11:25:00.026+01:00

Above: the Parliament of Budapest from Batthyani Tér, in Buda.
NORMAFA (Budapest): Erzsébet observation tower (1910) It looks a bit like the Fisherman's Bastion of the Buda castle, doesn't it? Yes it does, because both are made by the Hungarian Frigyes Schulek.

During a nice and sunny Sunday with Rita and Eni. We went to Normafa, on the Buda hills and we came back to the city by this nice train-tram:

Me and Piroska in the new bookshop-cafeteria, in Andrassy Utca, inside of the Paris Department Store. The place is very elegant, at the right level to lay in Andrassy Utca, the luxury-avenue of Budapest.

A reproduction of an ancient Hungarian house (Ethnic Museum, Budapest)

The Central Market (the best place in Budapest to buy FRUIT, vegetables, meat, caviar, paprika and...lot of sweets such as RETES (Hunagarian tipical strudel):

Living in Budapest: again!

2010-01-31T20:25:00.003+01:00

Last year, after the end of my Erasmus in Budapest, I came back to Italy. I graduated in Florence, then I moved to Rome, than back to Florence and so, finally, I admitted the truth. I was missing Budapest too much. Not only Budapest, to be honest, but mostly the fact of living in an other country. Every day seems so ordinary and meaningless when you're back in your country after a period abroad that seemed too short to you.
So now I am back, in Budapest again! It's snowing and everything looks so familiar to me. I didn't need to time to re-adapt me. I know which stall at the market seels my favourites apples, where to go on the evening, how to move. I love this city, really. I am working in a nice Italian Hungarian office, going ahead with a project that is giving a source of information about Hungary to Italian people, in my mother-tongue. I like my job and people that I'm working with and I'm also happy to meet again my Hungarian friends. I hope to meet a ton of new people and to learn as much as possible about the country. Today, to start, I went to the National Museum. Yes, I am starting with the "do all the things that you didn't do last year" game. It's a good one.

What I missed: August 20th Saint István

2009-08-27T12:30:00.004+02:00

The national holiday in Hungary is Saint István (Stephen), celebrated every August 20th. Saint István has been the first king of Hungary, the one who converted the country to the Cristianity.

Hungarians and marketing

2009-08-26T12:54:00.002+02:00

I noticed that Hungarians are very creative and well marketing-oriented. I really enjoyed many ads in Budapest. Here I will share some of them.

Italians abroad : LINKS

2009-08-25T23:56:00.005+02:00

In Hungary:
www.circolobudapest.com

In Paris:
http://www.italianiaparigi.com/

In London:
http://www.italianialondra.com/

In Dublin:
www.vivadublino.com

In Ireland:
www.irlandiani.com/cms/
http://www.irlandando.it/

In Finland:
http://www.larondine.fi/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Everywhere:
http://www.italiansonline.net/index.php

At the Szimpla with Katalin

2009-02-04T01:39:00.003+01:00

Budapest in Florence & Florence in Budapest

2009-01-29T16:35:00.007+01:00

Today something special is happening. In Firenze my mother and The Antonella are having a lunch with Piroska, a good friend of mine in Erasmus from Budapest. I'm in Vaci Utca, the main street of Budapest and they are around Via the Calzaiuoli. I'm buying a new pair of boots (black and really beautiful) and they are looking the wonderful, precious shops of Firenze. I'm not the one that love too much having shopping, not now at least, but I love Firenze's shops. My heart today is hot even if I'm getting cold (eeetciùùù!...sorry!). I cannot stop thinking to my friend Piroska, wishing that she will have the best from her experience in Firenze. Today she met two particular girls. Both of them, my mother and Antonella, are very nice and smiling. I'm sure that they had made noise into the restaurant and walking around the street, joking and speaking about everything. Piroska will become crazy with them, but in a positive way! Looking forward to read their comments and see some pictures I take a bow to everybody, wishing you a funny evening from Budapest!

