Friday:
Breakfast is earlier than our usual 8:00 start time so we can hit the road and beat the traffic. More of Vera's fab poppy seed and apple muffins. (There isn't a chance in hell of my passing a drug test at the moment.) That said, we still managed to take until about 8:30 to get moving. The best laid plans...
With Uncle Dave again at the wheel of the mighty Opel, we hit a few back roads and then made it to Hungary's version of the Autobahn. Whoo Hooo! I still don't get to do the whole experience until we go to Keyra's in Germany next week, but I did enjoy my 140 kph commute. All Autobahns in Hungary lead to Budapest, so we traveled to the city burbs and then caught another road south into the Puszta.
Our agenda today includes traveling to the Hungary National Historic Park in Opusztaszer (that's Oh-pooz-tah-sir if you are Hungarian, or Opus-Tazer if you are a smart alec tourist from the US). All kids of big historical things are rumored to have happened at this site, and excavations are underway to unearth remnants. Because the rumors of all this history have existed in Hungarian writing for years, in 1886, on the anniversary of the founding of the current state, a large monument was built here. This is our first stop in the park.
The monument is a large marble structure with a large staircase. In a circle, arranged in front of the structure are busts of the important folks in Hungarian history. First up is Árpád, leader of the armies that settled this area in the 800's or so. Following him are the "Seven Heros," the leaders of each of the tribes that followed Árpád. Peter claims that they are misnamed. He feels they should be called the "Seven Morons." His argument: "had they just traveled another 500 kilometers west, things would have been a lot different." Hard to argue with that. The Hero's are followed by other kings and leaders, many of which we will meet farther down the post.
The real reason for our trip to this place is to visit the Panarama. This painting was finished in 1894. It is housed in a huge circular building to house the 15 meter highth and 120 meter length. The subject of the painting is the Hungarian Tribes arriving in the Carpathian Basin. The entrance leads you to start at the back of the painting. Árpád and the Seven Heros sit at the top of a hillside. To his right, in the center of the back, his bride arrives in a wagon drawn by four large oxen. Moving around to the right you see women being carried off and riders in the valley looking for a place to camp. At the front of the painting a Taltos, or Shaman is preparing to sacrifice a white horse while women dance about the fire throwing in magic grasses. Continuing around the right are the Hungarian hords, leading you back to Árpád. There is a sound scape that follows you as you move around, bring the painting to life in sound. You find yourself walking around again and again. Every cycle leads to new discoveries of details that you missed the first time. The best place to dig this piece from, though, is in the exact center. As you turn, the motion moves past you. It is as if someone froze a moment in time and allowed you to stand in the middle of it and observe it. Trés cool! Our half hour in the room ended way too soon.
Shooed out the door, we visited the museum that surrounds the panorama building. Statues, period art work, 19th century period clothing, and a nice retrospective on the creation of the park and museum give a nice perspective of the history of the site and Hungary in general.
We left the building and rented a golf cart to tour the grounds, to spare Peter's legs; a necessity he insisted he did not need. We worked our way around the park, visiting a working windmill, several houses from differing periods in Hungary that were carefuly torn down and reassembled here, and a Timber Industry display, carefuly hidden as several traditional Yurts. What is it about these timber industy guys and their monuments to themselves. I guess the best PR is the stuff you create yourself.
Back to the car and back up the Autobahn to Kecskemét. We are guesting with Kazi-Basci and Zsusza-Neni. If you haven't met them yet, I invite you to refer back to the earlier Kecskemét entry.
We were greeted with enthusiasm by this fun loving couple - and shots of Metaxa, followed by shots of paint thinner... I mean Palincka, and then settling into beer. Kis-Kazi and Gabor arrived shortly after we did, and the merriment commenced. My notes are not real legible for some reason this evening. I can tell you that most of the amusement of the evening was caused by reading the Lonely Planet Hungarian Prasebook. The locals find English really silly, and it seems whom ever put together the phrase book did not exactly make the best choices in translation. In between we argued about the American presidential election, Hungarian food and fashion, and generally had a good time.
A Holstein beer, quickly purchased by Gabor before he left to attend a concert with friends and then opened by Kis-Kazi and placed infront of me were my last thought of the evening. Off to bed at Gabor's.
Saturday:
Z and I were up early (7:00, I know, but we're on vacation) and ready to face the world. Only one problem, we were locked into Fortress Gabor, and, based on the fact that I heard the shower running around 5:00 a.m., we were probably not going to be seeing him for a little bit. Z and I hung out on his back deck until we were able to roust him and get him to unlock the front gate so we could head over to Kazi and Zsuzsa's for breakfast. He told us to let his folks know he was "just beautifying himself," and he would be right over.
We found our way back and sat down for the traditional Hungarian breakfast of cold cuts and cheeses, peppers and tomatoes with coffee while recliening on the deck. The best part of a visit to Hungary is the amount of time you spend hanging out on the deck chatting and eating. Good thing, too. We finally saw Gabor about an hour later. In the meantime I perused the brochure for the local Kodaly Music Festival. Seems we had just missed by to days the production of Sound of Music in Hungarian (in case you were wondering, it's A Muzsika Hangja. Don't ask me how Lonely Goatherd goes, it wasn't in the brochure.)
Gabor eventually pulled himself together, and we were off to the races. Vera and Peter traveled with Kazi and Zsuzsa and Z and I traveled with Gabor in his Skoda. Guess what? They don't run on coal anymore. Gabor didn't get a ticket all day. Could have suprised me - that thing is fast! The idea was that Gabor, who really speaks pretty good English (contrary to his belief) would be my tour guide. This was a job he filled with his aplomb. "This is the Shell Station." He was quick to point out the "rest area" and the "football stadium" (that's soccer, folks). Stopped by a traffic light by a topless bar, he made sure we understood that it was a bar that held "cultural folk dance expositions."
Our tour began at the top of Gellért Hill at the site of the old prison. Standing at the edge of the view point and looking down on the Danube and buildings the difference between world class cities and, oh, say Portland, or the 'Couve are that world class cities are willing to drop some cash on art and architecture. It trite to talk about "breathtaking views" and "stunningly beautiful buildings" and all, but views this beautiful leave you that speachless. The epic views of the Danube winding through the castles and churches - each view grander and more splendorous than the last - I can't find the words to descibe it, but I will be happy for the rest of my days that I was allowed to see it.
The top of the hill has the famous Freedom Monument. This huge statue was carved by the father of one of Peter's neighbors. Her mother, as she reminds Peter five or six times a week, was the model. As I gather it, Peter is a little less than impressed. The statue is very impressive and can be seen pretty much everywhere in the city. Along either side, placed at "common man" level are two Soviet era "common man" statues. This is assuming that the common man in the statues lives in the gym 6 hours every day (come on, don't you do that?). Not quite so impressive.
From here we traveled to the Buda end of the famous Chain Bridge (Budapest is devided into three parts. Buda and Óbuda on the west band and Pest on the East). The Chain Bridge was the first bridge accross the Danube in Budapest, and was partially responsible for the unification of the two banks into one berg. The bridge was closed to automobile traffic today for a tourist market. Kazi, our head tour guide today, does not let us waste any time (or money), however, and flogs us ahead.
Near where we have parked the car is the "0 Killometer" monument. Budapest is the center of the hub of all Autobahns in Hungary. This point, theoretically, is the beginning of all of these roads, and the millage is measured accordingly. In other words, this is the center of the Hungarian Universe. Oooo.
From this point we took the funicular up to the top of Castle Hill. Our tour started with a quick walk around the "Palace" (now a museum) looking at the spectacular art, primarily statues of historical figures. In the back there was an amazing iron sculpture of a crow sitting on a gate, with a huge amount of detail. The artist was a genius. As we wandered down the street, Kazi pointed out a heavily scarred wall. It is a left over "monument" to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. If you look closely, you can see the bullet holes. Lots of them.
This day immersed in Hungarian history was interesting as much for what was shown as for what was not. The early history is everywhere, and Hungarians are particularly proud of their early past. Almost every house has some form of historical relic from this period on the walls or the bookshelves. You will see discussions of WWI, but mostly to bring up the injustuce of the reduction of "big" Hungary to the current borders, and their territory was "taken away" or "stolen" from them. I saw one public picture all day then even acknowledged that WWII ever existed in their country. The 1956 Revoulution is proudly displayed many places, other modern history, not so much. Like most places, Hungarians want to spin their history to show themselves in the best light (no suprise there).
Back down the funicular and a quick trip across to the Pest side of the river to see the Millenium Monument (that was the 1800's one, youngster). This monument sits in the middle of an open square of about 16 blocks in the middle of the Pest side of the river. Placed carefully towards the back, so that you can appreciate the scale of this large open space in the middle of the city (could this happen in america? Not a chance in hell...) is a large statue of Árád and the Seven Morons. Again, as in the other art we have seen today, the scale and attention to detail are overwhelming. Again, a trite description. But words fail me in the presence of art that is that in your face. Wow! Behind the Morons are statues of the great Hungarian kings and political figures. I guess you have to check in here to see if you did OK as a ruler.
From the monument we traveled high up and over the Buda hills to the communty of Visegrad, where the first order of buisness is lunch - at the Seagull Restaraunt (more likely Rivergulls). A killer salad bar of Hungarian traditional salads and an entre of fried cheese and steamed veggies for the vegetarian (believe it or not, that is a traditional dish in Hungary). Z had veal paprikas. The consensus was that the food was first rate - highly recommended.
Down the street in Visegrad is the King Mathias Museum and Castle Restoration. This is an old Gothic period castle, that Mathias remodeled in the early Renaissance period, so you have an opportunity to view artifacts of both periods. The ceramic stoves being restored here are pretty amazing.
We traveled up the hill from here intending to visit the upper fortress, but were running out of gas. Instead we went to a nearby hotel with a restaraunt overlooking the Danube Bend. The view from here is truely stunning (and the views by the pool below us were pretty stunning, too!). We has an iced coffee and enjoyed the view. One of my dreams is to someday sit in a café in central Vienna and commune with the great mids of our day by reading a paper and enjoying a kaffee mit schlag. Until that day comes, this was pretty darn close.
I have mentioned in these pages before the truck and bus drivers in this neck of the woods. The next level of hell lower from these psychopaths are motorcycle riders. On the trip down the twisty road from Visegrad, we had one of this "brain trust" attempting to pass us. As we were on a twisty road, he couldn't see far enough ahead to be sure he could pass. So for about three corners this rocket scientist rode his bike right next to the front bumper of the car. Had a car come from the other direction he would have been toast. On the plus side, we would have improved the gene pool.
I am eternally greatful to Peter, Vera, Kazi, Zsuzsa, and Gabor for taking the gift of sharing their history and culture with me. The heartfelt connections that they feel for these symbols and their connections to recent events speak to me in a way that no history book or tour ever could. Thank you to you all!
××××××××××
Dinner this evening is again at Kazi-Basci and Zsuzsa-Neni's house. Our mighty band is joined by Kis-Kazi, his wife Zsuzsa and daughter Claudia. Claudia is wearing a beautiful folk costume this evening, given to her by and uncle who picked it up in Transylvania. Converstion this evening is spirited - and in Hungarian - leaving me with a lot of time to reflect and write in my journal. Zsuzsa shared some pictures of her trip to France and to Corsica with me. Gabor and Kis-Kazi have been using their English to give me a good natured ribbing. A favor that is soon shared by Gabor, as his mother and father, along with Peter and Vera, start singing Hungarian folk songs. Turns out they are all songs about marriage. There is nothing quite as swell as hanging out on the deck with a beer and trading songs and stories with family.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
7/17/2008, Sűmeg and Tihany
In an effort to get us out of the way of the cleaning lady today, Peter and Vera gave us the car and told us to get lost. So once again, with me at the wheel of the trusty Opel, we were off to see the world.
We started by finally making it to Sümeg, a pretty complete ruin of a 1300's castle/fortress. During the Turkish invasion this was the last castle standing, and protected the sacred Hungarian Crown. The tour involves a hike up a pretty steep hill, and then forking over 3000 forint for the two of us. Fortunately, we arrived just in time to catch the 11:00 showing of the Renaissance hoot-fest. Z assures me that good history is presented here by the mostly high school aged troop. They spend the year training and learning the history so they can perform it in the summers and make a little cash. I'll buy that it is probably pretty authentic history. That said, without the benifit of being able to understand the commentary, here is the show. A bunch of guys throw axes and shoot arrows. Some ladies dance around in Elizabethan and belly dancing costumes - some of them even holding real snakes! There was the obligatory audience participation hummiliation thing, and there was a bored teen aged high school "Queen" (like I don't get enough of that at work every day). Huzzah!
(A brief aside: the last time we saw ladies dancing with snakes was last week when we took Jaden to the circus. Z translated the MC's introduction for us, and we knew we were in for something special. "And now! Two ladies - dancing with a snake and an alligator!" The two ladies appeared, tastefully garbed in traditional belly dance costume - followed by a gentleman carrying a large snake and another gentleman carrying a small and very angry alligator. The ladies began their dance, and the gentlemen set their animal burdens down on the floor - as far as possible away from where the ladies were dancing. By the book, two ladies, dancing with a snake and an alligator.)
We spent a little time wandering about the castle and a bit more time reflecting in the very pretty period era chapel, and then moved on. The whole thing here is just a little to tourist-y. If you do this kind of thing, go see the McCoy in Szigliget without all the hootiness.
From there we traveled back to Tihany. I won't bore you with another description of this beautiful place. Suffice it to say, it was well worth another visit.
××××××××
We are traveling to Kecskemét tomorrow to see Kazi-basci and Zsusza-nene and family. Rumor has it, we may even be traveling to see the jewel in the crown its self, Budapest. Should that happen, you'll find it here first.
We started by finally making it to Sümeg, a pretty complete ruin of a 1300's castle/fortress. During the Turkish invasion this was the last castle standing, and protected the sacred Hungarian Crown. The tour involves a hike up a pretty steep hill, and then forking over 3000 forint for the two of us. Fortunately, we arrived just in time to catch the 11:00 showing of the Renaissance hoot-fest. Z assures me that good history is presented here by the mostly high school aged troop. They spend the year training and learning the history so they can perform it in the summers and make a little cash. I'll buy that it is probably pretty authentic history. That said, without the benifit of being able to understand the commentary, here is the show. A bunch of guys throw axes and shoot arrows. Some ladies dance around in Elizabethan and belly dancing costumes - some of them even holding real snakes! There was the obligatory audience participation hummiliation thing, and there was a bored teen aged high school "Queen" (like I don't get enough of that at work every day). Huzzah!
(A brief aside: the last time we saw ladies dancing with snakes was last week when we took Jaden to the circus. Z translated the MC's introduction for us, and we knew we were in for something special. "And now! Two ladies - dancing with a snake and an alligator!" The two ladies appeared, tastefully garbed in traditional belly dance costume - followed by a gentleman carrying a large snake and another gentleman carrying a small and very angry alligator. The ladies began their dance, and the gentlemen set their animal burdens down on the floor - as far as possible away from where the ladies were dancing. By the book, two ladies, dancing with a snake and an alligator.)
