Happy Mardi Gras, ya’ll!

Vienna Mon Feb 20 Hi: 4°C/40°F Lo: 14°C/57°F Beautiful Early Spring Day

This morning, I am on a very nice Austrian train slicing thru the lovely verdant countryside…it's so much better than the trains in Hungary, I must say…this, after a German overnight sleeper, shared with a young American student from Tampa Bay; Trey is studying at a Christian Brothers school in a very small Austrian town (which I now forget the name)…he did not board the train until 2am, waking me; he was in Dortmund for a Bundesliga soccer match (for those who aren't aware, this is one of the top leagues in Europe, and Trey was pleased with himself for even being able to get a ticket; he said it was a bucket-list item he could check off)…Trey is an older student, in his 30's, studying to become a priest; we had quite a lot to talk about.

I am on my way back to Kaposvár, a change of plans, after spending the weekend in Cologne with Robin & Fanni…my original idea was to leave Cologne and head for Zurich, for a day or two, then board the famous Swiss Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur, which I have been looking forward to since I arrived in Europe…unfortunately, I am feeling a bit sore and my throat has been bothering me; also a nasal drip that has exacerbated my throat…Robin suggested I skip Switzerland for the time being, as it is very cold there and it is possible I might be coming down with the flu or a cold…it would be best to go home & relax, stay warm, wash my clothes and prepare for the trip to Istanbul on the weekend…sound advice, which I am taking. 

While in Cologne, Robin took me around to see their version of 'Mardi Gras,' called simply Carnival…Cologne is known for the largest celebration in the EU…it reminded me of New Orleans, but dare I say that the young'uns dress up more here than we do now…and we found a small orchestra playing N'Awlins Mardi Gras music…mostly Jazz, but instrumental covers of classics from Professor Longhair & Big Al Carson…I asked if any of the guys in the band were from New Orleans, which pleased them, but no, they just love the sound…don't we all. 

It was great to see Robing & Fanni; unfortunately, Robin is in the middle of his tax season, and being an accountant, he had clients at his home office throughout the day, today, and I made a hasty retreat, so I wouldn't be in his hair…plus, I am looking forward to making up a 'mess' of chicken soup.

More later…

From Last Week…

Budapest Wed Feb 15 2023 Cold Hi: 8°C/45°F Lo: -2°C/28°F Spring Springs?

[I meant to post this last week, and forgot! Go figure…]

I'm back in Budapest! I do love this city; it has come back from the pandemic in a big way; there are crowds wherever I go, even tho' it's February(!)…for accommodations, I'm staying at a small hostel on the square called, Oktogon, which is somewhat like Times Square in New York City, but not so much…in one of the bunk-bed rooms, 5 young women from Poland arrived yesterday, and Felipe, the Chilean desk clerk was answering their questions about their safety here in the heart of BP (how the locals say, Budapest)…they need not worry: this is the safest city I have ever lived in…in another room, 3 American women are sharing space; I'm very interested in asking them why they are here in the middle of winter…unfortunately, I haven't seen them since we 'checked-in' at the same time and it wasn't the right moment…there is a couple with 2 teens from Poland, and a single mother with 2 pre-teen boys and an older teen girl from Scotland…I can't understand half what they are saying, but they are very sweet… I needed to see the Dentist Zsofia, as there was an inflammation in one of the molars…it turns out NOT to be a cavity, thank the Lord, but that doesn't mean it didn't sting when she started scraping away the dental plague to get a better look at why there was bleeding and tenderness around the tooth…she wants me to return next month for a deep cleaning(!) 😨

Population Decline

Since the start of the new year, I've noticed a greater number of articles related to 'population decline'…I assume this is a result of the changing global climate, with its toll on economic issues for young families going forward (the cost of raising children)…I direct your attention to this link, below, addressing China's changing demographics…this does not seem to be a problem in India, which is projected to take the 'prize' of most populous state…there was another article that made mention of the conservative family values in India: that if more women were allowed into the workforce (given access to more educational opportunities), the Indian economy would/could/should expand by 60%(!) [depending on source; unfortunately, I can't find the article where I saw this statistic]…unfortunately, this increase in education for women portends fewer women having children, curtailing future growth…the graph below was part of an article discussing how hard it has been for the French government to shore up its pension obligations…Macron wants to change the age of retirement from 62 to 64, which doesn't sound draconian, but is causing crippling strikes across France…as the population ages, there are fewer workers to fund pensions…what to do? 

