Fishermans Bastion and St. Matthias Church

As I was wandering from the video store to return some DVDs, it dawned on me that I rarely do some of the touristy things without having friends in tow. Therefore, it is rare that I get to spend the time at any one place that really fulfills me since I am on someone else’s time schedule. This prompted me to stroll to the castle district.

Initially, it seemed I would traipse all over the area and perhaps visit the museum there as I sat on the number 16 bus from Deák. When reaching the top, St. Matthias Church called out to me and that became my destination. First walking all around Fisherman’s Bastion, exploring parts that I had never been before, it occurred to me there were areas where I had never dragged guests due to time constraints. This was my opportunity to reward myself with as much time as I wanted. There was no reason to rush home, no one waiting there for me, no obligations.

Built in the combined styles of neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque in 1895, Fisherman's Bastion is a walled terrace built on the Buda side of the Danube on Castle hill. It is behind the St. Matthias Church. It has seven towers that look like castle turrets of fairytales, which represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896. It earned its name from the guild of fishermen responsible for defending this portion of the city in the Middle Ages. For a fee, you can climb the stairs to view the city from the top, which is said to have a spectacular view. I chose not to spend the money, believing the view from the Citadella was equal or superior to this one.

There are many stairs and walking paths around the area. The view from the free area is just as impressive, though it has been partially invaded by a restaurant, thus causing obstacles of tables and chairs to climb over to see all views or the purchase of a coffee to have a seat. I was told that the viewing area is free in the evening, which could afford magnificent views when the sun is setting.

Placed in front of the Bastion is a bronze statue of King St. Stephen I, the first king of a unified Hungary, mounted on a horse. It was erected in 1906. The pedestal was made by Alajos Stróbl, a famous Hungarian sculptor at the turn of the century, known for his realistic modeling. The statue is done in Neo-Romanesque style, with experiences illustrating the King's life.

The day was hot and humid, but I refused to allow myself to be gouged 500 Huf for a small bottle water that was four times the price off of the hill. There are water fountains around to quench one’s thirst. The area was filled with tourist groups and commentaries were provided in many languages enriching various nationalities with the history of their surroundings. The group that fascinated me the most was the group of Japanese since they each held an umbrella to protect themselves from the sun. I ambled around, then sat in the shade, and observed people, debating on the righteousness of having to spend 600 Huf to enter St. Matthias Church.

Coming to the realization that this was Sunday and still a small outlay for spending time in a magnificent church that I had only been in once before, I left frugality behind and handed over my cash. Before entering, I found some history of the church written in English. The church is officially called Church of Our Lady. Its popular name is attributed to the greatest Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus ("Matthias the Just") who ordered the construction of its original southern tower. The church was the site for several royal coronations including that of Charles IV in 1916. He was the last of the Hapsburg Kings. It was also where King Mátyás' two wedding were held and King Bela and his queen are entombed there in a chapel. During the Turkish occupation, many of the religious treasures were sent elsewhere and in 1541, the church served as a mosque.

What many people miss is the Ecclesiastical Art museum, which is upstairs starting with a medieval crypt, but leading up to the St. Stephen Chapel. There one will find a gallery containing a number of sacred relics and medieval stone carvings. I especially enjoy the history and the replicas of the Hungarian royal crown and coronation jewels. This was a relaxing duality combination time of being quietly reflective and being a tourist.

By this time, I had spent about four hours meandering this part of castle hill and it had already approached 4:00 pm. It was too late to peruse the castle area, so that part will be saved for another time.

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Comments from the Peanut Gallery

Someone sent me a caring note to what I guess was the last blog entry. I repost the pleasant and the not so, without bias.

1. You REALLY need some serious help.
2. Get some strong meds.
3. Lay off the coffee
4. Get a life.
5. GROW UP FOR G0&%$@M SAKE!!!

For the flip side, this came is at the same time.