Clodpest

It's me

2009-01-21T23:54:00.006+01:00

Thank you Mafalda! My family calls me "Mafalda" and I'm proud of that! However, the world in which we are living is not "ours" how we use to say. We are its guests, without paying any rental. It's time to clean up and to become more kind with, if we don't want become really "homeless"... One way to start is reading newspapers and websites. An other step is writing, trying to be positive and to show how we can manage each issue.

Schooltrip in Vienna - Bécs - Wien

2008-12-21T23:49:00.008+01:00

I've been in Vienna starting from Budapest by bus. This is a short, comfortable travel to a pearl of the Central Europe. Despite that, the changes are at least three: country, money and language!
Austria has the EURO and the official language here is the German, that i know less than the Hungarian! However there are monuments such as the Parliament or the City All (in the picture) and the dowtown is full of people from all over the Europe and of the decorations. I noticed too many Italian restaurants, but it's good for us so I can be happy. However we chose an Austrian one, in wich I tasted a really good beer. In conclusion, I must say that, after eight hours in the city of the Princess Sissy, I missed Budapest!

Two Santa Claus to me this Christmas!

2008-12-05T00:27:00.010+01:00

Mikulàs (Me-ku-la-sh) it's the Hungarian name of Babbo Natale or Santa Claus and he comes to visit children of Hungary, in the night of the 6th Dicember. Children clean up their boots and put them on the window. During the night may come Mikulas bringing sweets, or a switch with a picture of a devil, if the child is not so good. Krampusz is the name of the evil-boy that travel with Mikulàs.You can often find beatiful girls dressed like Krampusz, at the beginning of Dicember.
And what about the 25th Dicember?
It's like our Christmas, but the gifts came from Jesus.The Befana, instead, doesn't exist, but her duty is the same of the one of Mikulàs. She's an old, poor woman that carries goods or pieces of black coke to children, putting them in some special socks.The tradition wants that Hungarian people decorate theirs trees only during the holy night. During the Advent you can see beautiful and bright trees in streets, shops and also inside of the termal baths.This is the first year that I'm not decorating a tree, but in Italy I'm the one in my family that loves to do that. In Hungary children aren't involved in the preparation and they believe that angels work on their trees flying around them. It sounds sweet, isn't it?
Tonight I was out and now I'm tired, but I'm sure that I'll receive a visit...

By Krampusz I guess!

I'll be able to solve the Rubik's Cube when I will learn the Hungarian!...never!

2008-11-22T00:25:00.007+01:00

Aaahh, the Rubik's cube is so faschinating! I'm not sure that I want to try solving it in my life, maybe after my life yes, when I'll have some free centuries to break my brain! However, I love the cube, it' s so successfull! After only 4 decades since it was born, the world is full of funny stories about it!

Once in the Hyde Park Corner, London, there was a man who was speaking about the cube, using the toy like the symbol of perseverance. He was quite exxagerate but the concept si true. If you decide to start an activity, go ahead and reach your objective! When you're in trouble talk to a friend, you'll stay better and start trying again.
Here in Hungary there is a special reason to think about that:
the Rubik's Cube is Hungarian! Yes, it speaks Hungarian, it's very smart, like every real Hungarian must be and it loves logic and mathematic as well.
It's not green white and red like the flag but only because its creator was even more intelligent than it. He decided to use colours made by a yellow component. Think about the cube solved. In the opposite side of red there is orange (red + yellow), then you have blue against green and white parallel to yellow. Amazing!
Mr Rubik isn't "only" a simple engineer. I was born in Budapest and graduated in Architecture and Statuary. He has been a designer, a teacher and he was also the chief editor of a journal.
And what about his life now?
He makes computer games!
I mentioned only some of his occupations, he is very creative!