Since Brexit, businesses in England have found it harder to find employees; EU citizens working in the UK were 'kicked-out' and there aren't enough native workers, at least, not enough wanting to do the work that the 'others' were doing…I had a conversation with a young Hungarian woman (I'd say in her mid-20's) on a plane-ride from England a few years ago, who was returning home on holiday…she was one of those workers, at her job at a pizza joint in London, hoping to save enough to attend college…she mentioned how she made 'much more' there, than in Hungary (and also said she would definitely return home for said education).

There are, of course, plenty of people who would gladly take those jobs…Europe has the same problem as the U.S.: too many economic/climate refugees looking for a better life…the challenge is to create an orderly process of absorbing them…getting over our fear of the 'other,' doing the hard work of weeding out the 'chaff' from the 'grain,' to paraphrase the Bible…our Christian duty?

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/18/china/china-population-drop-explainer-intl-hnk/index.html

Good News!

I thought we might all benefit from some good news, you know, for a change:

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Native to the waters of Australia, sea dragons are a stunning and unusual fish. But they face a number of challenges in the wild because of warming oceans, harmful fishing practice and more.

In 2019, Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography - part of U.C. San Diego - opened an exhibit intended to create an ideal habitat for breeding these colorful cousins of sea horses. And last week, the aquarium announced a breakthrough: the first successful transfer of eggs from a female sea dragon to a male.

As with sea horses, sea dragon males - not females - are responsible for carrying eggs. [That ain't right! D-] After a courtship dance, the female transfers the eggs to the male's tail, where he fertilizes them and then carries them for four to six weeks until they hatch.

"We're elated to be able to witness this at the aquarium," Jenn Nero Moffatt, senior director of animal care, science and conservation at U.C. San Diego, said in a statement. "It's extremely rare for sea dragons to breed in captivity, so this is a monumental milestone for all of our staff."

Újévi Fogadalomok!

Kaposvár Sunday 1/8/2023 Unseasonably Warm: 13°c/55°f [Normal: 5°/41°]

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood! When it should be freezing cold, our weather continues to be mild. This does not bode well for nature, of course, knowing that it puts everyone and everything off-kilter. Too warm for snow to accumulate in the mountains, which kills the ski resorts, but also impacts reservoirs and lakes in the region; ground water isn't able to replenish amidst our drought.

But I would be lying if I said I didn't relish the warmth. Old bones seem to be affected more than young. Then again, I didn't enjoy the increased warmth during the heat-wave, last summer, and I can't imagine these extreme conditions won't be more frequent in the future. Oh, bother.

Christmas was enjoyable: spent Xmas Eve & Day at Andrea's, along with the rest of her local family, my family, our family: Tamás and Édi; Tomi & Korci; Ádám & Vera and their two little ones, Bence & Janka; Fanni, visiting from Germany; Cameron & Celi (visiting from Austria); Alexandra & Beni; and Vanda. The best part is the feast on Christmas Day, when everyone brings a dish, although, truth be told, Andrea & Édi do most of the cooking (thank god!). I sat next to Tomi, and as he dug into another plate of  roast pork, smothered in a paprika-rich cream sauce, over home-made dumplings, he said in his imperfect English, "My fay-vor-eet!" Yes, Tomi, mine, too! [Andrea gets up at 4am to place the prepared pork loin in the oven. I think this is called, 'paprikás sertéssült galuskával.' But don't quote me. I've seen it also called, "pörkölt." Delicious at any rate!]

