Our word for goodbye is theirs for hello. This place feels so steeped in history and yet so modern. Young Hungarian women wear such short shorts that there's not much left to the imagination. They mostly have great bodies and they dress as if they're waiting to be discovered by Vogue . It's hard to reconcile the fact that Hungary was shuttled back and forth between the Germans and the Russians with the fact that Hungarians remain such gentle and open people.
Nothing is permanent.
In Budapest, foreigners must carry Hungarian money on them at all times. If the police stop you and you can't show them the money, they kick you out of the country. Last week a friend of mine got caught and thrown in jail. After he'd gotten back to Romania, I didn't hear from him for a week. I told him I'd give him some money to carry in his pockets.