For the Love of Art

So this book represents a huge retrospective of 20th century photography that I saw in Budapest. While there I saw a photograph called "Blind Girl Playing with Sand" and I wept, literally. Now, as then, it brings tears of joy to my eyes (for no apparant reason other than that is an awesome moment captured forever). However, it is the back story of securing a copy of the book that I want to share here. In the morning I travel from down town Budapest on the Tram for about 12 stops (taking about 20 minutes). I arrive at the Szepmuveszeti Muzeum (Museum of Fine Arts) and wander around amazed at all I see. I then decide to buy this book (which weighs like 10 pounds). I go to pay and my Interac won't work (that's OK it's Eastern Europe and these things happen). So I go outside to the ATM and try again. Nope. Next, I try my credit card back inside the museum...declined? And then again, outside...declined. What the screaming hell? I have lots of money in both accounts. Therefore, I pull out a phone card and phone home. Just as the bank answers, my phone card runs out of money...GRR. And then I try another one (same result). Fracking hell. I then decide that I need this book so badly that I take the tram back to the hotel to get another phone card. I get back and decide that I will phone from the terminal (surrounded by Gypsies tugging at me for whatever it is Gypsies want). I finally contact the bank and they direct my call to the VISA people. Of course, they ask me some questions and while the Gypsies are distracting me I give the wrong answer to my security question...Because on that day Henry Miller was not my favourite author...ARGH. Eventually I answer all their questions and they tell me that it was a random security check on both my accounts that was causing concern. It seems that there were many transactions taken all over Europe (no kidding) and they wanted to make sure they were all by me. Ummm...I phoned you before I left and told you that this would happen. Anyway, back on the tram I go, all the way back to the museum (which, by this point, was ready to close). I got my book and lugged it back to the hotel thinking...all this for a book, all this for a picture....completely worth it.