- You have to ask for each grocery bag you want, pay for the bags (10 Forints - about 50 cents Can/each), and then bag the groceries yourself, a couple times I’ve forgotten to ask for the bags, and ended having to stuff everything in my pockets!

I’ve been told the grocery bag fee is an environmental measure, a good idea we should do in Canada!

- It’s obvious to me the difference in immigration between Hungary and Canada. Its 95% or so Caucasian here, compared to 50% Caucasian in Canada (at best, in my opinion). Not a bad thing, either way, but I do notice the difference.

- The weather changes day by day, one day it will snow, the next its blue skies and sunny (but still cold). From what I’m told, the weather here in Budapest has been better on average then Vancouver.

- Fast Food is big business here, there are fast food places on most corners, and there are many mega-restaurants, the size of a gymnasium, scattered throughout the city.

- McDonalds seems to control the retail coffee business here for the most part, they are called McCafe’s, a separate coffee bar, most of the time inside a McDonalds restaurant and off to the side, but sometimes on their own.

- I get my hot water for my showers from a hot water tank elevated beside my shower, it needs 10-15 minutes to warm up. I get my hot water for dish washing from a mini version hanging in front of the sink.

To be continued…