I spent the weekend catching up with friends. Ben's kids wanted some "Dan Bacsi Time," so I went up to their house on Saturday and met up with the Priors as well. Ben made some yummy pizza rolls and we split a couple bottles of wine. Sunday it was off to the races at Kincsem Park, but the horses and lady luck were not at all kind, so Jon G. and I cut our losses and sceedaddled for some lunch. I had just made a huge stuffed pumpkin in the morning, so we dug into that. Monday was a gorgeous day, and Jon G. and I walked up in the Buda Hills. The trails were packed, but once out of the Normafa zone, it was not so bad. There are few things I like better than shuffling my feet through the leaves on a forest trail. Jon and I stopped in at the Budai Kertcentrum  and he introduced me to the folks there. The place is enormous, and covers all your needs from water installations to fruit trees. I was much interested in the latter since I have long wanted to replant some fruit trees at the house. They were very friendly, English is spoken, and they are even open on Sundays. Gergo was particularly helpful. We walked for a couple hours past Janoshegy, Szepjuhaszne, and down into Huvosvolgy where we came out near Sunny's Diner for lunch. Sunny's is conveniently located and nicely decorated in period American knick-knacks. The previous night's NFL game was on the big screen TV. I have had good vegaburgers there before, now called a tofu burger, but they sold out the night before at their Halloween Party. The waiter/manager was very nice and attentive, however, this did not make up for the 40+ minute wait for the food. The fries were plentiful, but underdone. Ketchup was an extra charge and not in the expected bottle as is standard in most diners or restaurants. And, the small, thin napkin they gave did nothing to help mop my face or hands, with no extras available on the table. However, the chicken burger is perhaps the best I have had in Hungary, still moist and with that great fresh grilled taste and aroma. A can of Dr. Pepper was available for an amazingly low price of 360 HUF.

Officially, the long weekend was over, but my friend Nora and I went to the Budapest Kamara Szinhaz to watch a new play. CS.A.J. - CSakAzértisJáték with veterans Gáspár András and Kálloy Molnár Péter was well-acted. There were some truly funny parts, like when they ambushed a member of the audience to participate on stage. They were also androit enough to ad-lib sections, and work in topical issues such as the recent Red Mud Catastrophe. However, the subject matter - acting, actors, the theater as an institution and political animal, and the difficulties between actors and directors was of little interest to me. The play often had the feel of Beugro (Hungarian ad-lib TV program) skits bundled together to make a play. But as I said, the acting was good, and the audience was very appreciative.