Father's Day 2019

I've read so many eloquent tributes to fathers over the last few days, some almost poetic in their beauty. Also I've been going through lots of photos of me and my parents. As I look at these old black and white photos of us, the same thought comes to me over and over again. My parents made me feel LOVED!  That is the best tribute I can give to my Daddy.  He always made me feel loved. And I can give that same tribute to George, the father of my children.  He always made them feel loved. Simple thought and simple words but really isn't it LOVE that makes all the difference!

Rome 1961

Garmisch, Germany 1996

Geneva Switzerland 1996

Matt the Sailor Man

Matt has had quite the adventure as he joined a friend sailing from the north of Spain, down the coast of Portugal, around Gibraltar and up the coast all the way to Barcelona.

Ahh, the stories he has shared of dolphins, jellyfish, pilot whales, terrible storms and other high adventures.  I'm glad he had this fantastic experience and so glad he has lived to tell about it.  Tomorrow they go to Mallorca for a few days of R & R after the excitement of getting to Barcelona.  I think he wants more of a jet setter few days in the calm, blue water rather than a Pirates of the Caribbean mighty storm!

Weekend in Oregon

I am on the board of a really wonderful organization called Kenya Keys.   I love being involved with a group that is truly changing lives in a very poor part of Kenya.  100% of  donations go directly to help kids who have qualified to attend secondary school but don't have the $375 in fees that are necessary.  I love that you can develop a relationship with the student you sponsor through letters.

End of commercial! I flew to Oregon to attend an important board meeting. I am so happy that I get to serve with such a fun, dynamic group who are totally dedicated to the mission to educate and empower students. 

 I was also reminded of the stunning beauty of Oregon in the spring. 

Scott and I enjoyed a pizza at our favorite quick pizza place - Pieology 

I had a burger at Burgerville - an Oregon institution - with Martha and Larry.

And I was the surprise guest at the monthly dinner group.

Sometimes I feel sad that we haven't always lived in the same place so that we have firm roots in one location but most of the time I think that it has been a blessing to live in different places so that we have friends all over the world!

Green and Beautiful

While traveling through Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria, we often remarked that it was green like Oregon.  I am sure the people there could use the same phrase we said in Oregon,  "If you plant it, it will grow." We truly live in a beautiful world!

Bulgaria is famous for its roses but they were beautiful in each country.

Every home had a pretty little vegetable garden

And flower boxes.

Irises

Geraniums - beautiful on their own but especially so with this backdrop. 

Wisteria - always makes me think of graduation ceremonies and school parties at Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona where there was a huge plant on one side of the main building. 

I've always loved ivy growing on old buildings. Reminds me of this song and takes me back to high school graduation.

Oh, we love the halls of ivy that surround us here today, And we will not forget though we be far, far away. To the hallowed halls of ivy, every voice will bid farewell. And shimmer off in twilight like the old vesper bell. One day a hush will fall; The footsteps of us all Will echo down the hall and disappear But as we sadly start our journeys far apart A part of every heart will linger here. In the sacred halls of ivy, Where we've lived and learned to know That through the years we'll see you in the sweet afterglow.

Languages

One of the adventures when traveling in non English speaking countries is figuring out the signs.  Can you figure out all the languages?  
1st - Hungarian

 2nd - English 😀

 3rd - German

 4th - French

 5th - Spanish

 6th - Romanian

 7th - Polish

 8th -  French again....or at least that is what Google Translate says!

 9th - Russian

 10th - Slovak or Latvian

 Now notice the similarities.  Basilica or Cathedral is there is every phrase. (well except for the Russian and it is probably there we just can't read the Cyrillic letters). Almost all have some D word that means donations and most have an M word for maintenance.  The German kind of sits out there on its own with 'spenden zur erhaltung'.  As an English speaker, I think I could probably figure out that  'spenden' had something to do with money. Although I also know that these two words might be false friends - words that look similar but have totally different meanings in the other language.  Like embarazada in Spanish which does not mean embarrassed but PREGNANT. But just look at the Hungarian!

 Adományok and Fenntartására. Those two words don't relate to anything I can think of.  Turns out that Hungarian sits way out on the language tree.  Its closest relatives are Finnish and Estonian.

George was off the hook as my interpreter in Hungary!

 I never really worry figuring out languages because I have a brilliant husband who has a gift with languages!  I just assume he will figure things out and he usually does. example from our recent trip, Romanian is a latin based language so many of the words look familiar to anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish. Our guide mentioned that in the Romanian Orthodox Church they light candles and say prayers for both the living and the dead.  The candles are placed in different receptacles.   George quickly figured out these two. Vii for the living and Morti for the dead.  Like vivir and morir in Spanish.

How about this one? Again Vii for the living but Adormiti for the dead.  Not dead but sleeping - dormir in Spanish. 

This one is pretty obviously one sort of warning. 
It means "Work Area - Strangers - Enter - Not Allowed

This one was just outside our hotel.  I get parkoló and óra.   

That's a LONG word !   

This one was in the basement of a coffee house and I think they really mean 'staff' only.

My favorite - it was over the sink where we washed our hands.

I have new respect for the women I know who were missionaries in Hungary.  That includes a woman in our current ward, Mary's sister-in-law Katrina, and a young woman who has been serving there for a few months.   Looking at these signs makes me think that Spanish is easy. 

