Szechenyi Soak

Szechenyi was the second thermal I had free access to today. The woman arranging my visit was hesitant to give me a tour, but did give a brief one. Basically, she reiterated the history that I had already known, but had to act dumb since they thought I was there for the first time. Actually, it was only my second time there. The first time, I never did find the indoor baths and saunas. With her assistance, I now know the access to them. Szechenyi is the largest spring fed thermal in Europe, which boasts 16 pools. The building started in 1913, but was extended in 1927. It is truly glorious. It is obvious how people can spend an entire day here without any effort at all. They are open until 10pm year round. Being Hungary, I had to have one typical Hungarian experience, though I can imagine this happening in the US too. I was in one pool where the fountain was spraying water out of some nymph's mouth, so I rested under it to spray my back. Others do the same in the other pools, but I was the sole challenger to the woman's repose sitting on the steps next to this nymph. Splashing my back was also spraying onto her, which I did not realize until a heard a clear "Excuse me" in tainted English. When I turned, she said you are getting me all wet. Well, damn lady, you are sitting in a pool of water; you are getting yourself wet, because I did not put you here. Rather than ruin my peace, I moved. She continued her conversation with a fellow stair sitter in Hungarian. After a day of soaking, I was mellow, melted, and pliable. However, my review of the Gellert is not going to change much from the last edition of the book. They are overpriced for the few services that are included. Two thermals, two pools, one steam room, and one sauna for 3,500 Ft for a locker of 3,800 Ft for a cabin vs Szechenyi where you can have 16 choices of pools, plus multiple saunas, and steam rooms for 3,400 Ft for a cabin or 3,000 Ft for a locker. The graduated refund system for all of the thermals is gone. If you leave before 2 hours, both Gellert and Szechenyi will give you 300 Ft back period. It used to be much more for leaving before 2 hours, and a reduced amount for 3 and 4 hours. Those days are history.

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Gellert Thermals

This morning at 10am, I was scheduled to visit the Gellert Thermals. Why 10am, I have no clue. It is open all day. After presenting my letter to the cashier, she closed her window to give me a tour of the facilities and then said I could partake of the baths if I chose. The entire bath area including the pools have been refurbished to their original luster, which I must say is impressive. What is more intriguing is the stained glass panels view from the lobby, but you cannot have access to a view unless you pay admission, a whooping 3,800 Ft for a cabin or 3,500 Ft for a locker. Even then, photography is not allowed. After sharing this information, she added "It is too expensive for the average Hungarian, so you will find mostly tourists here. If you live in the hotel, you can have access for free." If you do not stay longer than 2 hours, you do get a refund of a paltry 300 Ft. Zippo, that is the only refund and certainly not an incentive to whisk in and out again. Outdoors, the pool does look larger than I had realized from peaking through the fence. There is a wave pool every hour. On a higher level, there is a thermal pool with a view of the bridge if you sit at the correct angle. At other contortionist moves will reward you with a view of Gellert Hill and the Citadella. Still the cost has not been justified for me. This may explain why by 10:30, when I made it to the men's thermals, there were only seven men around in the two large pools, while one was getting a massage. By 11:15, I had reached my quota of boredom. The guest list increased by three men, but decreased by two. Yes, the ceramics walls look lovely and crispy new. Yes, it is clean. The locker room attendants still have that "What do you want?" attitude dripping from their pores making guests feel like burglary intruders into their private domains.

