a rendez-vous between mr. buda and mrs. pest

the walls of the second largest church in hungary showed off with marble, green, red, white, another shade of green, not to forget the countless altars and domes, intricately ornated with gold. a beautiful large church. i have a thing for large churches, even though im not really considering myself as religious. i adore the peace, the largeness and richness that characterises places of worship-it must mean the world for people to build such structures.

i looked around my eyes bulging, as they probably are supposed to be.my parents were far off discussing some historical nitnat with a friend of my dads wo coincidentally is a tour guide. i felt guilty of committing innumeral crimes or at least small cheekynesses daring to touch the stone pillars and walls, trying to feel the lush colour on the polished surface.

suddenly i hear a sound. church music, baroque? early baroque, almot medieval but not so coarse, in four part harmony, a capella.
i snigger inside. surely some loudspeaker to create a "nice" atmosphere for the tourists, and i ignore it. it grows louder and louder, rises and falls in innumerable harmonies of perfect fifths. im irritated. no loudspeaker can do something like that. and i beginn to let my eyes wander, along with my feet, over frescos, more gold, benches, the front. no choir is practicing. loudspeakers? i look again. no loudsspeakers. people, tourists! spread across the church around the benches (which you cant go to), and singing. im amazed, and happy. happy that hungarians havent sunken into the pit of cheap touristy things which spoil more than they help, and happy somebody wold simply go in the church and sing. and sing amazingly well at that.

the choir is a mixture of types. young old, some people my age, some my mums, soprano to deep bass. the harmony is perfect not one peron a tad off. the dynamics well rounded and clearly polished. I stand at the back and listen, and listen and listen.

the sun dazzells me as i walk out. it is afternoon, i have learned that the people were a church choir on tour, touring where i was heading, siebenbürgen. they tried ot the acoustics to see what they were like. well, they were pretty amazing. out of the one day of budapest, this was the most memorable experience. its a beautiful city, very "viennese" in architectural style, with beautiful buildings, weird road ways and a great free concert.