Barber

My wife cuts my hair, so all I can contribute is a few search term:
"fodrász" or "fodrászat". Man is "férfi". Haircut is "hajvágás"

Thanks for the tips, szocske.

Yes, once I took the small trouble to translate 'hairdresser' to Magyar the search became easier. In fact, they're everywhere.

DANÍ - at the end of my street - features a window illustration of a Victorian child screaming as a nasty man tries to cut his hair. Think I'll give DANÍ a miss. But next door to my new Hungarian classes in Buda is a Filipina girl who cuts men's and ladies' hair. Think I'll try.

Nevertheless, given the remarkably low response to my needy situation, I conclude that any English-speaking males on the BP Forum, possibly:
a) Get their S.O. to cut hair (as per yourself Szoc).
b) are hippies.
c) are bald.
Interesting demographics for the marketing dept, perhaps!

there is a fairly good salon in Corvin Setany @ -1 floor - there is a girl named Lila, ask for her, i definately recommend, although she may not always be there

i've been there more than once, give it a try

angol wrote:

a) Get their S.O. to cut hair (as per yourself Szoc).
b) are hippies.
c) are bald.
Interesting demographics for the marketing dept, perhaps!

d) Get their wives to negotiate a haircut for them at any salon.

I've done this several times and the results vary between good and dire.

My Dad always said, "The difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut is three weeks".

But then again, he was in the Army so style was not a primary consideration.

there is a fairly good salon in Corvin Setany @ -1 floor

I looked up Corvin Sétány and found this panoramio.com/photo/46457781]nice picture. But I do trust your judgement, Kriz.

My Dad always said, "The difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut is three weeks". But then again, he was in the Army

Yes, it's the military cut I want to avoid, but think I've got my courage up now.

angol wrote:

there is a fairly good salon in Corvin Setany @ -1 floor

I looked up Corvin Sétány and found this panoramio.com/photo/46457781]nice picture. But I do trust your judgement, Kriz.

That's hopefully the BEFORE picture :-)

guys seriousely, google Corvin Setany or simply www.corvinsetany.hu

i am not a big fan of this shopping mall cuz it simply sucks but you were asking for a haircut - if you know Corvin Mozi (cinema) than enter the mall from that side and go to -1, you just cant miss it, or ... ?

Kriz82 wrote:
you just cant miss it

Haven't been there yet, but I take your point. It's flashy and won an award!

I just went to the Salon on -1 at Corvin Setany Mall yesterday to get a haircut because of the suggestions on this thread. I first asked if they spoke English and then showed them a picture of the desired haircut after describing it. They spoke English and said they understood what I was asking for, no problem. If you google "medium fade" you will be able to see the haircut. It's a very simple cut. After assuring me that he understood what I wanted the first thing the stylist did was shave the side of my head down to the skin all the way to the top of my head. I stopped him and showed him the pic and explained again. He shrugged and continued to keep butchering the haircut. I ended up with Macklemore's haircut after repeatedly interrupting and trying to salvage the haircut. I eventually just had him cut the top down as well so that I'm sporting what looks like a Marine or street thug haircut. The haircut cost 3200 ft.

Long story short, I just got the worst haircut I've had in 3 years at the Salon in Corvin Setany Mall. Avoid the place.

I can't recommend any barbers for men in Hungary sorry to say but would love to know where you find good cheese.
I have looked everywhere but have not found any cheddar cheese in Budapest that isn't pre wrapped into sandwich slices.
I was a hairstylist in Calif. Hawaii, New Mexico and Nevada, have over 30 years of cutting experience. Worked in a small local barber shop doing mostly men's haircuts in Hawaii. I have my husband as my one and only "client" these days.
I may in the future decide to get back into some cutting for a bit of mad money, not sure yet where to set up shop without having to rent out a place.
My next haircut for myself  I am going to try out A-List.I walked in their Pest location last week to look around. Not too overly stuffy and they did speak English. Their prices were around $6,000 give or take for a short women's cut. About average price here in Budapest in a well known shop. I have been all over the city in 12 years for cuts and over all not very impressed with any of them, either too pricey or too snobby or just plain old bad attitude and not very good quality cuts for the $.
In the mean time because of the many horrid cuts I have had here in HU, I have been training my husband how to do a simple straight cut without tags hanging. He is better then many of the professionals I have gone to here in HU. Will post how my next " real cut" looks after A-List.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I can't recommend any barbers for men in Hungary sorry to say but would love to know where you find good cheese.
I have looked everywhere but have not found any cheddar cheese in Budapest that isn't pre wrapped into sandwich slices......I am going to try out A-List.I walked in their Pest location last week to look around. Not too overly stuffy and they did speak English. Their prices were around $6,000 give or take for a short women's cut. ....