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Back in the Saddle

Gosh, I have not posted for six days and started getting withdrawal symptoms; my fingers started to itch, words were making my head swell looking for an escape route, a more creative enriched expression than verbal communication would allow. As you know if you are a reader, I had my new computer installed, my Windows Home Server, and a heavy duty router. A portion of my time, I have been trying tweak the WHS, which did not come with a printed manual, but one online, making it difficult to flip through. Little by little, I am finding the tips and tricks. There is also a learning curve with Windows 7. I like the release candidate, so will anxiously wait for the real thing to arrive on shelves. A great deal of my time has been spent eating out, going to hotels, checking admission prices of museums and other things for the book. By the time I get home, I have to write and rewrite with great enthusiasm before the copious notes I have taken become muddled in my own mind. We have also had fabulous guests who have shared their time with us, making it more than a pleasure having them here. We were graced to have author Anna Balint here with her low key, but exceptionally fun husband Willie. Anna's site is http://www.curbstone.org/authdetail.cfm?AuthID=148 . Getting to listen to Anna's processing for her writing was intriguing as well as insightful. She gifted us with a copy of her book The Horse Thief, a book of short stories. Ron is reading it now and keeps whetting my appetite to dive into it. Four other great people followed on their heels, not giving us a chance to lose artistic momentum. Tom and Beth Besson arrived from Texas. Tom is an artist and you can view his work here www.tombesson.com. Beth is a director of adult education, so we had much in common. At the same time, we had a young couple from Kingston, NY who were here for Formula One. Jennifer and Paul were just as delightful with youthful energy, excitement and they were celebrating their anniversary as well as Paul's graduation with a Masters in Education. Jennifer is an art teacher in middle school. Talk about a melding of people; it just does not get better than this with all of the talented people who cross our threshold. The new editions of Frommer's guides will have different formats for the first three chapters, so things need shuffling around even for sections that will not change, like the Jewish history. I thrive on change most of the time, so this is exciting. I also found some perks through the TourInform office here in Budapest. They have a Budapest Study program to help travel journalist learn more about the city. I applied and was accepted. They have a number of partner hotels, restaurants, and attractions, but by the time they responded, my choices were limited. I had covered many of the things already. Nevertheless, we were treated to dinner for two at a restaurant I wanted to return to anyway. Since it is a bit expensive, it was even more enjoyable knowing we did not have to pay the bill. Yesterday, we went to Momento Park, formerly Statue Park as guests. Normally, I would not refer people there. It is a distance from the city. Haowever, with a tour guide, I witnessed it in an entirely different light. The concept worked as I will now give it a much more favorable review. There is a better understanding of how and why it is presented as it is. Tomorrow, I will be squeaky clean. They booked me at the Gellert Thermals at 10am and then at the Széchenyi at 3:00 pm. I will be mellowed out for the weekend for sure.

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Two People I Most Admire

Dear Friend, American Reading Company is delighted to announce that Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, award-winning authors and educators, have joined with us in a partnership to expand Spanish programs for bilingual, dual language, and world language classrooms. These accomplished educators and honored authors are pioneers in the development of multicultural and bilingual books for children. Both share our mission of developing programs that ensure that every child becomes an engaged, successful reader, regardless of native language or current level of achievement. They are committed to providing students with literature that reflects and honors their life experiences and culture. Through this partnership, our book collections are further enhanced by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy's deep understanding of language acquisition theory, their wide and expert knowledge of the literature published in Spanish, and their unique sensitivity toward multicultural perspectives as an affirming and enriching value in education. Get Ready for Fall Our expanded Spanish programs are ready to meet the individual needs of your Spanish-speaking and Spanish-learning students. We offer a comprehensive, standards-based framework of solutions and tools designed to achieve one goal: every student reading at or above grade level, and equipped with the skills and inspiration needed to succeed in school. 100 Book Challenge® en Español For students in bilingual and Spanish world classrooms Standards-based K–8 curriculum focused on reading competencies Clear grade-level benchmarks Student assessment and progress tracking tools Specific instructional interventions Science Research Labs® Teach Spanish in the content areas Teach students about all kinds of animals, their habitats, adaptations, life cycles, and food webs Scientific inquiry curriculum Beautiful nonfiction titles in Spanish 25+ themes also available for science & social studies in English Click here to learn more about our Spanish programs and products or feel free to call me directly. Sincerely, American Reading Company 1-866-810-2665 In their words: “I’ve studied the program in action and the results are compelling both in test scores and tangible student engagement that permeates the classroom.” —Alma Flor Ada “These programs make the right books and the right social supports available to students in bilingual programs.” —F. Isabel Campoy Read More About: Alma Flor Ada & F. Isabel Campoy Endorsement 100 Book Challenge en Espanol Science Research Labs Zoología Uno Thematic Collections: Latino Heritage Latin America Cuentos Tradicio

