Bye Dave!

David has officially left Europe.  The masses can return to their houses.  The crisis is over. 

This afternoon at 4:15pm, as David's plane left the tarmac, Máriapócs exploded in a display of joyous rapture previously unseen in this tiny eastern Hungarian village. Amanda and I were still driving home from the airport when the celebrations began but we have heard that there was dancing in the streets, an impromptu parade and the ritualistic burning of an effigy that was made in his likeness.  The crowds did get a little out of control at one point, but the memory of David's mid-afternoon jogs scattered the more virile revelers such that by the time we returned home there were only small clusters of people gathered around campfires telling their own horror-story experiences of when they met that crazy Australian.

Last night, after our Australia Day celebration at school (photos to come), we went out for dinner at our favourite restaurant where Dave and I had the gigantic meat platter, then we stumbled home happy and well fed.  It was a relaxing but good night. This morning we pushed Dave into doing the last of his packing (which he promised that he was going to do the night before), print out his ticket (which he promised he was going to do the night before), and stumbled into the car. Once in Budapest, we jumped through a few more hoops for Iago's re-importation into Australia and then wished Dave farewell at the airport.  

It's been fantastic having him here, we've really appreciated everyone who has come over to see us, but Dave's ten week semi-migration has been awesome.  It's weird to think that it was really ten weeks because the time has flown.  In the time that he was here we went to the castle in Eger and saw the minaret, went to the cave baths in Miskolc, we went to Austria and Slovakia, he then went to France for a week, then when he came back we spent the weekend in Budapest, then he was off to Scotland, then by the time he came back we only had time for a lunch in Romania and he had to go home. I think we'll definitely miss him in our five or so months remaining in Hungary.

In other sad news, Ili had an accident in Grade 1 P.E. on Friday and broke her finger. She had an operation on Friday and will have another one tomorrow so we all hope it goes well. Everyone misses her at work, and hopes she will recover soon.

- Daniel.