children on duty

right after exploring the former pioneers' camp of csillebérc, i walked over to the station of the children's railway. well, without a break whatsoever, the walk down on memory lane continued as i purchased my ticket, hopped on one of the carriages of the charming little train, then rode through the hills of buda. i was still completely  mesmerized by the remains of the service of a formal era.

though with some adult supervision, as its name suggests, the children's railway is operated by 10-14 year old children, who, prior to entering service, go through notable training, are obliged to take and pass exams, and thus take their jobs rather seriously. after all, this is quite a serious - but nevertheless so much fun! - game. you would have to be practically blind not to notice how much these children enjoy and admire being railroaders, and hence take not only the rules and their duties seriously, but they are also completely sure of their very own importance in the system. (which, by the way is very cute, even though a few of the boys seemed quite obnoxious. i guess a bit too much power went into their heads.) still, the thin little (about) twelve year old girl who validated my ticket was awfully cute with her disheveled hair, stick-thin legs, dusty white stocking, and uniform two sizes too large. although at times a bit insecure and forgotten of her role, it was so obvious that she was completely in love with her job. the ride itself to hűvösvölgy was fun too, with all the soc-real style stations, the unmistakable scent of the old trains, and the sound of pounding under feet as we rode through the chilly and ever so green woods of the buda hills.