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Liking Waiting for a Birth

Getting new techie stuff for me is beyond exciting, but the wait reminds me of waiting for my brother to be born. The anticipation was great, but the end result was a bit of a let down. The tech was supposed to be here at 10am. I had everything backed up and ready to fly into the next level of Windows with arms spread wide planning to soar. My mobile phone rang since when the guy left yesterday, our landline, which is also cable stopped working. We have a call into the company to get that repaired now too. The labor time was premature, he has to stay at the office until 1:30pm. At 3:30, he show us. Having flunked yesterday's lessons, he had the audacity to state that this was going to be simple. All he had to do was set up the server. At 3:45, we gave him coffee. When the clock hit 4:25, it was ice water. The temperature out was 92F. By 6:30, we offered him a vodka and tonic. When it turned 8pm, we were thinking of including him in our dinner plans. At 8:30, we were considering making up a bed for him, but we are fully booked, so perhaps a spot on the kitchen floor? As it turns out, the hard drive that I used to back up everything I needed from the old computer was too outdated for the new computer, so could not be installed. He had to run to a computer shop to get cables to allow me to use the old drive as an external one. Then there was the installation of the server software on three more computers. What we have now is a system where guests will be able to video stream our movie collection onto their laptops in the privacy of their room. That is of course, after I have the time to load all of the 700+ movies onto the server. For now, I am reinstalling all of my programs under Windows 7, which has not been too much of a hassle. I guess having had to reformat the computer on a semi-annual basis in the past has increase my speed in doing it. What I hate the most about the reformatting is all of the programs that I bought online and have saved registration keys for, but when you try to reinstall them, the keys no longer work. This happened for three programs that I use continually. I write to the support and hope to hear back one day. Kudos to one company: Slysoft Software - www.slysoft.com I have three of their programs, which I use almost daily. They not only responded the same day I wrote, but they provided me with new keys. They thought the old keys may have been corrupted. Bless them. Hats off to MailWasher Pro, the program that filters out my spam in the e-mail. When I could not get the program to install, they wrote me back asking questions. Until I retrieve it, I have 759 e-mails to sort through. If you don't hear from me soon...

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This Is Going to Be Easy

"This Is Going to Be Easy" are the famous words that every computer technician who enters here says, followed by "I can have this done in no time." Hours later when they are looking at the pictures of their wife and kids to remember their faces, pining to be with them again, they realize they spoke off of the cuff. I am sure those words never leak from their lips ever again when approaching my door. Two days ago, the tech brought my new computer, my Windows Home Server, and new router. After an hour of struggling like a hostage bound and gagged, he finally called it quits placing a phone call to the cable company for Internet assist. According to the company, I had five computers hooked directly up to the cable box, but in reality there has only been one. The others are WiFi, so don't count. Around more rounds than a champion tennis match, they finally agreed to disagree, but resolved the issue regardless. Computer installed, router installed, WiFi working on all computers except the desktop sitting directly under the router. Duh! Back to square one. By 7:30 pm, the tech starts singing "Release me, let me go..." but does promise to return tomorrow to finish up. That is what all of my dates in high school said too; I should have learned by now. If I were smarter, I would have kept his bike hostage.

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More Humor

Yes, I have better things I could be doing, but I just returned from the dentist and am having a meltdown. Yesterday was a yet another medical doctor appointment. Fast and efficient, but another Rx to have filled and two more weeks of waiting. It is tough getting older. I am waiting for my new computer to be delivered today with Windows Home Server. All five of our computers will be hooked up to the server and then I will load over 700 movies over time onto it. Then guests can watch movies on their laptop in their room. Now for the humor. Note: I have no idea where these originated, so am not purposefully infringing on anyone's copyright.

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Idle Thoughts

1. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks? 2. Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?

3. If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?

4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words? 5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack? 6. Why does "slow down" mean the same thing as "slow up"? 7. Why do "fat chance" and ”slim chance" mean the same thing? 8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges? 9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game" when we are already there? 10. Why are they called "stands" when they are made for sitting? 11. Why is it called "after dark" when it is really "after light"?

12. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected? 13. Why are a "wise man" and”wise guy” opposites? 14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things? 15. Why is "phonics" not spelled the way it sounds? 16. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?

17. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting? 18. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular??? 19. If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right? 20. Why is bra singular and panties plural? 21. Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control when you know the batteries are dead?

22. Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase? 23. How come abbreviated is such a long word? 24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them? 25. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle? 26. Why do they call it a TV set when you have only one? 27. Christmas - What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks? 28. Why are shrimp called Jumbo?