I spent the week between Christmas and the New Year at Andrea's, house- & dog-sitting. Bruno is a beautiful chocolate Lab puppy, who is loving but a little too frisky for my blood. It's easy enough to get him to run around and exhaust himself, but for me, only in small doses. Andrea spent the time in Dubai, with Dominic, for a relaxing holiday. [I will say that Bruno did quite well with the noisy, explosive New Years' celebrations; after his initial shock, I sat on the floor with him, letting him know it was 'okay,' no one was going to hurt him. Soon enough, he calmed down and even went out later to do his 'business' without seeming fear. Go figure.]

Happy New Year!

Sunday in the Park with George

Budapest Sunday 12/18 Cold Hi: 2°/35° Lo: -5°/23°

We are in our Airbnb apartment…it is on Ráday utca/street, which is one of the main entertainment streets in Pest, especially for restaurants with a sprinkling of bars and galleries…later this afternoon, we'll take a train to the exurb town of Kecskemét, where Cameron is spending his sporting season…it's a little over an hour to get there; I'm awaiting Cameron's instructions for getting to the sports arena…I'm waiting 'cause Cam is with his girlfriend, Celi, at a medical clinic for a minor issue (of which I do not know the particulars, but it does not sound serious)…meantime, it is agreed that we will walk over to the Great Market Hall for lunch.

Mary & Dave in Hungary

Kaposvár Saturday morning 12/17 Cold & rainy Hi: 2°c/35°f Lo: -2°c/28°f

Mary, Dave & I are in Kaposvár for a few days to visit with family, before catching an afternoon train to Budapest later today…we've invited Andrea, her father, Tamás, his wife, Édi, Alexandra & Beni, and Vanda for lunch.

Yesterday, Mary & Dave joined me for a walk-about Kaposvár…the pensione where they are staying is on Main Street, a block from the main square, with its Christmas tree and market…this was our first stop on my 'nickel tour,' and we were able to catch a Christmas sing-along with a group of students from the local elementary school…lovely…Mary commented that it was nice to hear Xmas carols sung in the native language, Hungarian, rather than the tired, ubiquitous songs we all love to hate, sung in English…we then walked down Main Street to my apartment for a coffee; they wanted to see my apartment to assure themselves that I had adequate shelter…I do…later, on a cold & rainy night, we were unable to snag a taxi to Andrea's house for dinner, so we ended up walking half a mile in the rain…I hope none of us end up sick because of it.

Andrea prepared a delicious shrimp pasta and re-heated a traditional potato casserole from the day before…we brought an olive baguette and wine…it was so enjoyable visiting with her and Alexandra, who joined us after her work…Alex kept laughing at us as we reminisced about the 'good old bad days'…as I mentioned previously, we'll share one more meal with them today, then off to the big city, Budapest.

Tomorrow, we plan to train to Kecskemet to catch Cameron and his volleyball team as they take on a local rival…it's the last game before the holiday break…afterwards, we want to watch the World Cup final between Argentina and France with Cam, before returning to the apartment we're renting in BP.

Before arriving here in Kaposvár, I met up with Mary & Dave in Zagreb, Croatia on Monday…I had to train over on Sunday night, this past 11th of December, even though our apartment wasn't available until 1 pm Monday afternoon…this because, as difficult as it is to believe, there is only one train from Hungary to Croatia, from one capital city to another…it doesn't arrive in Zagreb until 10:10 p.m…very inconvenient; 10 p.m. is too late to check-in, so I'm forced to find a room for the evening previous…an added expense, simply for the incompetence of the National Railways.

To keep expenses down, I found a private room at a hostel near the main square in the heart of Zagreb. Thankfully, the reception desk is open 24 hours, as our train was an hour late; so after disembarking the train at 11:20, it's a 20 minute walk in the snow from the main railway station to the hostel…I'm in bed by midnight.