We spent a little time wandering about the castle and a bit more time reflecting in the very pretty period era chapel, and then moved on. The whole thing here is just a little to tourist-y. If you do this kind of thing, go see the McCoy in Szigliget without all the hootiness.
From there we traveled back to Tihany. I won't bore you with another description of this beautiful place. Suffice it to say, it was well worth another visit.
××××××××
We are traveling to Kecskemét tomorrow to see Kazi-basci and Zsusza-nene and family. Rumor has it, we may even be traveling to see the jewel in the crown its self, Budapest. Should that happen, you'll find it here first.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
7/16/2öö8, Keszthely, Kis-Balaton
A planned trip to Sűmeg was cancelled on acount of rain, and so Peter took us on a car tour around the vicinity of Kis-Balaton. Kis-Balaton (Kish-Balaton, or Little Balaton) is a wet land, and a protected wildlife refuge. It works as a cleaning system for the Zala River, filtering out the icky stuff before the water moves on to the big lake.
Our journey began, as usual, when leaving Keszthely in this direction, with a long pause at the round-a-bout at the edge of town. Peter pointed out a large open field and told us that they had found the remains of a largish Roman city in that field. They carefuly undug the entire city, listed and catelogued everything, and then buried it up again. They do that a lot here. I am glad someone is keeping record of what's there though.
From there to Sámelléck to buy gas. Sámelléck is where the comercial airport is located. It started life as a Soviet era Nuclear Missile site. Little by little it is being cleaned up and expended so that, at some point, large regional flights will be able to come here. Recycling at it's best. And if you are in a hurry, they can fly you out on a rocket!
Kis-Balaton is pretty and peaceful and possibly poisonous (not really - but it sounded good). Peter took us to a couple of places around the lake. The first, at first glance, is a really large stack of fire wood. As you get closer you find that, while, yes, it is fire wood, it is also a shelter that can be used as a bird blind. It seems some Swiss Boy Scouts got creative several years ago and started stacking their firewood to make this structure. It is completely sound, and does not have a nail in it. Pretty cool. The other spot was the ruin of an old church. This is (theoretically) the spot where Method and Ciril got together and knocked out all the differences between the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholics back in the 800's or so. They also did some other cool stuff regarding teaching (anyone ever use a teaching method?) and things like that. There was a small chapel near by that we managed to sneak into before they closed. There was some amazing artwork and some columns dating back to at least the 1200's (sorry, my Hungarian is not that good).
We returned home for some German hazing from my in-laws. Peter and I "enjoyed" a refreshing Underberg. You can find this stuff at German markets in the States. It is supposed to help your health and digestion and all those other claims they make when they are trying to convince you that something you are not going to enjoy is really good for you. Well, suprise, it's not too bad. Lots of cloves and other herby things. I wouldn't go out of my way to get it, but it wasn't too bad.
For our beer drinking friends, here are a couple of more selections:
Paulaner Hefeweißbeir, Paulaner Brauerei (http://www.paulaner.de/), 5.5% by volume. Light cloudy brown color with a thick, cloudy white head. The nose is bananas and bubble gum (really). Nice effervecent bubbly taste, with lots of malt and yeast (that1s the bananas you were smelling) with just a hint of hops blending everything together, and then hanging around on the back of your throat. A world class Hef. Accept no substitutes - like the Widmer one you get down the street. They aren't the same. Really.
And less you think we are doing nothing but sitting around drinking world class suds, may I offer:
Zlatý Bažant (quickly dubbed "Slarty Barfast" by the Hitchikers Guide fan), brewed by contract by the Heinecken Brewery, but really a Slovokian beer, 5.0% by volume. Color is right for a pils, but the head dissapears quickly. I get a little hops in the aroma, but not much. There are malt and hops in the flavor profile, but they are not going broke on the ingredients. Think of it as water with a little bit of flavoring added for fun. Not our best beer here. Not even close.
×××××××
On a more serious note. We just found out that the National Guard unit that Z's son, Nico is assigned to has been called up for assignment to Iraq. Please keep him (as well as all the other men and women in the millitary) in your thoughts and prayers as he reports for this duty.
Our journey began, as usual, when leaving Keszthely in this direction, with a long pause at the round-a-bout at the edge of town. Peter pointed out a large open field and told us that they had found the remains of a largish Roman city in that field. They carefuly undug the entire city, listed and catelogued everything, and then buried it up again. They do that a lot here. I am glad someone is keeping record of what's there though.
From there to Sámelléck to buy gas. Sámelléck is where the comercial airport is located. It started life as a Soviet era Nuclear Missile site. Little by little it is being cleaned up and expended so that, at some point, large regional flights will be able to come here. Recycling at it's best. And if you are in a hurry, they can fly you out on a rocket!
Kis-Balaton is pretty and peaceful and possibly poisonous (not really - but it sounded good). Peter took us to a couple of places around the lake. The first, at first glance, is a really large stack of fire wood. As you get closer you find that, while, yes, it is fire wood, it is also a shelter that can be used as a bird blind. It seems some Swiss Boy Scouts got creative several years ago and started stacking their firewood to make this structure. It is completely sound, and does not have a nail in it. Pretty cool. The other spot was the ruin of an old church. This is (theoretically) the spot where Method and Ciril got together and knocked out all the differences between the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholics back in the 800's or so. They also did some other cool stuff regarding teaching (anyone ever use a teaching method?) and things like that. There was a small chapel near by that we managed to sneak into before they closed. There was some amazing artwork and some columns dating back to at least the 1200's (sorry, my Hungarian is not that good).
We returned home for some German hazing from my in-laws. Peter and I "enjoyed" a refreshing Underberg. You can find this stuff at German markets in the States. It is supposed to help your health and digestion and all those other claims they make when they are trying to convince you that something you are not going to enjoy is really good for you. Well, suprise, it's not too bad. Lots of cloves and other herby things. I wouldn't go out of my way to get it, but it wasn't too bad.
For our beer drinking friends, here are a couple of more selections:
Paulaner Hefeweißbeir, Paulaner Brauerei (http://www.paulaner.de/), 5.5% by volume. Light cloudy brown color with a thick, cloudy white head. The nose is bananas and bubble gum (really). Nice effervecent bubbly taste, with lots of malt and yeast (that1s the bananas you were smelling) with just a hint of hops blending everything together, and then hanging around on the back of your throat. A world class Hef. Accept no substitutes - like the Widmer one you get down the street. They aren't the same. Really.
And less you think we are doing nothing but sitting around drinking world class suds, may I offer:
Zlatý Bažant (quickly dubbed "Slarty Barfast" by the Hitchikers Guide fan), brewed by contract by the Heinecken Brewery, but really a Slovokian beer, 5.0% by volume. Color is right for a pils, but the head dissapears quickly. I get a little hops in the aroma, but not much. There are malt and hops in the flavor profile, but they are not going broke on the ingredients. Think of it as water with a little bit of flavoring added for fun. Not our best beer here. Not even close.
×××××××
On a more serious note. We just found out that the National Guard unit that Z's son, Nico is assigned to has been called up for assignment to Iraq. Please keep him (as well as all the other men and women in the millitary) in your thoughts and prayers as he reports for this duty.
Monday, July 14, 2008
7/14/2öö8, Keszthely, Gyenasdias, Hevís
It's been either really hot or very stormy the last few days. As it's just the four of us now, we are staying pretty close to home.
Saturday evening found us at the Bor-fest in Gyenasdias (otherwise known to the Cynics amongst us as Buenos Dias). Peter has been dealing with some medical issuses, so most of these trips are Vera, Z and I. There is a traveling winefest (wine is bor in Hungarian) that visits most of the communities on the north side of the lake during the summer (the wine region of Hungary). This is one of the first for the year. A wine fest is a flock of people around these really cool wooden trailer/booth things that the local wine makers use to hock their product. There are several food vendors selling traditional fare, and a central stage with live music. When we arrived the music onstage was a very hip marimba ensemble (three percussionists, bass and drums), that really enjoyed playing tunes in 7. They were followed by the community concert band playing traditional march favorites on equiptment that would draw howles of protest from the folks that play in my bands. The last group of the evening (that we caught anyway) was a Hungarian-Folk-Metal-Hair-Band (really- the locks were quite impressive). If you have been indoctrinated, think the Hungarian Höven Dröven. Fun stuff! We feasted on Longos and kürtöskalacs and dug the tunes-and the wines. The highlight was a rare wine made from a "blue armed grape" - literally a grape with a blue stem. Evidently this is quite rare, and only a few bottles are made a year to be sold at festivals like this. A white wine with a smooth, buttery flavor. It was very nice and trés drinkable (sorry folks, I'm a beer guy - as this blog should be making clear by now. You want good wine descriptions, talk to my brother-in-law, Jerry).
Sunday evening we went into Hevís for a festival that wasn't there (guess we were looking at last year's program. We enjoyed a walk around the radioactive lake, and then did a little shopping in the shops still open on Sunday evening. We followed this by taking a train ride around the city (Hevís has one of those tourist trains that it uses as a bus line). Vera commented that she would probably end up seeing sections of Hevís she had never seen before, and likely she was right. This thing went everywhere. Some great views and some stunning architecture. It was a nice way to become familiar with the area. We finished with a beer at the local ettrem, and then a gelatto, and then home. Who needs a festival?
Monday brought a huge storm - thunder, lightning, rain - the works. I left for my morning walk under ominous skys, made it to the lake, and then caught the down pour. It was raining so hard I couldn't see three feet infront of me. I made my way back home, and the rain gradually died down, so that it had mostly stopped by the time I reached the front door. "What the heck," I thought and headed back out, only to have the rain start to pick up again. Defeated, I gave up, went back in a crawled back into bed.
Z and I went shopping in the afternoon. We took the Chineese walk. There are several Chineese markets in town that sell quality clothing at bargain prices - some of which are carrying labels you may have heard of before - assuming you don't look too closely. Z was looking for shoes, but ended up buying underwear. I guess it was a productive trip. I'm not quite sure how to tell anymore.
Saturday evening found us at the Bor-fest in Gyenasdias (otherwise known to the Cynics amongst us as Buenos Dias). Peter has been dealing with some medical issuses, so most of these trips are Vera, Z and I. There is a traveling winefest (wine is bor in Hungarian) that visits most of the communities on the north side of the lake during the summer (the wine region of Hungary). This is one of the first for the year. A wine fest is a flock of people around these really cool wooden trailer/booth things that the local wine makers use to hock their product. There are several food vendors selling traditional fare, and a central stage with live music. When we arrived the music onstage was a very hip marimba ensemble (three percussionists, bass and drums), that really enjoyed playing tunes in 7. They were followed by the community concert band playing traditional march favorites on equiptment that would draw howles of protest from the folks that play in my bands. The last group of the evening (that we caught anyway) was a Hungarian-Folk-Metal-Hair-Band (really- the locks were quite impressive). If you have been indoctrinated, think the Hungarian Höven Dröven. Fun stuff! We feasted on Longos and kürtöskalacs and dug the tunes-and the wines. The highlight was a rare wine made from a "blue armed grape" - literally a grape with a blue stem. Evidently this is quite rare, and only a few bottles are made a year to be sold at festivals like this. A white wine with a smooth, buttery flavor. It was very nice and trés drinkable (sorry folks, I'm a beer guy - as this blog should be making clear by now. You want good wine descriptions, talk to my brother-in-law, Jerry).
Sunday evening we went into Hevís for a festival that wasn't there (guess we were looking at last year's program. We enjoyed a walk around the radioactive lake, and then did a little shopping in the shops still open on Sunday evening. We followed this by taking a train ride around the city (Hevís has one of those tourist trains that it uses as a bus line). Vera commented that she would probably end up seeing sections of Hevís she had never seen before, and likely she was right. This thing went everywhere. Some great views and some stunning architecture. It was a nice way to become familiar with the area. We finished with a beer at the local ettrem, and then a gelatto, and then home. Who needs a festival?
Monday brought a huge storm - thunder, lightning, rain - the works. I left for my morning walk under ominous skys, made it to the lake, and then caught the down pour. It was raining so hard I couldn't see three feet infront of me. I made my way back home, and the rain gradually died down, so that it had mostly stopped by the time I reached the front door. "What the heck," I thought and headed back out, only to have the rain start to pick up again. Defeated, I gave up, went back in a crawled back into bed.
Z and I went shopping in the afternoon. We took the Chineese walk. There are several Chineese markets in town that sell quality clothing at bargain prices - some of which are carrying labels you may have heard of before - assuming you don't look too closely. Z was looking for shoes, but ended up buying underwear. I guess it was a productive trip. I'm not quite sure how to tell anymore.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
7/12/2öö8, Lenti and Hevís
In the persuit of newer and greater swiming experiences, we traveled to Lenti, on the Slovenian boarder yesterday. An early start found us finally on our way around 9:3ö (hey, I have a grandaughter, that's pretty early).
A car journey through Hungary is always an adventure. For example, as we crossed the border into Hungary from Austria several days ago, we passed through the community of Chernelházadamonya. The name was bigger than the town. Hungary is full of bergs with colorful names. Consider these: Ukk, Bűk, Und, Pápa, Kup, Ják, Old, Matty, and of course the unforgettable Nyugotszenterzsébet. I usually amuse myself on longer car journeies by practicing my phonetic reading - to the amusement and or annoyance of the Hungarians in the car. Therefore the community of Cécé is pronounced by them as "Seh - Seh." Of course anyone can see that it is really "Kee - Kee." The above mentioned "Ukk" is really pronounced "Ook." You thought it was Ukk, too, didn't you?
Lenti is located in one of the oldest regions of Hungary. Vera told us that the communities are so old that they voted recently to keep the community names that have existed since the 12öö's for historical reasons. New communities in the region will often append a "Zala-" in the front of their name so they can be part of the group. This also explains many of the longer names on this side of the country.
The swimming emporeum is pretty cool. Two indoor swimming pools and five outdoor pools await our swimming pleasure. A kiddie pool (Jaden says to me, "I like kitties." I think I am creating a monster...), an intermediate pool, a lap pool, and a "fun" pool, with the little chanel with the current, the big slide (they cost money here), and all the other bells and whistles. The remaining pools are all health pools. The water park, it seems, is located in a "Hungarian vortex," where "scentific studies" have shown that "magnetic forces" are in a "special alignment" that provides many "health benefits." They have a little path that you can wander that takes you to all the hot spots to get the most bang for your buck. Or something.
As usual, Jaden jumped right in, with the adults taking turns watching her, soaking up some rays or suds, enjoying the eye candy, or reading. Jaden swam for 6 hours and was asleep in the car within five minutes of leaving the parking lot.
