Nov. 23rd - Hash #920

Hare: Bangcock
Scribe: NFG Jenny


There are some things that seem like a good idea at the time, and then later turn out to disappoint. There are others that live up to the hype. This Sunday's Hash was one of the latter: it seemed like a ridiculous (and therefore fantastic) idea before, during and after.

After braving 32 km/hr winds and snow flurries crossing the Chain Bridge, I joined bikers NFHN* Matt and hare BangCock at Batthany Ter. We were met shortly afterward by "strollers" Oral Orgasm, 10 Minutes Late, NFHN Kristina and her dog, Ernie. (I'm not quite sure how "NFHN" works for animals.)

The bikers took off and agreed to meet the strollers a few bars later. Bangcock had clearly put a lot of effort into the trail, and I really enjoyed it as it took me to many side streets in Buda and Pest that I hadn't been to before. Due to the snow and biking, flour wouldn't quite work, so the course was marked with strings tied to signposts along the way.

Our course roughly took us north along the Danube toward Arpad hid. On the way, we wandered through the ruins of a Roman amphitheater and had two well-timed bar stops.

The first bar stop occurred at a pool hall and the second at a smallish bar off the main drag. This second bar is worth noting - while enjoying our Aranys, we watched a woman battle with one of these types of machines for 10 minutes. On the side of machine, a flask was prominently displayed. I still have no idea how it was possible to win the flask from that machine. This was the subject of much conversation, as having a flask in such cold weather seemed like a very good idea.

The beer made us bikers more adventurous, and NFHN Matt started offroading and going down stairs. Bizarrely enough, his only fall did not come during one of these stunts but during a routine turn later on the trail. Conditions were somewhat perilous.

Around this time, we crossed Arpad hid and had "beer" stop #3 with Jager at a Hawaiian-looking restaurant. There was a minor "technology on the hash" transgression, and we were informed that the strollers had wandered from our planned bar meeting point to Vorosmarty ter for mulled wine and then off for pizza on Dob utca. Pizza seemed like a very good idea at this point, so we quickly finished our shots and headed by Lehel market and then along Bajcsy-Zsilinsky to meet them.

Pizza and more beer were consumed, and Budapest Hash #9 something something was successfully concluded. Credit again to Bangcock for a fun trail!

Hash Culture | Music by MaMa-San

Hi All,

December marks the return to the stage of our resident pianist Mama-San.

When : December 5 19:00
Where : Ajtosi Durer sor 39

What will be played: Schumann, Liszt-Schubert, Mozart, Debussy, Albeniz, and Ginastera

How much: A very cheap price of just 2,000 ft...you spend more on a hash lunch and beer.

For more information please click the picture of Hiroko's inspiration for first playing piano :)

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Born in Sapporo, Japan, Hiroko Ishimoto is one of Japan`s most eminent pianists and has performed in the United States, Canada, South America, Europe and Japan.

Hiroko studied at the prestigious Toho School of Music in Japan, which has produced many world-renowned classical musicians and then, at the prominent Juilliard School in New York. One of her noteworthy achievements was "The Juilliard and Friends", a series of chamber music concerts of which she was the group leader. After leaving Juilliard, Hiroko moved back to Japan and pursued an active career as a musician and as well as teaching at the Toho School of Music for 10 years.

Hiroko`s performances have been written up in the New York Times, which acclaimed her music as `` a synthesis of creativity and tranquility`` and the Music World Japan which described it a ``absolutely original, with a natural sense of rhythm and ability to harmonize``. At the Leonard Bernstein and PMF Music Festival, she played with the London Symphony, which received enthusiastic applause and was noted as a brilliant performance. Her natural rhythm comes from Hiroko being able to see music as emotions and colors. To further enhance her natural talent, Hiroko practices the Alexander Technique, which is a simple and coordination to enhance musical her performance.

Hiroko was introduced to Bartok`s music at Juilliard School by her professor Sandor Gyorgy and since moving to Budapest five years ago, she has been able to further develop her passion for his compositions. Her CD has been played on the Hungarian State BARTOK Radio and her recording of Bartok - Three Folksongs From The Country CSIK was used in the Hungarian movie Children of Glory.