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It's All Geek to Me

Here is the daily geek report. I admit it, I was born too late to be a real geek, so I am a wannabe geek. When I was a kid, there were machines on street corners where you could put in a quarter and the machine would dispense a quart of milk. For fifty cents, you received a gallon. I thought that was the highlight of technology. Has anyone outside of NJ ever seen these machines? Whenever I mention it, people are flabbergasted at the idea.

On with the show...this is what the world of notebook computers will look like or close to it by 2015. Most likely I will be too arthritic to enjoy them, but with the screens that are touch only, it should not be a problem. Gosh, I will miss all of the technology that occurs after I am long gone.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/168488/big_changes_coming_to_notebook_design_by_2015.html

Secondly, for your Kindle users or those thinking about a Kindle, this article is for you. There are ways to get books for your Kindle without going through Amazon. There are ways to protect your purchases from Amazon too. In case you have not heard, even after paying for a Kindle book from Amazon, they can wipe it clean from your Kindle. Big Brother has control of your reading material. This article will tell you how to turn Big Brother into a minor annoyance.

http://consumerist.com/5318014/how-to-load-up-your-kindle-with-non+amazon-ebooks

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Technorati

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"Hamster" Weighs In

This is from a reader: We are the only developed nation in the world that doesn't provide healthcare in some form to all it's citizens. In fact many of us have no health insurance http://www.nchc.org/facts/coverage.shtml Other developed nations have found their solution to heath care How do they do it? Compare http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/countries/ The question is, though, do they really like their system. Or would they prefer a system like ours. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fharrisinteractive.com%2Fnews%2Fnewsletters%2Fhealthnews%2FHI_HealthCareNews2008Vol8_Iss6.pdf&ei=B45MSqa7LIyysgP6vsHpBQ&usg=AFQjCNGM1zYK2DPagCQo8YL3pcxQ1BqVxA&sig2=LI7fTuwMzp51R-jbby39SQ The vast majority of Americans feel that we need health care reform this year. http://www.gallup.com/poll/121664/majority-favors-healthcare-reform-this-year.aspx Both Republicans and Democrats have come up with their plans for health reform Let's take the best ideas from each side, add in the best of systems from around the world and come up with something that will work. No one is going to get everything they want. But at least we can fix some of the major problems. Iinaction is totally unacceptable. And just taking something to dull the pain isn't going to really solve the problem

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US Health Care Reform

I am not living in the US, but I have e-mailed my Congress people to stand behind Obama in creating reforms to our broken health care system. I do not want to see another failure that Clinton faced. Health care is getting increasing worse in the US according to all of my friends who live there, regardless of how deep their pockets are. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071901465.html?nav%3Drss_email/componentul%202009http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/contenhttp://www.washingtonpost.com:80/ac2/wp-dyn?node=admin/registraM%C3%A1%E2%82%AC&sub=AR

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Spam Is Not Only a Food Option

I subscribe to a newsletter from The Consumerist. Most if not all of the articles are US based, which does not aid my way of living either way, but it does help me stay up to date with what is happening there. Today, there was an article on SPAM, not the supposed food product that came in can, which my mother served with fried eggs on top, during economically challenging times, but that hateful e-mail we find in our in-box. A survey shows that 12% of the survey group actually responds to the spam messages. With a rate like that, it is obvious that spam is not going to disappear anytime soon. You can read the article here and within it there is a link to download the survey. http://tinyurl.com/no3lzg This comment that struck my funny bone, since the person's spam comes in Hungarian and they are presumably in the US. Most of the time, I open Google or even Blogspot, it starts in Hungarian making me navigate to English. Google.hu is the default regardless of how many times I have changed and saved my preferences. If all of my spam were in Hungarian, it would be so much easier to ignore; I cannot read it anyway. In the past, not being able to tell the difference between the good and the ugly, I have been guilty of forwarding pieces to students for translation with embarrassing results for both of us. Opps!

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Another Post on My Book

Call me obsessed, but there is a certain thrill about seeing your book in a bookstore window. That thrill is compounded when you see it in a bookstore window in a non-English speaking country. I found it in this Libri International bookstore when I stayed at the bed in the box, but the picture was so large on my phone camera, I could not e-mail it to myself. Finally, here it is. May I add, it is the only Frommer's book they carry!

