One man's trash...

is another man's treasure.  This week was large item pickup day for the local trash collection here in my neighborhood in Budapest.  All of a sudden, piles of refuse began to appear in front of every apartment building up and down the street.

The piles grew and grew over the course of a few days.  Furniture, clothing, CD's, busted electronic devices, a box of slides, shoes, carpets... pretty much you name it.  It was like the buildings themselves were disgorging all of their garbage.

Apparently word got out and before long, gypsies started to appear, sorting through the piles and staking out their own little turf, leaving the women behind to guard their stash.  I saw two kids digging through a pile along with their families, finding all sorts of good stuff, and I have to say it looked like they were having a lot of fun.  It is enough to remind you, though, to be thankful for what you've got...