Sunday, May 11, Zoo & Folk Dance

Had a great day today. Started by studying the grammar lesson on line that I should have started and finished by now, but....

Got a call through Skype from my boss, Mike Shiffer in Anchorage. Good to hear all that is going on and catch up. Also fun to be learning these new technologies!

Everything takes me along time to do, because I have to think about how I am going to get there, if I need to buy anything, if I know the word for it, if I know where and how to buy it, etc.! Also, the ATM's give out large bills and the smaller vendors won't take them, so I also have to be strategic about which bills to use, when!

So, today I used the tram to go in the opposite direction of the school, past the Nygati Train station to Andrassy Utca. I then walked the length of this beautiful avenue, instead of taking the underground, to the zoo. I was to meet the 5th grade class at 1:00pm at the entrance. I arrived just a few minutes early and went ahead and purchased my ticket and went in. After waiting around 15 minutes, I decided that they must have missed their train connection which they warned me was a possibility, so I started walking down the different paths and circling back to the entrance. When I finally went to use the WC, I ran into a young boy who said "Hello" to me in English! I asked if he was from Hodmezovasarhely, and he was. Actually, once I really looked at him, I remembered him. Anyway, he hooked me up with the class and we had a great afternoon discussing angol words and magyer words for each of the animals, the ice cream, etc. This kid, Pauli, has quite the memory for words, but when I asked the teacher if he was this advanced with his other subjects, she just kind of laughed! Here is a picture of some of the boys. Pauli is in the middle.

After a quick return to the apartment for a change of clothes and some food, I ventured out again to head to the folk dance performance that I bought the ticket for yesterday. This time, I walked over the Margit Hid (Bridge) and then walked along the Danube on the Buda side of the river. Really haven't spent much time on this side yet, but was able to find my way just fine to the performance hall.

Wow - what a show! There were two acts, each 45 minutes long. There were musical numbers without dance as well as the dance numbers. Here is a video of one of the dances (from my camera which hasn't died quite yet!).

After the performance, I continued down the Buda side of the Danube and crossed on the Chain Bridge to catch the tram back up the Pest side to the Margit Bridge and my apartment. It was a beautiful walk, with the castle, parliament, and other major sights, including the bridge, all lite up -- obviously no electricity crisis here! Anyway, there were a number of river cruise ships passing by, and I could see flashes from the cameras. I thought of the view Mom and Dad must have had last fall as they passed through here on one of the cruise ships. What a site!