"I am not a man who always wants to outstrip himself. The essence is that my job must make me happy."
Ernõ Rubik

That's funny (and I love this idea):

"Easiest colour to solve on a Rubik's Cube: black. Simply remove all the little coloured stickers, and each of side of the cube will now be the original colour (black). According to the instructions, this means the puzzle is solved."
Steve Rubenstein

The one when we drove in Pest

2008-11-20T03:37:00.007+01:00

When Antonella had been here in Budapest we tried to spend as less as possible...'till when we found our perfect car!

Then we payed without any doubt for it and we drove in Budapest for the joy of real cars' owners! We are in dozines of pictures and movies, all the turist of that day felt in love with our "pinkar"! Fortunately I had my driving licence with me!
When Antonella was driving we received only kisses and compliments. As usual, when I was driving everybody wanted to complain!

The faboulus world of Szentendre

2008-11-17T00:31:00.006+01:00

This morning I've been In Szentendre , a small village not far from Budapest. It's a Serbian settlement, after centuries of invasions. Many writers and phylosophers used to come here to find ispiration in this fresh air, walking along the Duna or between the art galleries of this little but active village. I'm still a child so I choose the Marzipan Muszeum in wich I found little and sweet statues of Hungarian Kings, the Parliament and all the best cartoons and tales! I discovered thanks to two Hungarian children that talked with me that answered only "Igen-Igen!" (Sì-Sì) that in Hungary "Litte Red Riding Hood" (Cappuccetto Rosso) is called "Piroska és a forkas". I'm learning only words that are almost useless, but it's good too.
One of my friend's name is Piroska and I find it kind of funny, but it's normal because Piros means "red".
I want to go in Szentendre again, I'm sure that it use to became full of atmosphere during the Christmas time.
I also tasted for the first time a Langos, but without any sauce, because I'm a foreigner and I'm a little bit against with all this condiments...It was really good!
Now listen to me:
how is possible that in the museum of the marzipan there wasn't a work about "Hansel and Gretel"? These two children entered in a small house made in marzipan! It's a nonsense.

I've lost the 2008's Halloween, 'cause is not in October!

2008-11-01T19:00:00.009+01:00

I Asked to one of my Hungarian friend what we were going to do on Halloween and I obtained the following answer:
"Is Halloween in October?"
Now I've learned that Halloween is not celebrated in Hungary, but you can find several expat-inspired events.
There is, instead, a traditional carnival that seems Halloween (more than Carnival). In Mohács,in the South of the country, there is a folk celebration called busójárás or poklada . It is held by Sokác, a Slavic ethnic group to say welcome to spring. The deepest meaning of the busójárás is to remember a legend about the driving out of the Turks that occupied Hungary. The legend tells that the population made run away the Ottoman Turks thanks to theirs horryfying masks. So the masks in Mohács are not so smiling like the ours Carnival's costums, because they must scare people!
In the past, the population of Sokàk used to visite all the houses in Mohács to make greetings and to cast some spells. Usually the owner invited them to join to his family and offered drinks and hot food!

However, on October 31th I prepared for me and a friend a special rice with pumpkin and paprika, that I called "Pumprika Rice". Delicious, but my pumpkin became really angry! Have fun! ;-D

Clodpest

Happy birthday Mister Euro!

2008-10-27T18:43:00.011+01:00

Picture: The old, poor Lira & the new, powerful Euro.

In the first day of the coming year, the 2009, the Euro will become TEN YEARS OLD.
Who cares?!?
Some months ago I didn't care about it for sure , but now I'm realizing that it's time to be proud of our currency and to promote it.
Here in Hungary isn't still sure the year in which the Forint will leave the place for the unique coin.
Italy, instead, is part of the Eurozone, so we started to talk about the Euro almost everyday in the 1999.
Nevertheless we remember with a strange kind of nostalgia our old currency, the Lira.
I'm 21 and I started to use money when I was about 8 years old (I'm not talking of buying some ice-creams!).
So I have had the Liras in my pocket for 6 years, the Euro for less than 7 years, at the moment.
I'm paying with Euro, receiving salaries in Euro, I withdraw Euro and I travel with Euro (but not this time!). I mean, it isn't only a question of time, but also of importance. I bought only food, clothes and magazines with Lira, because I was a child, but every time that I find an old banknote somewhere in my room I think that it's lovely.
Is not strange feel something to a piece of dusty paper?
I'm sure of that, but might be a good idea take care of a currency that is making ourselves closer to each other.
Let's come and read below:

