Escalators are funny things. If you are on one of them, and you look to the side at the other escalators running parallel, you’ll notice that people would seem to be either leaning forward, or leaning back, depending on whether they are going up or going down. That’s the beauty of physics. Here they have huge escalators in the metro stations, some of which scare me because of my vertigo. I was reminded of Universal Studios, Los Angeles, where they use some six or seven escalators to take people down a mountain. But they are not as scary as some of these escalators.
The train was also quite funny. First of all there was this lady who was carrying a fluffy dog, as if she were carrying a baby, on her shoulders. Second, the loco pilot (yeah, that’s what you call a ‘train driver’) seems to be driving the train for the first time. Just like what I did to my car (refer to my report on Day 0), she seemed to be “stalling” the train every time it started from a station. Fortunately we reached office safely enough.
At nine o’clock, as the office starts, the blinds open automatically. And then, there is a collective groan from everyone around, who do not want the light streaming in. Today, the people and the place looked livelier. During lunch I decided to have my first taste of a traditional Hungarian dish called Hortobágy Palacsinta, a sweet Pancake from the Hortobagy region made from a filling of meat or sweets. The experience was quite good, unlike what I have experienced in Germany, where trying out traditional dishes had always ended in disaster. The office is situated on the riverside and after lunch we went for a walk on the shore of the Danube, and I found many huge stones, perceivably from the Roman times, displayed all along the software park. I remembered that the ancient Roman settlement of Aquincum was nearby. Frank also pointed out that I would get to see more such stones if I decided to visit that place.
By evening, it had drizzled a little, but there was no effect of that when we left office. The sweater that I’ve brought with me, anticipating “European weather” (my definitions have definitely gone wrong) has been lying in the wardrobe till now. Well, you learn new things everyday. And today I did see a new side of Budapest. Stretching from the Arpad Bridge to the Margaret Bridge on the banks of the Danube, you can see the poor quarters of “The Pearl of the Danube”. A row of old worn-down apartments dot this stretch, their walls faded, and the paint replaced by the bright colors of spray paint that make up the new form of art that’s now quite familiar to me here – graffiti. Believe me; these guys draw some awesome pictures with those cans of spray paint.
It seems that Budapest has the most shopping centers in Europe. At least wikipedia says so. Maybe I should try and find out before I leave this place
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