Looking Up

“Look up,” is what we were instructed to do some twenty-five years ago when first we came to Budapest. And those words remain to this day as something of a mantra to be given to friends and visitors who arrive as strangers to this most captivating of cities.

A typical apartment building on the Pest side of the Danube.

So it was earlier this week we had occasion to be in the main post office of our district. Now, this is something in the past we would avoid unless absolutely necessary. Notwithstanding the long queues, a legacy of the previous, socialist regime, all too often we would finally arrive at the window only to have the curtain swept across, indicating the position closed, with no other possibility but to rejoin another line. Even then there remained the concern of having the correct papers for whatever transaction we hoped to effect. Never was purchasing a postage stamp more difficult.

But all that, as with so much else, has changed. The post office counter staff have obviously all graduated from charm school, the endless queues are replaced with a numbered ticket system and, armed with our ‘ID for Foreigners’, we romp through the business of the day.

Falk Miksa utca - a tree lined street close to the Parliament. 

Architectural detail in Falk Miksa utca.

Anyway, less we digress further, we positively skipped out of the post office in near record time and, taking full advantage of the warm sunshine, headed off in the direction of the numerous antique shops to be found in Falk Miksa utca, one stop away on the 4-6 tram.

Alas, either we were too early in the day (it seems that the opening hours of antique shops do not conform to a regular pattern) or, in anticipation of the long weekend coinciding with All Saints’ Day (a public holiday in Hungary), the owners had decided to absent themselves. Whatever, as our American friend would have said, “What are you going to do?”

Answer, nothing, beyond enjoy the day. Which we did, wandering through some of the streets and squares we had not visited in some time, looking up as we went.

The Parliament, glimpsed through the trees.

Vigadó tér with the recently restored concert hall.

Once the headquarters of a shipping line, soon to become an hotel.

One of the joys of Budapest is the proximity to the Danube which, rising in Germany, snakes its way through Hungary on its journey towards the Black Sea. The panorama, as part of a city landscape, is surely like no other and, particularly seen at night, can never be forgotten.

Looking up to the Liberty Statue and the Citadel positioned high above the Danube.

Reflections on Reading

As some of you who have been with us over a number of years will know, we do not have a television. This is not for any puritanical reason, it is simply that decades ago we came to the conclusion that it took up too much of our time, time that could be spent on other, although not necessarily more worthwhile, things. Reading.

A somewhat bemused Teddy contemplates books to be read.

Books are, in our view, one of life’s greatest pleasures. Not only do they inform, but they offer the reader the opportunity to enter into other worlds, to encounter different characters, to experience unfamiliar or unknown situations, to consider ideas from a fresh perspective even, for which there should be no apology, to indulge in pure escapism. They encourage thinking.

A selection of novels by William Boyd.

William Boyd is a writer whose work we greatly enjoy and which is, at least certainly for us, always worth re-reading. Whilst ‘A Good Man in Africa’ was his first novel, it was only much later that we came to read that having initially been hooked by ‘An Ice War’ - an unusual take on the First World War set in the heart of Africa.

Recently published and ready to be started.

And only this week we were advised by Bestsellers, our English language bookshop here in Budapest, that William Boyd’s latest novel, ‘The Predicament’, was awaiting collection. Apparently, although we have yet to see, a character met previously in an earlier book is set to reappear. But it is not all fiction.

An ideal stocking filler for Christmas.

Our friend, Petroc Trelawny, and following on from his fascinating account of growing up in Cornwall, ‘ Trelawny’s Cornwall’, has this week had published his ‘Classical Music Puzzle Book’ which is, having already dipped in, an absolute delight.

An insightful account of two very controversial figures.

The Duke and Duchess of York, by which titles they were known until very recently, are the subjects of Andrew Lownie’s ‘Entitled’ in which, drawing upon the accounts of some 300 people, he appropriately describes their lives in terms of ‘The Rise and Fall’. Whatever anyone’s feelings about the couple, and everyone will have his or her opinion, it is impossible not to wonder at, indeed marvel at, the hugely excessive sums of money that have passed through their hands during the course of their marriage and divorce.

Lance Hattatt and ‘Dark Runs the River’.

And to conclude on a personal note, we are so appreciative of the compliments we have received for ‘Dark Runs the River’ as well as the good wishes for its success.

Tempus Fugit

'Dark Runs the River'
Lance Hattatt's debut novel

Time and tide, or so the old adage would have it, waits for no man. With that in mind we can scarcely believe it is now some four years - something of an admission - since our last post, 'Heracles' in the Drawing Room. But we have not been idle. In fact, far from it. ‘Dark Runs the River’ is the result of an idea which began as nothing more than that, an idea, one which, slowly, over time gradually took shape, going first in one direction, then in another, until finally it came together into something which, after considerable revision,  could possibly be called a manuscript. And so, a novel was born. Intrigued? Click on the link Dark Runs the River for the publisher’s preview. 

Unpacking advanced copies - excitement - prior to publication day 15th. August, 2025

Since publication, 15th. August, 2025, it has been something of a whirlwind with both a book signing, here in Budapest, and a ‘Literary Luncheon’ held in the small Devonshire coastal town (although we tend to think of it as a village) of Budleigh Salterton.

Signing copies of ‘Dark Runs the River’ at Bestsellers, Budapest

Bestsellers, the leading English language Bookshop in Budapest, took the brave decision to order what seemed like an alarmingly large quantity of books for the occasion and which, seeing them stacked on the table, did cause the two of us to feel somewhat apprehensive. In the event, it proved to be a complete sell out with several people having to be content to wait for further supplies to be reordered. With Hungarian champagne flowing, and delicious canapés to enjoy, and friends from near and far (including two who flew in especially from Stockholm) it turned into the most joyful of evenings.

In readiness for the ‘Literary Luncheon’, Milena’s Café. Budleigh Salterton, Devonshire 

Milena, of Milena’s Café, is known throughout Devonshire and beyond for the ways in which she combines the traditional with the innovative, using locally sourced ingredients, to produce dishes which not only look appealing to the eye but taste delicious. She did not disappoint and the lunchtime sped by with a great deal of mirth, merriment and, not least, the meeting up of friends old and new. Such fun!

Some of the first reviews (abridged) which appeared shortly after publication 

And now, two months on, it is particularly touching, and gratifying, to read the reviews placed on the websites of Waterstones and Amazon in praise of ‘Dark Runs the River’. For those who may be interested, ‘Dark Runs the River’ may be ordered from Amazon, Austin Macauley (the publishers), Bestsellers (Budapest), Foyles, T.G. Jones, Waterstones and leading booksellers worldwide.

Your thoughts are, as always, greatly appreciated. And do look out for our next post!