The Hungarian Student, 1958 (3. évfolyam, 1-2. szám)
1958-10-01 / 1. szám
ring good old Italian, French or English pictures are sold out in advance just like the two big opera-houses of the city. The nearly two million inhabitants of Budapest are devoted to arts. «To fight drabness, to forget about reality.» «That is an ever present threat» a slim, restless young girl told him, who looked like but a happy youngster. That is the most often used word in their talk. Newspapers are «drab», the work, the future, even life «drab, just drab». Probably that’s why they are so anxious to find out «what is going on out there». Foreign nemspapers are not on the stands like in Warsaw, except the two weeks old Daily Worker from London and the French communist daily l’Humanité. People give three times the price for it, «even that is a small window to the world». And thanks to the radiostations, they say, they are fairly well informed. For example they know any of the more famous members of the US. Team by name. «Oh briion», they cheered. The games were the American boys’ dearest experience. A big, beautiful showplace of the government, the stadium is by all means first class. In the two days during the games they sold out every single seat. One hundred fifty thousand spectators a day, that is. The crowd gave the American team a standing ovation and made every opportunity work to express their sympathy. Before the games the team went sightseeing. They liked the narrow streets in the center of the city with the fashionable stores and shops, some of the smaller ones still in private hands. These are mostly fine haberdasheries and shops selling marvelous hand-made shoes, but those are expensive even for the tourist. Two blocks from here is the Danube, wide and quiet, long bridges leading across. On the other side hills and forests, villas shimmer in bright sunshine. «And the Danube, it is really blue.» They made a few snapshots. «Here, before this house, when I made that picture, a guard in a rather odd uniform appeared shouting something and sent us away. I don’t know, what was the matter with him, but it was really good to feel the passport in my pocket.» 17