Dinner was in Hevís at a wine cellar up on the hill. It is eveidently on a site where several old Roman ruins were discovered. The building is beautiful, the food fabulous, the wine devine, and the mosquitoes think enough to carry you away. We made a hasty retreat.
A car journey through Hungary is always an adventure. For example, as we crossed the border into Hungary from Austria several days ago, we passed through the community of Chernelházadamonya. The name was bigger than the town. Hungary is full of bergs with colorful names. Consider these: Ukk, Bűk, Und, Pápa, Kup, Ják, Old, Matty, and of course the unforgettable Nyugotszenterzsébet. I usually amuse myself on longer car journeies by practicing my phonetic reading - to the amusement and or annoyance of the Hungarians in the car. Therefore the community of Cécé is pronounced by them as "Seh - Seh." Of course anyone can see that it is really "Kee - Kee." The above mentioned "Ukk" is really pronounced "Ook." You thought it was Ukk, too, didn't you?
Lenti is located in one of the oldest regions of Hungary. Vera told us that the communities are so old that they voted recently to keep the community names that have existed since the 12öö's for historical reasons. New communities in the region will often append a "Zala-" in the front of their name so they can be part of the group. This also explains many of the longer names on this side of the country.
The swimming emporeum is pretty cool. Two indoor swimming pools and five outdoor pools await our swimming pleasure. A kiddie pool (Jaden says to me, "I like kitties." I think I am creating a monster...), an intermediate pool, a lap pool, and a "fun" pool, with the little chanel with the current, the big slide (they cost money here), and all the other bells and whistles. The remaining pools are all health pools. The water park, it seems, is located in a "Hungarian vortex," where "scentific studies" have shown that "magnetic forces" are in a "special alignment" that provides many "health benefits." They have a little path that you can wander that takes you to all the hot spots to get the most bang for your buck. Or something.
As usual, Jaden jumped right in, with the adults taking turns watching her, soaking up some rays or suds, enjoying the eye candy, or reading. Jaden swam for 6 hours and was asleep in the car within five minutes of leaving the parking lot.
Dinner was in Hevís at a wine cellar up on the hill. It is eveidently on a site where several old Roman ruins were discovered. The building is beautiful, the food fabulous, the wine devine, and the mosquitoes think enough to carry you away. We made a hasty retreat.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
1/1ö/2öö8, Keszthely
The last few days have involved hanging around beautiful Keszthely and the environs. I have started my morning power walks again and getting some practice time in on the deck in the speedo (yes, you are required to have a speedo in Europe. I know, deal with it.). Zia went down to her genuis hair cutter person this morning and got her hair colored and cut. I am hoping that we will be able to get a picture off of Kyra's digital camera later to post.
Peter took Z and I to Szigliget on Tuesday. On the hill above the town are the ruins of a castle/fortress that have existied since the early 12öö's. Peter is still having some difficulties with his diabetes, and was not able to make the climb with us. From the top there are some awsome views of Balaton and the surrounding vineyards. (Longtime readers will remember that this region of Hungary is the wine belt, much as the Willamette Valley is in Oregon.) An enjoyable afternoon.
The rest of our time is spent loafing by the lake, working on our sunburns. Jaden has turned part fish, and is learning to swim a little better every day. Today we opted to loaf by the pool. The pool is shaped to look just like the lake, with the deep end on the Keszthely side. The pool bullies worked on Jaden a little bit, but, due to the language, she had no idea. Grandma had a few words for them, though.
Peter, Vera, Z and I are to travel to Budapest some time in the next week or so on a bus tour. More on that when ( and if, you know) that happens.
Peter took Z and I to Szigliget on Tuesday. On the hill above the town are the ruins of a castle/fortress that have existied since the early 12öö's. Peter is still having some difficulties with his diabetes, and was not able to make the climb with us. From the top there are some awsome views of Balaton and the surrounding vineyards. (Longtime readers will remember that this region of Hungary is the wine belt, much as the Willamette Valley is in Oregon.) An enjoyable afternoon.
The rest of our time is spent loafing by the lake, working on our sunburns. Jaden has turned part fish, and is learning to swim a little better every day. Today we opted to loaf by the pool. The pool is shaped to look just like the lake, with the deep end on the Keszthely side. The pool bullies worked on Jaden a little bit, but, due to the language, she had no idea. Grandma had a few words for them, though.
Peter, Vera, Z and I are to travel to Budapest some time in the next week or so on a bus tour. More on that when ( and if, you know) that happens.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
7\8\ö8 Vilseck to Keszthely
So no promises on this entry. I am typing today on Vera´s keyboard which is in Hungarian. It has about a million more keys than I am used to, the "Z" and "Y" key have been switched, and most of the punctuation marks don´t work - as you can see from the title of this post.
Sunday, and the trip from Vilseck to Keszthely...
Kyra drove the first section of the trip, and I took over just before the Austrian border. What fun! The autobahn is pretty cool. Before we crossed the border into Austria I touched on 11ö a couple of times. Austria has a speed limit, so I had to content myself with crusing along at 13ö KMH (that between 85 and 9ö MPH for you slowpokes at home!).
The autobahn system is set up so that you don't travel into any towns, just skirt the edges. As a result you get to see a lot of wooded hillsides and, over in the distance, many little quaint villages, huge castles, towering chuch towers, etc. Since you don't get to see any of them up close and personal, you have a lot of time to sit and question. I drove through three countries in a day. Why three countries? Germany and Austria share a language, the architecture is similar in all three countries, the social customs are similar. What makes it all so different? Which leads on to introspection about culture. I am fortunate enough to get to play in a band with several great friends who perform the folk music of Germany. Why Germany? What draws people to hear the folk music of a culture that is not their own? What is folk music? Dang it, I almost missed that turn.
We reached Peter and Vera's in the late afternoon, just in time for dinner. First the obligatory palinka - no make that two. Apricot, and very good stuff too. And then dinner - chicken parprikas for the carnivores, and "chicken" paprikas with tofu for the vegetarian. Vera has been playing around with tofu and should publish a cookbook. She is doing some amazing things with the stuff.
After a couple of glasses of Peter's remarkably tasty home grown wine, we wandered down to listen two a couple of tunes from the band playing downtown. Classic garage band, bass player working hard at being serious, rhythm guitarist that is just a little too old and a little too bald to pull off the low guitar, preening for the ladies at the edge of the stage thing, lead guitarist that has the look but not quite the licks, drummer that was pretty OK, female lead vocalist dressed in the current hip fassion and placed front stage to be the center of attention. And - and this is what made it for me - the keyboard player who is a dead ringer for Steve Martin, look manerisms and everything. I was rolling the whole time. We finally gave up, grabed a gelatto and headed home for bed.
Monday.
A nice relaxing day by the lake. You pay 8öö forint and that gives you the run of the place for the day. Get there early enough and you can even have on of those cool deck chair things. We all relaxed in the sun, taking turns getting in to swim with Jaden, who stays in the water pretty much all day. I remember when I used to be able to do that. I spent my time not swiming reading the work at the center for the arts school next year (yes, I did do some work this summer!). It's called "The Creative Habit" by Twyla Tharp, and I highly recomend it to those of you with a creative bent. A facinating read about the process of creating and the work involved in doing so. Lunch was langos - basically an elephant ear with garlic instead of sugar. Pretty tasty.
Dinner, and another of Vera's tofu experiments. Tonight was Tofu Schnitzel: thinly sliced tofu with blue cheese in the middle, breaded and deep fried. I have mentioned before that Vera is the queen of cooking, but she excells at frying. This was pretty amazing stuff.
More beer notes:
Aktien Pilsner, Bayreuther Bierbrauerei AG, 4.9% by volume.
A beautiful light tawny brown with a slightly hoppy nose. Sweet and hops are well balanced in the front of the mouth, slight hop flavor in the back of the mouth that disappears a little too quickly. Not too big - another good session beer.
Sunday, and the trip from Vilseck to Keszthely...
Kyra drove the first section of the trip, and I took over just before the Austrian border. What fun! The autobahn is pretty cool. Before we crossed the border into Austria I touched on 11ö a couple of times. Austria has a speed limit, so I had to content myself with crusing along at 13ö KMH (that between 85 and 9ö MPH for you slowpokes at home!).
The autobahn system is set up so that you don't travel into any towns, just skirt the edges. As a result you get to see a lot of wooded hillsides and, over in the distance, many little quaint villages, huge castles, towering chuch towers, etc. Since you don't get to see any of them up close and personal, you have a lot of time to sit and question. I drove through three countries in a day. Why three countries? Germany and Austria share a language, the architecture is similar in all three countries, the social customs are similar. What makes it all so different? Which leads on to introspection about culture. I am fortunate enough to get to play in a band with several great friends who perform the folk music of Germany. Why Germany? What draws people to hear the folk music of a culture that is not their own? What is folk music? Dang it, I almost missed that turn.
We reached Peter and Vera's in the late afternoon, just in time for dinner. First the obligatory palinka - no make that two. Apricot, and very good stuff too. And then dinner - chicken parprikas for the carnivores, and "chicken" paprikas with tofu for the vegetarian. Vera has been playing around with tofu and should publish a cookbook. She is doing some amazing things with the stuff.
After a couple of glasses of Peter's remarkably tasty home grown wine, we wandered down to listen two a couple of tunes from the band playing downtown. Classic garage band, bass player working hard at being serious, rhythm guitarist that is just a little too old and a little too bald to pull off the low guitar, preening for the ladies at the edge of the stage thing, lead guitarist that has the look but not quite the licks, drummer that was pretty OK, female lead vocalist dressed in the current hip fassion and placed front stage to be the center of attention. And - and this is what made it for me - the keyboard player who is a dead ringer for Steve Martin, look manerisms and everything. I was rolling the whole time. We finally gave up, grabed a gelatto and headed home for bed.
Monday.
A nice relaxing day by the lake. You pay 8öö forint and that gives you the run of the place for the day. Get there early enough and you can even have on of those cool deck chair things. We all relaxed in the sun, taking turns getting in to swim with Jaden, who stays in the water pretty much all day. I remember when I used to be able to do that. I spent my time not swiming reading the work at the center for the arts school next year (yes, I did do some work this summer!). It's called "The Creative Habit" by Twyla Tharp, and I highly recomend it to those of you with a creative bent. A facinating read about the process of creating and the work involved in doing so. Lunch was langos - basically an elephant ear with garlic instead of sugar. Pretty tasty.
Dinner, and another of Vera's tofu experiments. Tonight was Tofu Schnitzel: thinly sliced tofu with blue cheese in the middle, breaded and deep fried. I have mentioned before that Vera is the queen of cooking, but she excells at frying. This was pretty amazing stuff.
More beer notes:
Aktien Pilsner, Bayreuther Bierbrauerei AG, 4.9% by volume.
A beautiful light tawny brown with a slightly hoppy nose. Sweet and hops are well balanced in the front of the mouth, slight hop flavor in the back of the mouth that disappears a little too quickly. Not too big - another good session beer.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
7/5/08 Vilseck and Weiden
Z and I started the day with a walk around Vilseck, a classic little village with tile roofs and quaint architecture. Z got a bit turned around and I saw a bit more of town than I counted on, but it was a pleasant morning for a walk and everything was so beautiful, so who cares. We stopped at the kondeterei on the way home for fresh pretzels and bread for breakfast.
Our afternoon was spent in Weiden shopping on the pedestrian mall. On a beautiful summer afternoon – not too hot and slightly cloudy – the place was packed with people. A fun place to people watch. We visited a fun trachten shop (http://www.trachten.de/) and checked out the lederhosen and dirndls, and then visited the department store down the street where I was able to score a leather loden jacket on a season ending clearance for cheap!
From there to the PX for – you guessed it – more shopping. Kyra’s friend Katie works there and, having just got off work, showed us all the killer deals and helped us find the bargains.
Dinner was at a small restaurant up the street. Schnitzle and salmon for the adults and a nice play area for Jaden, with ice cream sundaes for desert (except for Uncle Dave, who opted for another beer!).
We finished the day with chatting with Greg online and via web cam. us all the killer deals and helped us find the bargains.
Dinner was at a small restaurant up the street. Schnitzle and salmon for the adults and a nice play area for Jaden, with ice cream sundaes for desert (except for Uncle Dave, who opted for another beer!).
We finished the day with chatting with Greg online and via web cam – you will be happy to know that he seems to be doing well and is looking good – then some last minute packing and off to bed to rest up for the journey to Keszthely tomorrow.
Our afternoon was spent in Weiden shopping on the pedestrian mall. On a beautiful summer afternoon – not too hot and slightly cloudy – the place was packed with people. A fun place to people watch. We visited a fun trachten shop (http://www.trachten.de/) and checked out the lederhosen and dirndls, and then visited the department store down the street where I was able to score a leather loden jacket on a season ending clearance for cheap!
From there to the PX for – you guessed it – more shopping. Kyra’s friend Katie works there and, having just got off work, showed us all the killer deals and helped us find the bargains.
Dinner was at a small restaurant up the street. Schnitzle and salmon for the adults and a nice play area for Jaden, with ice cream sundaes for desert (except for Uncle Dave, who opted for another beer!).
We finished the day with chatting with Greg online and via web cam. us all the killer deals and helped us find the bargains.
Dinner was at a small restaurant up the street. Schnitzle and salmon for the adults and a nice play area for Jaden, with ice cream sundaes for desert (except for Uncle Dave, who opted for another beer!).
We finished the day with chatting with Greg online and via web cam – you will be happy to know that he seems to be doing well and is looking good – then some last minute packing and off to bed to rest up for the journey to Keszthely tomorrow.
Friday, July 04, 2008
7/3 & 4/08 Not in a Philadelphia
And we’re off.
Hailey picked us up at 6:00 a.m. after a very short night. We had a huge electrical storm with lots of thunder and lightning that made sleep somewhat unlikely. Alright, waiting to the last minute to pack probably didn’t help a whole lot either. On the plus side, we both got a whole lot more sleep than usual on the plane!
We did a play several years ago at VSAA that had a short piece called “Philadelphia” in it. According to author David Ives, to “be in a Philadelphia” meant that you could order anything you want; a burger, a chicken sandwich, and they will bring you a cheese steak. By these standards, you can’t be in a Philadelphia in Philadelphia, as there is no cheese steak to be had in the airport. We toyed with using our four hour layover to grab a cab and go downtown for one of the famous sandwiches. Needless to say, as a vegetarian, I wasn’t that into it. But Z would be, and that’s reason enough. We took a pass this time, but maybe on the way back.
You begin to notice on international trips that you are going through the looking glass as you catch the last leg of your flight. Increasingly the people around you speak in a language that is not yours. At this point, your attention is increasingly drawn to the way people behave, the cultural similarities and differences. A mother, with a tired but beautiful smile on her face trying to keep her daughter awake before the flight. A father and son, both with a laptop out, the former a PC the latter a Mac (I wonder if they argue over the commercials).