"Over 320 million Europeans from Nicosia to Helsinki carry Euro notes and coins in their pockets, purses and wallets. The single currency is an immensely powerful symbol of unity, of stability and of confidence. The euro has more than proved its worth. The doubters have been confounded. The challenge now is to realise its full potential."

José Manuel Barroso
President of the European Commission

Clodpest

Firenze and Budapest - The Forint

2008-10-23T18:41:00.018+02:00

The Budapest Parliament and The Dome of Firenze (below)

There are several points of meeting between these two pearls of the ancient Europe.
The Hungarian currency is the Forint (1 Euro today is 284 Forints, but this currency is seriously in trouble now.).
This name come from the Florentine Florentinus (1252-1523), one of the first coins used in Europe after the collapse of the Roman Emperor. It had been became the currency of exchange in the old world, almost like the Dollar is today.
The original Florentine Forint showed the "fleur the lis" ("giglio" or "lily flower") on one of its side and its coins was in gold.
Because of the abundance of gold in the Kingdom of Hungary, in the 14th century the Forint was used from 1325 under Charles Robert in Hungary and several other countries followed its example.
The forint was also the name used in Hungarian for the currency of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it was reintroduced on 1946 (for the Hungary).
Why?
Because the former Hungarian currency, the Pengő, lost its value after the World War 2nd
with the highest rate of hyperinflaction ever recorded all over the world and in the whole history of money!
In 1946, when it was introduced to save the economy, one Florint's value was 400.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.000 pengő!
I'm not joking!

Let's enjoy the funniest video about the Florentine Forint (if you can understand Italian!):

Clodpest

13th Coca-Cola Budapest Women's Running Gala

2008-10-19T21:18:00.004+02:00

It's really a sunny Sunday.
For me it's enough. The sun it's the most important reason to love my life, and on Sunday usually I feel creative and active.

Last Sunday I went to run in this marvellous island in the middle of the Duna river (il Danubio), an island with a sweet name, Margitsziget (Margaret Island - Isola di Margherita) connected with a very sad history that I will go to write down in a rainy day!

This Sunday I went in the same place, at 9 a.m to enjoy my jogging with very many other women, teenagers and children, during one of the many marathon organized in Budapest.

It has been a big lesson of respect, because being thousands, to run quickly were impossible, at least in the firsts metres you had to paid attention to not hurt a child (or yourself...). In fact, this were the most funny start that I can remember, because it seemed to be in front of H&M in the first day of seasonal sales!
A crowd of women jumping, everyone with her strange way of to be strange in every occasion. Someone wearing jeans and sunglasses, others with theirs I-Pods or many noisy earrings...but all with a trait in common:
the smile.
Clodpest

Imagining that...

2008-10-10T23:28:00.003+02:00

I'm at the window of my flat in Budapest, just looking outside the street and listening music to take a break.
Sometimes it is pleasant to use our imagination...

In front of my window there's a Grey Fiesta like mine in Italy, that should become my Hungarian car in this kind of dreams, in which I'm really living here, not only for some months.
Maybe that blond woman that's coming here along the street is one of my neighbours, I recognize her and I should say hello to her. She should answer smiling and asks what I'm looking for.
"It's all right, Agota, I'm just waiting Piusz and Szofia to have a dinner with them! Have a nice evening!"
And she finds her keys saying:
"You know Szofia, she's always late! Bye bye Klaudia!"
(Obviously I translated this conversation for you from the Hungarian!).
Then Piutsz arrives and suggests me to reach him downstairs, because we have a table for us in our favourite restaurant, in Lisz Ferenc Tér, and it should be better to go immediately. Piutsz is hungry, I know.
I go down, dressed like an Hungarian, with my short skirt and a pair of red shoes with high heels and start chatting with Piusz, about his new work in a big company. Piusz is a manager and he is older than me, still waiting to take my graduation.
It's a typical situation and so, like every time, when we decide to go, Szofia calls saying that she's late ("Really? What happened?") and that it's better that we wait for her. Surely she will complain about something serious, like a butterfly in her shower or a receipt of something that does not recall what she had bought...
Szofia is slightly exaggerated...

