SEEN AND HEARD
Very much in demand, this Cultural Centre
The Köbanya Cultural Centre, at the heart of the eponymous Budapest district, is used for all events of a larger size, and has numerous halls and rooms for meetings and concerts. The young and the not-so-young rub shoulders there. There is even a snack bar, a small interior terrace and a cash machine!
Very much in demand, this Cultural Centre
A ‘very junior’ video team
Under the direction of an adult, Jorge Pereira Pinto, a teacher and education specialist, two fourteen and one fifteen-year-olds, Carla Invernizzi (Nadine Schintgen’s daughter), Thierry Treinen and Eric De Oliveira from the Lycée Ermesinde in Luxembourg took part in Christmas in Europe with the task of creating a video and still photos of the event. These documents will then be exploited, commented on and analysed in class. To see them at work you could tell that they have what it takes to be future journalists!
A ‘very junior’ video team
Joyful meeting
Budapest had organised Christmas in Europe in 1995 thanks to Akos Sasvari, the then director of the Giorgio Perlasca School who retired two years ago. He was invited to attend the European Buffet by his successor Csilla Dévényi. It was also the occasion of a joyful meeting with Christiane Keller, founder of Christmas in Europe, who had taken part in the first Christmas in Europe in Budapest.
Joyful meeting
Mrs Christmas is invited by the media
Obviously Christmas in Europe in Budapest was followed by some of the local media, including a television and a radio station. And inevitably Christiane Keller was invited to answer some questions about the particular features of Christmas in Europe – a task that she masters to perfection!
Mrs Christmas is invited by the media
Craftsmen and Craftswomen at the exhibition
In one of the halls of the Cultural Centre the visitors to the Christmas in Europe exhibition, as well as the participants, had the opportunity to buy craft products presented by local manufacturers and craftsmen and craftswomen. This provided an added attraction, which to judge from the number of customers was much appreciated.
Craftsmen and Craftswomen at the exhibition
All is running smoothly in the kitchen
Istvan Theisz, a chef at the Giorgio Perlasca School, was obviously very pleased during the gala dinner. His troops had worked well, and all they had left to do was to take up the dessert from the kitchen cold room to the service point, where they were still serving the soups!
All is running smoothly in the kitchen
The flag upside down!
There’s an AEHT tradition that at the Annual Conference and at Christmas in Europe the AEHT flag is passed from the present organising school, in this case Budapest, to the next organiser, Marseilles. The hand-over takes place at the traditional gala dinner. This tradition was followed in Budapest, but with a minor variant: the flag happened to be upside down for quite a time, before it was placed the right way up - to the great amusement of the givers and receivers!
The flag upside down!
It’s over, now take it down again
All good things must come to an end, and so it was for the exhibition. The stands were dismantled on the morning of Monday December 3rd, an operation that caused a little nostalgia in the ranks of the participants. It was true that the event was drawing to a close. There was just the gala evening to go, the last act before departure the following morning.
It’s over, now take it down again
Transport
For the delegations which had come to Budapest by plane, the journeys from the hotel to the Cultural Centre or to the Giorgio Perlasca School could be made only by shuttle bus, by underground or by tram. Here you see a small group off for a visit to the city centre by underground.
Transport
Assistants
The organisers also had the idea of attaching to each delegation a student assistant to help them in every aspect of their stay. An excellent idea that deserves our congratulations.