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UnBEARable Humor

The heat may be getting to me, but this struck a funny bone.

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E-mailing While on Vacation?

Here is a post from Christopher Elliott's newsletter that I can certainly relate to, but then again I check e-mail for the business more so than personal reasons...unlike some I know. You know who you are. The guests who never see the city because you cannot drag yourself away from e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter. http://www.elliott.org/blog/on-vacation-odds-are-youre-checking-email-over-and-over-and-over-and-over/

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The Heat and Computers

If the heat is getting to you, imagine what your computer is going through with only one little fan to cool its insides. The heat is definitely doing strange things to my computers. It may or may not be the heat though with the desktop computer having had a tech here replacing all of the innards part by part. Yet, the Internet connection is still a problem. Funny, the WiFi works fine for all of the other computers here both resident and visiting. A week back, we upgraded our cable TV to a DVDR subscription to get more channels in English. We now have a grand total of five. Do I hear a big WHOOP? When the repairman was here, he did some stuff with the wiring, which then led him to my Internet modem. When he left, it was white lightening. Today, it is slower than getting mud out of silk. Trying to work on the Toshiba laptop, I have been back and forth between the coffee table and the desktop. It is too hot keeping the laptop on my lap and if I set it on anything non-porous, it shuts itself off. I have a fan blowing on the power cord to keep it cool, but finally put it on a bag of ice wrapped in a dish towel. If I am not electrocuted, I will get my shopping chapter completed today. If I am electrocuted, it will go on hold indefinitely. There is a silver lining. On Wednesday, I get my brand new computer with a four core processor, my Windows Home Server will be installed, and a WiFi router with two antennas strong enough to project through lead walls. The best of it is it will have Windows 7 on it. Ah, you say, Windows 7 is not out yet. This is the Windows 7 Release Candidate, which can be downloaded until August with a key. It will work until March 2010 at which time I will have the regular version to replace it with. The only down side is having to reinstall all of the programs now and then again later with the full version. The price one pays for technology.

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Windows 7 RC

Windows 7 Release Candidate

Notice: Downloads will end August 20 Thanks for all your help building Windows 7. We are on our way to the last big milestone: Release to Manufacturing. Starting on October 22, you’ll see it on PCs and store shelves. As we gear up for that, it’s time to wind down the Release Candidate testing program. If you or a friend needs a download, you’ve got time. We’ll continue to offer the RC download until August 20, 2009. After that, you won’t be able to get the download, but if you have the bits, you can still install the RC and get a key if you need one. (To get a key, just go to the Downloads page and follow the instructions.) Tell us what you think. If you’re using the Windows 7 Release Candidate, we hope you like what you see. Let us know -- go to http://input.microsoft.com and tell us what you think. You’ll be able to give feedback on various aspects of the operating system. Got the RC and need help? Experts on the Windows 7 Forum can help answer your questions. The forum also gives you a way to share what you’ve learned with other people.

Essential Resources:

- The Installation Instructions give you the info you need to get started. - To get more information about Windows 7, such as feature descriptions, visit the Windows 7 website. - Looking for technical help or information? Here are a few sources:

- The Windows 7 online forums are a great place to start. - You can keep up to date on news about Windows 7 on the team blog. - To get more general information on Windows, make sure you’re subscribed to the Exploring Windows newsletter.

Thanks again for your investment in Windows 7. The Windows 7 Team

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Good-bye Frequent Flier Miles II

Another view of those frequent flier miles. http://www.nwcn.com/sharedcontent/northwest/travel/stories/NW_071309TRB-airline-bankruptcy-danger-TP.39d331d2.html

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A Sweet Little Something

If you hate going to the dentist, or you have a sweet tooth, or both of them apply to you, I found you just the dentist for you. Besides taking care of your teeth, she will give you a lift besides.

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Aging Miles

I am sharing here what I have been reading. We have been victims of this ourselves. Life happens and you just forget to check your statements online and lose out as time flies by.

"The trap, as one of my clients puts, is the expiring mileage game. Which is not unique to American Airlines. Don’t accrue or redeem miles in 18 months or so, and they all go away. But American also does not send mileage statements when there is no activity, and they don’t send warnings.

