Treehugger Dan's just hosted the first edition of The Future Museum in 2009, an original performance of poetry and music. Local English language poet Dániel Dányi read to music arranged and performed by János Nemes. Two truly indigenous Budapest artists took us on a lyrical journey through words and sounds.<!-- pagebreak --> I am not a real poetry fan, and Dani is one of the few poets I will actually sit and listen to. Combined with the multi-instrumental talents of Jano Nemes, the atmosphere is something extraordinary. Perhaps because these best reflect my experiences and are closest to home, I liked Dani's poems "Control Room," "Dance House," and "Pacific Garbage Sprawl" the best, along with Pristina which he did not read last night.

On a completely different note, I have realised recently that the fregoli is something new to many expats. The string-aluminium frame suspended on a pulley system to dry clothes is a very inexpensive, space-saving and environmentally friendly way to dry your clothes. Some people put them in their kitchens, but this tends to imbue your clothes with the scent of whatever you are cooking. Fregolis are available in "100 forint" stores and household good shops, and can be had for 2500-5000 forint. I got mine at the 100 Forint Store on the corner or Kiraly u. and Eotvos u. (approx.).

If you are looking for shoelaces in Budapest, surprisingly, these are unavailable in shoe stores. Try either one of the Chinese markets, or a fabric and sewing store (Meteraru, Roltex...).