What a wild day. We left the Hotel Mercure Duna about 8:15 and took the #4 Tram to the end of the line. Andrea had offered to meet us there and it's a good thing she did. We managed coffee and fruit at the Costa Coffee but things went down hill from there.
The plan was to convert cash and travelers checks into Euros to pay our rent for the summer, we negotiated a better deal by paying all three months in advance. Sounds easy right, walk into a bank, show them your American Express Travelers Checks, says right on the front..."Recognized World Wide"...show them your passport, tell them your Mothers first and maiden name, negotiate the exchange, this is neat...you must first convert the US Travelers checks into Forints then into Euros and pay a premium both times. This was the design, it should have worked this way but only one banking company in Hungary will cash American Express travelers checks, something about American GI's taking the Hungarian Holy Crown from the 9th Century and not returning it until 1978, and none of their small satellite branches had enough Euros so with Andrea as our guide, yeah Andrea, we finally found George, our hero of the day. George figured out a way to convert the USD to EUR bypassing the Forint completely, however I did receive a pile of Forints in the exchange, yeah George. See pic.
So with piles of Florints and Euros we headed to the phone store, again thanks to Andrea we have phones and some sort of Broad Band card that I think you go to a ATM, Bankomat here, and recharge them, they must mean with minutes...anyway...yeah Andrea.
After the ordeal...we got back on the #4 and headed to meet Ilona, you remember Ilona, this is a song about Ilona...sorry about the Alice's Restaurant referral.
She was on time, we have signed contracts, keys, linens from IKEA, a skillet, an Italian coffee maker and 4 rolls of TP, what else do you need.
We jumped back on the #4 to the hotel, will stay here tonight and set up camp in the morning. We have Fulbright orientation in the afternoon.
Another busy day and it's only 1800.
Pictures of Listz Ferenc Square...did you figure this out Franz Listz...he was actually Austrian but he had Hungarian relatives so he is claimed by Hungary.
Also pictures of the Buda Castle Complex.
More later
LISZT WAS A HUNGARIAN!!!!! Franz Liszt was born to an Austrian mother, Marie Anna Lager and a Hungarian farther, Adam Liszt on October 22, 1811, in the village of Doborján in Sopron County, in the Kingdom of Hungary. His father would only use Hungarian language with him, he spoke this language and assumed this culture (see, or rather, hear works!) all through his artistic career. Several autobiographic writings witness his patriotism. The Budapest Academy of Music (where he used to be a professor) is named after him and now also our international airport.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Liszt (note the sz, pronounce "s" in the name - oru peculiar double letter...) Cheerfully taking exams at ELTE, Andrea