I was lucky enough to draw one of those people on the international leg of the flight that sits down in front of you and instantly drops the seat all the way back and then leaves it there for the remainder of the flight. It gets to be a little claustrophobic and hard to read and stuff. No I didn’t smack her or bounce the back of the chair around. But I thought about it.
The nice mom from the airport ended up sitting right next to us. Needless to say you start to worry a little on a flight where you are hoping to sleep a bit and you see a kid right next to you. The poor lady was obviously exhausted, but was completely devoted to her daughter. I took mom about two hours to get daughter to drop off, and then she slept for the rest of the flight. So did mom.
We were met in Munich by Kyra and Jaden. Jaden insisted that I sit in the back so we could talk on the hour-and-a-half ride to Vilseck, their home. Jaden has reached the age where she can explain anything, so the conversation was pretty humorous (“…a car is made by putting for wheels, and then you add the sides, and then you add the top, and then…”).
We celebrated the fourth with dinner and conversation with several of Kyra’s friends in Vilseck. Kim and Nick hosted a barbecue, with Katie and Russell and Z and I as guests, as well as a few drop-ins. The gentlemen needed to drop out for a bit after one of the guests left and had an accident on the way home (no one hurt). A pleasant evening of conversation.
Several of you commented on our last trip that you enjoyed the beer notes. There should be several this trip so I’ll try and keep you posted.
Meister Pils, Schwarben Bräu Breweri, Stuttgart, 4.9% by Volume
To be fair, this beer is past its pull date. That said; the beer is more malty than hoppy. The nose is supposed to be Tettnanger according to the label (yes, they sell themselves on their aromatics). Very flavorful taste on the front of the mouth, with a nice chewy flavor that is all malt. Disappears on the back of the palette quickly, with little contribution to the overall flavor. A nice session beer. And yes, I enjoyed my session. (www.schwabenbraeu.de)
Hailey picked us up at 6:00 a.m. after a very short night. We had a huge electrical storm with lots of thunder and lightning that made sleep somewhat unlikely. Alright, waiting to the last minute to pack probably didn’t help a whole lot either. On the plus side, we both got a whole lot more sleep than usual on the plane!
We did a play several years ago at VSAA that had a short piece called “Philadelphia” in it. According to author David Ives, to “be in a Philadelphia” meant that you could order anything you want; a burger, a chicken sandwich, and they will bring you a cheese steak. By these standards, you can’t be in a Philadelphia in Philadelphia, as there is no cheese steak to be had in the airport. We toyed with using our four hour layover to grab a cab and go downtown for one of the famous sandwiches. Needless to say, as a vegetarian, I wasn’t that into it. But Z would be, and that’s reason enough. We took a pass this time, but maybe on the way back.
You begin to notice on international trips that you are going through the looking glass as you catch the last leg of your flight. Increasingly the people around you speak in a language that is not yours. At this point, your attention is increasingly drawn to the way people behave, the cultural similarities and differences. A mother, with a tired but beautiful smile on her face trying to keep her daughter awake before the flight. A father and son, both with a laptop out, the former a PC the latter a Mac (I wonder if they argue over the commercials).
I was lucky enough to draw one of those people on the international leg of the flight that sits down in front of you and instantly drops the seat all the way back and then leaves it there for the remainder of the flight. It gets to be a little claustrophobic and hard to read and stuff. No I didn’t smack her or bounce the back of the chair around. But I thought about it.
The nice mom from the airport ended up sitting right next to us. Needless to say you start to worry a little on a flight where you are hoping to sleep a bit and you see a kid right next to you. The poor lady was obviously exhausted, but was completely devoted to her daughter. I took mom about two hours to get daughter to drop off, and then she slept for the rest of the flight. So did mom.
We were met in Munich by Kyra and Jaden. Jaden insisted that I sit in the back so we could talk on the hour-and-a-half ride to Vilseck, their home. Jaden has reached the age where she can explain anything, so the conversation was pretty humorous (“…a car is made by putting for wheels, and then you add the sides, and then you add the top, and then…”).
We celebrated the fourth with dinner and conversation with several of Kyra’s friends in Vilseck. Kim and Nick hosted a barbecue, with Katie and Russell and Z and I as guests, as well as a few drop-ins. The gentlemen needed to drop out for a bit after one of the guests left and had an accident on the way home (no one hurt). A pleasant evening of conversation.
Several of you commented on our last trip that you enjoyed the beer notes. There should be several this trip so I’ll try and keep you posted.
Meister Pils, Schwarben Bräu Breweri, Stuttgart, 4.9% by Volume
To be fair, this beer is past its pull date. That said; the beer is more malty than hoppy. The nose is supposed to be Tettnanger according to the label (yes, they sell themselves on their aromatics). Very flavorful taste on the front of the mouth, with a nice chewy flavor that is all malt. Disappears on the back of the palette quickly, with little contribution to the overall flavor. A nice session beer. And yes, I enjoyed my session. (www.schwabenbraeu.de)
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
7/02/08 Round Two!
And so the adventure continues again…
This trip we are scheduled to travel to Munich (you can hear the little bubbles calling my name, can’t you?), where Kyra will pick us up and take us to her home in Vilseck. From there Peter (Z’s father, if you are a bit behind), will pick us up and, with me at the wheel (can you say “autobahn?”) travel to Keszthely. We’ll hang out there for a couple of weeks with the family and see some stuff, maybe catch a play in Hungarian at the castle, possibly run up to Budapest and very likely Kecskemet, and then back to Kyra’s for some quality time in the land of beer and polkas (and so I am told culture and food and stuff like that).
Of course you notice that there are a lot of “possiblies” and “maybes” in the above list. If you have been following along so far, you know that the plan kind of exists in a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants way. So here is the wish list:
*I hope to see the castle in Keszthely this trip
*I would love to see the big ruin on the hill north of Keszthely
*I want to lay on the beach by what my granddaughter is now referring to as the “ocean” (Lake Balaton) and catch some sun and some z’s
*I would love to stop on one of the trips through and live out a lifelong dream of reading a paper and having a kaffee mit schlag in a little café in Vienna
*One word, Hofbrauhaus
*Oh yeah, and Kulmbach
*Oh and all those Klosters
*And the source of all that is good, Pilsn Czechoslovakia (you know, the place that “pilsner” comes from…)
I know that I will eat great, so I am really looking forward to that (my mother-in-law is one of the greatest cooks on the planet). I hear that some side trips to Neuschwandstein and stuff like that are being talked about, and that would be awesome. And I know that I am going to spend some quality time with Kyra and my favorite granddaughter, Jaden (OK, she is my only granddaughter, don’t wreck the moment). I also hear that there is a party planned where I will get to meet the wives and families of Greg’s unit, and that is going to be really cool.
But mostly, I’m going to relax and go with the flow. Like usual. No really.
Let round two begin…
This trip we are scheduled to travel to Munich (you can hear the little bubbles calling my name, can’t you?), where Kyra will pick us up and take us to her home in Vilseck. From there Peter (Z’s father, if you are a bit behind), will pick us up and, with me at the wheel (can you say “autobahn?”) travel to Keszthely. We’ll hang out there for a couple of weeks with the family and see some stuff, maybe catch a play in Hungarian at the castle, possibly run up to Budapest and very likely Kecskemet, and then back to Kyra’s for some quality time in the land of beer and polkas (and so I am told culture and food and stuff like that).
Of course you notice that there are a lot of “possiblies” and “maybes” in the above list. If you have been following along so far, you know that the plan kind of exists in a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants way. So here is the wish list:
*I hope to see the castle in Keszthely this trip
*I would love to see the big ruin on the hill north of Keszthely
*I want to lay on the beach by what my granddaughter is now referring to as the “ocean” (Lake Balaton) and catch some sun and some z’s
*I would love to stop on one of the trips through and live out a lifelong dream of reading a paper and having a kaffee mit schlag in a little café in Vienna
*One word, Hofbrauhaus
*Oh yeah, and Kulmbach
*Oh and all those Klosters
*And the source of all that is good, Pilsn Czechoslovakia (you know, the place that “pilsner” comes from…)
I know that I will eat great, so I am really looking forward to that (my mother-in-law is one of the greatest cooks on the planet). I hear that some side trips to Neuschwandstein and stuff like that are being talked about, and that would be awesome. And I know that I am going to spend some quality time with Kyra and my favorite granddaughter, Jaden (OK, she is my only granddaughter, don’t wreck the moment). I also hear that there is a party planned where I will get to meet the wives and families of Greg’s unit, and that is going to be really cool.
But mostly, I’m going to relax and go with the flow. Like usual. No really.
Let round two begin…
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
travel continuation...
Where to begin...Kyra and I had a wonderful time catching up .. her friends are wonderful woman courages and brave . They compliment each other in many ways.They are a closeknit group that cares very much about each other.All of them are on messenger and when they get together they turn the volume up on the computer that if one of the husbands gets online they won't miss the message or the opportunity to chat.. We went shopping the second day there and I found Dave really great Lederhosen.. the ladies had a few parties or get togethers that involved Poker and Boardgames of yeah and one night the alcohol flowed pretty heavily..Sometimes you have to let your hair down and if not with your good friends then with whom... what happens in Vilseck stays right there.. Vegas has nothing on these gals.. I love them all...
By living in town Kyra gets to live among the Germans, most of her neighbors are nice, its a cute little town , the churchbells wake you at 5 like it or not .. the local bakeries have amazing breads and pastries every morning by 6 .. what a way to start your day. The Butchershop has all the fresh sausages and meats . The Ladies are enjoying the german spacialties.
The Military installation is a few minutes from town , Kyra takes Jaden to school there every morning , they have shopping abilities there and pay with us currency on the economy they use Euro's.
We headed to Hungary wednesday after the kids got out of school... Kyras friend Katy ( Conley ) as jaden calls her there is 2 Katies ..and her 2 kids joined us for the trip to Hungary. It was a long very long trip , I am proud of my daughter for getting in the car and going places if she gets lost she askes for directions, too many wives sit at home and won't leave the house. Anyways thru Germany ... Austria ... and then fianlly midnight we reached my parents home. Champagne toast to our arrival oh and a snapps too .Bed and sleep ..
Next morning breakfast and then of to show Katy the town.. went to the Castle and walked around the grounds , the Castle( Festetic) has the largest Library of Agricultural books in the world. walked around town and down to the Beach where the kids got to play on all the new equipment that was just recently installed.
Home where lunch was waiting for us.. nap .. another walk ( we walk everywhere and many times a day) The Doctor from next door came over and asked that I go to see him in Heviz at the hospital so he can remove my stitches , he is the chief of staff of the Rheumatology Hospital... yup pays to have important neighbors... he pulled them nicely.. the staff was curious why I was so special..
We drove to Sumeg where there is a Fortress ruin that you can walk around .. in the summer they have period plays...mideval reenactment.. now it was just cold and windy but we walked up to the top and back down...
The Gals left the next day early in the morning .. we walked to town and windowshopped ... My dad got sick and decided to keep close to home. Kyra finally got home sunday night at 8ish.. Monday I helped my mom around the house later her and i walked to town I made a hair appointment and later we drove to Tesco and 24 hour shopping center ..
I found a really pretty coral and silver bracelet ... have to think about it it was aprox.$90.00
Back to the grocery store since my 2 cousins are coming for dinner.. made a pork roast in puffed pastry over roasted potatoes and quince compote.. wine snapps.. good times all around except dad still sick..
Today is a holiday the 51st anniversary of the 1956 revolution.. dad still sick and weather is awful rain rain wind and cold its snowing in areas of europe already...
So the visit continues ...I am having a great time catching up on family and friends .. we are heading to Serbia on thursday if my dad feels better ... all the family there is waiting to see me.. and I them.
Hope your all well
Z
T
By living in town Kyra gets to live among the Germans, most of her neighbors are nice, its a cute little town , the churchbells wake you at 5 like it or not .. the local bakeries have amazing breads and pastries every morning by 6 .. what a way to start your day. The Butchershop has all the fresh sausages and meats . The Ladies are enjoying the german spacialties.
The Military installation is a few minutes from town , Kyra takes Jaden to school there every morning , they have shopping abilities there and pay with us currency on the economy they use Euro's.
We headed to Hungary wednesday after the kids got out of school... Kyras friend Katy ( Conley ) as jaden calls her there is 2 Katies ..and her 2 kids joined us for the trip to Hungary. It was a long very long trip , I am proud of my daughter for getting in the car and going places if she gets lost she askes for directions, too many wives sit at home and won't leave the house. Anyways thru Germany ... Austria ... and then fianlly midnight we reached my parents home. Champagne toast to our arrival oh and a snapps too .Bed and sleep ..
Next morning breakfast and then of to show Katy the town.. went to the Castle and walked around the grounds , the Castle( Festetic) has the largest Library of Agricultural books in the world. walked around town and down to the Beach where the kids got to play on all the new equipment that was just recently installed.
Home where lunch was waiting for us.. nap .. another walk ( we walk everywhere and many times a day) The Doctor from next door came over and asked that I go to see him in Heviz at the hospital so he can remove my stitches , he is the chief of staff of the Rheumatology Hospital... yup pays to have important neighbors... he pulled them nicely.. the staff was curious why I was so special..
We drove to Sumeg where there is a Fortress ruin that you can walk around .. in the summer they have period plays...mideval reenactment.. now it was just cold and windy but we walked up to the top and back down...
The Gals left the next day early in the morning .. we walked to town and windowshopped ... My dad got sick and decided to keep close to home. Kyra finally got home sunday night at 8ish.. Monday I helped my mom around the house later her and i walked to town I made a hair appointment and later we drove to Tesco and 24 hour shopping center ..
I found a really pretty coral and silver bracelet ... have to think about it it was aprox.$90.00
Back to the grocery store since my 2 cousins are coming for dinner.. made a pork roast in puffed pastry over roasted potatoes and quince compote.. wine snapps.. good times all around except dad still sick..
Today is a holiday the 51st anniversary of the 1956 revolution.. dad still sick and weather is awful rain rain wind and cold its snowing in areas of europe already...
So the visit continues ...I am having a great time catching up on family and friends .. we are heading to Serbia on thursday if my dad feels better ... all the family there is waiting to see me.. and I them.
Hope your all well
Z
T
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Adventure continues ... alone
I am excited about this trip for many reasons... I miss my Daughter and granddaughter terribly and also my parents...I need some TLC from my Mom and Dad... I guess we are never to old for that .
Getting ready for this trip was slow ... I had stiches in my finger , a huge sore on my face and new glasses to get used too... Ok so I still managed but not a fast as i had hoped. The souvenir shopping is always a challenge.. what to take... this year Christmas ornaments.. swan figurines for Moms collection... ( she has several hundreds and I am supposed to find one that she doesn't have yet... HA HA HA ) My dad collects tribal masks... yeah another challenge.. at the last minute .. found both.!!!
So ... packed .. off to Seattle .. Hotel .. Airport.. up up and away... landed in Philadelphia ... wanted some cheese steak ... cause thats what your supposed to have there.... Can't have that MAM.... ( read all in the Timing .... you'll understand why that was bizarre to me ) I walked all over that Airport and its a big one... NO CHEESE STEAK!!!!!!!! So I had Teriyaki Chicken...