I know you are American so you won't know these brands perhaps. Cheddar is difficult to find and so are many other types like Stilton or Double Gloucester (UK cheeses). However, Edam, Gouda and Emmental is quite OK and available in Aldi.  They do a blue cheese which passes for Stilton but it's really Danish Blue.  I fly in my Cheddar extra mature from UK Tescos. I also fly in my bacon, Marmite, curry powder, crisps, HP sauce and ginger beer.  There's a major disaster in Tescos in Budakeszi - no Salt and Vinegar or Cheese and Onion crisps lately - shelves just had some lesser substitute item.  We're planning to complain. Could be an ordering glitch. This happens a lot recently - cucumber shortages a while back.

I've been in the A-List salon in Buda - near Joszef Korhaz - and it's variable what you get in there.  My better half takes the kids there because Doris, one of the stylists, is very good with kids. BTW, there used to be English speaking hairdressers in the Kempinski Hotel.  Quite over priced and average. The expat population is very underserved in Hungary.

Thanks for the cheese advice, I'll check out Aldi.
My husband is Hungarian and always buys HU cheese and does most of the food shopping, needless to say with him shopping I have gone from being a non red meat eater to actually consuming Pig's Feet!
Don't ask, I don't even understand how that happened!
I get by with having my peanut butter fix every once in awhile but I do miss a nice cheese fix more often.
I have been visiting Hungary off and on since 1978, believe me, they didn't even sell tampons when I was here on my first visit or baby nappies!!  I brought in a suitcase full of Pampers on my first trip and ran out within weeks.
Nightmare, thank goodness my MIL loved to wash cotton diapers!
I will check out the Pest side A'List salon within the next few weeks and post how it went.
I may be too fussy about my cuts but every women knows how a good cut makes them feel and how horrid a bad one does.

In the states it is fairly easy these days to find UK imports. There is a reasonable priced store in the western US called, Trader Joe's. They sell cheese made in the UK, the best tasting cheeses seem to be made there.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I have been all over the city in 12 years for cuts and over all not very impressed with any of them, either too pricey or too snobby or just plain old bad attitude and not very good quality cuts for the $.

Sounds like a business opportunity to me. Friendly, high quality hair cuts at a reasonable price,

Hate to say this, but a little tired of some of the grumpy* retail experiences in Hungary.

*Given the low income they are probably making, the taxes they have to pay, and the Government bureaucracy they have to endure, I do understand that they are grumpy. But still.....

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I may be too fussy about my cuts but every women knows how a good cut makes them feel and how horrid a bad one does..

Every married man should know that too, or else learn it pronto.

klsallee wrote:

Hate to say this, but a little tired of some of the grumpy* retail experiences in Hungary.... But still.....

I hear you. It gets old really quickly. 

Off topic but as it's lunch time.....

But there's a lot of funny things going on in Hungary. Mrs Fluffy tells me the government registration offices are in meltdown due to an IT failure. 

It's chaos everywhere in HU. For example, this morning we just found out that someone put the fences in the wrong place on our land 40+ years ago and now we have to go and discuss moving the fence about 2m (!!!) into the neighbours currently used "space".  How it came to be 2m in the wrong place and no-one noticed, I have not got a clue. Obviously no GPS back then.

All that's not going to be fun unlike a bad haircut, it's not 3 weeks to recover.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Off topic

Yes. But we have been there before. Oh well.....    

fluffy2560 wrote:

It's chaos everywhere in HU.

