Monday traffic

Day of Farkas in Hungary. Its an ancient Hungarian name means: wolf.

The other day I posted a photo showing the Budapest traffic on the weekend. A Saturday morning. Here you can see the Monday morning version:)

Today the question will be about the Budapest traffic:

How many new cars appear on the streets of Budapest every day?

A, 150
B, 60
C, 600

About the previous question:

The question was tricky because mr. Szamos had two name as he changed it from his original Serbian Mladen Szavits to the Hungarian Szamos Mátyás (in Hungary the family name comes first and then the "firstname"). I accept both answers.

Here you can see your points.

Prize

Day of Alfonz in Hungary. Comes from the German and means: noble.

Have you ever heard about Szamos Marcipán? One box of this tasty sweet stuff will be the prize in the point collecting competition. You all who participate will know more about Hungary and Budapest and one of yours (who collects the most points) will get a package with a box of original Szamos Marzipan from me!:)

Ok and the question of the day (the comments/answers will be visible only next day):

What is the full name of mr. Szamos who created most of the recipes of recent Szamos products?

More info on Szamos Marcipán where maybe you can find your way to the right answer is here.:)

Saturday traffic

Day of Nárcisz is Hungary. This is a Greek name which means flower.

On the weekend there is no traffic jam. At times it looks like decades ago when only few cars were on the streets. This is a saturday morning on the Kiskörút.

It seems you like to play. Collecting points, getting prize.:) Okay the next question is a bit more difficult but believe me it is worth to work on it. If you look at the photo carefully (use the Flickr view its better) you will know what is the Hungarian version of "FOR RENT". For one point again.

Today i go to get the prize..tomorrow you will know what you can win:)

John, Sally, Nathalie, Olivier, Kate, Jazzy, Lachezar, Jing, Kris, Bill, Dawn, Photowannabe, Carol have 1 point already.:) Just keep collecting and its not forbidden to join!

Gardener

Day of Simon and Szimonetta in Hungary. Again a well known Hebrew name. The original Simeon has a Greek version Simon (Szimón) which means: being listened. Szimonetta is the female version of Simon.

When I think of a gardener I usually imagine an old man in a large hat having clippers in his hands. But in a big city the gardener needs bigger toys. Just like this guy with his cute truck. He was probably a hunter before because he is master of hiding. If you can find him on the photo you get 1 point! :)

Parking ticket vendor machine

Day of Szabina in Hungary. Its a Latin name means: Sabin woman.

There is a new system for buying parking ticket in Budapest available everywhere in the city from now on. Before you had to insert coins or cards to the vendor machine but now you can send an SMS message to the number visible on the yellow sign and you will be charged through your phone bill. The company created this system said yesterday, that its an unique system, nowhere else is like this. So lets see if he said the truth. Tell me pls how this system works in your city? Is there any city within the DP family where you also can pay for your parking with an SMS message?

Gyros

Day of Dömötör in Hungary. Its an old Hungarian name a version of Demeter.

This post is dedicated to kris and to selana and also a tribute to Greece. This is the Gyros place kris wrote about in one of her comments and though its not a fancy place, its very simple...nothing touristic in it, not an attraction, but lets say one of the icons in Budapest for the people of Budapest. Going to the Corvin movie theater is a program to get a gyros here after or before. Everywhere else pop-corn and coke. But at the Corvin this Gyros is "the" place.

Little funny detail that the table says NYITVA (OPEN) in Hungarian and closed in English...but don't hesitate...ask for a gyros!

getting even more close

Day of Blanka in Hungary. The name has a Spanish origin. It means shining, clean.

With this post I shall continue with the exploration of the palace of Buda as you've requested.:) This handsome guy is "François-Eugène, Prince of Savoy-Carignan (October 18, 1663 – April 24, 1736), known as Prinz Eugen von Savoyen in German, was arguably the greatest general to serve the Habsburgs" as wikipedia says. He has a statue in the palace of Buda because in 1686, he led the coalition army against the Turks who had occupied Buda for 150 years. It was a great job....and we are really thankful (see we raised a statue) but as we are used to it, everyone who comes here to liberate us...somehow forgets to leave. This happened with the Habsburgs too.:)

Rioters got a tank

Day of Salamon in Hungary. This well known name comes from the Hebrew means peaceful.

Yesterday, on my Chaoren blog, I have posted some extra photos about the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution in Hungary. Amongst others, I posted this T-34 tank which was an exhibit as well as a decoration for the events in remembering those times on the Deák Square in Budapest. I took this photo of the tank on Saturday evening.