Flight to Munich was long... wayched the Fantastic 4 movie.. good movie ... Landed .... Baggage Claim... customes... Yippee there was Kyra and Jaden and Kyras friend Katie.... I am so happy to be here .
We grive back to Vilseck ... via the Autobahn.... yup fast ... stopped on Grafenwohr to buy some grocerys and essentials.. then off to Kyras ...
She lives in a really great house.. Jaden and I share the top floor .. Kyra is in the basement.. Living area is in the middle... Stairs are good for you i am told...
Stayed awake as late as I could... 8 Pm... off to sleep... Woke up at 4 ... layed in bed till Church Bells rang for 5 minutes at 5 AM.... time to rise and shine.... watched Tv till Kyra and Jaden got up.... No comercials... well except the AFN ones .
Took Jaden to School .... and then Starbucks...
Didn't do much other than visit till Jaden out of school ... Picked her up .. met Kyras friend Lindsey and her little one and drove to Weiden to go walk around and shop... I found Lederhosen for 99 Euros... Dirndl too... this could be an expensive trip...
Went to a Parfumerie and found a great new scent... Lancome's Hypnose... yup I think I will have to purchase at Duty Free on way home...
Had Dinner at a Pizza place.. yes real italian Pizza.. as good as it was tolk Kyra I needed to go back to noteating Dinner... So starting tomorrow ... back to my plan..
Home ... played online... K showed me all her friends on myspace.. We are going to Lindseys for Jambalaya today and Poker... LOL...
Getting ready for this trip was slow ... I had stiches in my finger , a huge sore on my face and new glasses to get used too... Ok so I still managed but not a fast as i had hoped. The souvenir shopping is always a challenge.. what to take... this year Christmas ornaments.. swan figurines for Moms collection... ( she has several hundreds and I am supposed to find one that she doesn't have yet... HA HA HA ) My dad collects tribal masks... yeah another challenge.. at the last minute .. found both.!!!
So ... packed .. off to Seattle .. Hotel .. Airport.. up up and away... landed in Philadelphia ... wanted some cheese steak ... cause thats what your supposed to have there.... Can't have that MAM.... ( read all in the Timing .... you'll understand why that was bizarre to me ) I walked all over that Airport and its a big one... NO CHEESE STEAK!!!!!!!! So I had Teriyaki Chicken...
Flight to Munich was long... wayched the Fantastic 4 movie.. good movie ... Landed .... Baggage Claim... customes... Yippee there was Kyra and Jaden and Kyras friend Katie.... I am so happy to be here .
We grive back to Vilseck ... via the Autobahn.... yup fast ... stopped on Grafenwohr to buy some grocerys and essentials.. then off to Kyras ...
She lives in a really great house.. Jaden and I share the top floor .. Kyra is in the basement.. Living area is in the middle... Stairs are good for you i am told...
Stayed awake as late as I could... 8 Pm... off to sleep... Woke up at 4 ... layed in bed till Church Bells rang for 5 minutes at 5 AM.... time to rise and shine.... watched Tv till Kyra and Jaden got up.... No comercials... well except the AFN ones .
Took Jaden to School .... and then Starbucks...
Didn't do much other than visit till Jaden out of school ... Picked her up .. met Kyras friend Lindsey and her little one and drove to Weiden to go walk around and shop... I found Lederhosen for 99 Euros... Dirndl too... this could be an expensive trip...
Went to a Parfumerie and found a great new scent... Lancome's Hypnose... yup I think I will have to purchase at Duty Free on way home...
Had Dinner at a Pizza place.. yes real italian Pizza.. as good as it was tolk Kyra I needed to go back to noteating Dinner... So starting tomorrow ... back to my plan..
Home ... played online... K showed me all her friends on myspace.. We are going to Lindseys for Jambalaya today and Poker... LOL...
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Epilogue
OK, we couldn’t really leave it at that. Following is our last day in Keszthely and our journey home…
We spent Wednesday morning involved with our last trip to market. It being a bright, sunny late summer day after several days of rain, there were lots of folks there. Therefore, lots of good shopping; good for Zia and Vera, not so much for me.
On our way back to the car, we needed to cross at the “zebra crossing.” Halfway across, a car came barreling down the street, stopping just barely in time to avoid sending the several of us in the intersection to a better place. I muttered, under my breath, “What are you going to do buddy, mow us down?” and the gentleman next to me replied, “yeah, they don’t stop for much here in Keszthely” – in English. The gentleman, as it turns out, lived in Vancouver, Canada (eh?). His first wife died, and he returned home – which it turns out is the same village that Vera was born and raised in – where he married his second wife and moved to Keszthely. It is indeed a small world sometimes.
1:30 a.m. The alarm on my watch is signaling that it is time to get out of bed and go shower for the journey home. I managed to grab about 3 hours of sleep, and was feeling pretty good. After all, the trip to Budapest involved driving on the Autobahn. And I was driving. Insert large grin here. An hour later found us barreling down the Autobahn, with really bad headlights, at 180 kph (that’s 110 mph, for you slow pokes at home). Peter would occasionally look over at the speedometer and nod his head, so I must have been doing ok. I would like to have gone faster, but the tires were only rated to 190, so I couldn’t push it – dang!
Budapest is referred to as the “Imperial City,” although you couldn’t prove it to me as I drove around town looking for a sign that lead to “Figgy” Airport. They put just enough of them up to get you completely lost. So, fair reader, here is the picture; it is dark, I am driving, with Peter navigating, through some pretty seedy neighborhoods. Peter is pointing directions for me to turn, which I can’t see because it is dark in the car. At this point, we have established that I can take direction in English, German and Hungarian, but I am "in a Budapest" ("you can’t have" directions or signs, sir) and we are relying on Peter's memory, as his night vision is bad and he can't really see where we are going in the dark. After a long, roundabout drive, we finally made it to the airport about 45 minutes after we had planned on being there.
After standing in line for way too long to check our bags, we went down to the cafeteria for a melancholy cup of coffee with Peter and Vera, and then made our tearful goodbyes. I hope their drive home was less eventful than our drive there. I miss them, and am looking forward to the next trip.
Anyway, into the line for the “security vetting.” This involves some Hungarian guy yelling at you in Hungarian, until you figure out that he wants you to take off you belt, and put your change in the little basket. Then you can pass. You know I felt better about security at this point. I needn’t have worried.
We ended up spending an extra half hour in Budapest, as there was something wrong with the plane(!). Turns out it was just an air conditioning issue, but still… We used the extra time to blow the last of our Forint on a “very splendid and worthwhile” shot glass. And off to Frankfurt…
… where total chaos reigns. International flights are directed to cues, where you wait for the security vetting they didn’t do in Budapest. We had an hour and a half to make our connecting flight. It looked pretty grim. Adding insult to injury, the line passed directly by the Duty Free Shop where I had planned on buying a bottle of 18-year-old single malt scotch on the way out. But, noooooo. No liquid on the plane, sir.
So you make it to the front of the line, and you get one of the most thorough searches that I have ever received. Wand and pat down, involving some touching that, in another context, would probably get you slapped (and evidently has, according to some of the video from London we watched on CNN). We lost all of my highlighters from my pack (liquid ink). We were carrying sinus pills and aspirin with us that needed to be checked by another security person (who warned us that if we were to do this again, we should plan on bringing a Doctor’s note for the medication. I’ll remember that the next time I am leaving for Europe and expecting a terrorist attack). From there to one last security check of our passports (where Zia was propositioned by the female security guard), and off to the plane.
We were met at the airport by my Mom and Dad. It was great to see them. They took us home, where, I believe, we made it a whole 2 hours before we fell asleep.
*****
And so, here we are, home, safe and sound and gearing up for Oktoberfest. If you are bored, come check out the band. We are in Sandy, Oregon September. 9th, the Mt. Angel Oktoberfest September 14th through the 19th, and in Bend on September 30th. Hopefully we will see you there!
We spent Wednesday morning involved with our last trip to market. It being a bright, sunny late summer day after several days of rain, there were lots of folks there. Therefore, lots of good shopping; good for Zia and Vera, not so much for me.
On our way back to the car, we needed to cross at the “zebra crossing.” Halfway across, a car came barreling down the street, stopping just barely in time to avoid sending the several of us in the intersection to a better place. I muttered, under my breath, “What are you going to do buddy, mow us down?” and the gentleman next to me replied, “yeah, they don’t stop for much here in Keszthely” – in English. The gentleman, as it turns out, lived in Vancouver, Canada (eh?). His first wife died, and he returned home – which it turns out is the same village that Vera was born and raised in – where he married his second wife and moved to Keszthely. It is indeed a small world sometimes.
1:30 a.m. The alarm on my watch is signaling that it is time to get out of bed and go shower for the journey home. I managed to grab about 3 hours of sleep, and was feeling pretty good. After all, the trip to Budapest involved driving on the Autobahn. And I was driving. Insert large grin here. An hour later found us barreling down the Autobahn, with really bad headlights, at 180 kph (that’s 110 mph, for you slow pokes at home). Peter would occasionally look over at the speedometer and nod his head, so I must have been doing ok. I would like to have gone faster, but the tires were only rated to 190, so I couldn’t push it – dang!
Budapest is referred to as the “Imperial City,” although you couldn’t prove it to me as I drove around town looking for a sign that lead to “Figgy” Airport. They put just enough of them up to get you completely lost. So, fair reader, here is the picture; it is dark, I am driving, with Peter navigating, through some pretty seedy neighborhoods. Peter is pointing directions for me to turn, which I can’t see because it is dark in the car. At this point, we have established that I can take direction in English, German and Hungarian, but I am "in a Budapest" ("you can’t have" directions or signs, sir) and we are relying on Peter's memory, as his night vision is bad and he can't really see where we are going in the dark. After a long, roundabout drive, we finally made it to the airport about 45 minutes after we had planned on being there.
After standing in line for way too long to check our bags, we went down to the cafeteria for a melancholy cup of coffee with Peter and Vera, and then made our tearful goodbyes. I hope their drive home was less eventful than our drive there. I miss them, and am looking forward to the next trip.
Anyway, into the line for the “security vetting.” This involves some Hungarian guy yelling at you in Hungarian, until you figure out that he wants you to take off you belt, and put your change in the little basket. Then you can pass. You know I felt better about security at this point. I needn’t have worried.
We ended up spending an extra half hour in Budapest, as there was something wrong with the plane(!). Turns out it was just an air conditioning issue, but still… We used the extra time to blow the last of our Forint on a “very splendid and worthwhile” shot glass. And off to Frankfurt…
… where total chaos reigns. International flights are directed to cues, where you wait for the security vetting they didn’t do in Budapest. We had an hour and a half to make our connecting flight. It looked pretty grim. Adding insult to injury, the line passed directly by the Duty Free Shop where I had planned on buying a bottle of 18-year-old single malt scotch on the way out. But, noooooo. No liquid on the plane, sir.
So you make it to the front of the line, and you get one of the most thorough searches that I have ever received. Wand and pat down, involving some touching that, in another context, would probably get you slapped (and evidently has, according to some of the video from London we watched on CNN). We lost all of my highlighters from my pack (liquid ink). We were carrying sinus pills and aspirin with us that needed to be checked by another security person (who warned us that if we were to do this again, we should plan on bringing a Doctor’s note for the medication. I’ll remember that the next time I am leaving for Europe and expecting a terrorist attack). From there to one last security check of our passports (where Zia was propositioned by the female security guard), and off to the plane.
We were met at the airport by my Mom and Dad. It was great to see them. They took us home, where, I believe, we made it a whole 2 hours before we fell asleep.
*****
And so, here we are, home, safe and sound and gearing up for Oktoberfest. If you are bored, come check out the band. We are in Sandy, Oregon September. 9th, the Mt. Angel Oktoberfest September 14th through the 19th, and in Bend on September 30th. Hopefully we will see you there!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
8/15 Keszthely, the adventure ends...
We took a drive around the lake yesterday. Seems like an easy thing to say, but this is a several hour undertaking. By the time you add the stops in, it takes all day. So again, with Dave at the wheel, off we go.
First stop was "Beautiful Lookout," which sounds much better in Hungarian (Szep Kilato (Szhape kill-AH-toe), in case you were wondering). A panoramic view of the western end of the lake that was beautiful. Isn’t it nice when the name matches up with the reality?
Several miles down the road was the treat in our drive. Tihany announces its presence from the road with a glimpse of the twin towers of the church, seen just barely over the hill. A drive up a hill and you are treated with the view of the Baroque wonder, needless to say our first stop.
A small fee (naturally) gets you in. The tour starts in the sanctuary of the church. It is very ornate, without being rococo. Lots of fancy statuary and ceiling painting - look, you know exactly what I am talking about if your high school history class covered the Baroque, and if not, go look it up right now. Words are not going to describe the splendor of this. It’s pretty cool.
From there the tour leads into the catacombs below. There you find the grave of the only political figure to survive the historical "reconstruction" of the communist rule. King Andrew the First was the fourth king of Hungary (1047-1060), and was a direct descendant of Arpad, the guy who founded the country. From there the tour continues through several lower rooms covering the turbulent history of the church, monastery, and region. Balaton was on the border for a lot of the wars with the Turkish Empire, and as a result the history of this region is pretty bloody. Combine that with the period of Communist rule, where the Catholic religion was "discouraged," and you find it a pretty interesting read (and the plaques are in English, so you can!). From there you move into an art museum, with works by famous local artists. As always, some of these are things that leave you wondering "what were they on?" and some of these are so moving that you find it difficult to tear yourself away.
Moving behind the church you find a stunning view of the eastern portion of the lake. It is very Mediterranean looking, with a couple of ferry boats, and lots of sail boats. On our lightly cloudy day the water was a brilliant blue. It was a nice place to "just be" for a minute and reflect on the church and art.
Tihany is famous for a blue type of enamel for pottery. Needless to say that tourists have ample opportunity to obtain some of this pottery for a small fee as you travel back to your car (if you don’t mind spots of white or a really weird cartoon cow on the side. We took a pass. I am sure that there is an artisan in the area that doesn’t manufacture for tourists, but we did not have time to find them).
From Tihany, we moved down the hill to Balatonfured for lunch. We ate at a nice Ettrem on the side of the pier, so you could watch the idiots in the sail boats come in and leave. It is the kind of place that are McMineman’s on the Columbia aspires to be, but will never pull off. Zia had a bean soup that is famous in the region. Beans, smoked ham hock, and smoked Hungarian kolbas. She says it was to die for. I had a zucchini, stuffed with freshly chopped and sautéed vegetables. I don’t know that I would die for it, but it was pretty darned good. We hung out there for a bit and enjoyed the view, then onward.
The rest of the trip was by car, without stops - well, we did stop and buy Zia a new dirndl. The weather turned on us in the afternoon, and our pretty sunny day turned to rain, only a quick shower, but, as it was late, on to home we went.
