Monday Morning just got better!

Today is Monday. The first day of the week. (duh?).

Today is also the day that there were freebies on the metro. Yes, along with my free hungarian 'metro' newspaper (which I practice reading...er...pronoucing but not understanding...), I got a free pen! I have no idea what the company is for (it's called Algoflex FORTE), but it is neon green and it has a light up light bulb on top...in terms of free givaways---its pretty high up there on the list...I have been using it all morning....I am now the crazy intern with the flashing pen (I guess the 'freebie' part is the fact that the light sort of has a mind of it's own, and decides when it wants to light up and when it doesn't...so it has been going on and off all morning).

Today is also a new post day, where I should probably get everyone caught up on the weekend of festivities here in Budapest....this weekend was BIG in terms of European pop music. Yes, that is right. It was EuroVision! So, for those who are not familiar with Euro vision, it is a singing contest where EU countries, plus those in their surroundings (like Switzerland (who actually didn't make it to the finals)Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Israel, Russia), all send a singer and a song to compete for the top prize. It was sort of like a mix between American idol and America's got talent....I never knew what to expect! Some of the acts were really good, while others were very high on the 'entertainment' factor.....I really liked Apricot Stone, by Romania....

However, the WINNER was Germany! The singer's name is Lena, and she sang the song 'Satellite ', an English language song....It it very very catchy! in fact, I have been playing it all day! "Like a satellite, I'm all around you' ...okay, here Here's the proper chorus....

(Tempo(2/4..i think): tune: da (rest). da.(rest)da.(rest) dadida.(quarter rest) da. (rest)da.da.dadida.) (if this makes no sense, please do us all a favour and YouTube it :))
The Lyrics:

Love, Oh, Love
I gotta tell you how I feel about you
Cause I, Oh, I Can't go a minute without your love
Like a satellite I'm in orbit all the way around you
And I would fall out into the night
Can't go a minute without your love"

I was introduced to Euro vision by some of the other interns in Budapest. We were all gathered at one of the interns flats, and had pizza, salad, Hannah Montana sour cream and onion rings (no I am not kidding, they also come in Disney's Cars theme as well), and had a grand ole time. Most (if not all) are from European countries, so they were all very happy to answer all my (rather silly and million detailed) questions, and of course give the cultural background, insights, and explanations throughout the whole show! There was also a Euro vision pop quiz. As I was an 'observer' for the night, I was paired up with a very knowledgeable delegate, who was an expert quiz master on the topic of Euro vision (and I got a bit of a history lesson). Euro vision has been going on for YEARS! (and to think, I thought American Idol was novel when it first entered the airwaves way back when....2002?)...I guess it did come from the British version of Pop Idol...but I didn't know that until after the fact anyway...

Euro vision ended around midnight, which is also about the time that the clubs and bars go a roaring! So we decided to go out to this outdoor club in Buda. It was slightly interesting. It looked and felt like an amusement park, you had to pay to get a ticket, then put it in the turnstile to enter the 'club' (it was all outdorr, so really to get onto the grounds), when you get inside there were portables that where the washrooms (like those makeshift outdoor concert washrooms). The place was designed so it has a much of 'dance floors' all playing different music. There are also several terraces/patios with chairs and bistro tables in between, every little 'stall/stand/hit' sold beer, soft drinks, and mixed drinks, and there were colourful flashing lights every where, one person person in the group labeled it 'an amusement park without rides', he captured the look and feel beautifully!.

The music was also incredibly....achlectic...It started out like a typical club, dance hall, playing the standard top of the Euro charts, Lady gaga, Timbaland, Micheal Jackson etc. Then, well, then it changed to Back Street Boys "As long as you love me". (and for those interested, I still remembered ALL of the words, including Nick and Bryan's solo's). When BB came on, I instantly had visions of Hooley's (the best worst bar ever in Ottawa). I thought to myself, "hey, maybe this place will be the best worst bar in Budapest).

Then, well, then that vision faded...as Hungarian pop music came on, followed by a very horrible cover of 'eye of the tiger'........the vision completely disappeared when Jail House Rock, followed by Jitterbug, then.....the beginnings of the soundtrack to GREASE LIGHTENING......was chosen by the DJ as the 'next play list'....at that point all Hooley's comparasons ceased....this was also when we decided to call it a night....we weren't party poppers per say...it was after 3 ! (I will note that the place was still a'boppin').

Sunday was filled with me traveling to Obuda, the 'old' part of Budapest where the Celts settled! (it started to rain, so I didn't get much exploring done). I went to a very very very (times a million) good bakery and got a pastry and headed home. I stopped at a the West End Mall, (which I think was probably the size down town Ottawa.....) and looked around. I had heard that the very first (and only) Starbucks in Hungary was there, and well, after the rain, and with a pastry in tow, nothing would have made that moment better than a Bold Drip Coffee (which is a rarity in Hungary, in fact, the only drip coffee I have seen is flavoured, and there have been two choices so far, they 'brew' one flavour a day, so far it's been Rum and Raisin and Chocolate Truffle....eeeeewwww.....). The Starbucks wasn't open yet (but later on I saw staff leaving, so perhaps, they were on a training day, which means it will open soon!).