STetc ch 22: the apport/asport chapter

[Michael Bailey]

Zoltan von Kiss was on the Stupendica - was he the husband of that Glow? - no, that was Porfirio -
and now Zoltan's in Budapest, working "out of a modern-style office building, convenient to the East Station...."

Replete with pictures and informative text -
https://www.seat61.com/stations/budapest-keleti.htm


The Man in Seat 61 says, "Budapest Keleti is one of Europe's great stations, with graceful architecture and trains arriving & departing to or from Munich, Vienna, Zurich & Bucharest.  The premium lounge for 1st class passengers on platform 9 is a haven of peace, where friendly staff offer a great cappuccino.  The station has a British connection too, the facade sports statues [at first reading, I was wondering "what are sports statues?"] of James Watt & George Stephenson.  Arriving or departing at Keleti station is an experience in itself..."

Who is the man in seat 61? Oh, I see: it's his website.

Jmes Watt invented the Watt, but who was George Stephenson?
He built the first steam locomotive (with the help of a blacksmith, John Thorswall, to do the actual work on the physical plane, or train if you prefer) and settled on a standard gauge for railroad tracks which is still used.

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-the-railroad-1992457


Zoltan shares a floor in the office building with Anglo-Danubian Casualty and Theft - whose posters remind me of some insurance ads from the '60s/'70s - before Flo and the Limu Emu or the Geico Gecko.

It seems like it would be a natural strategic partnership: they insure against apports, and he's got the power to get things back?

His own description, which may be a humorous and/or self-serving exaggeration, doesn't even mention doing anything for Anglo-Danubian, though:
"...once an echt working apportist, lately more of a psychic celebrity detective pursuing a life enviable at least from a distance." Police departments and Foreign Offices bidding for his services, women amateur and professional throwing themselves in his direction, newsreel and magazine photographers his natural element, flash powder and neon his everyday light.