After (and partly during) the official ceremonies on Monday, there were riots again on the streets and invading the Deák Square where they showcase the exhibited weapons and even managed to fix the engine of this T-34. I found this video on the www.index.hu news portal about the same tank when rioters got onto it. They reported that after taking few meters the police stopped them and they took the tank from the rioters.

Its not a performance....its the reality of Budapest again.

See the video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwNVpjIO19U

1956

Day of Gyöngyi in Hungary. Old Hungarian name comes from the word gyöngy (pearl).

23th of October 1956. The day when the Hungarian revolution started. Today we are celebrating its 50th anniversary. I posted again two photos showing the place 50 years ago and nowdays (I took it last week). This is the Corvin alley where a movie theatre is located. Strategically there is an important cross of roads right behind the buildings where Russian tanks coming from the east on the road No 4. had to move toward the downtown of Budapest. Few Hungarians created a command post in this alley maintaining the resistance for days against the Russian tanks with 16-year-old youths. The memorial which you can see on the photo below is referring to them. Its a young boy with weapon and the Hungarian flag behind him. You can find more photos here, and my writing about 1956 here.

Getting closer to the Palace

Day of Előd in Hungary. Its a historical name...very old Hungarian name which means: the first or ancestor.
Yesterday I posted the picture of the Palace of Buda. That was the view from the other side of the river. Now lets get closer to the building. I went there to a presentation yesterday afternoon and I took this photo for the DP family to bring you closer to the palace:)

Palace of Buda

Day of Orsolya in Hungary. The name comes from the latin Ursula which means little bear.

This is the Palace of Buda. I guess the most characteristic building in the downtown of Budapest or being more exact in Buda. In Pest the Parliament Building is the main attraction. I like the fact that the palace is a public place. Its not a residence of someone very superimportant:) There works the biggest library in Hungary and the National Gallery.

windows to my world

Day of Vendel. This name comes from the German Wendelmar which means: belongs to the Vandals.

This is the view from my window in the morning today. I love to live in a place where I can be the witness of the seasons. Living in the downtown, the winter is almost like the summer when you look out of your window. If you have a busy lifestyle, maybe you even don't recognise that summer has turned into winter. But here I love that every morning is a little new surprise. Some months later when everything will be covered with snow I will take another photo and you will see what I am talking about:) Have a nice day to all the DP family members!

Halloween in Hungary?

Day of Nándor in Hungary. Its an old Hungarian name which refers to the nation we called: Danube-Bulgarian.

This post was inspired by Kris. She posted yesterday about a flower store too and she mentioned that children were learning how to celebrate Halloween in Hungary lately. Its really like this...but somehow I feel something strange about this Halloween stuff.

When I was child until 1989 we celebrated 7th of November as the anniversary of the great soviet revolution which has started on this day in 1917 in Saint-Petersburg (Russia). I do not doubt that it was (is) an important event for Russia but has obviously nothing to do with Hungary...

Nowdays we do not celebrate 7th of November. Moscow is not a "big brother" anymore we have to follow. Buuuut...we started to celebrate strange events I never heard about .....before. Valentine's day and Halloween. Now it is rather for commercial then political reasons but still has nothing to do with the local culture and traditions here.

Dont get me wrong..I dont mind Valentine's neither Halloween...they are very nice, "exotic" events to me. Even I dont mind 7th of November in Russia. But I dont like this attitude copying some cultures which we find "fancy" at a certain moment. What is going to be the next one? Will we celebrate Chinese New Year in 10 years pretending it is something we always celebrated just because soon China will be the "leading country"?:)

Rákóczi street 80.

Day of Lukács in Hungary. Comes from the Latin Lucas which means: man from Luciana.
This is a typical house viewed from within, in the downtown of Budapest. Interestingly in Budapest social "classes" weren't segregated geographically. This type of buildings are good example of it. In the early 1900s you could find people from the working class (means factory workers) living in the cellar of this buildings under terrible circumstances. Downstairs maybe some stores, shops, services with their owners living behind the store. The first floor and the large apartments having windows to the street-front was for rich citizens, for bureaucrats, officers and the rest behind for the maids serving them. Almost the whole society was represented in a building like this.

Blue river

Day of Hedvig in Hungary. German name originally means: fight, combat.

