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A Saint Nicholas’ Eve Present from Mother Nature
In Central Europe, there is a tradition among young people to wish for snow during the holidays of December. While in northern countries, snow can be almost guaranteed to fall by the end of the year,the weather is more unpredictable in the heart of the continent. No matter how adamantly children wish for a “White Christmas” , the desired snowfall can elude them for several years. Other times, the magical white coat of snow may melt just before the night of the holiday, as if it was playing a cruel trick on all the celebrating people. Nevertheless, many will continue to wish for the right aliment of temperature and precipitation to enhance their festivities.
Thus, before a mountain tour dedicated to Saint Nicholas’ Eve, (held on December 3rd to not conflict with school and work) I said, albeit skeptically, “It would be kind of nice if it snowed on the day”. However, I had quickly forgotten about my wish- no doubt a self-defense mechanism from the numerous disappointments of the past- , and on the morning of the tour I did not even check the weather through my window. Getting up was particularly hard, and shameless thoughts of crawling back in my bed crossed my mind. With great difficulty, I persevered and got ready for the trip.

As I was stepping out of my house, I immediately realized that I made the right decision. I witnessed the rare phenomenon of snow surviving on the concrete road. Snow was falling and, suddenly I was very grateful for having succeeded at getting up in the morning and not missing the sight. On my way to the mountain, I was filled with high expectations for the status of the higher altitude area.

And I was not disappointed at all. The forest was covered in a modest layer of snow. Enough to set the mood , but not so much that it would hinder the program.

As for the tour itself, participants were asked to meet at a local safe house. There, after paying a low entry fee, everyone was registered and given a map. There were two versions for the event, the short or the long trip. With some shame I have to admit taking the short road, but it is better to know your own limits than be sorry later.
After walking for an hour, just when I tough that things could not get better, I reached a snow-line, and the forest transformed from pretty, to breathtaking



Soon, I reached the goal of the tour, the Tubes lookout tower.


Within a few meters of the tower, everything seemed to be consumed by a mysterious layer of clouds. While the visibility range annoyed some people, I was mesmerized by the new perspective it offered.


A nearby, smaller lookout revealed the exact position of the snow-line, and I caught an ominous glimpse of the local TV tower.
Upon arriving back at the rally point, everyone was given a certificate of completion, a badge, hot tea, and a surprise bag, containing sweets. The event was called Saint Nicholas tour for a good reason.
It was around midday when I returned to the city, only to find the snow melted. It seems that mother nature had decided to grant me my wish- a snowfall, just at the right place and time. And if I had decided to be lazy and sleep until midday, I would have missed it all.
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A Flexible Adventure
What do you do when, after weeks of planning and anticipation for an excursion, the first thing you see in the morning is this:

Last week, I was faced with this dilemma. Most of time, this situation would mean the cancellation of the program and staying indoors, but this week, I was unwilling to quietly admit defeat. I have heard of a temporary Egyptian exhibition in my town, and decided to go for “plan B”. Had I known that my reluctance to stay indoors was to start a long struggle, I would have probably opted to stay with my four walls.
At the exhibition, I was shocked to hear that photos are not allowed. This made the hefty entrance fee rather unappealing, and I decided not to splurge money on an adventure I cannot adequately document. A rather funny staff member said that I could take photos of the entrance, so here it is, the gateway to the forbidden archives of ancient Egyptian relics.

In the same neighborhood, there is a mining museum that enables visitors to climb down into a deep cellar, and experience how claustrophobic mining tunnels are. Alas, the museum was closed for renovation, and this meant the end of “plan C”.
After a quick tea at a local confectionery, I recovered my spirits, and set out for the Zsolnay District, an area in my city that houses several museums. “Plan D” was to see the puppet exhibition at the local puppet theater. However, it was not open on the particular day. Nevertheless, I sill managed to get a photo of the shop display.

At this point I was seriously wondering, if fate was keeping me away from entering these institutions of art, and I would have to settle for exploring the (uniquely decorated) garden.

But the weather was unpleasantly cold, and I had two remaining options to try. And to my surprise they were both open.

The Interactive Magic (physics) exhibition was the first pace I visited. It is essentially I playroom, where children-and adults with youthful hearts- can explore the wonders of physics through creative games.


Highlights include the Tesla Coil and the Room of Light that allows visitors to experience all sorts of marvelous visual phenomena.
Encouraged by the success of “plan E” , I also checked the Gyugyi (porcelain) Exhibition out.



Here I found some of the most beautiful porcelains I have seen in my life. Looking at ceramics is not my hobby, but I have to give credit where it is due.
This exhibition marked the end of my unconventional adventure. After changing my plans numerous times, I managed to explore some of the places of interest in my city. Making a program happen against all odds is quite difficult, but with enough flexibility, one does not need to go home empty handed.
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A Memory Reclaimed
For the majority of people, their first memories are from their kindergarten years. Between the vacuum of our infant years, and the detailed experiences of our time in school, exists a mass of blurry feelings and images about our nursery school. With each year these uncertain recollections are becoming more and more vague.
By the time I reached my early twenties, I got to the point where I could not recall how my kindergarten and its neighborhood looked, despite still living relatively close. So, I decided to make my “pilgrimage” to the town where I lived in the first years of my life.

