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missustoad wrote:

I didn't take any photos.  He (or she) was small, less than two inches, sort of brownish -- not up on my lizards -- is it a salamander or newt? ....
Maybe some children study the local fauna and can tell me what the little guy was.

No, it's a lizard. They are really common hereabouts. I have no idea where they go during the winter.

Without a photo, or better description, I would first guess it was a common wall lizard since they are the most common and likely to be seen here. And the size would indicate a young one born this year (they can hatch as late as August). The usually overwinter in the soil in burrows, under rocks or wood piles.

klsallee wrote:

.... The usually overwinter in the soil in burrows, under rocks or wood piles.

Hibernation - now there's a good trick. If we could do that, we could, perhaps live to 200.

Follow up - I saw a smooth newt in our garden today. It might also have been what you saw. Here are some links to photos of smooth newts:

HE definitely looked more like your photo than the one of the European wall lizard I have seen elsewhere

Thanks!

Today I went to the zoo.  Finding my own lizard is a lot more fun!

The heads are very different from the ones native to Hungary. Local lizards (I also live with some of them always running on the walls outside) are shaped much more like the green lizzards (which live farther from human populations but love ruins. They are totally harmless, nice fellas (unless you are a mosquito or small bug)...