Oh...What's that?
This song is too "stupid" for not being Italian, on the other hand it's too funny not to burst in a laugh, then I'm absolutely Italian an my dream is over.
Now I can go to sleep and, maybe this dream will go on...
Picture: my car have the same sticker. But smaller!
Clodpest

A free suggestion from an inexperienced creature

2008-10-09T22:09:00.001+02:00

Sometimes you can think: "I'm far from my country, I'm losing so many things!"
Yes, of course, but you cannot be everywhere, so live your moment.
You're living something in a place or, if you're lucky, you are sharing between more places.
Don't forget that it's wonderful to be present, in every case, in the place in which you are.
Present and active, with your mind, your ideas and your culture.
And...remind to ask to your friends to tell you what are happening in your country, to read newspapers, talk with other people from other countries...try to grow up, it's really enchanting!

Clodpest

Budapest and my Erasmus

2008-10-08T12:09:00.010+02:00

A tastefully flag

I couldn't imagine that Budapest was so modern and that the Hungarian people were really so open-minded. Actually I decided to come here without any prejudice so my celebral hard disc was empty, talking about the Hungary.

Day by day I'm talking with guys and girls, that are happy to tell me which is their field of study, their job and also their favourite food, that is often Italian!
I love to listen stories about their life.
Most of all, Hungarians have a terrific culture and a really strong education, without being presumptuous.

Every single day here is a surprise.

First impact.

I arrived in Hungary on September Ninth. Two guys, that seemed to me two managers or business' men, spent more than twenty minutes helping me to find my Hotel.

They didn't speak English. I'm here from a month and I've learnt at maximum twenty words in Hungarian, then you can imagine that in my first day I wasn't able to understand Hungarians so easily... I don't know how but we did it. Thanks to these boys I avoided to continued my heavy walk in Pest, with 32 kg of baggage.

Is this really a school?

I'm attending classes in English in a School of Communication and Business, called Bkf, that gives me the opportunity to be in class with many Hungarians and with the other Erasmus students, from Portugal and from Poland. I have to add also that three of our teachers are Americans, to complete this cosmopolitan frame. A colourful frame for a picture that puts the creativity at the first place.

This school is unbelievable! How many times have you ever thought that your schools were boring and useless? My classes are very interesting to me in particular, because I want work in journalism, but are good and also funny for everyone!

This morning, for example, we watched some extracts of “Saturday night life” the famous American variety show, broad casted by 33 years.

During every lesson we have to talk about actual issues and present some home works.

It's a good way to maintain active our minds and to start good friendships.

Feelings.

When I try asking to myself if I feel alone, someone comes and starts talk with me.

I love the persons that speak only the Hungarian and that try to communicate with me.

It's very important to both of us, because hopefully they will realize that they are be able to speak English, when they are in front of me, because I'm not a teacher and neither an old friend.

Usually is too embarrassing talk in an other language when a countryman or a countrywoman is with us.

Languages are bridges.

The Hungarian is very difficult, but also very funny to listen.
Sometimes it seems an Italian dialect, so I often start to laugh for no apparent reason, but I am trying to distinguish the key words, and I can do easily that because of the harmony of this language.

Anyway, the first thing that I´ve learned is saying “without cheese” (sajit nélkül) and this is crucial for my survival, because I hate fromages and they are everywhere!

Clodpest