Well, we are certainly living in interesting times and it is up to you to decide whether this is a Chinese curse or something to be excited about? A hung parliament was my guess too, but I wasn't sure it wasn't going to be even better than that. The Tories won, but with a reduced and no overall majority, which is a gross embarrassment for May. Corbyn had managed an excellent campaign and Labour won places like Canterbury and Kensington, which is unprecedented.
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| Not exactly a beauty, is she? |
Now the horsetrading has started and May is disgracing herself even further by climbing into bed with the DUP. Corbyn and his supporters are quite rightly jubilant. The win was not that far away and the gains, the enthusiasm and the amazing turnout are all due to a proper socialist campaign, a human, approachable leader, a proper socialist manifesto and the fact that many new layers, that all politicians have ignored until now, have been enthused to turn out. The youth and ethnic minorities have turned out in droves and that was reflected in the results. Let us hope May carries on hanging herself and there is another election before the year is out, result of which can now be the reflection of what is honestly going on in the country.
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| A jubilant Corbyn |
On Saturday we came in to town and Sunday was spent at Árpi and Bozsa's, which is always nice. Roy stayed behind, as usual, and the three of us went hiking and geocaching in the Pilis. This time the route included two big ravines, the Moonishine Ravine up and the Salabasina Ravine on the way down. In between the two we climbed up to the ridge, went along a bit and then turned down again. The first cache was in two parts and I managed to walk straight past the first part, before I realised and went back for it. The second part was quite easy.
En rute to the second cache in the next ravine, we searched for and failed to find one by an old neglected spring. I managed to slip down a hillside and scrape the skin of my arms, but suffered no more serious harm. Later we found out that we were looking in the right place, so obviously that box is gone.
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| Glenn, the loveliest dog on the planet |
The real excitement of the day was the Salabasina Ravine, which was pretty hard physically. At one point Árpi and Glenn, the border collie, had to climb out of the ravine as the next big drop was beyond the dog. Bozsa and I carried on, but when we came to an even bigger drop, this time Bozsa opted out. We also climbed out, but on the other side and through a torturous route found the marked trail we left an hour and half before and reunited with Árpi and Glenn further down the mountain. Unfortunately, our turnaround happened about 20 yards from the cache, so that had to be left, but I'm sure we'll be back sometime.
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| Glenn, me and Bozsa in the ravine |
The last sojourn in Bér only lasted 3 days, but we worked enough for 13. 5 lots of washing and drying, cleaning, making beds (12), gardening and watering the garden and the cacti, visiting the nurse for my prescriptions etc., etc. And the weather was hot, so I ended up totally zombified. The beds were made with bedding from Anna this time, I hope she doesn't expect me to wash them afterwards. After all that we came in to town again on Wednesday evening.
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| Árpi and Bozsa |
First of all we had to fetch my meds at our favourite chemist, which this time was devoid of the nice ladies I like. When I went back in the afternoon for those that they had to order in, the young chamist lady turned up, telling me that they still owed me 2 boxed of Tritace. Apparently I forgot to go back for it last time. Ahhhhh! I'm definitely going senile!!
Eszter came with my Erkel subscription ticket, which I lent her for the last performance as I was away, good job she turned up as the next performance was in a few days. We also had yet another exterminator coming and spraying vile stuff everywhere, this time against ants. There seems to be an invasion of one or other pests every summer. Hopefully he has dealt with them and we will not have this lot again.
On Thursday evening I went to the last performance of the season at the Opera and it was a superb staging of Rigoletto. The whole setting, the costumes, the scenery, the singers and the whole concept was just as I like opera performed. Perfect end for the season.
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| View of Paty from the top of the quarry |
Friday was yet another insanely busy, but very lovely day. We made two visits to friends, one to Vera and Gábor, another to Nata and Colin. The former couple had invited us to Vera's exhibition at a place near the flat, which was fascinating, but as I forgot to take the camera, no pictures! At her flat we chatted out on the balkony, had lovely food and drink and enjoyed their company very much. nata and Colin, on the other hand, was totally unexpected. I had to meet Nata to fetch some stuff from her, but she rang that they changed their minds about the Brit Club, and would we like to come and visit them at their new house instead. Of course we wanted to, so after Vera's place we hopped on a couple of buses and went to see Nata and Colin. They have only moved in 2 weeks ago, so there were boxes yet everywhere, but we definitely approved of their choice. As we haven't seen them in person for over a year, there was much to chat about. No pictures again, due to lack of camera, but we will be back again, so that should follow in future. Lovely, albeit a long day that was.
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| Lovely view |
Saturday we met George Muenz, one of Roy's family history researching friends from the internet, and that was a lovely meeting too. He is a really enthusiastic novice at this game, and Roy is enjoying helping him. We chatted for hours with him and to a distant relative of his who turned up half way through.
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| Cellars |
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| A stall at the cellar fest |
In the evening I went to the other opera house, the Erkel, also to the season closer there as well and that was an absolute revelation. A modern opera by László Dés on the story of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire in ballet form. Superb!!!! Suitable closing of the season there as well and both the cast, the music and especially the coreography was out of this world. I am so glad I had the time to go and see it!!
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| The top of the quarry |
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| A new wild flower |
And finally, yesterday, as the weather forecast was wrong and it wasn't raining we went geocaching in Páty, just West of towns, on the other side of the Western hills. Roy's lure was a revisit of a cute little restaurant we found back in February, when were also geocaching in the area and off we went. There were 4 caches on the list, but we finally only did 3. The fourth one so overgrown, that I thought I would return to it in the autumn or even in the winter, when the vegetation was a bit down.
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| Another view from the top of another quarry |
The first one was on top of a quarry and it was fantastic to photograph the views from there. I found the cache easily whily Roy waited for me in the car a few hundred yards away. The second cache proved to be a bit more difficult. A neglected study route is never my idea of fun, but when I am faced with: Entry forbidden, the quarry edge is lethal! warning boards, my enthusiasm vanes. I left that one, but managed to find out the PW from a friend.
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| Lovely cellars inside and out |
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| I nearly had a glass of wine here |
The last one was the highlight, after two quarries, which were OK, but not neccessarily my favourites. The third cache was hidden near a set of 200+ year old row of wine cellars. They were spectacular and we found ourselves slap bang in the middle of the cellar fest that they have roughly at mid-June every year. I even got invited for a glass of wine at one cellar. Took lots of photos and found the cache easily.
Now we are getting up, packing and departing for the East. Next post probably after our trip, hopefully with lots of photos of lovely places we have seen.
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| This one was open for business |
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| Weird roots |
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