Yep. Seen the current Anthrax issue yet?

fluffy2560 wrote:

....this morning we just found out that someone put the fences in the wrong place on our land 40+ years ago and now we have to go and discuss moving the fence about 2m (!!!) into the neighbors currently used "space".  How it came to be 2m in the wrong place and no-one noticed, I have not got a clue. Obviously no GPS back then.

Nothing to do with GPS. Even if they had it, the results may have been the same.

For example:

The local government paved a dirt road recently (5 years ago when GPS was widely available) and paved part of our land in the process (we hired a surveyor later to check what they did). And need I add that paving the road was illegal as the mayor at that time did not even have a permit to do this work (the local government had to pay a fine for the illegal work). We have yet to decide if we will sue on this "taking" of our land -- it is minor amount so it would be a "on a matter of principle" issue rather than a real land use issue. So overall, land abuse seems more a matter of not caring, incompetence, greed, hubris and/or stupidity than anything.

And you can quote me on that.

And then there is another issue of one of our neighbors on another property planting many illegal exotic juniper on our land as a hedge row (this land is in a national park where exotic species are not allowed -- in theory). Even the surveyor first extended this intrusion linearly to the end of our property line even where our neighbor did not plant (Hungarian logic?). I insisted that the survey only include what land was actually "taken" illegally. This was a very important legal issue that mattered to a great extent later. Litigation in Hungary can take years. Trust me. I know (5 years and  still counting on some issues taken to court so far and not yet resolved).

Oh, good luck with the fence, makes you wonder what else they got wrong!
We are now sorry we bought anything here in Hungary, would of rather of rented so that we could move without a huge hassle of selling in this bad market.
If you need any help with translations, I can ask my husband to read any confusing paperwork for you.
I hope it doesn't come down to anything so serious for you though.
Hate to hire a lawyer over land rights etc.
Again, good luck, at least the wines here are good and reasonable in price.

klsallee wrote:

Yes. But we have been there before. Oh well.....   

I'm an expert on digression.

klsallee wrote:

Yep. Seen the current Anthrax issue yet?

No, what's that one?

klsallee wrote:

Nothing to do with GPS. Even if they had it, the results may have been the same.

We think it's because they measured from another boundary and decided to make the land square in terms of the fence position. We can only speculate that it was perhaps for aesthetic reasons but neglected to consider the actual coordinates. As a result, we've lost 15m2 of our garden at least!

klsallee wrote:

So overall, land abuse seems more a matter of not caring, incompetence, greed, hubris and/or stupidity than anything.

Mrs Fluffy's relatives came back to find the local government had built a spur road connecting to their driveway. It's for access to a local government building.  They never consulted, just dug the area out, dumped some stone in it, then used a vibrating roller to flatten it.  Then they cleared off. They must have done it in about 4h - like a road building flash mob when the neighbourhood was out.

klsallee wrote:

And then there is another issue of one of our neighbors on another property planting many illegal exotic juniper on our land as a hedge row (this land is in a national park where exotic species are not allowed -- in theory). .....

It isn't just plants, it's animals apparently.  Have you heard the one about the invasive aggressive/exotic turtles in the lakes and rivers? Apparently they can bite your feet off!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Oh, good luck with the fence, makes you wonder what else they got wrong!
We are now sorry we bought anything here in Hungary, would of rather of rented so that we could move without a huge hassle of selling in this bad market.

I'd agree with that. When I see people posting here about buying property in HU, I always say don't burn your bridges. If you rent out your original home, you can always return back if things get really bad.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

If you need any help with translations, I can ask my husband to read any confusing paperwork for you. I hope it doesn't come down to anything so serious for you though. Hate to hire a lawyer over land rights etc.

Mrs Fluffy is on the job and she'll sort it being a native HU speaker. I think we'll just have to talk to the neighbour and see if he understands - he's elderly and not in good health.  If he's not up to it, he's got some grown up kids (~40s)  but you know the old adage in HU - you can agree with one person but if there are two, there's almost no chance of an agreement.  While we don't need to consult a lawyer as it's our land, once we've discussed it one way or another with the neighbour, we'll get the officual surveyors round to bang in some posts marking the boundary (it's our fence anyway), then our lawyer will send him a letter confirming the situation. We'll make absolutely sure it's "official" and recorded.   We won't take a "land haircut" on this (just to mention barbering in the subject - now not off topic).