So, while all that is necessary to keep miles active is buying some small thing from a merchant on the AA.com site, or buying a few miles, or renting a car, or one of a number of simple things, if you aren’t alert, you lose."

The full article is here: http://www.tripso.com/today/american-airlines-to-travel-agents-and-passengers-pay-attention-or-pay-up/

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Árpád Farkas Comments

"I think they give you those tourist advertisements because they know that you are reviewing hotels and they want you to know (and mention in your book) how they usually deal with guests and what they give them. Although I have never done it, reviewing hotels seems to be a pleasant job…" says Árpád. Yes, I think you are probably correct. Sleeping in different hotels to do reviews can be fun, it the beds are comfy and the pillows to your liking, otherwise, it can be a miserable nights sleep.

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Bed in a Box

The further adventures of sleeping elsewhere besides home, but not when on vacation, always brings some surprises. Last night was another "sleep in a hotel to review for my book" mini vacation. In the past, I have slept in some disappointing hotels, but for a new hotel, this one takes the cake. If first impressions matter, I named it Bed in a Box. Again, I will not divulge the name here, but the pictures will justify my impressions, I do believe. But let me start at the beginning. When I checked in, the front desk manager handed me an envelope while welcoming me to the hotel. Well, isn't that special! So I thought until reached the plain vanilla hallway to my room, devoid of decor other than a single plant in a cutout in the wall. Opening my welcome envelope, I found the usual tourist advertisements we give our own guests. Does anyone listen to me when I say "I LIVE HERE" or are they all on remote pilot and have a required need to maintain automation? There was one surprise in the envelope. A little sheet offering massages: Swedish, Honey, or Chocolate massage for 25 Euros an hour. For an additional 10 Euros, I could get a "Vacuum" massage or full body coiling. Now I had to wonder if this was in everyone's envelope or was I just special? If they had specified whether it was dark, bitter, or semi-sweet chocolate, I may have bit for the chocolate massage, but I am particular about my chocolate. The room is a box with a bed, period. I have felt firm mattresses before, but this was a slab. Pillows that refuse to change shape when you put your head of them, should be outlawed. It was fine for sitting up reading, but for sleeping, half of my body was at a forty-five degree angle. Two large windows made up the fourth wall. One opened six inches, while other looked like it was fitted as a door the balcony outside, but without a handle it was possible. Perhaps they were afraid that at these rates, guests would jump after realizing what a poor choice they had made, so why risk letting them out on the balcony. Then there was the sarcophagus shaped tub. Notice the similarities. Was I supposed to bath in it or wait for mummification to set in? I could not decide, but I would love to explore the mind of the decorator after he or she gets out of rehab. They must have been using something really potent when they came up with this idea. You cannot see the shower, but notice there is no door. Why bother?

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I Have Been Sleeping Around Again

It is a tough life being a travel writer, but someone has to do it. I had to sleep in a luxurious hotel last night, but before anyone gets too jealous, it was only four stars. I am not going to mention the hotel, because they should not get the free publicity. After all, I did not publish photos of all of the other hotels I have slept in in the past. You may be able to see the plate of fruit on the table. The classier hotels that have managers with a sense of good marketing, provide a little "gift" when a writer is staying with them. Nice touch! When it is a bottle of wine, I bring it home to Ron, but fruit gets smashed along the way. Besides, I had a number of things to check out in the area, so I knew I would not be home right away. I have another hotel to stay at tomorrow night. We will see how well they treat me there.

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A Week of Eating

Two years ago when I was researching the first Frommer's book I was writing, there was a former Fulbrighter here, Angela Bennett, studying Hungarian for the summer. We had known her from her year here as a Fulbrighter, so she went with us to dinner from restaurant to restaurant for weeks, sampling dishes so I had more fodder to review. History has repeated itself in a minor way. This last week we had the pleasure of the company of one of the first Fulbrighters we had met here in Hungary, Jennifer Norcross. Jennifer was an exchange teacher here for a year, teaching English. She loves the city, so returns often. Her timing was impeccable, not only staying with us, but just in time for the restaurant tour once again. Jennifer had the good sense and I must say good taste to purchase my book ahead of time, so I had a make a list of the restaurants she would like to eat at while here. Each of her eight nights, we dined at a different place. I collected feedback from she and Ron concerning their meals. Besides being a good dining partner, she is great fun to be around. She has a vivacious personality and is never without something of interest to share whether it is over the dinner table or just over breakfast. Just observing her in daily life, I can imagine she is an incredible teacher. We just wish she could have stayed longer, there are so many more restaurants to waiting for us.

