Tag Archives: running

Patron Saints & Fog

Posted on by

DSCN2447

It was a very foggy six am this morning, so thick, in fact, that we couldn’t even see across the river to Buda.  Even as I sit here now  at nearly 9am at my desk facing the river and the water tower on Margit Island, I can’t see the steady-moving river.  Probably by eleven, the sun will burn most of it away.

DSCN2437

Despite the humidity, it was such a peaceful run today.  It had that quality of dream-running, which every runner knows by sensation rather than the visual details.  The heart is pounding, legs moving, lungs expanding and contracting, and yet somehow the view is blurred by the pale sheet of dreaming.  Like mist.  Or, like this morning’s fog.

And because it is Friday we decided to take a different route home, in order to swing by the bakery to get a few fresh kiflis (simple crescent bread with salt on top).  And I don’t know if it was the the different route through old 13th district, or whether is was because of the fog, but I saw so many new things I had never seen before.

DSCN2445

Street signs, old cafes just turning on their lights and preparing their pastries, vegetable stands where owners with their 4am hair lightly water and sweep the stoops.  And on Visegrádi utca this strange little inlaid statue of a saint pouring water onto a burning building.  It looks like it says Saint Flora, but she is the patron saint of the abandoned, converts, single laywomen and victims of betrayal.  So maybe they cut the name short or smashed it into the bottom, just out of sight.  Saint Florian, who is the patron saint of chimney sweeps and fire fighters.  The date:  1935.  And the building was built up again, perhaps damaged again during the war and other occupations, and still stands today.  It’s amazing what you notice in the fog.  Probably because your eyes are just waiting for a cleaning and then you really take in what is available to be seen.  And I know that there is an undisciplined tendency to use words like “perfect” on Fridays, but it was a good morning.

This weekend is the cheap movie weekend here–film days–film napok.  Almost all movies throughout the city are 500 forints per ticket ($2.75) regardless of the time so I think that we’re going to go.  And if the weather holds, we’re going to try to explore the pest side of the river closer to Elisabeth Bridge.  And if the weather doesn’t hold, I won’t mind it.  I’ve really enjoyed the rain in the last two days and what has been lingering in the air after it falls.

The Vacant City

Posted on by
a mid-run stop behind Parliament for a few photo ops

a mid-run stop behind Parliament for a few photo ops

We had a really calm and peaceful weekend, which was such a change from the last few weekends, and also from what I remember about last July.  But I chalk it up to the difference this time of year between residential Pest and tourist-laden Buda.  On Friday night I decided that I wanted to get out of the apartment, having been working at my desk all week long.  Even though a little rain was falling in the city, we opted to walk the ten blocks or so to Pozsony (the restaurant, not the city– Bratislava).  We both ordered a chef’s offer, Györgyi had chicken fried in breadcrumbs, and I had pike perch parisian style with fries.  Since we opted to sit outside, Barnabás was also in attendance, and he had a little of everyone’s meal.

Saturday we were on the road at 5am for a early and amazing long run.  We ran from our flat in the 13th district up to the castle and around and down the castle a bit.  It was such easy and peaceful run.  It seemed like no one was in the city at all, just a few older locals and the workers setting up the Lánchíd Bridge for the festival.  Each weekend in the summer, the Lánchíd is closed to car traffic and is instead lined with vendors and artists and musicians.  But that early in the morning, it was just the men in their socialist-inspired work overals, setting everything up.

DSCN0513

Of course we snapped a few pictures of Barnabás for his site and slowly meandered our way back down the first district to the river.  It was wonderful.  The temperature has been very cool and for some reason I haven’t really noticed the crowds as much.  It seems like everyone in our building is on holiday right now, as the parking lot is only about 10% full.  And elsewhere in the city, at the fruit and veggie stands on Pannónia utca and in the Lehel market, people are just taking it easy.  Even though I’m a few weeks away from my own travels, I’m taking it easy too.  It’s a good time to be here in Budapest.

The Race

Posted on by
dscn6942

a portrait with friends

There is so much happening in the next few weeks I’m having a hard time even keeping my days straight.  I’ve been busy with consulting work, but also with editing and sending out agent query letters.  And all while the spring is charging toward summer and before I have a chance to catch my breath I’ll be back in America for a few weeks.  Until then, next week is Szeged, the following is an oil conference, the following is a short vacation in Croatia, and the following is a wedding.  And then it’s only about eight weeks until I’m at home, eating at Rocknes, Primos, watching the Indians, and drinking Great Lakes Dortmunder.

Sigh.  Now, back to Budapest.

On Sunday I walked out to the rakpart to take a walk with Barnabás and I was really shocked by the lack of cars down by the river.  We crossed the usually packed road and went by where the house/restaurant/touring boats dock during this season.  I wanted to take Barnabás down the steps to the water to see what he would do, all while keeping in mind how Katherine Hepburn fell into the canal in Venice and had a permanant eye twitch, which is only to say that I didn’t want him to actually go into the Danube because it’s probably similarly dirty.  Of course he tired to, getting his whole lower body (and new food cast) wet in the process.

dscn8076 dscn8077

I had totally forgotten that it was the day of the Margit Island races.  I think there was a fun run, a 5K and a 10K.  I don’t think there was a 1/2 marathon, but there could have been.

dscn8081 dscn8093

It started with just two front runners following a police car and motorcycle.  And since we didn’t take our chance to cross back over the street to walk home when we had the chance (before the pack caught up), we had to wait about thirty minutes for the other 9,998 people to run by.

It was nice, actually.  Perfect time of morning.  I wish I would have looked into it because I was feeling really envious of not running the race, especially because with those roads close down, the view would have been incredible as you got toward Margit Bridge and then back onto the island.  Oh well, there are more races this spring and summer, so once everything else settles down, I’ll make more concrete plans.   Until then…back to the grind.