It's yet another late post, but this time the reason not just that we were busy, but the fact that I totally forgot it. The day after my last post we had lunch with Márti and Laci in the Jelen and then went to see Bohemian Rhapsody in one of the art cinemas. Alex kept at me how marvellous it was and honestly it really was. I hope the film and its actors get some recognition at the Oscars, because they deserve it. I think Remi Malek has already got a Golden Globe, but he should get the Oscar too.
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| Rami Malek, the perfect clone of Freddy Mercury |
On the following Tuesday we went for our shots to a private clinic and it wasn't cheap. The first shot of two for Hepatitis A and B for the two of us cost £100, which I am told is not expensive. Unfortunately, the next time we go for the second shot plus Dukoral against e-coli for the two of us will set us back over £200. This Mexico trip is ending up a lot more expensive than we thought, but I still don't care, I want to go and spend time with Callum in nice surroundings.
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| Bogányi Gergely |
I had a small reaction of injection site pain, but it went after 2 days, Roy had nothing, as usual. On Wednesday I had a concert, which I was not sure about if I should go to, because the influenza epidemic is at its height and a hall full of hundreds of folk might not be a good idea for someone with a delicate immune system. However, I decided to risk it and am I glad that I went? Certainly! Gergely Bogányi brought his special grand piano that he designed and Hungarian tax payers paid for (a long and sorry story!), but he played so beautifully that we forgiven his dalliance with the government and just enjoyed his playing.
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| One of the codexes with lavish decoration |
Thursday dawned with not too cold weather and I decided to brave getting outside for the entire day, the first time not only this year, but for about 2 months. There were three activities planned: 1. a visit to an exhibition in the National Széchenyi Library; 2. lunch with Roy; 3. geocaching with Mariann, who has had a gap of even longer than I had since my last caching trip due to her car crash in late November.
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| A gold coin from King Matthias's days |
The exhibition was of 15th century books and manuscripts, which came from the libary of King Matthias, a renaissance king with an Italian wife and a cultured background. He brought Italian masters over to write and decorate his beautiful hand written books, covered in gold leaf and leather, but later developed indigenous masters as well and his workshops turned out dozens of masterpieces right through his reign.
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| Some more lavish decoration |
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| Outer velvet binding with clasps |
Unfortunately there are only about 55 of these volumes in Hungary, but 42 of them were exhibitied, supplemented by others from all over the world, including the US, UK, France and others. I was enchanted. I knew about these books, called Corvinas, after the emblem of the king's royal house, which was a raven - corvinus in Latin. Unfortunately, you couldn't really photograph them too well, as they were all behind glass in semi-darkness, but the experience will be with me forever.
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| A bottom border decoration |
Afterwards I met Roy in the Vigadó Restaurant, where we haven't been for a very long time. The food is still excellent, the tone of the waiting staff not so much. A woman was very off hand when I got there a few minutes before Roy, but the guy who werved us was better.
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| An initial gold R with music notation |
After lunch I met up with Mariann and we went round by public transport to 4 points of a 6 pointer multicache in Siberian conditions. Interestingly, it wasn't very cold to start with, but later in the afternoon the wind got up and the sun went and the air was very damp. With windchill and the damp we both felt really cold at the end. However, all was well, we found everything and now I have 1 find logged for 2019. I will have to work hard if I want to be anywhere near my high figures of 2017 and 2018, but I suppose this is not a competition, I just like to set high targets and meet them if poss.
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| Biblical scene |
Needless to say, that my long-lasting lingering cold got worse after that full day out, especially in the cold wind, so I have been indoors and mostly in bed ever since. I was watching US serials on the net and Netflix. I also did a lot of moderating of new caches, which work is a bit frustrating, but still enjoyable. There is a hard core of long standing moderators who act as if they didn't want any more caches, because that might enable people to catch them in the informal stakes of who has how many finds. They come up with spurious reasons why they cannot pass the new plans for caches, thus frustrating well meaning people who will probably give up if none of their plans get approved.
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| An enormous tree on Margaret Island near one of the caches |
I am told that a lot of this comes from all sorts of conflicts, personal and pecuniary interests of the guys involved and this country being what it is, that is a likely reason. Still, I have a few others who think like I do, so I'm battling on, while I usually stand up for myself when necessary. I suppose this is good for one thing: honing my diplomatic skills of saying exactly what I mean in a way that they can't attack me back for. In fact, I have noticed that the tone of the discourse has greatly improved lately, because they can see that I am not attacking, just not agreeing.
On Saturday I watched
Remains of the Day on Netflix and enjoyed it tremendously. Such lovely story, filmed sensitively and written/acted perfectly. I wish there were more of these types of films on Netflix, not only in genre, but in quality as well.
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| St. Michael's Church in the 13th district |
Now I should be off doing some packing, as we are off to the West Country tomorrow for a spot of geocaching. We are staying in a chateau, which I have seen from the outside once before, but now will definitely see inside as well. On our return I will regale you with the stories of room, service, food, environment, weather and the caches as well. Until then, taraaa and take care of yourselves, while I promise to do the same.
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| Lovely brick details on St. Michael's Church |
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