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Baaaad Men Farmers and Their Sheep

Ron sent me this video after someone sent it to him, and someone sent it to here. Well you get the idea. Rather than e-mail the link to the next 60 people, I am just posting it here. If you hate seeing farmers abusing their sheep, don't look. This took place in Wales, so at least no one can say "Those Americans should be shot!"

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Photos, Photos, Thousands of Photos

Sometimes, I come across something which seems like a great idea, but involves time and mental labor. Once I start on a project like this, I cannot stop until it is completed putting other more mundane things aside for the time being. I had heard of Shutterfly for saving pictures online and basically just ignored it, because I had all of my pictures backed up on Kodak Gallery. Something sparked my curiosity about Shutterfly, so I looked into it. What I could do there was different. I could basically build a web site of all of my albums in one place, where anyone could access them at any time without my having to invite them. They did not have to save a link to each album, everything was in one place. This was a wonderful idea, because not only do I take pictures for memories, I love sharing what we have seen through my personal lens and filtered thinking. Once I started uploading, I liked the results. What I did not anticipate was that this would take me a week of nine hour days, basically to upload all of the albums, sub-albums, and assorted photos. Some I do not like the resolution of, but this is because they were taken on APS film when we first left the States in 2001 and were transferred to CD while we traveled. This technology was new and scarce in Europe at that time, so the results were not always wonderful. Some albums like Ireland and England are short changed in the early years. When we left the States in 2001, we had only intended to be traveling for a year and had to carefully budget our money. I was a frugal photographer then; film was expensive, developing more so, and money was tight. It was not until much later when I made my first digital camera purchase that the world opened up and I could shoot to my heart's content, deleting later. Some of the albums, you would swear I never deleted a photo, but believe me I was usually heartless in trashing many photos. With that preamble, I invite you to see my photo site, which you can return to or sign up to an RSS feed to be notified when it is updated. I still have some Szeged photos to put on that are still on the camera. http://ryanandron.shutterfly.com/ If you lose the link, it will be in the sidebar on the right side of this blog.

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Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July! This reminds me of the penny candy from my childhood.

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Reader Comment

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More Cows

I went to meet with the restaurant owner of Spinoza's today. She also owns self-catering apartments and a nightclub for young people. I have all of this in the current book, so I was unclear why she wanted to meet with me. After we discussed the business at hand, updating the information for the next edition, she asked me how long I have lived here. She and I have had this conversation innumerable times over the years, even before I started writing the book, but since I metamorphosize every two years, I have to forgive her for not remembering. She tells me she loves Budapest and Hungary, but the politics are what is keeping it from progressing into the future. As I give her my most sincere sympathetic look, she says to me "There is a Hungarian story...you have a cow and your neighbor has a cow...." I could not help but laugh out loud causing her to ask "Have you heard this story?" Yes, as a matter of fact, when I first moved here, but as luck would have it, in the last two weeks, I have heard variations of it from four different people, you are the fifth to start it. If you don't know the story, look at July 1st posting on Cows.

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Doctor Appointment - Going Solo