At times I am changing the route when I go to work. Because its so boring to ride the same trams everyday or to choose the same way. Last morning I decided to cross the Lágymányosi bridge instead of the Petőfi one to approach the University. Just for fun. And I took this photo in the cool morning sunshine from the bridge. And I learned...from the other bridge the University is much much closer then from this one:)

St. István Basilica in total

Day of Gál today. Actually I thought it was a surname but every day I learn something about my country, too:) It comes from Celtic and Irish Gallus which means: cock.
The other day I showed the St. István (Stephen) Basilica above the roofs. On the same day I took one photo showing the entire building.

Rose to Theresa

Day of Teréz in Hungary. My mom is called Teréz so this day is her name-day:)
The name Teréz comes from the Greek. It means heat, summer, hot.

I post this rose (which is in my garden) to send greetings to my mom like this, too.
And I wish a happy Teréz day for every Theresa all over the world!

St. István Basilica

Day of Helén in Hungary. This name comes from the greek Helena.
Yesterday I was in the building of the Open Society Institute to have a speech on a board meeting. Open Society Institute was established by George Soros (Soros György) the Hungarian-American businessman and it has been very active from the early 90's in building up democratic institutions and promoting changes in health and social care systems such as deinstitutionalisation of disabled people or people with mental health problems in Eastern European countries.
The photo was taken from the 8th floor of their building. The top of the St. Stephen Basilica is visible above the roofs.

Street art

Day of Ede and Kálmán in Hungary. Ede comes from the German Eduard. It means guard. Kálmán is old Turkish-Hungarian name means: the rest who survived.
This graffiti is on the wall of a kindergarten. It is greated by an artgroup called FCO. They have really wonderful works I posted more about them here...and here.

Duna

Day of Miksa in Hungary. Time ago it was the nick version of Miklós but somehow became a different name.

Actually its an old photo. I took it long time ago with a not too good camera. Spite of the low quality I like this photo and its colors because it shows Budapest from the Gellért Hill. Its the river Duna (Danube) which separates Buda from Pest. Guess which side is visible on the photo? Pest or Buda?:)

Take this photo as an intorduction...and some later when I will have time I will post new ones with better quality:)

dear ALL!

Thank you for the nice comments. The winners are those who said PEST is visible on the photo. Easy to remember...Buda is the part where you can find the hills. Pest is totally flat. And they are connected with these "hyphons" as John mentioned and James r is such an expert of Budapest that he even knows the name of the bridges:) Congratulation!

National theatre

Day of Brigitta in Hungary. Its originally an old Irish name means strong, moral.
This is the building of the National Theatre. Its a new building a little far from the downtown at the Danube. In front of the theater is a road for bicycles and usually I ride my bike there and try being as fast as possible not to bother the couples sitting on the benches along the river:)

Café Pulp Fiction

Day of Gedeon in Hungary. This name comes from Hebrew and its meaning: sword, warrior
This Café was on of my favorite in Budapest years ago. Café Pulp Fiction (Café Ponyvaregény). Sitting there you can take the books from the shelves and you can read and it was one of the first Café where you could order the old good Hungarian "Traubi szóda" again after so many years. When you are in Hungary try it!

Monday morning on the tramway

Day of Dénes in Hungary. Its comming from the Greek name Dionysios which means: offered to Dionysus (the Greek god of wine and grappes).
The tramways No. 4-6 in Budapest are one of the most crowded lines in Europe. It goes along the Nagy körút and in the morning when one is in the stop you can see the next one coming from a little distance. But its not enough, it has always been crowded, full with students going to the University around 8am. Ohh yes..there are moments when I miss my car:)

Going to the kindergarten

Day of Koppány in Hungary. Its a very old Hungarian name. Koppány was a famous rebell against I. István king who made Hungary joining to Christian church. Koppány wanted to keep the ancient culture of Hungarians. He failed.

Yesterday Kris posted about children from kindergarten and her photo made me remember those times. I was like 3 when one day my parents were too busy and they asked the neighbour man to take me to the kindergarten. He was a nice man our families were friends. The kindergarten was not far, a few corners away but I convinced him that my parents usually carry me in their arms to there. So he picked me up and took me to the kindergarten like this:) I was hoping he was not going to tell my parents........................................................he did..........:)

Moonlight

Day of Amália in Hungary. Quite a rare name I dont know any Amális here.
Its origin is German comes from the gothic royal families and has a strange meaning: defence.

