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.

Winter

Kaposvár Black Friday Nov 25 Drop-dead gorgeous winter day Hi: 10°/50° Lo: -1°/30°

Spent the afternoon on a walk-about town, soaking in the sunshine. Everyone I saw seemed to be in a good mood, after a week or so of cold, windy, overcast days; I do not remember it being this foggy around here. It is forecast to get much colder in the days to come, which isn't surprising, as it's almost December. The Hungarian Weather Bureau has even projected snow for late December. How can they know this? Seems to me they are simply setting everyone up for disappointment. I'll have an update before Christmas. [Alexandra has bemoaned the 'new reality' of 'snow-less' holidays.]

Before I forget: I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving Day, surrounded by family & food, but not too much!

Kaposvár is the government seat of Somogy county, a farming community. There's something like 70,000 residents, but it seems to me much bigger than that; everywhere I go, there are people on the street and lots of activity. While on my walk today, I passed in front of the bus station, which was rebuilt a few years ago, being re-positioned next to the train station. [A very pragmatic move by the authorities; why can't America be as level-headed with infra-structure?]

Anyway, I wanted to mention how busy the bus station was on a Friday afternoon: it seems people were converging on it from all directions, many with luggage. This is something I've commented on before, and it has to do with how the communities here handle educating their children. Much as in the U.S., there are plenty of elementary schools in each borough, as it's no doubt important that the kids have good instruction close to home and family. But for high school, instead of each small town in the county having their own brick & mortar building, the teens are housed in 'dorms' here in Kaposvár, they attend the high schools during the week, and then go home for the weekend. To paraphrase Harry Potter: brilliant.

David
Kaposvár

Today/Ma

Kaposvár Friday 11/11/22 Cool Hi: 12°/53° Lo: 3°/37° Cloudy

While walking through the main square here in Kaposvár, I was surprised, yet delighted that the town was busy raising the Christmas tree for the Xmas Market; there were at least 5 workmen on scaffolding, busily scrambling around putting up the twinkling white lights that I remember from last year. It's a very large tree, perfect sitting between the City Hall, the Kapos Hotel & Saint Imre, the Catholic Church towering over the square. [I found this info: in Hungary, 'Imre' is a masculine first name, the same in Estonian use; it relates to the name Emeric, Emmerich or Heinrich. Its English equivalents are Emery and Henry.]

As I was writing that, Mary called from Jordan. She and Dave are staying at a small hotel near Petra; she says it is fabulous, highly recommended. That's good to know, as I've always wanted to visit those historic caves. (She mentioned that Julie & Ritchie spent time there, last month, after their tour of Egypt.) I believe Mary said she & Dave will head to Qatar & Doha for the World Cup championships when they leave Jordan. The next time I see Mary & Dave will be in Zagreb, Croatia, around the middle of next month. I'm looking at Airbnb's for Zagreb & Budapest; they will stop over here in Kaposvár, in between, for a few days to see Andrea & the family. (Mary & Kelly were here when Cameron & Alexandra were infants, around 2000, 2001.) Cameron have invited us to Kecskemet, for a volleyball game, before we spend the last few days of their Europe/Near East vacation, in Budapest.

Winter is worming its way into our lives. Today was brisk, windy & cool. It certainly puts me in the holiday spirit. There are no 'Thanksgiving' celebrations, so the stores have Christmas decorations & gifts out already. The Christmas Market I mentioned earlier will get under way in a week or so. I love a cup of hot, mulled wine, while listening to the Xmas carols. Many nights, the local children's choirs sing on the stage set up near the tree. Very festive (but not gaudy).

I've been working on a wrap-up of my trip to Istanbul; hopefully, I can finish that & post it here. More later.

Oktoberfest

The first Oktoberfest had its origins in Munich on this date in 1810. The occasion was a royal wedding: Ludwig, Crown Prince of Bavaria, was marrying Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, and the royal couple wanted to invite all of Munich to their wedding reception. They threw a parade and a huge party in the field outside the city gates, culminating in a horse race. The citizens of Munich had such a good time that they decided to repeat the horse races at the same time the following year.

On the first anniversary of the royal wedding, the organizers added an agricultural show, to bring attention to the Bavarian farming industry. The horse races are no longer held these days, but the agricultural show remains a big part of Oktoberfest in Bavaria. Over the years, attractions have been added to the celebration: in 1818, organizers brought in a carousel and a couple of swings. They also set up a few modest beer stands. By the end of the century, the little stands had been replaced by huge beer tents and halls, sponsored by German breweries, and the carousel had grown into a full-fledged fair. In 1885, the beer tents were lit with electric lights for the first time.

Today, the Bavarian Oktoberfest is the largest festival in the world. It draws some 6 million thirsty visitors, who quaff more than a million gallons of beer. Contrary to its name, the celebration begins on the third weekend in September, and runs through the first Sunday in October.

In My Life

There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed.
Some forever, not for better;
Some have gone and some remain.

All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall.
Some are dead and some are living,
In my life I've loved them all.

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you.
And these mem'ries lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new.

Tho' I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before,
I know I'll often stop and think about them,
In my life I love you more.

Tho' I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before,
I know I'll often stop and think about them,
In my life I love you more.

In my life I love you more.

Happy Birthday!

Boldog születésnapot, Cameron!

And a happy birthday to John Lennon! (b. 1940…who knew?)