Grateful in Gyor; Hungry in Hungary - by Vince Mercier

Thankfully Bill is very much alive and so my blog is dedicated to the “real” Bill Brock.

When I told people who didn’t know Bill that I was joining him and a few others to cycle in Austria and Hungary, almost everyone exclaimed that sounds like a great trip. When I told people who knew Bill (and our friend Wes) that I was going to cycle with them in Austria and Hungary, most people exclaimed “WHY?”

As you may have read previously, Air Canada/Austrian Air managed to lose my bike. Bill couldn’t wait to yell at someone. His motto, from Al Capone, which applies to the way he litigates: “You get more with a nice word and a gun than with a nice word alone.” He told me he couldn’t wait to get back to the office; I promise to email the return date to the Montreal litigation group so you can all call in sick.

Bill has also amply demonstrated his second favourite saying, care of our partner Gillian Stacey, “You’re only young once, but you can be immature forever.

A couple of quotes to illustrate the point:

1. The faster we get “Hungary”, the faster we get lunch

2.  the one about how Budweiser and sex in a canoe are similar in that they are both [a swear word that starts with an F in both English and French and should not be used in a blog] close to water
3. The problem with being an atheist is you have no-one to talk during sex

4. There were so many Germans in Charles de Gaulle airport after the Icelandic volcano that the French Government considered surrendering

5. If a man does something wrong and there is no woman around to see it, is it really wrong?







Bill has acquired a new nickname, the “Seagull”. Simply order food while sitting next to Bill and you’ll immediately understand.

I’d post some pictures from our ride today from the Hungarian countryside, but there’s a reason it’s the Austro-Hungarian empire, and not the Hungarian-Austrian empire. No castles today- only rain and a couple of former communists smoking incessantly (and no I’m not referring to the storks).

Kidding aside, Gyor is a beautiful city, and we had a fabulous dinner in the main square (Bill is sitting at the other end of the table) with a fabulous $25 bottle of Hungarian Cabernet Sauvignon!

I’m absolutely delighted to be here celebrating life with Bill and Maryse, my good friend Wes and his daughter Anne, and my new friends Claude and Serge.