Funerals and Batons

When in Belgrade, we visited Tito's mausoleum, which is in the "House of Flowers".  

 

His funeral drew many world leaders including 4 kings, 31 presidents, 6 princes and 22 Prime Ministers. It was the largest state funeral in history until the funerals of Pope John Paul in 2005 and Nelson Mandela in 2013.

Leaders from both sides of the Cold War, from 128 countries, out of 154 UN members at the time, came to Tito's funeral. The grey areas are the countries that didn't send a delegation.  I assume that South Africa was not invited because of the ongoing struggle of apartheid. 

Some of the batons given to Tito

People come to visit Tito's tomb but most interesting to me was the display of batons. The type of batons carried in a relay race. is no secret that socialist regimes love pomp and circumstances and a nation wide relay race fits the bill perfectly.  The idea was that a baton would be carried all around the country, ending with the baton being given to Tito, the 'President for Life' on his official birthday of May 25.  The first race had about 12500 participants and went for 9000 kilometers or 5,600 miles.  By 1950 more than a million children participated and the event covered all the major towns in the country. In 1957 the race became a national holiday and was covered extensively by radio and TV for the entire month.

The race culminated when the baton was given to Tito in a huge football stadium located in the capital city.  When he died in 1980, the race was already underway and the baton was immediately placed on the ground in respect.

I would love to know the story behind each one.

So many interesting shapes and colors!  I'd love to know the story behind each of them. A suit, a cow, a sewing machine, a pick, a gas mask, clasped hands, a train, a microphone, a ball....so many and what was on display was only a small part of the collection.

The annual relay of youth - one of the great events of Socialist Yugoslavia

Tito

Growing up in the 1950's and 60's during the Cold War Era, I have a natural distrust of communism.  I knew the name of the former leader of Yugoslavia was Tito and that he was a communist and really that is about all.  During our recent visit to Serbia and since we've gotten home, I've learned a bit more about him.

Here is part of what President Jimmy Carter wrote about him when Tito died in 1980. 

President Josip Broz Tito was a towering figure on the world stage. After leading his partisan forces to a hard-fought victory during World War II, he founded and led the postwar Yugoslav State for nearly 35 years. During that period he and his peoples faced many challenges, but met them with a resolute determination to maintain Yugoslavia's independence and unity and its own unique approach to domestic and foreign policies.

Another  quote from the New York Times 

Tito sought to improve life. Unlike others who rose to power on the communist wave after WWII, Tito did not long demand that his people suffer for a distant vision of a better life. After an initial Soviet-influenced bleak period, Tito moved toward radical improvement of life in the country. Yugoslavia gradually became a bright spot amid the general grayness of Eastern Europe. – The New York Times, 5 May 1980

Both of these quotes fit well with a conversation I had with a woman in a small store by the pier. Although she had a masters degree, she was managing this 7-11 type convenience store because it was the only work she could find.  For her, life was much better under the 'gentle' communism of the Tito years.  Thoughts of his death made her feel sad as she knew that the country was much better off then, with a thriving middle class, more opportunities for advancement, and more security.  She certainly believed that the old Yugoslavia was a 'bright spot amid the general grayness of Eastern Europe'.  This conversation with a stranger in Belgrade, Serbia made me examine my preconceived ideas.  I'm not advocating communism at all, but I do see there is another point of view worthy of attention. 

Learning from others and getting outside of our mental comfort zones is one of the best reasons to travel.  

Bread Tour

Other people go on 'wine tasting' trips.  I would like to go on a 'bread tasting' tour.

I never met a bread I didn't like!
 Just walking through a town and smelling the fresh baking bread makes me happy.....and hungry!
On our trip through Romania, we discovered Kovács Kalács. The name refers to the shape of the bread.  It is like a stove pipe or chimney - hollow in the middle.

Kovács Kalács are made from a sweet, yeast dough which is wrapped around a cone-shaped baking spit and rolled in sugar, then roasted over charcoal while being basted with butter.  It cooks to a golden-brown color and the sugar caramelizes and forms a shiny crispy crust.  Then it can be topped with cinnamon and more sugar or walnuts.  Understand why I fell in love with these?? 

To eat, you just tear off strips and enjoy all that sweet yumminess!  Anyone want to go with me on a 'breads of the world' tour? 1st stop Romania or Hungary!!! 

Beautiful Budapest

As European cities go, Barcelona will always be #1 in my heart but for sheer beauty Budapest is right at the top of my list. Being divided by a beautiful river certainly adds to the charm.

And the architecture is just stunning.  From the Parliament Building to Matthias Church it is a feast for the eyes!

Matthias Cathedral has delicate turrets and colorful tiles which make it look different from any other church.  I understand that the interior is quite amazing but the day we were there we couldn't go in because there was a wedding being held.

St. Matthias Cathedral

Right by the church is an area called the Fisherman's Bastion which is famous for its turrets and spires and for the panoramic view you get of the city. 

The bridges over the Danube add to the charm!  Reminds me a little bit of Portland in that regard.  One side of the city is the Buda side and the other the Pest.  

At night the city is just as breathtaking.  

Parliament Building - there was an architectural competition to decide on the design of this enormous building.

Royal Palace - now museums and library

And of course, they light up all the bridges!

If you ever have a chance to visit Budapest, take it....and stop by Barcelona on your way!