KesterTester 14 - Where in Budapest was this scene? (It's a Toughie This Week.)
I expect Kriszta is a mum with two kids by now - indeed, one if not both are probably at university, as I think this pic was taken around May, 1992. (And, incidentally, graffiti in English here was a genuine rarity at that time, so Kriszta was all set up for an intellectual hub of the day. :) )
But where was this solemn troth so publicly displayed? Now if you know where this Izsák wine .... well, I'm not sure what it is, maybe a wholesale place, this is an easy one. (See update.)
But I suspect that's been gone many a year. So, I'll give you a clue:
This street is directly off one of Budapest's main thoroughfares - arguably the main thoroughfare, in fact. And in the past couple of months, it's become quite famous, or infamous, depending on your political tastes. :)
Now, think about that! (Disclaimer - I really hope I've remembered this street properly - it was a long time ago, but I'm setting this challenge in good faith.)
Now - how about KesterTester 13?
This proved surprisingly difficult. One regular competitor proffered Esztergom - and confidently bought me two beers in advance, so certain was he of his punt. Yes, really! Alas, he was basking in fake glory - I've kept the beers though as I'm sure he'll win another KT in future :)
Detective Hubert 'Poirot' Warsmann thought Sarajevo, but decided I was unlikely to be there photographing idyllic spots in 1995 when bullets would probably not only be whizzing past my ears, but in all likelihood, into the grey matter between them. (There were then, of course, frighteningly accurate Serb snipers taking aim at besieged civilians in the city below. )
So Hubert deduced that with Austrian-like architecture, it was probably Slovenia. OK, Hubert, very good, but Slovenia is a country. True, it's small, but you've got to get a bit more accurate than that!
Then we had Gabi Hajos, who tentatively suggested Ljubljana, only to add that if she was wrong, it was a hacker behind the email.
The Competition Committee did suggest Gabi could try to be a bit more geographically natančno, after all, while Ljubljana is relatively small, I wouldn't want to have to walk from one end to the other on a hot summer's day looking for this place. John Cantwell and Jock MacKenzie both followed up with Ljubljana too.
Finally, Jana S dropped a line saying: "Of course it's [the] Ljubljanica river with the old part of the city. It looks very different now, I hope you've visited Ljubljana with the renovated buildings along the river, it looks quite different even with bleak clouds."
I have indeed, Jana, and enjoyed the odd wine, beer, coffee and even a meal with friend Milenko in the vicinity!
But alas, Jana is a native of the Slovenian capital, so after long deliberation, well into the night, the Committee ruled her ineligible for this particular competition, and decided to have compassion on Gabi Hajos' poor grasp of geographical specifics to declare her the winner.
Gabi writes she isprepared for the global fame set to come her way - but previous winners have confessed the relentless requests for selfies from fans when walking in downtown Budapest has been overwhelming - I do hope you are woman enough to bear the strain, Gabi.
The sad news is that all pubs and restaurants are closed under lockdown, so I fear Gabi will have to wait a long time before she can claim her prize and buy me two beers :)
Now, have a good weekend everyone, stay healthy and focus on that Troth, Trabant and concrete wheel up top. Answer next week - I hope you can stand the tension caused by the wait :)
UPDATE: Tibor Sáringer assures me the Izsák Wine thingy in the photo is, despite appearances, actually a retail outlet - ie it is indeed the Izsáki Borozója - the Izsak Cooperative Wine Bar.
Tibor termed it "a watering (hell)hole".
That's a wee bit disparaging, Tibor, but I do see what you mean.
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