This photo was inspired by Jing's post about the Chinese mooncakes. There is a Mid-autumn festival in China and they eat those special mooncakes. Last night we had full (hehe accidentally first I typed: fool) moon and I could hardly sleep. Looking out of the window I saw how strange silver is the whole garden. So I went out and avoiding any influence of the flash I captured that silver coin on the sky. ....Thanks God I didnt became a werewolf.:) At least I dont remember......

Autumn morning

Day of Brúnó and Renáta in Hungary. Brúnó is an old north-german name with the meaning of brown, bear. Renáta comes from latin. It means: re-born.
I took this photo today morning around 7 am. The sunshine is weaker day by day autumn is about giving the territory to the coldness step by step. Its like the last trial to warm up the quiet backyard but birds are leaving..they know who will be the winner.

McDonald's

Day of Aurel in Hungary. Greetings to every Aurels!:)
A latin name coming from the roman Aurelius.
Couple of weeks ago Kris mentioned she liked the interior of the McDonald's at the Western Railway Station in Budapest. So I went there and took this photo to show you Kris's favorite McDonald's.:)

Invitation letter

Day of Ferenc in Hungary. Greetings to every Ferenc, Frank, Franz, Francisco.:)
It was the nickname of Giovanni di Bernardone in his childhood.
But we know him better as Saint Francis of Assisi. He got this nickname because his mom was French.
Every day I hope that I will find a new e-mail from Denton about "wiki changes" and Prague, Krakkow, Kiev, Saint-Petersburg, Brasov, Zagreb, Belgrade, Salzburg, Riga, Vilnius, Drezden and other wonderful cities of my area joined. This is a gentle invitation letter. I know running a daily photo site is a hard job, but if it encourages you...I can tell you...you have a regular visitor already...only your site is missing.:)

By the way...on photo the Erzsébet (Elisabeth) bridge is visible.

Generations

Day of HELGA in Hungary. Greetings to every HELGA!
Northern German name, means: baptisted, healthy, happy
- Do you think we will be together..............................- Will we start again if we
for as long as they are?...................................................are back to the '40s?
- Thats for sure, honey!................................................- Thats for sure, honey!

Indian summer

Today is day of PETRA in Hungary.

They say its a hebrew, greek, latin name with the meaning of rock, stone.

The weather report said it was the last warm weekend of the year. The indian summer (which is rather called "summer of the old ladies" here) will be soon over. I like this period of the year, especially the nice warm evenings when you still can go out without warm coats and without seeing your own breath.

Theme day: Taxi

Today is day of MALVIN in Hungary.
This name comes from German means something like: friend of the justice

Theme Day within the DP family. The topic is: Taxi. I took this photo couple of weeks ago when i came home with taxi after a hard day. Usually I use this company.......Főtaxi (means: main-taxi). The text on the door is their slogen. "Meglepetések helyett (Instead of surprises)". And yes..at times when you choose the wrong type taxi in Budapest...you might be surprised after getting the bill!

more info on Budapest taxis here and more photos of this taxi here

Other Taxi photos from all over the world you can find here:

1 (Porto ) -2 (Albuquerque ) -3 (London ) -4 (Seattle, WA (USA) [Kim] ) -5 (Edinburgh ) -6 (Stayton, OR ) -7 (Greenville, SC ) -8 (Budapest ) -9 (Antigua Guatemala ) -10 (Alexandria, VA ) -11 (Manila ) -12 (Twin Cities ) -13 (Szentes ) -14 (Paris ) -15 (Portsmouth ) -16 (Ryde ) -17 (Sydney ) -18 (Oulu ) -19 (Singapore [keropok] ) -20 (Santiago ) -21 (Melbourne, Aust ) -22 (Dubai UAE ) -23 (Bandung (Indonesia) ) -24 (Copenhagen ) -25 (Sequim ) -26 (Singapore ) -27 (Tenerife ) -28 (Sharon, CT ) -29 (Tuzla, B&H ) -30 (Jakarta (Indonesia) ) -31 (Rotterdam ) -32 (Brussels ) -33 (Stavanger (Norway) ) -34 (Aliso Viejo, CA ) -35 (Oshawa, ON, Canada ) -36 (Vantaa, Finland ) -37 (Trier (Germany)) -38 (Newcastle upon Tyne ) -39 (Hong Kong ) -40 (Shang Hai ) -41 (Brussels ) -42 (San Diego, CA (USA) ) -43 (Sydney (Nathalie)) -44 (St Paul (USA)) -