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Again, good luck, at least the wines here are good and reasonable in price.

Yes, but they can get a bit boring - I'd like to see some variety.  Here, we're in Apricot season at the moment. The palinka will be in production soon I guess all over HU.  I'm not that keen myself.

This is upsetting to hear how abusive your local gov. is.
This has to be a real headache since anything official here has one running all over to try and get a straight answer.
We are very sorry we bought our flat almost 8 years back. At the time it seemed like a great idea since we only used the flat in the spring and summer for holiday.
After actually moving over to stay we realized our mistake. This place is great part-time but full-time is too much.
I hope this land issue gets resolved for you soon.
I feel anyone buying here as an ex pat is brave!

Palinka is great once in a long while, way too strong for us these days.
Getting to be "lite weights" in our "old age".
Have to stick with wine or beer, otherwise it takes 3 days to get back on our feet!!
Just got back from a US holiday, saw several really old friends and was surprised by just how many get their buzz from Medicinal Pharmacies!  Old Hippies never die!!
I know exactly how slowly things unfold over here, hate to say it but these days even my Hungarian husband can not relate to many Hungarians living here, he changed or they never changed, hard to figure it out.
Would love to move back to the states or a tropical Island, seriously considering it.
Not exactly the place for retirement after all.
Not the "cheap" retirement place it once was, can think of warmer and friendlier place for less.

fluffy2560 wrote:

klsallee wrote:

Yep. Seen the current Anthrax issue yet?

No, what's that one?

Well, apparently someone illegally slaughtered and sold the meat of an anthrax infected animal. And then 8 people got sick with anthrax. The meat was also apparently sold to local canteens and distributed.

The current news says the owner of the farm that was the source seems to be politically connected to the current government. So wonder if much will come of it.

klsallee wrote:

We think it's because they measured from another boundary and decided to make the land square in terms of the fence position. We can only speculate that it was perhaps for aesthetic reasons but neglected to consider the actual coordinates. As a result, we've lost 15m2 of our garden at least!

Yep, same here. Made a square garden/grass lawn (also illegal in the national park) by planting a hedge row on our property. We lost 90sq meters according to the survey. It is a freakishly huge lawn they made.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

This is upsetting to hear how abusive your local gov. is.

I jokingly told my wife at the time, that we are lucky not to be living in the City of Bell California. 

My wife, being the go-getter that she is, did not settle for that.

Instead she ran against the mayor at the last election. And won. How cool is that? (okay, so it is only a 300 person village but still that is pretty cool).

Then as the new mayor she had all the facts at hand, found out a few things, and reported the prior mayor to the police on several points (case went to court, but is still pending -- like I said the Hungarian legal system is slow). But still, if more honest people did that, took the bull by the horns so to speak, what a grand world we would have,

New elections are this fall. Wonder if the people appreciate what she did and if they will re-elect her or not. We shall see.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Have you heard the one about the invasive aggressive/exotic turtles in the lakes and rivers? Apparently they can bite your feet off!

Good grief. No, not heard that. Snapping turtles?

But I am safe. After almost drowning on a rafting trip on the Nile (don't ask for details --I will have day-mares just from writing this) I tend to only get wet in the shower these days.

From Haircuts through cheese to property lines :-)

There are all kinds of cheese you guys must try! Nothing is like what you are used to of course, but there is immense variety.
Take a look around any of the upcoming art and handicraft fairs, or just go to a market like "Lehel ter".
Goat cheese is usually soft, more like a spread, you can get it plain or with all kinds of flavoring: "Kecskesajt".
Sheep cheese tastes and smells really strong, it's the signature ingredient of proper Sztrapacska. Even in regular shops it's often sold at the cheese/meat counter from a big plastic bowl: "Gomolya turo"

Property lines: if a mistake is uncontested for a given number of years (~10 IIRC), then it stays like that via "elbirtoklas". If there is a way to restore the supposed size of the property by shifting another fence at the expense of some common land, it can sometimes be easier to arrange such an adjustment with the local council. But only if they feel like it, you really can't force them.