I had started the journey from a neighboring forest. Despite having crossed the area several times as a child, the land was completely alien for me.

Soon, I arrived at a small lake, where an outdoor theater has been set up. I was pleasantly surprised that this seemingly out of reach location has managed to see some developments over the years. At this point little did I know, that the lake would be the last bastion of our present times, and that I would soon be transported back to the 90s.

As I pressed on, I found myself facing a surreal sight. On the left side of the road I noticed a row of abandoned buildings, surrounded by the overgrown vegetation. They no doubt, housed children during their summer camps in the past. On the right side however, the grass was neatly trimmed, creating a bizarre contrast.

Feeling uncomfortable by the eerie sight , I quickly advanced,and after passing some other abandoned relics of the past I finally entered the forest again. While most folktales depict the woods as a fearsome, and dangerous place, I was completely calmed by this thicket, and started to follow a tourist sign.

However, soon this pocket of nature was replaced by the intruding signs of civilization, and I had to face a barren land again.

In a few minutes, I reached the end of my journey, as I set my sight on the place I had lived in, once again.

Fueled by the mining industry, this small town underwent a drastic growth during the second half of the 20th century. However, after the coal mine was closed, a seemingly never-ending stagnation has begun in this remote area.The white concrete blocks that stand only a few meters away from mother nature, could easily by used as a stage for an upcoming post-apocalyptic movie.
And it is in this particular location that I finally found my kindergarten.


It stands at the very end of civilization, looking well kept, and definitely still in use. Having my goal achieved, I returned home satisfied. I lost an important memory of mine, but I manged to reclaim it.
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A Museum of the Unboring Kind
If you hear the word museum, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Until recently, for me, museums meant a boring collection of unrelatable items. During my childhood, I was exposed to boring artworks of dubious aesthetic value, and to boring possessions of deceased poets, far more frequently than I would have preferred. Thus, for me, as far as leisure time goes, museums became a taboo.
However, all has changed with my visit to the Natural History Museum in Vienna.

The majestic skeletons and stuffed animals immediately drive the message home: here, the visuals come first. The grandiose show-pieces truly manage to convey the wonder of our natural environment.
There are two floors filled to the brim with diverse items. One of the sections is a huge collection of minerals.

While I am not very enthusiastic about “rocks” , none can deny that the sheer number of the different inorganic substances our world stands on is quite impressive, while our knowledge on them is often inadequate. Can you identify what kinds of materials are on the picture?
The next section is about the past of our planet. This is probably the most exciting part of the museum, due to the life-sized dinosaur skeletons.


Next to these giants, there is an impressive recollection of the origins of human species. We are, after all, also part of nature.



Standing face-to-face with one of the items from your art-history book is a rather pleasant feeling. Staying awake during class was not for nought after all.
The second floor caters to the animal lovers.



Similar types and species of animals are grouped together,so that even the small differences can be observed. Animals that are kept at a safe distance in zoos, can be examined from up-close here. As I measured myself against the huge creatures of our world, I felt myself sliding down the food-chain.
The museum incorporates computer technology into the traditional presentation of the show-pieces. For example, you can have your own prehistoric face generated on a screen, or watch Earth’s future sea levels on a digital globe.

Finally, currently the museum houses the temporary Cats and Dogs exhibition, which contains many educational and awareness-raising games.


Now you may think “This is all well and good, but what if I am not interested in nature either?” However, my point is simply that every single person has some interests, and for the majority of those interests, there is an exhibition somewhere. Perhaps it is hiding in an unremarkable alley, but it is there.
So, if your enthusiasm for museums has been marred by visiting too many of the boring kind, there is still hope! Instead of giving up on them completely, you just need to find the ones that interest you. The ones that are, for you, the unboring kind.
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Uninhabited Mansion off the Beaten Track

In the small village of Kishárságy, stands a lovely mansion. First, it belonged to the Zichy family, and housed the local nobles. Later, its chambers, including a ballroom, were transformed into governmental offices and residences.

Unfortunately, the mansion has been uninhabited for the last few decades. While it has had many owners (and is currently owned by someone) , the building’s condition continued to deteriorate. All attempts at renovating the mansion ended in failure, due to the scope and the cost of the job.

As of now, the mansion has reached a critical turning point. Unless it is immediately renovated it will crumble and will forever be lost.


Which would be quite a shame, considering the beautiful environment it is placed in, and its unique architectural elements.

The garden tells the same story. Once it was filled with several gigantic mammoth pine trees, but only one of them survived the test of time. Due to acidic rain and inadequate soil, this exotic sight will disappear as well in time.

But let’s not give up all hope. Perhaps a wealthy investor will realize the potential of the mansion, and it will return to its former glory. All we can do is to hope for the best.
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