I managed it to get to Berlin with a delay of only 18 hours. Although I organized a car at the lift center (www.mitfahrgelegenheit.de) the generous chaos of post-sziget days have destroyed my thoughtful planning. Finally, I went by train in a nice sleeping car. Much more expensive, but comfortable.
I had a nice stop in Dresden, one of those overrated cities in Germany's East. I think it is still the most beautiful city in that region but is suffers from the same plague every Eastern-German city except for Berlin suffers from: it is empty. Restored buildings everywhere, the grave of billions of tax-payer's money, but the city centre reminds you of a museum.
Leipzig – the other “boom city” – is even worse. I visited the city 3 years ago for a meeting of the German Government's youth magazine Schekker I publish in. There it is not necessary for graffiti writers to climb on buildings to paint rooftops, it is enough to enter a building and paint from inside on the windows. The buildings are abandoned.
During my last days in Hungary I had to work a lot – I consider communicating and networking as labour. Mister Péter Polonyi, Hungarian China-expert and author of several books on the topic, is one of the man I had the honour to meet.
On my last morning in Budapest I had breakfast with the DJ and producer Kurock. He stresses „DJ Q-Rock“, but it looks terrible in my opinion. You can listen to his music at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/qrock28
He is also the main producer of the one and only NOAD Crew...
http://www.myspace.com/noadcrew
Everybody was asking me whether I go to the Sziget festival or not. Well, I am not so much into open air festivals and the biggest open air festival of Europe sounds like trouble in my ears. A crowded island full of drunk „dirty-feet-french-gals“ (quote from Habib da Great), impolite police officers and security guards of Hungary's biggest private army... No, thanks.
It is funny... The Sziget is the only successful thing Hungary has and the media already says that it was loss-making business this year. Also a characteristic thing for Hungary is that they want to build a new city district on the island of the Sziget festival in the next years, so the festival has to move.
I liked the atmosphere in Budapest. Last time I visited the city I couldn't wait to leave it aga
in. I am a local patriot of the Pest-Side, but sometimes it is too much of everything. On my “Journey (back) to the West” I went through the Balkan-like city of Vienna. Desperation! Returning to my hood in Kleinbasel was a relieve, I never felt something like that in my lifetime. I became aggressive being offended by all those impolite, noisy people everywhere... my Calvinist anger became rampant seeing all those wasted lives.
The last week was different. Without spending lots of cash I lived an almost aristocratic life in high-level cafés, bars and restaurants. I visited the “Wine weeks” at Balatonfüred and a thermal bath. I lived “the life of a bored millionaire”, my father would say.
The problem begins when you put your CS bank card to the cash machine.
While my grandmother thinks 800 Forints (3 Euros) are too much for a bottle of wine, I think it's definately too cheap. High-level offers have a very low price in Madjaristan and they even get cheaper. At the same time all basic victuals get more and more expansive.
Now the people do not complain as much as during the last winter period. But as we know the next winter will come...
Today I read a nice article on the Calvin Church in Budapest. They are building a new metro line below the church. They have big problems saving the building. When they started to build the new line in that district it was my first thought that the church is in danger. I don't want to judge anybody, but I can imagine that it fits in well in a conception. Now they started a big campaign against the parish, claiming that the parish was not willing to pay reconstruction works on the building. From what money?
I used to go to that church (I was also baptised in it) and I remember how hard it was to grant the money to repair the main window.
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