You make the most frustrating events sound almost funny but at least entertaining. I keep reading as if it is a mystery...can't wait to find the finish...which is also entertaining in a commisserating way....would all probably happen in the states as well as in Hungary, only you'd understand all the under the breath epitaths. Margie

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After Nap Gifts

After Nap Gifts

Don and Patricia brought us copies of their new books. Don Pinnock’s newest addition is Natural Selections: The African Wanderings of a Bemused Naturalist and Patricia’s (Schonstien) book is A Quilt of Dreams. She has a book of poetry being translated into Swedish and Spanish and she has sold the rights to two of her novels to movie companies; one is a US production company and the other British/South African. Her website is www.patriciaschonstein.com 
 

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Assorted notes

The rain was coming down so hard at 4:30 this morning, it woke me. I could not get back to sleep, so here I am at the computer.

It is that time in the semester when I get behind in living. The only thing I have really had time for is grading papers. Just a couple of weeks after I spent dozens of hours with my thesis advisees, the completed thesis for grading were distributed. One of them was ninety-four pages, though the requirement is set a forty minimum. It is not like you can sit and read these like novels; they have to be gone over with a fine tooth comb. I usually sit at the computer while reading them, because I have to make notes of the page numbers where I find mistakes so the student knows where I found it. It generally takes me two whole evenings to get through one thesis, but this time I spent three evenings on one thesis. I had two full pages of corrections to document. It was pure generosity that I let it pass with a 2 (D) grade. It is discouraging when this happens, but she was not my advisee, so there is no responsibility to share.

At the same time, all of my freshmen students had their last papers dues, so there were thirty plus of them to read, my sophomores had their term papers turned in at fifteen pages each and there are sixteen of them in the class. To add to this, the teacher training class also had their term project due, which was twenty pages and there are fifteen of them also. When I have papers to grade, I do not leave the flat other than to go to work. I hate knowing I have work to do that is sitting there waiting for me. My philosophy has always been to give students feedback as soon as possible too. It is not fair to them to hold back on their papers longer than I need to.

Of course there are still little annoying Immigration things that need to be done in the meantime, so this bites a chunk of my time from grading papers and life in general. I still have not been able to reach the eye doctor to get my trial pair of contact lenses. I have called twice, but she has not been in. When I had a student speak to the secretary, she had no clue who I was or what I wanted, though the doctor told me to call the secretary to arrange to pick them up. The secretary was sitting there at the time and smiled at me as the doctor was telling me this. Since it is an eye clinic at the medical university, I cannot just pop in.

Yesterday, I received an invitation to the special meeting of IATEFL-Hungary, the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language- Hungarian Chapter. They need to change the constitution to be in compliance with the International association. Since I am a member, I would have attended, but the language of the meeting is Hungarian, with interpreters as needed. An English teachers association and they are having their meeting in Hungarian…this puzzles me. I have been involved with the group in Macedonia and Bulgaria, but they have all of their meetings in English. It is no wonder the Hungarian chapter is not as fully supported as they could be.

Only two more weeks of school left. May 18th is my last day until September. By July 1st, I will start missing my students again and will be wishing the summer away.

We have only two trips planned this summer. June 3rd we will go to Dresden and Leipzig, then in August to Edinburgh. Ron will be in the States for three weeks, so that takes a chunk from chances of taking time away.

It is 5:44 am. If I push it, I can finish another student’s paper before showering. This weekend will be another hermit weekend finishing up papers.

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No Need to Rush

No Need to Rush

There is no need to rush. We probably can’t get into the bathroom anyway. Breakfast is a buffet of choices and decisions. Ron brought our dirty laundry around the corner to the launder mat where the attendant will wash and dry it for us. Merlin will pick it up for us this afternoon, since he has a light day.

We decided to walk to the castle since the laundry woman told Ron a shorter route from our place. It is still uphill with a backpack on. Would you believe that I was a Boy Scout for years and the two things that I hated was camping and hiking? Nothing had changed since then.

On the way, we did come to the Museum of Edinburgh first and toured it. It was very interesting to see the history that went back to 3,000 years B.C. to the present. Across the street is a museum called The People’s Story. It is a museum that tells the condition of the ordinary people of Edinburgh from the end of the 18^th century to the current time. They use a lot of mannequins and create dioramas, which really adds to the interest. This was a real sociological experience and worth the two and a half hours we spent in there. Both of the museums were free admission.

