The first sign of Fall

One of the first things I noticed upon arrival this summer in Budapest was the ubiquity of the sidewalk cafes. The sidewalks everywhere are loaded with the tables and chairs and they always seem to have so much business. Ordering a cup of anything could be a refresher, but I'm sure is often no more than an excuse to sit outside and chat, catch your breath, conduct business, meet a someone or read by oneself cheaply and leisurely while remaining part of the world. Most of the cafes here seem to offer wi-fi, and many people use it.

On the hottest days, the fans will blow mist over the tables which does a good job of cooling the seating areas (just don't sit under the dripping jets). On cooler days people will be huddled under their jackets -whatever it takes to carry on the conversation and stay outside.

So, recently it dawned on me that as it's now September, the weather should be changing soon. I realized that I'd come to take this fact of life in Budapest for granted.

The other day we stopped at the Mai Mano Cafe on Nagymezo utca. It was a beautiful cool day; the first to bring on the excitement of the looming fall. Sitting there zipped up in a hoodie, I noticed a woman reading nearby with a bright fleece blanket over her lap. Then I noticed another woman, hunched over her table in conversation wrapped in another bright blanket. Then I saw another.  I thought it was interesting how Budapestis bring blankets with themselves on outings. Finally, I noticed a cafe chair stacked with them, and discovered how the cafes must stretch the cafe season. Then a guy rode by on his bike with nothing but a blanket strapped to his bike rack.