It is a very pretty drive. If you get here, I highly recommend it.
*****
Today was another trip to Hevis to show the new house guests the spa, so that they could take the tour. Vera went with us, which was fun as she is pretty hard to get out of the house. Zia and Vera had a good time shopping, and I had a good time razzing them. A nice lunch, and then home for a nap. Hey, I gotta save up, vacation ends soon. ( Dave was bought the Tourist Vest , he forgot to mention !!!! )
*****
In reviewing the journal entries of this trip, I find myself thinking that we should probably change the name to "A Cynics Guide to Hungary and Serbia." I assure you, however, that you are really missing something by not coming to visit this beautiful place. The scenery is fantastic, the people amazingly nice, it is a great place to vacation. My cynicism, I think, comes from my frustration and anger with myself for not being better able to communicate, and for not being better prepared for culture and customs. Obviously, I have my homework set out for me.
My thanks to Lali and Adrianna, Feri and Ani, Lajos and Bori, Emese, Joe and Adam, Beethoven-Basci and Mozart-Neni, Kazi-Basci and Zsuzsa-Neni, Kiskazi, Zsuzsa, Klaudia, Gabie and Csbi, Gabor and Rita, the guests from Germany, Mega-Magdi, the nice folks at the news stand who provide me with my English newspaper fix, the many "ice" vendors in Serbia and Hungary who provided us with the all-important gelato fix, and all the people I am probably forgetting, for sharing your country, and more importantly your culture with me. Most importantly, thanks to Peter and Vera, my Inlaws, for opening your home to this wacky American guy, and producing a Zia that I could marry. And thanks to my lovely bride for showing me "home."
*****
And so the adventure ends. Tomorrow we load up. As I understand it, I am expected to take the wheel one more time at 2:00 a.m. (!) and drive us to Figgy Airport (or what ever it’s called). There for the expected "security vetting." We leave Budapest at 6:30 a.m., and, through the magic of television, arrive in Portland the same morning around 11:30ish. Not bad.
Thanks for reading my humble rantings. Hopefully they were more entertaining than a slide show. (Hey Dad, Zia hasn’t seen the Navy show yet. I’ll send her by.) Which, of course, doesn’t get you off the hook. You still get to look at pictures. Find us in the fall. Oktoberfest celebrations start soon!
See ya’ in the flesh sometime soon...
Uncle Dave
*****
"Add on by Zia"
Wow it’s time to go back to the other place I call home . I suppose I too should reflect .
I had a wonderful time showing Dave where I am from , introducing him to my Parents , family members and friends. I enjoyed my time with my parents and I am very sad the time is running out as I type these words.
A message to everyone : Spend time with your Parents , if you had a fight make up , if you haven’t spoken in a week call them , don’t let weeks or months go by without talking to them . Time is not forever and you only have so much time with them . Your parents created you and helped shape you , don’t blame them for your flaws . You control your own destiny after you leave the nest. Sorry if I am being sentimental .
The trip was a combination of happy and sad events , I was lucky and got to spend time with Kyra and Jaden . I helped celebrate a very dear old friends 75 th Birthday . I got to see Family and friends that mean a lot to me and I miss very much. I got to show Dave the Place I still call Home , unfortunately I also watched the home I was born in be torn down , that was painful . I have fond memories of that place especially the Horse barn . Times are changing , the town that used to swarm with people and lived day and night now seems abandoned . The youth has left to find employment all over the world and the elderly keep to themselves. I have hopes that in the future changes will happen so people can return .
The time spent here in Keszthely at the Bed and Breakfast was fun too . My parents make all guests feel at home and show them the culture of Hungary . I had the opportunity to observe this since we had guests the entire time we were here. I learned an important lesson , should I ever want to own and run this place ... Breakfast needs to have a time limit !!!!! Our first set of guests chose what ever time they wanted to eat . It interfered with our plans on some days , they also didn’t get that some people go to bed early ... They came home at 11 pm and were very noisy . I think I’ll make up some polite house rules and translate them into several languages. I stayed up late too but did not run up and down the stairs and yell at my kids... OK enough complaining . I also had a few nice conversations with said guests and it kept me practicing my German.
I will go home and learn another language ... which one I am note sure yet . One that doesn’t relate to the ones I already know . Even if I only learn the basics it will help me some day .
Well this is it for me , I am not going to be able to write more , the next 24 hours will be spent packing and spending last minutes saying everything I have not said already. It is very painful to leave , though I miss our Family and Friends in the US too. I wish the world were smaller so I could be close to every one.
I hope everyone enjoyed this blog
Zia
First stop was "Beautiful Lookout," which sounds much better in Hungarian (Szep Kilato (Szhape kill-AH-toe), in case you were wondering). A panoramic view of the western end of the lake that was beautiful. Isn’t it nice when the name matches up with the reality?
Several miles down the road was the treat in our drive. Tihany announces its presence from the road with a glimpse of the twin towers of the church, seen just barely over the hill. A drive up a hill and you are treated with the view of the Baroque wonder, needless to say our first stop.
A small fee (naturally) gets you in. The tour starts in the sanctuary of the church. It is very ornate, without being rococo. Lots of fancy statuary and ceiling painting - look, you know exactly what I am talking about if your high school history class covered the Baroque, and if not, go look it up right now. Words are not going to describe the splendor of this. It’s pretty cool.
From there the tour leads into the catacombs below. There you find the grave of the only political figure to survive the historical "reconstruction" of the communist rule. King Andrew the First was the fourth king of Hungary (1047-1060), and was a direct descendant of Arpad, the guy who founded the country. From there the tour continues through several lower rooms covering the turbulent history of the church, monastery, and region. Balaton was on the border for a lot of the wars with the Turkish Empire, and as a result the history of this region is pretty bloody. Combine that with the period of Communist rule, where the Catholic religion was "discouraged," and you find it a pretty interesting read (and the plaques are in English, so you can!). From there you move into an art museum, with works by famous local artists. As always, some of these are things that leave you wondering "what were they on?" and some of these are so moving that you find it difficult to tear yourself away.
Moving behind the church you find a stunning view of the eastern portion of the lake. It is very Mediterranean looking, with a couple of ferry boats, and lots of sail boats. On our lightly cloudy day the water was a brilliant blue. It was a nice place to "just be" for a minute and reflect on the church and art.
Tihany is famous for a blue type of enamel for pottery. Needless to say that tourists have ample opportunity to obtain some of this pottery for a small fee as you travel back to your car (if you don’t mind spots of white or a really weird cartoon cow on the side. We took a pass. I am sure that there is an artisan in the area that doesn’t manufacture for tourists, but we did not have time to find them).
From Tihany, we moved down the hill to Balatonfured for lunch. We ate at a nice Ettrem on the side of the pier, so you could watch the idiots in the sail boats come in and leave. It is the kind of place that are McMineman’s on the Columbia aspires to be, but will never pull off. Zia had a bean soup that is famous in the region. Beans, smoked ham hock, and smoked Hungarian kolbas. She says it was to die for. I had a zucchini, stuffed with freshly chopped and sautéed vegetables. I don’t know that I would die for it, but it was pretty darned good. We hung out there for a bit and enjoyed the view, then onward.
The rest of the trip was by car, without stops - well, we did stop and buy Zia a new dirndl. The weather turned on us in the afternoon, and our pretty sunny day turned to rain, only a quick shower, but, as it was late, on to home we went.
It is a very pretty drive. If you get here, I highly recommend it.
*****
Today was another trip to Hevis to show the new house guests the spa, so that they could take the tour. Vera went with us, which was fun as she is pretty hard to get out of the house. Zia and Vera had a good time shopping, and I had a good time razzing them. A nice lunch, and then home for a nap. Hey, I gotta save up, vacation ends soon. ( Dave was bought the Tourist Vest , he forgot to mention !!!! )
*****
In reviewing the journal entries of this trip, I find myself thinking that we should probably change the name to "A Cynics Guide to Hungary and Serbia." I assure you, however, that you are really missing something by not coming to visit this beautiful place. The scenery is fantastic, the people amazingly nice, it is a great place to vacation. My cynicism, I think, comes from my frustration and anger with myself for not being better able to communicate, and for not being better prepared for culture and customs. Obviously, I have my homework set out for me.
My thanks to Lali and Adrianna, Feri and Ani, Lajos and Bori, Emese, Joe and Adam, Beethoven-Basci and Mozart-Neni, Kazi-Basci and Zsuzsa-Neni, Kiskazi, Zsuzsa, Klaudia, Gabie and Csbi, Gabor and Rita, the guests from Germany, Mega-Magdi, the nice folks at the news stand who provide me with my English newspaper fix, the many "ice" vendors in Serbia and Hungary who provided us with the all-important gelato fix, and all the people I am probably forgetting, for sharing your country, and more importantly your culture with me. Most importantly, thanks to Peter and Vera, my Inlaws, for opening your home to this wacky American guy, and producing a Zia that I could marry. And thanks to my lovely bride for showing me "home."
*****
And so the adventure ends. Tomorrow we load up. As I understand it, I am expected to take the wheel one more time at 2:00 a.m. (!) and drive us to Figgy Airport (or what ever it’s called). There for the expected "security vetting." We leave Budapest at 6:30 a.m., and, through the magic of television, arrive in Portland the same morning around 11:30ish. Not bad.
Thanks for reading my humble rantings. Hopefully they were more entertaining than a slide show. (Hey Dad, Zia hasn’t seen the Navy show yet. I’ll send her by.) Which, of course, doesn’t get you off the hook. You still get to look at pictures. Find us in the fall. Oktoberfest celebrations start soon!
See ya’ in the flesh sometime soon...
Uncle Dave
*****
"Add on by Zia"
Wow it’s time to go back to the other place I call home . I suppose I too should reflect .
I had a wonderful time showing Dave where I am from , introducing him to my Parents , family members and friends. I enjoyed my time with my parents and I am very sad the time is running out as I type these words.
A message to everyone : Spend time with your Parents , if you had a fight make up , if you haven’t spoken in a week call them , don’t let weeks or months go by without talking to them . Time is not forever and you only have so much time with them . Your parents created you and helped shape you , don’t blame them for your flaws . You control your own destiny after you leave the nest. Sorry if I am being sentimental .
The trip was a combination of happy and sad events , I was lucky and got to spend time with Kyra and Jaden . I helped celebrate a very dear old friends 75 th Birthday . I got to see Family and friends that mean a lot to me and I miss very much. I got to show Dave the Place I still call Home , unfortunately I also watched the home I was born in be torn down , that was painful . I have fond memories of that place especially the Horse barn . Times are changing , the town that used to swarm with people and lived day and night now seems abandoned . The youth has left to find employment all over the world and the elderly keep to themselves. I have hopes that in the future changes will happen so people can return .
The time spent here in Keszthely at the Bed and Breakfast was fun too . My parents make all guests feel at home and show them the culture of Hungary . I had the opportunity to observe this since we had guests the entire time we were here. I learned an important lesson , should I ever want to own and run this place ... Breakfast needs to have a time limit !!!!! Our first set of guests chose what ever time they wanted to eat . It interfered with our plans on some days , they also didn’t get that some people go to bed early ... They came home at 11 pm and were very noisy . I think I’ll make up some polite house rules and translate them into several languages. I stayed up late too but did not run up and down the stairs and yell at my kids... OK enough complaining . I also had a few nice conversations with said guests and it kept me practicing my German.
I will go home and learn another language ... which one I am note sure yet . One that doesn’t relate to the ones I already know . Even if I only learn the basics it will help me some day .
Well this is it for me , I am not going to be able to write more , the next 24 hours will be spent packing and spending last minutes saying everything I have not said already. It is very painful to leave , though I miss our Family and Friends in the US too. I wish the world were smaller so I could be close to every one.
I hope everyone enjoyed this blog
Zia
Sunday, August 13, 2006
8/14 Keszthely
Should you find yourself in Hungary and your language skills are not up to snuff, here is a "top ten" list to help you survive a conversation.
1) Smile a lot: it makes people think you are interested and involved.
2) Listen for key words: you can have fun trying to put them into some kind of context that will inevitably be incorrect.
3) Nod knowingly: so that people know you are following the conversation, even though you have absolutely no idea what is being said.
4) If everyone else is laughing, laugh too: you don’t want to be left out. Needless to say you should also gasp, smile, shake your head, cry, etc. with everyone else.
5) Learn a couple of local words: and pepper your conversation with them, it amuses the natives. Should you find yourself in Hungary, here is a starter list; "nem" (pronounced "nam," meaning no), "igen" (EE-gen, "yes"), "koszonom" (kuz-zo-nom, "thank you) and the all important "egeszsegedre" (ag-a-shayg-a-dra, meaning "to your health," then toss back the schnapps! Speaking of which...).
6) Alcohol is your friend: all that lowering your inhibitions and stuff. Hey, three schnapps and you will be able to speak Hungarian too!
7) Have a helpful translator: like Zia, who, after fifteen minutes or so of incomprehensible conversation, brings you right up to speed by saying something like, "driving..." - or - "England..." - and you’re right back in there.
8) Don’t loose focus: someone may check in with you in English to see if you are paying attention. Even though no one has said anything comprehensible for 15 minutes, you will be expected to have followed it all, and have formulated opinions.
9) Butcher a few local words: it is a million laughs for everyone. For example, the two local towns, with completely unpronounceable names, will now forever be called "Buenos Dias" and "Via con Dios" by my inlaws.
10) Keep a sense of humor: else you’ll pull your hair out (and besides, enjoy it, they talk funny here).
Come to think of it, I can remember a few Non-English speakers in my classes that were pretty good at this (guess that’s why that "check for understanding" piece is so important)...
*****
We spent a couple of days with Gabor and Rita, dinner last evening and lunch today. It was nice to have them around. They both speak some English, and were gracious enough to include me in the conversation.
A note to Gabor. I know that you don’t read the blog. That said, I would grab Rita in a heartbeat. She seems to be a great fit for you, smart, attractive, shares your interests. Don’t let her get away.
*****
I took a long walk today through Buenos Dias and Via con Dios to Balatongyorok (I am told about 15 kilometers one way, 30 round trip). On the way back I saw a little used trail going up a hill. Taking the "road less traveled," I found a beautiful Pilgrimage Church dating back to the 1620’s, and some amazing views of Balaton and the surrounding hillsides. One of the prettiest views I have seen on this trip.
*****
We are starting to prepare for the journey home. For right now that means monitoring the security situation so that we know how to pack. Only two bits of information so far. The "no liquids/no electronics" rule means no beer in the carry on, therefore, no beer at all (sorry fellas). The other bit, from the Budapest Airport, is that passengers to the US can expect increased "security vetting." Now the only time I have heard the term "vetting" used is in British spy novels, so of course I am completely prepared for this. We bought a new suitcase to handle the lack of carry on stuff and are trying to keep the pack down to a couple of magazines (pity the folks on British Airways who can’t even take that!). The airport folks and I may have a few "discussions" about the trumpet though. I am not checking it, sorry.
