Anyway, I went to Budapest on that trip, and at the time it was common to be met at the train station by people offering a place to sleep in their homes for cheap. Me and some guys I was with at the moment took one of them up on the offer and went with him to his apartment, $15 a night for the three of us. It was a cramped little place, but in the city, so it was cool. We stayed up late talking to the guy, and found out he was a doctor.

Which was a huge shock to me. A doctor living in a tiny little place and letting tourists sleep on his couch for very little money. That (and the flagship department store in Budapest being nearly barren by US standards) convinced me that the West had gotten some things right, at least.

The guy did have a lot of books though, and asked me to send him some science fiction books once I got home. I mailed him a bunch of cyberpunk. Wonder what he made of that. Wish I'd kept up with him.