June 10, 2008, Budapest and transit to Vienna. (I am located HERE today). I had a 5 p.m. train to Vienna so decided to take a side trip to the planetarium in Budapest. It is at the edge of the city, and I was able to find my way there by taking a tram and then a bus. The planetarium is located in a large park surrounded by an expanse of grasses, flowers and trees. It's a nice venue. I found the entrance and asked if I could talk with the plentarium director. After a quick phone call, I was asked to wait for a bit.

I met with Dr. Lorenc Kinga. She and I had a very nice visit together. We discussed the planetarium equipment, the programs and a nearby observatory in the hills over Budapest. It was unfortunate I was unable to visit the observatory, but I just ran out of time. The planetarium has a very nice Zeiss projector that dates to about 1960 or so. At one point Dr. Kinga took me into the planetarium to watch part of the show they were presenting to a large group of school children. The projector was doing a wonderful job, and the sky above the show floor was filled with stars, the Milky Way and planets. I had a chance to take a couple of pictures and I bid farewell to Dr. Kinga and her staff. They were very nice to me, something I've found again and again as I've visited planetaria and observatories throughout Europe.

I arirved in Vienna at around 8 p.m. and will get busy seeing the city tomorrow. So, until then --- Ciao.....