We stopped at an outdoor café across the street for a latte and cappuccino before heading off to the castle. There are Starbucks everywhere both here and in London, which is a blessing for me since I have to find a bathroom every fifteen minutes or six blocks whichever comes first. My tests came back negative for diabetes and my doctor said there was nothing to be concerned about, but this is one reason why I shy away from established tours for days at a time. I would be the blushing one that has held the group up for the entire tour. That is the one thing that I like about having Starbucks, Burger King, and McDonalds everywhere we go. They are dependable rest stops.

We trudged up the Royal Mile toward Edinburgh Castle. It was cold and blustery up on that hill, but what a view of the city. It was incredible. With the admission, you get a CD-Rom in your own language that is a self-guided tour. You can walk at your own pace, play it as many times as you want or skip over what is not interesting to you. The castle was a medieval fortress and only many hundreds of years later turned into a castle. This is where James VI was born, in a very small, unadorned room off of his mother’s (Queen Mary of Scots) bedchamber. Most of the inside of the castle was functional, not ornate. In the jewel tower, there were life size models of all of the Kings of Scotland from the 800’s through to one Queen in the 1600’s, then Kings again until Mary. Then when she was murdered, her son became King and reigned over England and Scotland. It took us over three hours to go through everything, but we were told that the entire CD-Rom has 4 ½ hours of information. There is only so much you can absorb. We had to have tea in the gift shop only to renew our energy for walking some more after all of the standing and walking.

Back down the Royal Mile, we started looking for someplace to eat. We got off the beaten track and got lost again. Finally, we decided to just head home and find something locally. We found a Chinese restaurant near the house, so we got ‘take away’ and brought it home to eat. This is another night staying in without the ½ price ticket booth to run to. We are getting more rest here since there is not all of the activity to run around for.

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Ryan’s Insights and Other Tales

Ryan’s Insights and Other Tales

It is breakfast time at Mr. Personality’s B& B. There are six of us at breakfast, a record since we have been here. We are squeezed into a tiny room that looked like a ballroom on the website. The menu has not changed in honor of our breakfast guests. The quantity has not changed either. When the croissants disappear, toast appears. It is cut into festive triangles, so that maybe it will pass as something other than toast.

When we open our B&B, we will have a daily changing variety of edibles to wake up the mouth and mind to be ready for a new day. Those of you reading this will be entitled to a big discount. We are still scouring the world for its location, so stay turned to this newsletter for further updates and discount coupons.

Today is the last day of our Travel Pass. It provided us unlimited rides on the tubes, buses, trains, and the Thameslink for seven days. When you don’t know a city, unlimited transportation is important. You are bound to retrace steps that you made by mistake. It would be hateful to have to pay twice for your mishaps. Out of the eleven different tube lines, we were on ten at least one time, not always on purpose. Of the scores of bus routes, we covered at least twenty-five of them, and then there were the trains and catamarans.

Let’s go off topic for a minute. Have you ever noticed that when you are on an escalator, the handrail and the steps are not in synch? If you hold the handrail, your hand will get to the top or bottom faster than your feet. I have wondered why this is and after careful research that has not been funded by any government monies, I have reached two conclusions. Conclusion one: Going down the escalator, your hand is approaching the bottom first because so many people are on their cell phones in the tube, they don’t realize they are reaching the bottom. When they go flying on their face due to this, their hand has arrived first and is instrumental in breaking the fall. Conclusion two: Going up the escalator, inevitably, someone stops at the very top ahead of you to look around, to talk to a friend, or their brain is trying to tell the legs to move once again. Your hand makes it to the top first in order for you to push that person out of the way so you don’t create a domino reaction behind you and send fifty people flying down the stairs.