Dave
1) Smile a lot: it makes people think you are interested and involved.
2) Listen for key words: you can have fun trying to put them into some kind of context that will inevitably be incorrect.
3) Nod knowingly: so that people know you are following the conversation, even though you have absolutely no idea what is being said.
4) If everyone else is laughing, laugh too: you don’t want to be left out. Needless to say you should also gasp, smile, shake your head, cry, etc. with everyone else.
5) Learn a couple of local words: and pepper your conversation with them, it amuses the natives. Should you find yourself in Hungary, here is a starter list; "nem" (pronounced "nam," meaning no), "igen" (EE-gen, "yes"), "koszonom" (kuz-zo-nom, "thank you) and the all important "egeszsegedre" (ag-a-shayg-a-dra, meaning "to your health," then toss back the schnapps! Speaking of which...).
6) Alcohol is your friend: all that lowering your inhibitions and stuff. Hey, three schnapps and you will be able to speak Hungarian too!
7) Have a helpful translator: like Zia, who, after fifteen minutes or so of incomprehensible conversation, brings you right up to speed by saying something like, "driving..." - or - "England..." - and you’re right back in there.
8) Don’t loose focus: someone may check in with you in English to see if you are paying attention. Even though no one has said anything comprehensible for 15 minutes, you will be expected to have followed it all, and have formulated opinions.
9) Butcher a few local words: it is a million laughs for everyone. For example, the two local towns, with completely unpronounceable names, will now forever be called "Buenos Dias" and "Via con Dios" by my inlaws.
10) Keep a sense of humor: else you’ll pull your hair out (and besides, enjoy it, they talk funny here).
Come to think of it, I can remember a few Non-English speakers in my classes that were pretty good at this (guess that’s why that "check for understanding" piece is so important)...
*****
We spent a couple of days with Gabor and Rita, dinner last evening and lunch today. It was nice to have them around. They both speak some English, and were gracious enough to include me in the conversation.
A note to Gabor. I know that you don’t read the blog. That said, I would grab Rita in a heartbeat. She seems to be a great fit for you, smart, attractive, shares your interests. Don’t let her get away.
*****
I took a long walk today through Buenos Dias and Via con Dios to Balatongyorok (I am told about 15 kilometers one way, 30 round trip). On the way back I saw a little used trail going up a hill. Taking the "road less traveled," I found a beautiful Pilgrimage Church dating back to the 1620’s, and some amazing views of Balaton and the surrounding hillsides. One of the prettiest views I have seen on this trip.
*****
We are starting to prepare for the journey home. For right now that means monitoring the security situation so that we know how to pack. Only two bits of information so far. The "no liquids/no electronics" rule means no beer in the carry on, therefore, no beer at all (sorry fellas). The other bit, from the Budapest Airport, is that passengers to the US can expect increased "security vetting." Now the only time I have heard the term "vetting" used is in British spy novels, so of course I am completely prepared for this. We bought a new suitcase to handle the lack of carry on stuff and are trying to keep the pack down to a couple of magazines (pity the folks on British Airways who can’t even take that!). The airport folks and I may have a few "discussions" about the trumpet though. I am not checking it, sorry.
Dave
Thursday, August 10, 2006
8/10 Keszthely
So it seems the "Your Travel Place" curse is continuing to affect our journey, and we will not be able to get to Germany this trip, due to the airplane mixup thingy. We are still hoping to get to Budapest, but that remains to be seen. In the mean time, there is still lots to do around here. Needless to say I am a little disappointed, but they say you should always save some adventures for your next trip. Now if I could just figure out who "they" are...
*****
Earlier in this diatribe I mentioned how folk music affects Z on occasion. And, of course, we covered Mr. Kodaly (of Orff-Kodaly fame). Proof that music connects with us in a powerful and personal way.
I mention this as we caught the Mardi Gras Jazz Band at the Wine Fest the other night, a pretty good Dixieland group from Budapest. Their second tune was "Indiana." You are probably familiar with the tune if you ever listen to me warm up, as that is the little jazz ditty that I frequently play. It’s funny, they were about half a chorus in, and I found myself tearing up. Last night we caught the Union Brass Quintet. About half way through "That’s A Plenty," same experience. I guess I never really noticed until that moment how closely connected to that music I am (both Dixie and brass quintets). That, and, it is getting to be time to come home.
Dave
*****
Earlier in this diatribe I mentioned how folk music affects Z on occasion. And, of course, we covered Mr. Kodaly (of Orff-Kodaly fame). Proof that music connects with us in a powerful and personal way.
I mention this as we caught the Mardi Gras Jazz Band at the Wine Fest the other night, a pretty good Dixieland group from Budapest. Their second tune was "Indiana." You are probably familiar with the tune if you ever listen to me warm up, as that is the little jazz ditty that I frequently play. It’s funny, they were about half a chorus in, and I found myself tearing up. Last night we caught the Union Brass Quintet. About half way through "That’s A Plenty," same experience. I guess I never really noticed until that moment how closely connected to that music I am (both Dixie and brass quintets). That, and, it is getting to be time to come home.
Dave
Monday, August 07, 2006
8/4 - 6, Language Issues, Hevis, Keszthely
Life is interesting if your only language is English and you are staying is a house where you can trade understandings with your wife, misunderstandings with your mother-in-law, and (mostly) complete lack of understandings with your father-in-law.
First of all, you are not always saying what you think you are. My In-law’s are both fluent in German and Hungarian, and my Mother-in-law speaks some English. But words in English often have bazar meanings in Hungarian or German. For example, "Bye" in Hungarian means "Trouble," so if you say "Bye Bye" as you leave, what they hear is "Trouble Trouble," which, in my case is probably pretty true. Another example, this is a beach town, and I often get a small stone in my Birks. Like most of my generation in college, I refer to this as a "rock in my ‘stock." In German, a "rock" is a skirt and a "stock" is a stick, so what I am really saying here is that I have a "skirt in my stick." Not quite the same thing. Another example. The word "Kek" (with the little line on the "e") is pronounced "cake" in Hungarian, but means the color blue. Of course, Germans hear it is "poop," so you can’t win regardless.
My wife, who has been going back and forth between German and Hungarian, and then switching to English to translate for me is developing a very cute little accent. If we ever do another production of "Fiddler" this accent is perfect for Yenta.
More language fun. Peter, Zia and I went to a flea market in Tapolca. As Peter has been having back trouble, I was again in the pilots chair. On our way home, Peter took us via the scenic route. I was given the instruction to follow the signs to Balaton - and then a sound slightly likes sneezing and snoring. No prob - I’ll just follow the signs to the town that says "Balaton" on the front of it, and I’ll be OK. And it worked remarkably well, four about 15 miles. At this point I was confronted with a sign that proudly proclaimed "Balatonszeped" and an arrow left and "Balatonreneds" and an arrow right. Needless to say I had to come to a complete stop before we got to a direction that I could understand. Turns out both directions get us there, so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
Which brings us to my main point, that I made to several of you before we left. Hungarian is not a real language. Hungarian is a language made up by Hungarians to mess up tourists for the amusement of Hungarians. When we leave, they go back to speaking something normal. My proof of this is that periodically, in the nature of kids playing chicken, they slip in a normal word. If you catch them at it, they deny it and make up a new word that sounds a lot like it, but of course is not really what they said.
For example, my wife regularly says "hoo ha" (as in "can I have a hoo ha, two times Tuesday"). OK, look. It was all over the TV before we left, like I am going to miss that. Or, and this was the tip off, my wife slipping "forty-two" into a sentence. Like I am not going to catch that. Oh, she denied it, but it doesn’t change the fact that she said it! In addition to the above, I have heard people say "yak yak," "car part," "Ester Short," and, this is the topper, my mother-in-law slipping "William Shatner" into a conversation. The part I am amazed by is how they can keep this joke going and keep a straight face. Oh well...
*****
We went to the spa at Hevis to take the cure. You have to rent an intertube (or bring your own), and then you pay for a period of time in the lake. The day we went it was raining slightly and the lake was slightly warmer than the air. Not hot-tub-hot, but pleasantly warm. We soaked for two hours. It was really very nice. We got out of the lake about the same time the announcement came over the PA, in three languages, that you should "under no circumstances spend more than an hour in the pool without coming out for a break." Nice of them to tell us. Anyway, we left the water pleasantly soaked and radioactive.
*****
We celebrated our first Wedding Anniversary on the sixth. Vera and Peter took us out to a local Csarda for a fabulous dinner (with a great folk band and show). The restaurant (ettrem) is an old hang out for a Hungarian Robin Hood type band, that, as they do, took from the rich and gave to the poor. There is a memorial where the leaders are buried, where people still leave flowers. From there, back to Keszthely, where we walked down to the wine fest, and then took the champagne cruise on the lake.
So, at the end of year one, thanks to all of you, near and far, for your friendship and support.
Dave
First of all, you are not always saying what you think you are. My In-law’s are both fluent in German and Hungarian, and my Mother-in-law speaks some English. But words in English often have bazar meanings in Hungarian or German. For example, "Bye" in Hungarian means "Trouble," so if you say "Bye Bye" as you leave, what they hear is "Trouble Trouble," which, in my case is probably pretty true. Another example, this is a beach town, and I often get a small stone in my Birks. Like most of my generation in college, I refer to this as a "rock in my ‘stock." In German, a "rock" is a skirt and a "stock" is a stick, so what I am really saying here is that I have a "skirt in my stick." Not quite the same thing. Another example. The word "Kek" (with the little line on the "e") is pronounced "cake" in Hungarian, but means the color blue. Of course, Germans hear it is "poop," so you can’t win regardless.
My wife, who has been going back and forth between German and Hungarian, and then switching to English to translate for me is developing a very cute little accent. If we ever do another production of "Fiddler" this accent is perfect for Yenta.
More language fun. Peter, Zia and I went to a flea market in Tapolca. As Peter has been having back trouble, I was again in the pilots chair. On our way home, Peter took us via the scenic route. I was given the instruction to follow the signs to Balaton - and then a sound slightly likes sneezing and snoring. No prob - I’ll just follow the signs to the town that says "Balaton" on the front of it, and I’ll be OK. And it worked remarkably well, four about 15 miles. At this point I was confronted with a sign that proudly proclaimed "Balatonszeped" and an arrow left and "Balatonreneds" and an arrow right. Needless to say I had to come to a complete stop before we got to a direction that I could understand. Turns out both directions get us there, so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
Which brings us to my main point, that I made to several of you before we left. Hungarian is not a real language. Hungarian is a language made up by Hungarians to mess up tourists for the amusement of Hungarians. When we leave, they go back to speaking something normal. My proof of this is that periodically, in the nature of kids playing chicken, they slip in a normal word. If you catch them at it, they deny it and make up a new word that sounds a lot like it, but of course is not really what they said.
For example, my wife regularly says "hoo ha" (as in "can I have a hoo ha, two times Tuesday"). OK, look. It was all over the TV before we left, like I am going to miss that. Or, and this was the tip off, my wife slipping "forty-two" into a sentence. Like I am not going to catch that. Oh, she denied it, but it doesn’t change the fact that she said it! In addition to the above, I have heard people say "yak yak," "car part," "Ester Short," and, this is the topper, my mother-in-law slipping "William Shatner" into a conversation. The part I am amazed by is how they can keep this joke going and keep a straight face. Oh well...
*****
We went to the spa at Hevis to take the cure. You have to rent an intertube (or bring your own), and then you pay for a period of time in the lake. The day we went it was raining slightly and the lake was slightly warmer than the air. Not hot-tub-hot, but pleasantly warm. We soaked for two hours. It was really very nice. We got out of the lake about the same time the announcement came over the PA, in three languages, that you should "under no circumstances spend more than an hour in the pool without coming out for a break." Nice of them to tell us. Anyway, we left the water pleasantly soaked and radioactive.
*****
We celebrated our first Wedding Anniversary on the sixth. Vera and Peter took us out to a local Csarda for a fabulous dinner (with a great folk band and show). The restaurant (ettrem) is an old hang out for a Hungarian Robin Hood type band, that, as they do, took from the rich and gave to the poor. There is a memorial where the leaders are buried, where people still leave flowers. From there, back to Keszthely, where we walked down to the wine fest, and then took the champagne cruise on the lake.
So, at the end of year one, thanks to all of you, near and far, for your friendship and support.
Dave
Friday, August 04, 2006
8/3 Keszthely
To all of our friends in Portland and the ‘Couv. We hope that the recent earthquake didn’t damage anything valuable and that you (and your stuff) are all OK.
*****
It rained.
It stopped raining long enough for Zia and I to go down to Kossuth Utca and take a walk along with the 3,254,128 other tourist, so we didn’t stay long.
We went down to the Bor Utca (Wine Street) to listen to the latin jazz band last night. The rain started as we walked out the door and continued to increase in intensity to the point that it felt like someone had turned a faucet on by the bands second tune. So all I will say about them is they sounded like the best pop group we have heard here. Good players, good charts, but more info on them will have to wait for other places online (that said, the arrangement of the other bands arrangement of arrangements of funk tunes from the late ‘70’s is kinda dicey fellas).
So down to tourist row on the Boardwalk for beer, pommes (French Fries come with cute little plastic forks), and cover. It was raining so hard at this point that my synthetic fiber anorak was dripping water. We got home and wrung ourselves out. I went to bed, while Zia stayed up to hear the adventures of the Germans, who went out to the Puszta, about which she will have to fill you in, 'cuz she ain't told me yet.
Dave
*****
It rained.
It stopped raining long enough for Zia and I to go down to Kossuth Utca and take a walk along with the 3,254,128 other tourist, so we didn’t stay long.
We went down to the Bor Utca (Wine Street) to listen to the latin jazz band last night. The rain started as we walked out the door and continued to increase in intensity to the point that it felt like someone had turned a faucet on by the bands second tune. So all I will say about them is they sounded like the best pop group we have heard here. Good players, good charts, but more info on them will have to wait for other places online (that said, the arrangement of the other bands arrangement of arrangements of funk tunes from the late ‘70’s is kinda dicey fellas).
So down to tourist row on the Boardwalk for beer, pommes (French Fries come with cute little plastic forks), and cover. It was raining so hard at this point that my synthetic fiber anorak was dripping water. We got home and wrung ourselves out. I went to bed, while Zia stayed up to hear the adventures of the Germans, who went out to the Puszta, about which she will have to fill you in, 'cuz she ain't told me yet.
Dave
Thursday, August 03, 2006
8/1 & 2, Keszthely
We had a genuine Central Oregon-type thunderstorm this afternoon - complete with thunder, lightning, torrential down pours - but alas, no hail and no drop in temperature. Gradually things began to cool off as the day wore on, but it was a good afternoon to be inside...
