It was a hot afternoon. Downtown was unbearably hot. I went to Római-part (Roman Beach), because a friend of mine, who is a librarian invited me to ”Fellini Római Kultúrbisztró”.
(Here are some pictures about this place: http://agyasztaltv.blog.hu/2010/07/04/fellini_romai_kulturbisztro)
Római-part (Roman Beach) is a 10-kilometer-long part of the Danube shore on the Buda side, in Budapest. It is really like a resort. There are hotels, summer houses, camping sites, boathouses, sports facilities and restaurants by the riverside. You can eat pancakes and a favourite, Hungarian snack, lángos. The boathouses are standing next to each other all the way long, so you can rent a canoe or a kayak. But if you are not a sport fan, you can have a rest or listen to a concert that a local band gives on summer evenings in one of the restaurants. You can dance and have fun.
After that busy day, I was walking by the restaurants, where people were eating fish and drinking beer and I was happy to feel the gentle wind.
”Fellini Római Kultúrbisztró” often gives place to concerts and cultural events. And in these summer months, a ”mini library” operates there. The day I went there was the first day when you could borrow books and journals, and could read them while you were drinking a cold beer or fresh lemonade (then returned them).
You can enjoy reading in these deck-chairs
The organizer of this mini library is one of the public libraries in Budapest, called ”Óbudai Platán Könyvtár”. This mini library is ”officially” called ”Bibliocikli”, because books and journals are brought to the ”Kultúrbisztró” by bike every day. The mini library is opened between 19th June and 19th August (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 14.00-18.00 and Saturday, Sunday 11.00-19.00)
“Mini Library” – “Bibliocikli”
I think it is a good initiative. There are some other examples for ”summer libraries” in Hungary. Some ”beach libraries” operate at Lake Balaton (e.g. in Siófok). These ”mini libraries” ensure that books ”go to” readers. The aim of running them is to please readers and popularize books, reading and libraries.
“Mini library” (Bibliocikli) is an easy and liberal way of borrowing books. People can choose from about a hundred books/journals, and if they ask for a title, it will be ”bicycled along” the next day from the library.
And I have to mention that it is a real “green library”. 🙂
The “mini library” is ”closed”. Szuszi is bringing the books back to the library.
How can yout get to Római-part?
Take the No. 5 HÉV (suburban railway – green and white trains) from Batthyány tér to „Rómaifürdő” or „Csillaghegy”. Alternatively, catch a 34 bus from „Árpád híd” metro stop on the blue M3 line. You can get off at „Nánási út”. Plus 10 minutes walk. (From the HÉV station it can be a 20-30 minutes walk.)
You can find the Hungarian version of this post here:
books and soul 