On the Imperial Train to Budapest...

        It was the meeting and greeting of "old" friends and new ones that made the quick trip to the Munich
Hauptbahnhof such a great way to begin the journey to WACRA 2000 in Budapest, Hungary. Seeing the
piles of tagged baggage placed on the train made it clear that we expected to have a good time on the
‘Tracks of the Orient Express with the Emperor...’
        The beautiful countryside passed by changing from urban to rural to Alpine scenery as quickly as our
conversations changed from past experiences to those anticipated along the "WAY". Before we knew it, they
were calling for the first seating for lunch on our special meal coach. Those "first seating folks" enjoyed the
food so much that we sent a messenger (can you imagine me) to have them leave the dining car so the
‘second seating’ could begin. Of course I got involved in  conversation and the second group sent another
messenger... This time it worked! Everyone was seated and all enjoyed an outstanding Austro-Hungarian
meal before the arrival in Vienna.
        While some were still eating, several ‘case writers’ in the group developed a plan to get our luggage
untangled from the luggage of a Russian group sharing the car with us and then unload some 130 pieces
of luggage before the train would pull out of the station after a brief (ten minute) stop.  Upon arrival at the
Westbahnhof in Vienna off went the luggage by one door and we by the other door and then we followed
it for the short walk to a "classic tourist hotel" in the middle of all the "action".
        "All aboard,!" said the trolley person. "Don't lose your trolley ticket", added Hans as we changed trams
and trolleys to travel to Grinzing to do as the Viennese do, enjoy in the company of friends some food,
some wine, some more..  at a ‘Heurigen’ restaurant. Drinking the most delicious wines out of glasses that
looked like beer mugs was interesting, especially when you added the other liquid to make a cold crisp
beverage. Toasts were made all evening and in every language, especially Spanish! (Remember
Extremadura, 99?!). The dinner was a huge buffet of great local foods served in the vine covered outdoor
courtyard of Karl Heinz Berger. Liptauer, Frühlingskäe, Gorgonzolabutter, mageres Schweinskarrée,
knuspriger Kümmelbraten, geräucherter Schinken, Brathuhn, Rindszunge mit Kren, Blutwurst mit Sauerkraut
und faschierten Laibchen, verschiedene Salate, Gemüseauflauf und Schinkenfleckerl, Wachauer,
Salzstangerl und Hausbrot, hausgemachter ofenfrischer Apfel- und Topfenstrudel.
        If you want to know what you ate, write to Peter Martin at the ‘Wien Tourismus Kongressbüro’
martin@info.wien.at He will be delighted to hear from you and explain. We did not lose our tickets for the
trolley (=streetcar) and we found our way back to the hotel.
        Shopping and sightseeing in Vienna were "must do things" the next day. The walking tour through the
pedestrian area, planned by Bettina Greimel and Natalia Aiger, was such a nice touch. Bettina and Natalia
(both from the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien) will be our hosts again -  for ACT4 -  January 3-6, 2001. Some
people attended the theaters and concert halls  that evening (preplanning helps) and some of us caught
up with our sleep as we prepared for the special trip on board of the ‘Majestic Imperator’, the Emperor’s
train.
        Red Carpet?!!! White gloved attendants?!!! This is just too much!!!!!
A step up into history became reality! The royal blue and gold tapestry covered seats/window were just
too much! All Aboard! Off to Budapest! But only if you had the proper credentials... Some ‘ordinary’
passengers offered the attendant several thousand shillings for a seat. They were turned away... Elegant
snacks were served with refreshing beverages. It was a "majestic event" as the trained rolled towards
Budapest...
        Over the Danube River that divides Budapest into Buda and Pest…to the hotel and conference center
and an evening of Hungarian culture on a scenic hilltop overlooking "The River and The City"! It was so
historic!
        Just think… over 130 thermal hot springs were in these hills and only 30 had been tapped for commercial
use. Some of us assisted the economy by visiting the world famous Gellert baths!
Sunday was filled with activities including the Case Study Workshops and the Teaching Workshops. The
conference Center of the Central European University was the Center of action. It was  well equipped with
all the conveniences needed by the participants to keep in touch with the "back home" situation. The
Plenary Sessions were designed to stimulate discussions that continued into the concurrent sessions. They
did!
        Fun, Food, and History could summarize the various evening events. It was great to see the WACRA
participants do the Hungarian folk dances. OK! So they weren't great but it looked like fun! However, the
Hungarian cooking class on ‘goulash’ was outstanding! or! more! More!
Finally, we said good-bye with bags of Hungarian goods, dozens of academic papers and a host of new
e-mail numbers to be sure we continued to "be in touch". We slowly left the city of historic buildings, some
by air, others by car, some on the bus for the three day post tour and the rest of us…"on the Tracks of the
Orient Express!!!!!!!"
                                                                                        Violet M. Malone, Western Washington University

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