Szechenyi Square, Pecs, Hungary
Whoo! That’s the sound of April whizzing past me! It’s definitely been a whirlwind, and I’ve definitely been on the move. Towards the end of March, my grandma became the latest family member to come out for a visit. She didn’t have too much time, but I think we packed in quite a punch for her trip! After arriving in Budapest, we immediately took off the following day to Pecs, Hungary. Located about three hours south of Budapest, Pecs is the definition of a quaint town. Look it up quaint the dictionary, and you’ll see Pecs right there! Or not. Regardless, it was a good start for her trip. Pecs, one of the formal Cultural Capitals of the world, has a great main square, colorful houses, and some cool museums. If you get a chance, check out the mining museum. You literally walk down into a recreation of the town’s old coal mine, complete with mind shaft and all. Pecs is also famous for a porcelain factory (Zsolnay), and several art museums. We had some extra time on Sunday, so we took a bus to the mini-zoo above Pecs. The zoo seemed much more pleasant than in Belgrade, but maybe that’s because it was surrounded by trees and greenery. Afterwards, I really wanted to go up to the TV tower since I’d never been up one. Well, thirty minutes of uphill hiking later, we finally get make it up! Had it not been so foggy, we probably could’ve seen some nicer scenery, but it was still cool. After getting lost going down, we made it back to civilization and on our way to the train station.
View from the TV tower, Pecs
Grandma with a miner
After surviving Pecs, we headed back to Budapest. I reserved the same apartment my family stayed in back in September (called the Kriszta Apartments – highly recommend them!). During the week, she hit all the main spots to see, including heading up the Danube Bend, going up the Bazilika, and eating cake at Ruszwurm in the Castle District. I finally went on the tour at the Jewish Synagogue on Dohany Utca, and learned that Garfunkel’s father is buried in the ghetto. Go figure. The only thing my grandma didn’t get to do was eat chicken paprika! At least she had a nice, big langos at the Grand Market! And she got to come to my school during the game festival! It was fun to see her talk to the kids, even if I made more fun of her than I should have. Grandma, you had it coming. Sorry.
The following weekend, we went to Venice, Italy for a couple days. The city never ceases to amaze me, from the canals to the narrow streets to the excellent pizza! We managed to squeeze in a visit to Murano and Burano , too. Of the three, I think Burano takes the cake. The colorful houses definitely set it apart from ancient Venice and glass-famous Murano. If you’re looking for a book, I don’t recommend City of Falling Angels. Thanks, Nick, for the suggestion (and spending 15 bucks on a book for Kindle…I thought those books were supposed to be cheaper!). I mean, the book was all right, if you’re interested in learning about high society Venice. By the way, Nick, if you’re reading this, I didn’t mean that thank you. In fact, you owe me 15 bucks. At least I finally did the one thing in Venice that I hadn’t done before…I went up the bell tower in Piazza San Marco! The weather was great all weekend, making the view that much more amazing! I wouldn’t say it’s 8 euros worth, but if you’ve got some extra to spare, why not?!
View of Venice, Italy from the bell tower
I don’t remember the last time I spent that much one-on-one time with my grandma, but it was a great visit, and I’m glad she got to come out and see what’s going on in my life these days. After she left, I had a couple days to relax before the next relative, Paul, came to visit. This marked Paul’s third visit to Budapest, and I’ve appreciated getting to know him more and more with every visit. The most rewarding part of the visit was going to Debrecen, Hungary for the weekend to learn more about my family’s background. I was able to see where my great (great?) grandparents lived, as well as a visit to the cemetery to see where some of them are buried. Paul’s friends in Debrecen, Lajos and Mariann were amazing hosts, and without them, we wouldn’t have seen much of the sights. Lajos, a chemistry professor at Debrecen University, and Mariann, a nurse, are two of the most generous and nicest people around, and I’m glad I got to meet them through Paul.
After Paul left, I had to make a quick decision about Spring Break. I’ve made it a point to try and travel somewhere while I have the chance. I was looking to
Paul, Mariann, and Lajos at the Hortabagy, Hungary
head to Slovenia, but waiting to the lastminute made it very difficult to book anything. Most of the hostel prices were way too high or not available, and I didn’t have the energy to try and track down some affordable options. After coming to terms with the fact that these geriatrics I’ve been spending time with have actually worn me out, I eventually made the choice to stick around Budapest for a few days and just…relax. Thursday had me doing some spring cleaning, followed by meeting up with John and Fanni and a couple of their friends for a great night out!
Flags of the participating teams
On Friday, fellow CETP teachers Maggie and Agi came out from Papa to check out the International Hockey Championship games! Fortunately for me, they had an extra ticket! After watching Korea beat the Netherlands, we prepared ourselves for the big game of the night…Hungary vs. Spain! Let’s see if we’re ready for the game:
Magyarorszag jerseys…check.
Paper helmets…check.
Hungary flags…check.
Game on!
The stadium was packed. Red, white, and green all around, and only a small group of Spanish fans to be seen. There’s no easy way to describe the beating Spain received, except to say that they got their asses kicked. The final score of the game was 13-1. It’s as if Spain didn’t even know what ice was. But when they scored that one goal in the third, the Spanish fans went wild! Or as wild as about 10 fans can get surrounded by Hungarian fans. It was an electrified crowd, with Ole’s here and Hajra Magyarok (let’s go Hungarians!) there.
If anyone is interested, here is a 15 minute clip (in Hungarian) of the game. When the first goal was scored, stuffed animals flooded the ice rink as donations for kids.
The rest of the spring break will involve me just kicking back, catching up on odds and ends, and hopefully revising that script I wrote in about three days back in February. Or maybe I’ll work on that new idea…
Either way, next up is May, and with spring in full swing, looking forward to plenty of sun-filled days.