Back to the doctor again today, this was my first solo trip. My knight in medical armor, Laszlo went to the US, leaving me for fend for myself. Knowing this from the last trip, I committed building markers to memory to find my way back, but something went amiss. Knowing I could take a different bus than I had been, which stop was not quite clear. The street the hospital was on just happens to be smack dab in between two stops, so either way was a walk. Success, found the street, found the pharmacy (visual marker), found the guards shack (visual marker), found the bufe (snack bar - visual marker). I was sailing high. No problemo! Walked around the jutting out building, found the building in the back and raced up the stairs. Yahoo! We did not take the elevator the last time because it was not working, but I chanced it this time. Two choices, pressed 1. Get off to enter the wings, but all I see is Cardiology. Run down the stairs, Psychiatry. Perhaps later, but not now. Down the stairs again, ground floor, construction only, nothing else, not even workmen. Perhaps I missed a sign, so up the stairs again. First floor, no. Second floor, same thing. The signs never changed since I was there last. Surely they had time in those five minutes to change things around. We know how sneaky people can be in heatlhcare. Feeling panic at being late for my appointment of 'come any time between 9 and 10 am', I ran out of the building almost assaulting a women in white, with hopes she was a nurse or someone in the know. She did not speak English. I had my doctor's name on my mobile phone calendar, so I showed her. After a smile with a nod of the head, she had me follow her. She took me quite a ways in a different direction, but all of the time, I am thinking she is making a mistake. Then she calls to this elderly man who is wearing shorts and old sandals. She then gestures for me to follow him. He was jabbering to himself before being called upon to be my escort. Perhaps, I was to escort him to the psych unit since I can now find it by myself. Being a trusting soul, I go with him now knowing what a homeless person's puppy feel like. Suddenly, I recognized the building, though it looked similar to the one I had left minutes before. Finally, I could stop reciting fractured Shakespere, Laszlo, Laszlo, where art thou Laszlo? Mr. Mumbles was attempting to use the elevator, but I knew it would take until my next appointment to show up, so I ran up the stairs yet again. I may need that cardiac unit after all. Finally, I found the place I needed to be, took a seat, and waved at the doctor when I saw him, just like I said I would do. I had to sign in with the nurse at the desk who was very forgiving that we could not communicate. The doctor came by and said he would see me in five minutes. He actually did. I was examined, given two more prescriptions and was out in less than an hour. July 21st, we will try this again. I hope my visiual clues are intact for then.

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Happy Birthday, Ron!

Today is Ron's birthday. If you happened to miss it, here is his e-mail address. ronschm@gmail.com. You don't have to know him to know he is a nice guy and would appreciate the good wishes.

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Universal Crankiness

Our dear Balazs called today, distraught to say the least. At first, I thought it was an issue in his life; he was speaking so fast and furious, I had to have him repeat it before understanding it was about us. He received a call from OUR building manager stating at the last apartment meeting there were two complaints about us. 1. We have too many guests who let the elevator door slam shut and they find it disturbing. 2. We have not swept and mopped our balcony to their satisfaction. Balazs started to tell me the cow story, but I stopped him assuring him I have heard it. Actually, in the last two weeks, I have heard four versions of it, but the outcome is always the same. Animal rights activists need to be checking up on all of these dead cows. If you don't know the story, it is in the immediately previous post. Using minimal critical thinking skills, I suggested that they fix the damn door. We took the initiative of putting a sign on both sides of the door in Hungarian and English asking that the door be held until it is closed gently. We also meet all guests at the elevator now to indoctrinate them in case, due to their excitement, they miss seeing the sign. I can count on both hands and then need a helping hand from others to count the number of times Hungarians who were not coming here, let the damn door slam shut. They claim it would cost too much to fix the door, so they would rather make a bigger racket complaining about it. We have inquired as to the cost of repair. It is cheaper to fix it than listen to them squawk about. At least they will have to be creative with finding something new that we do to irritate them. Mopping the balcony? Give me a break! I have never in 7+ years ever seen anyone mop the balcony. Since we are the first apartment in from the elevator on one side, it seems it is our responsibility to sweep and mop the balcony from the outer hallway door to the part past our windows. So here is my solution. We will mop, but then post signs saying "We have just mopped the balcony. Please remove your shoes from this point forward until you have past our windows. Those caught with shoes on will be asked to pay a toll. It has rained at least an hour for the last ten days. Are these people nuts?

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The Hungarian Cows = Jealousy Metaphor

When we first moved here and I started teaching at the university, my department head had some reason for telling me a Hungarian story. This is the way her version went. You have a cow and your neighbor has a cow. By some good fortune, you acquire a second cow. Your neighbor sees the second cow and starts to pray. "Dear God, please kill my neighbor's cows." I bet you were expecting the neighbor to pray for a second cow also, were you? Well, the moral of the story is that if you had two cows it would be twice as much work; however, the green eyed monster of jealousy does not want your neighbor to be better than you are or equal to you, but in more dire straits. Fire up the BBQ, the cow is dead. This little tale will be referred to in future posts, starting with the next one.

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