Strange Hungarian Customs

[mz_rider]

Yesterday I went into the restroom at the airport in Vienna, Austria. I've heard about it before, but this is the first time I saw the cleaning lady mopping the floor around the feet of a guy using the urinal. He said something and they both laughed. I just sneaked into the stall and locked the door.

Yes the continental Europeans are less uptight about this sort of thing than in the US or UK. This is how they do it in Amsterdam:



At least we call it the toilet. "Restroom", did you go in for a lie down?

Stuart

[Steve_in_Florida]

In my first days of arriving in Germany in 1990, I attended a concert in Torhout, Belgium. They had urinals like that, but the majority of men simply stood next to the perimeter fence facing out, and let fly.

In fact, I recall that on the day I arrived in Europe, on the bus ride to the base, we went by several people who had pulled off the highway to relieve themselves, in full view of everyone else. It was tolerated and didn't offend anyone!

Don't *EVEN* get me started on the differences between the highways and driving practices! <sniff, I miss the autobahn>

[Lotsokids]

A couple updates:

I finally received my letter concerning letting my inspection lapse on my car. I have 3 choices:

1. Pay a $40 fine
2. Work for the Hungarian government (?) for one day
3. Spend 4 days in jail

What shall I choose? Hmmmmm.


I asked 2 Hungarians that I work with again about the bicycle pushing hysteria here in Hungary. They had nothing to say, and again acted like that's normal. But when I pressed the issue, they gave me 2 reasons:

1. The bicycle pushers might have been drinking alcohol. I guess if you have been drinking you cannot operate anything, even a bicycle, or you could be arrested.
2. They told me "sometimes it is more comfortable." I said that it would be a lot more comfortable if you just leave the bike at home. They just grunted and shrugged their shoulders. I'm not sure if I'll ever get a good answer on this.

[terryk]

Spent three plus weeks in Hungary. They really do take the drinking and not driving rule pretty seriously. You can see the folks sleeping in their cars instead of driving after midnight in Pest just like in Japan. Acceptable behavior and smart. Got stopped by the police at a check point, very nice and no hassle. Those little Trabants are like slow rolling road obstacles to zip around as well. Nice country, nice food, easy going at this point in their history. Good roads for the most part and great signage. But, quirky rules sometimes. And, they serve tater tots wit their beer, obviously advance thinking in play.

[Lotsokids]

I finally received my letter concerning letting my inspection lapse on my car. I have 3 choices:

1. Pay a $40 fine
2. Work for the Hungarian government (?) for one day
3. Spend 4 days in jail

What shall I choose? Hmmmmm.

I chose the fine. Here's the really goofy part... I had to go to the Post Office and buy a $40 stamp, then put that stamp on a card and mail it to the Police Department. Seriously.

[Lotsokids]

Here's some photos from the last couple weeks:

More bicycle pushing - This guy was doing this while holding hands with his girlfriend. I've seen this a few times. I personally think three's a crowd. Once again, it's not just to cross the street, it's everywhere.



Public peeing seems to be O.K., like this proud mom letting her son pee in front of the grocery store. I took this picture just as he pulled up his pants.



Some Gypsies pulled into this gas station with a trailer full of TV's for sale.



Ahhh, a wedding procession! Bride and groom were in the tractor followed by about 20 cars honking and waving.

[Lotsokids]

Upon entering a gas station last night, I noticed that they had attached a free bottle of men's shower gel to each quart of oil. What kind of message are they sending?

[craigo]

Upon entering a gas station last night, I noticed that they had attached a free bottle of men's shower gel to each quart of oil. What kind of message are they sending?

That guys that work on their own cars and bikes stink?   

CraigO

[Lotsokids]

1.) Yesterday I drove about 45 minutes away to a scooter shop to order a fuel level sending unit for our 2006 Aprilia SR50. There was a worker who could speak English a little, so I told him the exact part I needed. He asked for the VIN. I told him the scooter was 45 minutes away and I didn't have the number. He persisted in needing the VIN. I told him there is only 1 type of sending unit for that year. He said, "Yes, it's the exact same part back to 2004. I asked him to just order the part since we determined that is the right part. He looked at his manager, and explained what was going on. They just looked at each other kind of confused, like they didn't know what to do. He then gave me his email address and said he would order the part, but I needed to email my VIN to him as soon as I get it.

They did the same thing at the Yamaha dealer when I tried to get a rubber shift lever boot for my FJ. Even though I provided my year and model, they demanded my VIN before they ordered it. They seem to need the VIN for everything.

2.) I've been looking for another car in the last few days - actually the Trabant. Here are some things I've learned:
   - You cannot change the engine. If you do, you need to provide a pile of paperwork and the mechanic's name that accomplished the work. This is nearly impossible.
   - You cannot change the color of your vehicle.
   - You cannot simply add a trailer hitch. This changes the registration of the vehicle. You need to re-register.
   - If you buy a car with expired registration, you need to file a ton of paperwork and request permission from the Mayor of your town to register the vehicle.

Here's the Trabant I want to buy. It's a whopping $342. In 2 years, it will be a "classic" and I will be able to bring it back to the U.S. when I return. Finding parts might be a problem, though. It's got a 900cc engine with... get ready... 45 horsepower!

[Lotsokids]

Here's the engine compartment of the 2-stroke 600cc version of the Trabant. This one puts out a massive 25 horsepower. Notice the convenient location of the fuel tank - under the hood and over the engine! Yes, you must MIX THE FUEL. There is NO fuel gauge. The earlier models had a dipstick to measure the fuel. There is actually a choke knob on the steering column and a ON/OFF/RESERVE fuel lever on the dash. This is for the most part, a 4-wheeled motorcycle.

[mz_rider]

The Trabbie's body is made of "Duroplast" a plastic reinforced with cotton waste. After the re-unification of Germany they had a lot of them to dispose of but burning caused toxic fumes. So a company developed a bacteria that eats the Trabbie and turns it into compost.

Stuart

[Lotsokids]

Alright, guys. I got a better explanation on the Hungarian bicycle pushing hysteria here. I asked another Hungarian I work with, and he said it is illegal to ride your bicycle on the sidewalk or on the road in town. He explained about the sidewalk, "You cannot just ride a bike where people are walking!" So I guess the only place you can legally RIDE one is in a designated bicycle path or in the country away from town.

Crazy.

[Dan Filetti]

Well, that at least makes sense.  They don't ride because they can't.  Occam's razor strikes again!

Dan

[Lotsokids]

It is also illegal to ride your bicycle across the street.

[tmkaos]

OMG I've just stumbled across this thread and spent the last 30min at work laughing hysterically to myself. 

This stuff is priceless, keep up the good work 

+1 on your donations to old people in your area, that's a shining example we should all take heed of too, BTW.

Happy riding mate,

James