Suing the local council (onkormanyzat) even for paving over your land is usually useless: they can just forge and backdate a letter of notice with a past due date for contesting it, claim they attempted to deliver it but found noone at home (kezbesitesi velelem).

Invasive species on your property: Report it before staking out the boundary, or else you'll end up paying the fine for owning them :-)



Hungary is a lovely place to visit, most people are friendly and mean well, but it requires a certain Balkan mentality to live there long term or do business. Rule of law is shaky on many levels, and as a prime minister once put it, "if you don't like it, you are welcome to leave" :-/

szocske wrote:

From Haircuts through cheese to property lines :-)

All things that can be cut or cut off.  That is my topic position and sticking to it....

szocske wrote:

Suing the local council (onkormanyzat) even for paving over your land is usually useless: they can just forge and backdate a letter of notice with a past due date for contesting it, claim they attempted to deliver it but found noone at home (kezbesitesi velelem).

A citizen suing a local council member is truly difficult in Hungary. It seems the courts/society/politicians here have taken the position that once elected they serve the "people's will" no matter what the people think about it for 4 years. The concept of citizen participation in government outside the ballet box seems to be a foreign concept here on many levels.

However, there is an enormous amount of paperwork in Hungary that has to be aligned to get something done. So it really is difficult to get all the stamps forged in all cases. And under the law, if there was a missing stamp, you have a case. So if you really wanted to, one can find that paperwork stamp break and sue with some success. It just may take a decade to get justice. And of course cost a heck of a lot since you are paying your attorney ** out of your pocket all the time for those long years of litigation. Then you may get a ruling in your favor..... maybe..... and 10 Forint in compensation. You win morally and legally, but in the end are still bankrupt.

** If you can find one that is not some way related to the person you are suing -- Hungary is a small country and it seems everyone is related to everyone else, or knows someone you are suing, and is reluctant to take the case. Another long personal story there, but since not about haircuts I will defer it till another time......

klsallee wrote:

The concept of citizen participation in government outside the ballet box seems to be a foreign concept here on many levels.

I love that slip :-)

From a famous Hungarian cartoon, "ballet" is a synonym of irrelevance or being sidelined, as in "if we screw up, we can go back to prance around at the ballet"

I am surprised to hear your wife was not thrown under the bus yet (I mean figuratively of course).
Many non-elected public office posts require a special degree (allamigazgatasi foiskola). Especially in small villages, there is a tightly knit group of people with this degree, in roughly the same number as there are positions...

szocske wrote:

.....Property lines: if a mistake is uncontested for a given number of years (~10 IIRC), then it stays like that via "elbirtoklas". If there is a way to restore the supposed size of the property by shifting another fence at the expense of some common land, it can sometimes be easier to arrange such an adjustment with the local council. But only if they feel like it, you really can't force them.

That's very useful to know.  We're going to get our lawyer on it.   The missing 15m2 in our case affects the amount of building space we have  - e.g. 20%, 25% etc.  It's not much of course but still, could be useful to have.

klsallee wrote:

....Good grief. No, not heard that. Snapping turtles?.

The snapping turtles can be found here:

Snapping Turtles

This is an invasive species hereabouts. I have no idea why anyone would want to keep such an ugly thing as a pet!

If the whole thing came up due to the building size, you might be better off not stirring the issue at all until you get your building permit approved based on the "official" size of your property from the "telekkonyvi kivonat" (land register record maybe?) no matter the current actual size.

szocske wrote:

If the whole thing came up due to the building size, you might be better off not stirring the issue at all until you get your building permit approved based on the "official" size of your property from the "telekkonyvi kivonat" (land register record maybe?) no matter the current actual size.

Very good point.  The builders would have to move the fence as part of the work though.  I'm going to have to consult my lawyer on this. Way too complicated for me to solve.