Saturday, August 20, 2005

St. Stephen's Day

We got back pretty late from Budapest but nevertheless had to get up reasonably early to head off to the town fair. St Stephen’s Day is the foremost national holiday in Hungary and most Hungarians that I know do something to commemorate the day.


The fair is held in an area of park land next to the secondary school where my nephew is going to start going in September and is firmly aimed at the younger end of the market. There are mainly stalls selling sweets and toys along with small amusement rides, dodgems etc. At 10 am the place was already packed with kids and their parents.

It was my God son’s first visit as he was too young to go the previous year. He sat on my lap and we went round in the dodgems, me trying hard not to crash into anyone else. We did well for a few laps and then he saw his dad waiting off to one side and tried climbing out whilst we were racing past. I had a good hold off him, so all was okay but I had to finish off the ride on my own. The same happened on the next ride he went on with his sister, so I guess that perhaps he isn’t showing natural signs, just yet, of a love of speed, like his dad!

As it was my last day with my uncle my nephew and I headed off into town for a last bit of bowling. My uncle wasn’t around so we ended up taking a train for the 15 minute journey into town (just 1 pound return).

Obviously he has the bowling bug now as he managed to beat me in the first three games before I trounced him royally in the fourth. We had a great time. He’ll probably now start going back with his friends and get even better before I next return. *damn*

The train we got back was made up off two sets of train carriages linked together. The set at the front was old stock, the set at the back new. We sat at the back as the seats were nicer but realised when the train halted at the stop before ours that it was unlikely that our carriages would make it to the platform at our stop as it was so long. We had to race down through the train and just made it in time as the train drew alongside our station! Sure enough the doors of the new carriages at the back didn’t open as the platform wasn’t long enough to accommodate them. Phew!

My last night with my uncle and his family felt weird. My grandmother came along and I don’t think that we wanted things to end for this year as we all stayed up beyond midnight finding excuses for things to do, playing computer games, watching late night rubbish TV etc,


My god-son fell asleep and somehow ended up half on half off the bed.

My niece bandaged up my hand after having given me a pretend injection with a cocktail stick as she played at being a doctor, so I decided it was time to go to bed before I got bandaged up completely!

No comments: