An Ikarus Volan Bus[z] in pole position!
- Kester Eddy
- Apr 4
- 9 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
KesterTester128 - Yes folks, a gleaming Hungarian-manufactured, classical coach stands proudly at the front of the (static) parking queue. But where is it? UPDATED!
Photo: As anyone familiar with Hungarian registration plates can tell you, this vehicle is some years old. Indeed, I'll let on: this photo was taken almost exactly 39 years ago (probably around April 7th or 8th), 1986.
Later that month, some Soviet engineers were ordered to overload an ageing nuclear power plant, with catastrophic consequences. But that was for the (very close) future when this piccie was taken, and all around at the time were oblivious to the danger to be lurking in the atmosphere.
Meanwhile, this coach was probably back in its home garage. But global fame and the chance to buy me two beers can all be yours if you can sleuth out where it is portrayed in this piccie!
Answers please on a postcard, via the website reporting system or via email when you think you know! Heh, heh, heh! Happy Sleuthing!
UPDATE: Contestants and the much awaited WINNER!
First in was Jerry Taylor, always willing to have a go!
“Hi Kester
Would that picture have been taken near the elephant house at city park zoo?
That’s the only guess I can make!
Cheers, Jerry”
Alex Faludy whipped in short and sweet, also pitched for a domestic location.
“Looks like Pécs to me.”
Father Frank Hegedus – dropped by, except, well, this one needs a wee bit of early explanation,because I emailed him to say he couldn't take part because he had insider-information. (This will be fully explained later.) But he had a stab nevertheless.
“Hmm...” he pondered:
“What insider-information could I possibly have...?
But if I had to venture a guess, I would say that the second bus in the queue obviously has German writing on it, probably limiting the location options to Hungary and Austria, as it would have been unusual, I should think, for a Hungarian Volánbusz in the mid-1980s to wander off to Germany or Switzerland.
And the bit of architecture in the upper right looks suspiciously like the unique Karlskirche, so I am going to guess Vienna. But what Volánbusz was doing there exactly, I have no idea, except obviously running some sort of charter service, as the sign suggests.
However, the only international conferences I can find in Vienna on that date was one for librarians and the other for uranium researchers, though I cannot imagine the Hungarian State at the time would have had much interest in either. Probably not today either.... But you never know....
So, there you go... Frank”
Uranium researchers? Why not Frank? They used to mine uranium near Pécs you know, and make the yellow cake there, I think. There's even a part of the city called Uránváros as I remember.
Next in was Sándor Németh, who opted for a more exotic location.
“Hi Kester,
I suppose the photo was taken near the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul.
If I am right, I'd love to be the lucky winner of this tester because then we could finally have a beer or two together after Easter. I am observing Lent now and I am not drinking alcohol until Easter.
Regards, Sanyi”
Mihály “Give it a Go” Hollós turned up on time (after a timely reminder) entitled: Hey, Misi - what about your KesterTester entry then?
“O, yes of course!
My guess is that the coaches, including that Ikarus Volánbusz, were photographed at the Hegyeshalom border crossing point.
Best, Misi”
Laszlo Jakabfi is firmly convinced the answer is very local.
“It must have been the well-known Récsei bus garage on Cházár András utca 1 in Zugló, the 14th District of Budapest.”
Tom Chilton, once known as a super sleuth, sadly rather quiet these days, sidled in to say:
“It looks like the dome of Hagia Sophia in the top right corner so I guess it is Istanbul.”
Vladimir Pukis went wild with suggestions.
“With the "Különjárat" sign on the bus and a (what looks like) a mosque at the background, can it be not Hungary - say, Sarajevo or Istanbul, - or Pécs, where the main church is built in that style?”
Dear Vladimir, this is a serious, renowned, international competition – you can't go shooting three answers! I'll lose my licence if, assuming one or this trio might be correct, I allow your entry! Sorry!
David McCall came by to complain:
“Hi Kester,
You've cropped this photo so much it's hard to make out much of anything! And the Steyr from Stuber Reisen in line behind the Ikarus didn't help much either.”
David, how could you? You make me sound like a hard taskmaster. I've been nominated for the Guinness Book of Records “Global Soft Heart of the Year” award every year since the KesterTester began, let me tell you.
“This reminds me of the way buses used to line up around Heroes Square, back behind the Mucsarnok. I suspect that the partial dome in the background may be one of them from the lake / skating rink, which would probably make this Olof Palme setany.
Why they were lined up, I don't know, other than it was a nice day to visit. Easter was over, and it was also too early for Hungaroring, Queen, or even the grand re-opening for the Siklo that year. The people in the pic seem to be wearing fairly warm coats, except for the couple warming up in each others' arms!
David McCall”
Steve Saracco wrote in from Massachusetts (I think he said) for his very specific bid for global celebrity status:
“Szia Kester -
Széchenyi tér, Pécs”
Michael Birch had a somewhat tentative stab.
“Pécs?”
Only, a day or so later, to send an urgent modification:
“Correction! I think it’s Topkapı in Istanbul!”
Hmmm. I suppose we can allow that amendment, Mike, the Competition Committee ruled. (But if it's Pécs, you have missed out.)
Theodore Boone was in cryptic mood:
“Hi Kester - As They Might Be Giants would say, it’s Istanbul (Not Constantinople). See this link for further information:
Best, Ted”
Gábor Rimner was another one who was both short and sweet and fancied more domestic location(s).
“Eger, vagy Pécs.”
You've got to opt for one or the other, kedves Gábor!
Les Szabo came in a bit late from Leicester to have his say:
“Hi, sorry for the late reply - it's Istanbul - blue mosque?
Regards, Les”
And the good news is … well, the full piccie is reproduced here.
So now anyone who knows Turkey, or even just Istanbul, will realise (more or less) the location. The Competition Committee has ruled that anyone citing Istanbul is good enough, though I think the area is generally known as Sultan Ahmet, which was the centre of Byzantine Constantinople, back in the day.
The truth is, I can't really locate the name of the mosque that appears behind the buses, at least if I was standing near what today is the Sultan Ahmet tram stop and looking west along Divan Yolu cd.
As I remember, this is the road which (behind my back as the photographer) housed 'The Pudding Shop', the famous (or infamous) meeting point for travellers that featured in the dark, 1980s film Midnight Express. Looking at the google map of Istanbul today, that appears to have disappeared, along with the Ak Deniz Otel (that is the "White Sea Hotel, the White Sea being the Mediterranean). This was round the corner on a side road, where I stayed for the princely sum of 2,000 or perhaps 3,000 Turkish Lira when there in 1986. (I think that was the equivalent to something like EUR 4 at that time.)
No chance of a night's kip in Istanbul for that price today, methinks. Indeed, the whole area seems to have moved into more up-market tourism, heavens, there is a Starbucks on the same street now. (Ugh! Isn't this supposed to be a World Heritage site?)
Enough of my historic waffle, what you are all desperate to know is, of course, the lucky winner. And with five slips of paper going into the famous EU-approved, Black Woolly Draw hat, the winner is … Number 5, Les Szabo!
Congratulations Les, your fame will surely spread far and wide now, surely the news will make it to the Leicester Mercury and you will struggle to fight off the adoring fans for months whenever you go into town, or even to Market Harborough!
I should explain why Father Frank was banned from taking part in KT128. The thing is, Frank wrote about the city of Nicea in his St Margaret's Church monthly newsletter – the city where the Nicean Creed, that is the fundamental beliefs of the Christian church, were declared back in the fourth century.
So I thought to send Frank a piccie of Iznik, the modern, Turkish name for Nicea, and began searching for the image I had in my mind of the place – an image in fact I could not find. So I sent him this one, for his own, personal KesterTester, which he successfully sleuthed!
Photo: Remains of the ancient walls of Nicea, modern day Iznik, in Asia Minor.
It was because of this rummage through my photo boxes that I happened upon the photo for KT128, which I thought suitable because of its Hungarian connection. But I thought Frank might easily realise that this was a piccie from Turkey I'd unearthed and, fearful of the Brussels Competition Supervisory accusing me of leaking insider information, I felt I had to debar Frank from this particular competition.
As it turned out, this was all unnecessary – Frank made no such connection!
Anyway, I look forward to those beers next time you are here, Les! Thanks to all for 'having a go' and making it fun!
ps I've just noticed that this is my 400th post - and as I always forget - please give the post a 'like' (if you do) - all hard-core bloggers are supposed to ask this.
pps MILD CONTROVERSY 01
Tom Chilton has written in to state:
1. The Pudding Shop is still there
2. The building is definitely Hagia Sophia
3. As you say, the area has changed a lot since the 80s. I think the buses were parked on Alemdar Cd (see map), which is now where the tram goes.
4. Censored – rude comment about one esteemed competitor's entry
5 Spring is heer, let's have a beer
Interesting, Tom. When I looked on google maps yesterday, I couldn't see the Pudding Shop marked at all. But I have tried again now, and found it immediately, as did you. The only thing a bit strange is on your map, and especially on mine, it shows the place some distance away from the road - whereas I remember it being smack bang on Divan Yolu, with only a pavement between the door and the road.
Now, as to the position where I took the piccie, your sleuthing makes a lot of sense. Indeed, the position of the sun at around 11.00 am would also fit, I think. So maybe my memory is imperfect on this one, and I was indeed standing somewhere around the yellow mark on the map. The only query I would have with that is that (again from memory) Alemdar cd goes downhill there, whereas the buses are clearly on a flat section of road.
Still, excellent sleuthing - no controversy over point 5 - in fact, I will present you a Special KesterTester Award, which carries with it the right to buy me two beers.
SERIOUS CONTROVERSY 01
Father Frank has written in to disagree with the entire conclusion.
"Sorry, Kester...
But I have to disagree....
I have been to Vienna and that looks like Karlsplatz to me; the effectiveness of your memory has not been proven to my satisfaction; your camera might have been faulty; you probably had the photo in the wrong shoebox all these years; I showed the picture to a good friend who was in Istanbul once and also Vienna decades ago and he agreed with me; we do not know how that bus could have got to Istanbul; the picture might have been staged; I read somewhere that the Communists of the era tried to fool Westerners into believing Hungarian buses could travel long distances. So, I refuse to believe that is Istanbul.
Sorry, but it is my choice; my freedom… Frank"
Oh, Frank - this is a serious assertion - KT128 is total fake!
Well, my memory of some details may well be incorrect (see Tom Chilton, above), but even if that is true, I'm kind of unsure if you're being totally serious. There was, even in the 1970s, no problem (so long as the driver had the cash to buy the fuel and visas) with Hungarian vehicles getting to Istanbul. Indeed, not just Istanbul, but on to Iraq, Syria and Iran. In fact, the main roads in eastern Anatolia were full of Bulgarian and Hungarian articulated lorries. (Hungarocamion, remember them? Later privatised and became Waberer's.)
At this point, I was going to use an anecdote about hitchhiking in Turkey in 1976 to help prove my point. But it would all get too long. So I shall prepare that for another post.
But this demands definite clarification, so I shall pursue that. Await here for a proper update on this matter. Meanwhile, I hope your Easter has gone well, and have a good, short, working week!
Comments