Kids' Day

Today was Kids' Day at the Millinaris Art Festival in the heart of Buda (other side of Danube from us). We had no idea what to really expect -- the English translation of the festival schedule was lacking.

So we made our way there slowly but surely, stopping nearby to look at our map and get our bearings when a Hungarian man who had been a waiter on 75th Street in Manhattan not long ago showed up to guide us in English (the second guardian angel we have encountered at just the right time).

When we entered the building (one of several in the art center's lovely large plaza) we saw kids and adults at tables doing arts and crafts. We paid the admission fee and plowed right in. No one spoke much English, but we communicated well enough with some English and hand gestures that Devin got to paint two porcelain tiles and make a windmill.
There was a dance performance at 4. But it was like 2:30 or so and so we set out for lunch. Earlier in the day I took this photo in Moskva Ter (a major metro and trolley station near the art center) pleased with the irony.

Our eight words of Hungarian have been helpful, but not enough to open the doors of culinary opportunity, so this combined with just a lack of options in the immediate vicinity of the art center led us to, yes, the Home of the Whopper. In Hungary it is also home to the 'Angry Burger' -- with its jalapenos, fried onions, and cheese (Margaret's choice -- I had the fish filet).

Sated (oh, please Norwood Food Co-op, do not excommunicate us!) we headed back to Kids' Day at 4 and found the dance event was actually at 5. So, we hung around, and Devin kicked around this giant die with some other kids, we had some tea and coffee, ran around a lot playing hide and seek (we pretty much had the place to ourselves) and then it was showtime. In English an Hungarian, the announcer told us that this was not a performance, that we were going to be doing the dancing ourselves. A couple of dancers demonstrated the moves to a catchy groove and it became clear this was a couples' activity. Devin wasn't up for it, and I sat with her cheering Margaret on from the sidelines. One of the professional (well, at least semi-professional) dancers invited her to dance and about 40 minutes of fun dance instruction followed (I'm having trouble posting the one decent photo I have of Margaret dancing -- hope to figure it out later).

It was a good day. Having plunked ourselves down in this city with little knowledge of it -- not to mention the language barriers -- I had been feeling (and still feel) like I'm under water in a muddy lake, and can only open my eyes a little and see a couple of inches in front of me. Each day we learn a little more about Budapest and broaden our understanding of it bit by bit.