What do we really know about Hungary and Hungarians??

The early Magyars were obviously savages and barbarians who raped, slaughtered, pillaged and were big on incest because that was pretty much the early (pre 1973) way all round this part of the world. Soon as they decided to have a Europe, in 637 ad, then the wars started. And, as dynasties went, the Hapsburgs were pretty damned good at it. Surviving until the war when, as with so many parts of Europe,  it all went to shit, they joined the wrong side, like Man City fans, and then the Russians took over and it got even worse.

Famous Hungarians? There’s only really 3.

1. Ferenc Puscas, great footballer in the 50s and 60s.

2. Liszt. As in ‘Brahms and…’ They needed a composer to rhyme with pissed and he just fit the bill perfectly.

3. Biro. Invented writing. With a ball-point anyway.

And that’s it really. Other than those involved in the slaughter and rape and pillage, which still happens nightly in Budapest. Which is why Mel & I have come for the weekend.

And to get away from the football because Arsenal won again and London can at times like this become intolerable.

And its wonderful here.

We’d literally stepped off the plane and hadn’t even made it to the end of that little tunnel to the terminal when we saw our first ‘serious’ moustache. Like, the real Franz Ferdinand job. (the emporer, not the band, obviously).  By passport control we’d seen three more. Big, bushy, waxed jobbies, brilliant. You could spend a lifetime in London without witnessing such incredible moustachage.

So we’d arrived in the city which used to be 2 cities. Buda, where they were rabid nasty racists, and Pest, the inhabitant of which were vile anti-semites. So they joined up, across the Danube, and called it Budapest and everyone can be both an anti-semite AND a racist.

Great city though, really beautiful and fab. Could be in Wales, its so lovely.

 

Happy delayed belated day (blame British Airways)

 

A xxxxx