A Night at the Opera

I took the train from Slovenia to Budapest. It was nondesript, the train not the city. I slept for much of the journey.  At a place called Hodus-Hodus, they switched engines. I watched it, I like that big industry stuff, but it was taking so long I didn't care for it any more and went to buy a coffee. It didn't take that long, and I almost missed the train. I almost got Duffilled as Theroux would say. I had to sprint after it screaming, I thought Id been marooned in some backwater, with no money, no passport and a half spilt cappuccino. The kindly driver stopped the train. You don't get that in England do you.

I arrived in Budapest and got lost. Lost really badly, I taken a picture of a map from my computer to where I wanted to stay. Google maps, screwed me over, or I just screwed myself. Same difference. I rang on the address I had taken, I already knew it wouldn't be a Hostel and was confirmed by the angry Hungarian on the end of the Buzzer. Fuck you, I said as he shouted at me. I ran away, I was worried he might come after me. I ended up wandering around Budapest for two hours. Backpack and all. I fucking hate my back pack. I had to buy a Burger King whopper to regroup,did the trick but the dogs charged me for Ketchup, beside I was still Hungry in Hungry and now thin on the Hungarians.

I'd come to Budapest because my old pal Google had told me that you could get cheap as chips tickets to the Opera . I love the opera, anyone who goes would and does. La Clemenza di Tito was playing. I just made it. I brought the Plebeian tickets and they were at Plebeian prices, just 1400 Hungarians, and they weren't the cheapest seats in the house. You could they weren't for the rich folk you had to enter through a side door and miss all that architectural glory. It didnt matter everyone feels like royalty at the Opera. Sumptuous, ornate, that's who you would describe all opera houses, but Budapests is double decadent, its a Sofflait of grandiose design. The Accousitcs were very good too.

Im a big fan of Wolfgang, if you have ears, who wouldn't be. Rossini does Cheek, Beethoven Nature,  Bach is the master of the interwoven melody, but Mozart does relationships, man v woman, rich v poor, the musical social commentator. He is the master of his class and a very good friend of mine. Le Nozze De Figgoro, released just before the French revolution hammers class. The Magic Flute is the Liberals hymn to good governance, La Clemenza di Tito is all about magnanimity. It was a double dose of love for me, it was about rome. I was sitting next to a bunch of frenchies and even they couldn't ruin it for me, with there sniffing and opening and shutting of camera cases. They ruined it for the lady infront, she turned round and told them to shut up. They left after the first act. Shocking. The chappie who played Titus was superb a real strong voice, he could have been Imperator in a different life. I almost cried, Opera gets me like that, but I cry at anything, I'm an absoulte child. It was in Italien, but it didnt matter you feel it, not hear it.

Afterwards I met an elderly Irish lady. I never did catch her name she must have been about seventy and a real opera buff. She had been all over the world seeing performance, La Scala, some place in St. Petersburg, I' never heard of. Covant garden. A very interesting old woman, she brought me a glass of wine, the old flirt. I felt a bit creepy so I said my good byes and had a wander around the Hostels area. There was a peep show just outside, you could have take a peek for 100 Hungarians, but after Amsterdam that stuff just creeps me out. To Voyeuristic for I the voyeur, so I brought a Beer and then two more went back to the Hostel and wrote this nonsense.