Stories from travels in

Hungary

Johnny Valiant

Three hundred and seventy verses, 1480 lines, make for one hell of a long poem. But I read them all, cover to cover, the first

Live ducklings and rosary beads

I’m a great fan of markets. I love sorting through other people’s junk in search of a piece of history or something that I can

Frescos and cheese

I’ve never professed to be an art expert – what I know about art (other than knowing what I like) could be written on the

Shaken not stirred

‘Wear a good bra’, she said seriously. ‘It’s the hév’, I thought, ‘how bad can it be?’ One hour and fifteen minutes later, I was

Yes in my back yard

The developers must die a little inside each time they see this community garden on Nagytemplom utca. Smack in the middle of the Corvin Sétány

New fish in town

I’ve been craving fish and chips. Real fish and real chips  – hand-cut. Actually, given a choice, I’d even be so specific as to say

Tears for the Irish

  March is one of my favourite months of the year. It has everything I could hope for by way of entertainment: great rugby as

The things I do for love

Up hill and down vale. Sliding forward on the sides of my feet trying to stay upright. Hurtling down the steep slopes and breaking my

Catholics only as tenants, please

I was in Rome once. And visited St Peter’s. Jammed, elbow to elbow, with the other tourists eager to have a look at Michelangelo’s great