Austria through the Eyes of a Kid From a Communist Country

When everyone went for "Gorenje", we went for the sights

Austria through the eyes of a kid from a Communist country

Once upon a time, in the late 80's, when Communism in Eastern Europe was almost over, but not quite, Hungarians started to flood Austria to buy refrigerators and VCRs. We decided to try our luck and go too. But unlike the others, we were not interested in the material side of imperialism, we wanted to see what Austria was like -- after all, we used to be one country. Despite our non-political and non-economic motivation, our trip had certain features that were characteristic of Hungary and Hungarians at that time. We embarked on the journey taking the good old family car, a Trabant. We brought a tent (it was the kind in which you only have room to sleep) and lots of supplies -- all in an effort to minimize costs. Despite our modest means, we still managed to have a good time, and we have seen more of Austria in a week than most other Hungarians who regularly go shopping to Vienna. If you have been to Austria already, you know how diverse its landscape is. Although we admired the Alps, as we have never seen anything like them before, the cleanliness of the cities and roads across the country were just as unusual and exciting to us. It was like watching a Technicolor movie for the first time, after many black and white pictures. Every town, every field, every mountain was a marvelous thing as we traveled across the country. Despite our elevated spirits, we could not get rid of a few bad reflexes. My parents converted all prices into Hungarian Forints before considering buying a souvenir, or even gas for the car. We purchased only a few things ("Coca-Cola in a can, can you believe this?"), and only made black and white photographs. I have not been back to Austria eversince that time. It is really hard to tell what I would see now. Would it be vast mountain ranges and endless green fields? Or was it back then simply the effect of the "grass being greener on the other side"? I often wonder, but still cherish the memory of this beautiful contry. Nb Life in Budapest Traditional gypsy music in Budapest Learning languages in Hungary Popular cinema in Hungary Hungarians learning Spanish Hungarian wages Hungarian salaries Hungarian attitudes towards Gypsies Gypsy stereotypes in Hungary Getting a job in Hungary Foreign language bookstores in Budapest Creative competition in Budapest during the war Bird flu strain in Hungary Foreign languages in Hungary Winter sports in Budapest Traditional Gypsy music in Budapest Beggars in Budapest Gypsies in Hungarian media