Palace of Glass
On the waterfront in Alsoors, a small Balaton village in Hungary, is a palace of glass. And, it was there that countless young people used to dance and have fun. But, sadly no more. This once popular disco is now shuttered and barred, and the youngsters have all disappeared. But, this huge building of glass was not always a disco, it was something else, too. And. Aranka Acs, who grew up in a nearby village, told me the following story.
When she was a child, Aranka Acs and her family used to spend many long summer days down by the lake in Alsoors. Lake Balaton was the perfect place for summer days out. And, it was to the communal canteen that most people went for their lunch. And, it was this canteen that later became the disco. But, Aranka Acs has no feelings of nostalgia when she thinks back to the canteen.
Being built of glass, the building was unbearably hot, and people ate and left as quickly as possible. This palace of glass was not a nice place to linger. And, the food, too, was not very nice. It was industriously produced, and the limited choice was always the same. People went there because there was no where else to go. But, then came the end of the socialist era and this daytime disaster became a night-time wonder of good fun and music. And, it stayed that way for 25 years. So, buildings, too, have more than one life.
But, what is the future of this now empty and silent palace of glass? The choices are many. But, I secretly hope that this magnificent lake-side palace of glass will once again become a palace of life. A place for the young. There is now a black hole where fun used to be and it's keeping the youngsters away. And, a place without youth is a place that's not living. The building's still there. Why not open it up and let it live once again?
Vocabulary
ate – (eat/ate/eaten) – ass
daytime – tagsüber
disappeared (disappear/disappeared/disappeared) – verschwand
grew up (grow/grew/grown – up) - wuchs-auf
limited choice – begrenzter Auswahl
linger – weilen
night-time – nachts-über
shuttered and barred - geschlossen und geriegelt
unbearably – unerträglich
waterfront - Ufer
wonder – Wunder
Questions
Where is Alsoors?
What was the palace of glass until recently?
What was the palace of glass when Aranka Acs was a child?
Was the palace of glass a nice place for lunch?
Why did the people go to the palace of glass for lunch?
When did the canteen become a disco?
For how long did the palace of glass remain a disco?