Without the London Pass, we are out looking for cheap thrills, so the Victoria and Albert Museum fit the bill. The Victoria and Albert Museum or affectionately called the V&A, is billed as the world’s greatest museum for the decorative arts. They have over 5,000 pieces from the year 3,000 BC to present including the largest collection of Renaissance sculpture outside of Italy. As the guide said they have a smattering of everything, but not an overabundance of anything. For 2.50 pounds, you are allowed to wander, explore, delight in one of the most wonderful museums there are. We took the free tour of the museum and were delighted to have a guide that not only knew the museum from nook to cranny, but she was animated too. One could not help but be excited about the works just from her exuberance. At the time of our visit, they had an exhibit of Chihuly. He happens to be an American from Seattle who is a glass artist. He started his career late in life and made it big. Some of his pieces are extraordinary and others seem too abstract to be sensible, plus they were done in bright yellow and orange, not my favorite color scheme. He is loved here and they are thrilled to be able to show his work. After the tour, Ron and I decided to go separate ways since we had different areas we wanted to explore further. I am interested in sculpture and he wanted to see the photography exhibit from Japan and the Frank Lloyd Wright Gallery.

Part of the tour included the cartoons of Raphael. We learned that cartoons were originally large drawing done in strips that were used as a guide for paintings. In this case the cartoons were used for weaving tapestries for Pope Leo. Raphael had to do everything in reverse. The weaver puts the cartoon on the floor as a guide and weaves looking down at the picture. When she is done, it is the bottom of her weaving that is the tapestry, so the reverse order is now righted.

And for your viewing pleasure, I had photos developed onto disc and then uploaded them into my web album. If you are interested in seeing them, since we went through all that expense getting them on CD-Rom and the time and money it took at the Internet café just to share them with you, you can see them at www.photopoint.com . In the right hand corner where it states ‘Visit someone’s album’, put in drimerj@aol.com . There are a bunch of albums, but these pictures are in the one called “A Year In The Life”. The album starts when before we left with our going away lunches and progresses through a part of London. You are welcome to visit any album while you are there or come back for another visit. Hey, if you are not interested, you shouldn’t have to worry about it. The expense was nothing really. : )

Some of these things I had been to already when I was here in 1983, but this was Ron’s first time in London. For me, I can never spend enough time at any of these museums, but I need to take it in increments, process, assimilate and see some more. It is so different and certainly more rewarding to travel with someone with whom you can share your impressions.

No trip to London would be complete without a trip to Harrods. It is probably the most famous department store in the world. It became more famous at the tragic death of Princess Diana. She and the son of Harrods owner were lovers. The owner is Egyptian and the first floor has a complete Egyptian theme with large Egyptian statue replicas. On the lower level is a memorial tribute to Diana and her fiancé, Dodie. The memorial stirs mixed emotions for me. They have the last glass of champagne that the two of them drank in the hotel prior to returning to London as well as the engagement ring Dodie had given Diana on the night of the accident. There was a plague professing how much they loved each other. I found the glass of champagne to be a bit maudlin. Also, I think it is insulting to a country where this woman was a Princess and dearly loved by the people to have a memorial professing love to someone who is not part of the Royal family.

The one part about Harrods that is most impressive is the Food Court. This has been replicated, but never duplicated. There are four huge rooms of every imaginable type of food that exists from around the world. This is the only store that I know that has personal shoppers for food. These shoppers will also assist in making up personalized gift baskets for any occasion.

All that food viewing stimulated our need for a cup of coffee. Fortunately, there is an outdoor café on one corner overlooking Harrods. We were able to sit outside enjoying the people watching as well as watching the different country flags fly high from Harrods roof. The architecture of the building is impressive to look at also.

We needed to travel on the tube to get to the Internet café. We have only found two that have both a floppy drive and a CD-Rom. Even with the high speed, it took forever uploading pictures. Then needing a veggie fix, we decided to go to the Leicester Square area for a Chinese buffet. It is one of those ‘All you can eat’ buffets for 4.50. The veggies were satisfying and tasty and we finished just in time to fight with the theater crowd for the tubes. We were hoping for an early evening, but we didn’t make it back until after 11:30, so much for the early evening. I had hoped for to write.

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