my kingdom for a horse

I could be royalty, I think.  Of course, I’d have to put up with the hassle of castle-living and the dilemmas of luxury and privilege, but I am willing to put my qualms aside if Hungary decides to revert from a democracy back to a monarchy and appoint me to the throne.  I am the obvious choice, of course, given my vast knowledge of the Hungarian language, history, and culture.  My heritage is so purely Hungarian, that the powers that be would be hard pressed to find a better candidate.  Furthermore, I daresay the Magyar peoples would readily embrace my charismatic charms.  This and my humility of course.

My latest brainstorm (it is small, a brainshower) is the product of a day of sightseeing.  I have seen the accommodations that await my post-coronation life, and I eagerly await the day.  The quest began modestly, with a tram ride to the center of Pest.  Starting from the Octagon – a square – we traipsed through the theatre district admiring in turn the National Opera House (my future personal entertainment), St. Stephen’s Basilica (my private study) and the National Art Gallery (my collection).  What most impressed me, though, was an open outdoor park with an underwater café.  We rejuvenated ourselves beneath the welcome shade and committed the location to memory for later. 

From thence, we continued the tour of my future life station, bussing back to Buda and up to the Royal Palace.  My home-to-be is a charlatanous mansion overlooking the city and the rolling hills below.  For whatever reason, multitudes of other tourists had also come to view my manor.  They and we milled about through souvenir stands and cobblestone avenues.  Fountains and falconers punctuate the boulevard and Gypsy musicians paint the air with classical harmony.  When I am at my Royal Height, I will curb one unfortunate capitalist trend: the best views can be only reached by climbing onto the courtyard turrets of the Palace, but one must pay a toll to stroll along the battlement.  In a word, the establishment is here taking ownership over the intangible – a view, a feeling, an outlook.

Boycotting this enigma, we travelled on.  My kingdom is vast, but we found a quiet corner that may go occasionally overlooked in the shadows of my grander provinces.  A humble outdoor jazz concert venue stands adjacent to a children’s science museum and a small theatre.  All of the modern architecture around the open-air sanctuary lends the space a comforting sense of peace.  In the center stand two koi ponds, but the remarkable thing is that there are little trees growing in planters in the middle of the ponds.  The planters are just tall enough to keep the water out, but no taller; the trees seem to float in holes in the water’s surface.  I created my own divots in the water’s surface by skipping rocks until a burly figure audibly persuaded me of the merits of other occupations.  As alluded, we are intended for higher callings.  Until next time, call me your once and future king?