A Man of Many Talents

I collect nativity scenes.  When we are traveling and I find one I love it is so exciting.  I was thrilled then we came across a shop at a market in Budapest that had a wonderful scene.  The shop keeper wrapped every piece in bubble wrap and then carefully placed them in small boxes.  I didn't give it a thought until I opened the box earlier in December.  The first pieces were as adorable as I had remembered them being.  Then I found a sheep with a broken tail.  No problem, that looked easy to fix.  Next was a wiseman with a broken arm, again fixable.  When I unwrapped Mary, I wanted to cry.  She was so broken and there were so many pieces, it looked impossible.  And you can't have a nativity scene without Mary and Jesus!

Enter George with his magnifying glasses and glue! 

A few hours of careful work and voila......My Hungarian nativity is wonderful again!  I love it!  Ceramic repair is one of George's many talents.

Here is my scene from Croatia.

We were just getting on the bus after our walking tour of Vukovar, Croatia when another nativity scene collector told me that a shop about a block away had some really fun scenes.  I knew that we were just about to leave and I am such a rule follower that I couldn't bring myself to defy the guides and run down to the shop.  I pouted all day thinking of 'the one I didn't get'!

That evening though I had a great idea!  Another Fun For Less group was coming UP the Danube the next week and they would make the same stop in Vukovar AND I had friends in that group that were also collectors SO I sent a quick email with photos of the store and the nativity (thanks to the woman who had gotten one there) and a plea to PLEASE purchase one for me.  I promised to send a check for the postage and the nativity.  And they got me one!  This one is special because of the friendships that made it a part of my collection....and I do think it is pretty cute!

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. 

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!

Shoes by the Danube

Along the banks of the Danube in Budapest is this very moving memorial to the Jews of the city who were killed on this spot.  "Shoes on the Danube Bank" remembers the people who were shot into the Danube during WWII.  The sculptor created sixty pairs of period-appropriate shoes out of iron. 

The victims  were ordered to take off their shoes, and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. The shoes are placed as if they had been flung off in the panic.

Iron signs in Hungarian, English and Hebrew read: "To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944-1945". I learned that Arrow Cross was a fascist Hungarian unit and that this massacre happened shortly before the city was liberated by the Russians.

The head of the Swedish Red Cross in Budapest and also the diplomat Raoul Wallenberg along with many others were working around the clock to save the Jews from being sent to the Nazi concentration camps. Thousands were saved.  This memorial helps us remember those who were not.

Romanian Castles

Castles in Romania are the stuff of fairytales and horror legends! The castles are alluring, not only for their haunting beauty but for all the legends and history that surround them.  We visited three on our recent jaunt through the country.  

First Castle Peles which was constructed at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century for King Carol I of Romania.  The castle was used by Romanian royalty until the end of the monarchy and the beginning of Communism. In the 1950s, it was transformed into a museum. 

Castle Peles

The inside is super luxurious with lots of wood paneling and intricate carvings.

The entryway is definitely fit for a king!

If you have been to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany the interior may look slightly familiar. That's because the royal family was originally German.  If you watched the totally inane Christmas movie, "A Christmas Prince" the outdoor scenes were filmed here.  And if you did watch it, don't feel bad, I watched it too! 

The most famous castle is Bran Castle, which is popularly known as Dracula's Castle even though  the 'real' Dracula, Vlad Tepes, never lived here. And in fact, Stoker's description of Dracula's crumbling castle in his novel Dracula bears no resemblance to Bran Castle. Michael Wilcox says that it is funny that people want to see the real Dracula's castle, sort of like people who go to Verona, Italy to see Romeo and Juliet's balcony!  These are fictional characters!  There is no REAL Dracula's Castle or Juliet balcony.  Still it is fun to walk through and imagine the castle as home to the royal family or withstanding a siege or housing the undead! Because the building was started in the 14th century, it has a totally different look from Peles Castle.  

Bran Castle

This area of Romania has been under both Romanian and Hungarian control.  During WW II,  Princess Ileana of Romania ran a hospital here.  

The castle and surrounding countryside are quite beautiful but the castle did have a brutal medieval past.  Also there are Romanian legends about undead souls that haunt the villagers at night. 

 And yes there are secret passages!

Last Romanian castle on our itinerary was Corvin Castle, also known as Hunyadi Castle or Hunedoara Castle.  They call it a Gothic-Renaissance Castle.  Construction started in 1446 and additions and renovations continued into the 17th century, plus according to the guidebooks:

The current castle is the result of a fanciful restoration campaign undertaken after a disastrous fire and many decades of total neglect. It has been noted that modern "architects projected to it their own wistful interpretations of how a great Gothic castle should look"

Corvin Castle

Inside I could just picture the King and Queen eating a meal in the Great Hall while all the intrigue of a great court swirled around them.

I imagine the courtiers in their small bedrooms as they plotted.  Maybe I've been watching too many movies about King Henry the 8th and his court!

Anyway, it is an impressive place!

One interesting legend concerns the 30 meter deep well in the courtyard.  Supposedly the well was dug by 3 Turkish prisoners (from the Ottoman Empire) to whom liberty was promised if they reached water.  After 15 years they completed the well, but their captors did not keep their promise.  It was said that the inscription on a wall of the well means "you have water but not soul".  Specialist, however have translated. the inscription as "he who wrote this inscription is Hasan, who lives as a slave of the giaours (infidels), in the fortress near the church."

It is fascinating to take a stroll through history.