Which is not really a great thing, as we are barbecuing again this evening. Kis-Kazi, Zsuzsa, Klaudia, Gabie and Csabi are down using Kazi-Basci’s condo, and are coming by for a visit.
*****
A break in the weather, and the grill is fired up. Peter is making chicken, steak, cevaps (many of you will remember these from the wedding) and potatoes, Vera has made a salad bowl featuring a green salad, a cucumber salad and a blanched cabbage salad. My contribution is tofu, lightly browned, and, as it turns out, heavily spiced.
We may have told some of you the story my first use of hot paprika. If you haven’t heard it yet, the short version: Paprika in Hungary comes in a variety of levels of "heat." Zia kindly provided me with some of the "extra fiery" variety after her last visit. She just neglected to tell me what it was. Now most of us don’t think of paprika as a flavor as much as a coloring agent. So, being nice, I threw a bunch of this stuff on a bunch of grilled vegetables I was preparing. A bunch. This stuff is pretty great, in that it lets you get a mouth full down and enjoy it before the heat starts, and then "whoa, baby." We ate the vegetables, but I think we went through a roll of paper towels wiping sweat from our brows. Mostly around here it is used as a condiment, right next to the salt shaker.
So, flash to Dave, browning the tofu on the stove. Things are browning nicely, a little salt, just like the cooking shows, pick up the paprika shaker - you know that prank you used to play on your friends in high school - OK, well not you, but people you know - where you loosen the cap on the shaker and it all comes out. OK, accidents happen. Anyway, let’s just say the final product was very hot.
Dinner was great. Peter, Kis-Kazi, the boys and I enjoyed the rest of the evening sitting around chewing the fat (vegetarian based, I assure you), while the ladies watched the Mega-Magdi DVD.
*****
Wednesday, the wine festival in Keszthely began this evening. As you all know, I am more of a beer guy, but, you know, when in Rome.
The festival begins with a parade. We moseyed down to the Centrum to catch the beginning of the parade, and got there just in time to bump elbows with the band getting off the bus. They quickly formed up and started entertaining the crowd with European marches. Next to arrive were two horse-drawn carriages, one for the Hungarian folk band, and one just because. Zia is in awe of one of these horses. It is a small horse, but very muscular, and very spirited. Next is a choir from Poland and their accordion accompaniment. Yes, they march and perform in the parade (all you choir teachers take note). Last to arrive are the representatives of all of the wineries at the festival. They are dressed up in the regalia of their region (think cap and gown, like graduation).
They quickly formed up and, with the band playing Stars and Stripes (enough to make you homesick), started down the street - only to stop about the time the end had reached us. So we walked to the front of the parade and watched it again. And again they stopped. We still are not really sure why. At this point, having seen the parade twice, we went ahead to the festival. We figured they would catch up eventually.
The wine festival is a lot like a small beer festival. Booths from all over the country, not just this region, will serve you a taste, or a full glass of wine. There are food booths all over selling goulash, stir-fried vegetable and meat dishes, shish kabobs, pommes frittes, and a Transylvanian Bread thing that is like a cinnamon roll, but less sticky (and one of Zia's favorite food groups). We met Peter and Vera, and had dinner - and some wine, two whites, local specialties, one sweet and one dry.
We then wandered down to the stage, where the choir was just finishing up their set. They were doing a call and response thing with the audience where they sang the call in four parts, and the audience sang the response - IN FOUR PARTS! It was pretty cool. They didn’t even teach it, just spontaneous four parts from the crowd.
They were followed by a Hungarian Dance group. A live band of musicians provided the tunes. Different than the gypsy group we saw earlier, this was the true Hungarian folk ensemble. The "lead guitarist" of this type of ensemble is the violinist. Very good Hungarian violinist are very popular, and can make bundles of money. There is a contest here every so often to crown the king of all violinists, who then is shown regularly on TV, etc. The "rhythm guitarist" is the viola player. When I say viola, I am not talking about the one you see in the orchestra. The viola used in this type of music only has three strings and a slightly flatter bridge, so that the player can play triple stops all the time. There is a wash of sound that comes from this that is an awful lot like an electric guitar, and a good viola player can add huge amounts of energy to a performance, especially when they lock up with the bass player. The bass is a traditional orchestral bass, and is almost always played bowed, not pizzicato. In slower tunes, the player will use a lot of portamendo, which gives the tunes a kind of "sea-sick" feeling that is kind of slick. The last member of the band is the cymbalom player, kind of the equivalent of the piano player in our mythical rock band. Almost never a solo voice, and always a surprising color when it is, the cymbalom player mostly improvises accompaniment figures to counterpoint the melody. Good players add another rhythmic element to complement the melody.
The dance group was very good. A variety of ages performed a variety of traditional dances on a stage that was really too small for them. (And, low and behold, there in the adult group is our Vaida from the other night.) Standing for an hour and a half was hard on the back, but the show was really good.
On the way out we passed one of those Peruvian folk groups that you see at malls and stuff all over the States. Same little set up, same generator, except these guys are obviously faking it - and they are wearing Native American Indian outfits, with full headdress and everything. Kind of wacky...
Dave
Which is not really a great thing, as we are barbecuing again this evening. Kis-Kazi, Zsuzsa, Klaudia, Gabie and Csabi are down using Kazi-Basci’s condo, and are coming by for a visit.
*****
A break in the weather, and the grill is fired up. Peter is making chicken, steak, cevaps (many of you will remember these from the wedding) and potatoes, Vera has made a salad bowl featuring a green salad, a cucumber salad and a blanched cabbage salad. My contribution is tofu, lightly browned, and, as it turns out, heavily spiced.
We may have told some of you the story my first use of hot paprika. If you haven’t heard it yet, the short version: Paprika in Hungary comes in a variety of levels of "heat." Zia kindly provided me with some of the "extra fiery" variety after her last visit. She just neglected to tell me what it was. Now most of us don’t think of paprika as a flavor as much as a coloring agent. So, being nice, I threw a bunch of this stuff on a bunch of grilled vegetables I was preparing. A bunch. This stuff is pretty great, in that it lets you get a mouth full down and enjoy it before the heat starts, and then "whoa, baby." We ate the vegetables, but I think we went through a roll of paper towels wiping sweat from our brows. Mostly around here it is used as a condiment, right next to the salt shaker.
So, flash to Dave, browning the tofu on the stove. Things are browning nicely, a little salt, just like the cooking shows, pick up the paprika shaker - you know that prank you used to play on your friends in high school - OK, well not you, but people you know - where you loosen the cap on the shaker and it all comes out. OK, accidents happen. Anyway, let’s just say the final product was very hot.
Dinner was great. Peter, Kis-Kazi, the boys and I enjoyed the rest of the evening sitting around chewing the fat (vegetarian based, I assure you), while the ladies watched the Mega-Magdi DVD.
*****
Wednesday, the wine festival in Keszthely began this evening. As you all know, I am more of a beer guy, but, you know, when in Rome.
The festival begins with a parade. We moseyed down to the Centrum to catch the beginning of the parade, and got there just in time to bump elbows with the band getting off the bus. They quickly formed up and started entertaining the crowd with European marches. Next to arrive were two horse-drawn carriages, one for the Hungarian folk band, and one just because. Zia is in awe of one of these horses. It is a small horse, but very muscular, and very spirited. Next is a choir from Poland and their accordion accompaniment. Yes, they march and perform in the parade (all you choir teachers take note). Last to arrive are the representatives of all of the wineries at the festival. They are dressed up in the regalia of their region (think cap and gown, like graduation).
They quickly formed up and, with the band playing Stars and Stripes (enough to make you homesick), started down the street - only to stop about the time the end had reached us. So we walked to the front of the parade and watched it again. And again they stopped. We still are not really sure why. At this point, having seen the parade twice, we went ahead to the festival. We figured they would catch up eventually.
The wine festival is a lot like a small beer festival. Booths from all over the country, not just this region, will serve you a taste, or a full glass of wine. There are food booths all over selling goulash, stir-fried vegetable and meat dishes, shish kabobs, pommes frittes, and a Transylvanian Bread thing that is like a cinnamon roll, but less sticky (and one of Zia's favorite food groups). We met Peter and Vera, and had dinner - and some wine, two whites, local specialties, one sweet and one dry.
We then wandered down to the stage, where the choir was just finishing up their set. They were doing a call and response thing with the audience where they sang the call in four parts, and the audience sang the response - IN FOUR PARTS! It was pretty cool. They didn’t even teach it, just spontaneous four parts from the crowd.
They were followed by a Hungarian Dance group. A live band of musicians provided the tunes. Different than the gypsy group we saw earlier, this was the true Hungarian folk ensemble. The "lead guitarist" of this type of ensemble is the violinist. Very good Hungarian violinist are very popular, and can make bundles of money. There is a contest here every so often to crown the king of all violinists, who then is shown regularly on TV, etc. The "rhythm guitarist" is the viola player. When I say viola, I am not talking about the one you see in the orchestra. The viola used in this type of music only has three strings and a slightly flatter bridge, so that the player can play triple stops all the time. There is a wash of sound that comes from this that is an awful lot like an electric guitar, and a good viola player can add huge amounts of energy to a performance, especially when they lock up with the bass player. The bass is a traditional orchestral bass, and is almost always played bowed, not pizzicato. In slower tunes, the player will use a lot of portamendo, which gives the tunes a kind of "sea-sick" feeling that is kind of slick. The last member of the band is the cymbalom player, kind of the equivalent of the piano player in our mythical rock band. Almost never a solo voice, and always a surprising color when it is, the cymbalom player mostly improvises accompaniment figures to counterpoint the melody. Good players add another rhythmic element to complement the melody.
The dance group was very good. A variety of ages performed a variety of traditional dances on a stage that was really too small for them. (And, low and behold, there in the adult group is our Vaida from the other night.) Standing for an hour and a half was hard on the back, but the show was really good.
On the way out we passed one of those Peruvian folk groups that you see at malls and stuff all over the States. Same little set up, same generator, except these guys are obviously faking it - and they are wearing Native American Indian outfits, with full headdress and everything. Kind of wacky...
Dave
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
7/31 Hevis
For all of you gardeners out there. Vera just passed on through Zia the story of a friend of hers who uses birth control pills as plant food for vegetable plants with great results. Now if you can just get your doctor to write your plants a prescription...
*****
Today we took a bus trip to the spa town of Hevis (the "e" has a long, horizontal line over it, HAY - vees). We will not visit the spa today - too hot! No, today we sight see.
Hevis, according to Peter, renovated all of the spa buildings last winter. When the town council inspected the buildings following construction they found shoddy workmanship and sub-standard materials (hmm, on a government project? Can you do that?). They ordered the whole thing torn down and rebuild before payment.
The spa at Hevis, according to our guide book, is slightly radioactive (!!!). I am, however, at peace with visiting the baths later in the week. In the first place, people have been coming here for over 200 years to "take the cure." So there must be something to it. In the second place, I don’t plan on having any more children.
Our visit to Hevis was very rewarding. As previously mentioned, this is a spa town (read "tourist"). So our sight seeing expedition was mostly of shops. We were wandering down a side street, when Zia excitedly grabbed my hand and exclaiming, "we have to go in here," drug me into a shop. Great, more footwear, I was thinking. Instead I found a bookstore. With Hungarian books. In Hungarian. Zia wandered off to look, and amused myself by doing what I have been doing this whole trip when walking into a Hungarian bookstore with Hungarian books in Hungarian. I looked at pre-1910 maps of Hungary, always a good bet. Then I stared at CD’s for a while. Nice classical selection, at least I think it is. I can read the composer names, even though they are backward. But orchestras? Soloists? Your guess is as good as mine. And then! We discovered the music shelf. And on it there is a fabulous and very scholarly book of ethnomusicology on the folk music of this region, with examples...in Hungarian. And the examples, very well organized, are only excerpts. And so, once again we slink towards the door in abject failure. Zia and the clerk exchanged a few words on the way out. The clerk reaches into a stack of newly arrived books that have not been shelved, and thrusts into my hand three books of Hungarian Folk Music. The Holy Grail! The end of the quest! I was giddy, I laughed, I cried, I think I even danced a cszardas (you can’t do a jig in Hungary). Even as I write this, Peter and Vera are sorting through the tunes, helping me to find the ones they hear played a lot.
*****
Hevis also has a pretty great German Folk Clothing store. The work is all done locally and is pretty inexpensive. They get a lot of German tourists here. Zia snagged me a new shirt for this year.
Our trip home was on the milk run bus, so we got to see the "garden district" of Keszthely. Some very beautiful houses, and the big bus stops all have some fabulous statuary. Even with the heat, things are very green and pretty.
Dave
*****
Today we took a bus trip to the spa town of Hevis (the "e" has a long, horizontal line over it, HAY - vees). We will not visit the spa today - too hot! No, today we sight see.
Hevis, according to Peter, renovated all of the spa buildings last winter. When the town council inspected the buildings following construction they found shoddy workmanship and sub-standard materials (hmm, on a government project? Can you do that?). They ordered the whole thing torn down and rebuild before payment.
The spa at Hevis, according to our guide book, is slightly radioactive (!!!). I am, however, at peace with visiting the baths later in the week. In the first place, people have been coming here for over 200 years to "take the cure." So there must be something to it. In the second place, I don’t plan on having any more children.
Our visit to Hevis was very rewarding. As previously mentioned, this is a spa town (read "tourist"). So our sight seeing expedition was mostly of shops. We were wandering down a side street, when Zia excitedly grabbed my hand and exclaiming, "we have to go in here," drug me into a shop. Great, more footwear, I was thinking. Instead I found a bookstore. With Hungarian books. In Hungarian. Zia wandered off to look, and amused myself by doing what I have been doing this whole trip when walking into a Hungarian bookstore with Hungarian books in Hungarian. I looked at pre-1910 maps of Hungary, always a good bet. Then I stared at CD’s for a while. Nice classical selection, at least I think it is. I can read the composer names, even though they are backward. But orchestras? Soloists? Your guess is as good as mine. And then! We discovered the music shelf. And on it there is a fabulous and very scholarly book of ethnomusicology on the folk music of this region, with examples...in Hungarian. And the examples, very well organized, are only excerpts. And so, once again we slink towards the door in abject failure. Zia and the clerk exchanged a few words on the way out. The clerk reaches into a stack of newly arrived books that have not been shelved, and thrusts into my hand three books of Hungarian Folk Music. The Holy Grail! The end of the quest! I was giddy, I laughed, I cried, I think I even danced a cszardas (you can’t do a jig in Hungary). Even as I write this, Peter and Vera are sorting through the tunes, helping me to find the ones they hear played a lot.
*****
Hevis also has a pretty great German Folk Clothing store. The work is all done locally and is pretty inexpensive. They get a lot of German tourists here. Zia snagged me a new shirt for this year.
Our trip home was on the milk run bus, so we got to see the "garden district" of Keszthely. Some very beautiful houses, and the big bus stops all have some fabulous statuary. Even with the heat, things are very green and pretty.
Dave
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)