It is time, my friends, to bid you adieu. Thank you for following me on my journey and my adventures.
I am back in a country of English speakers (though not my home country), and that means I am nearing the end. There is nothing too much to report from the UK, other than repeated visits do not diminish my love but in fact ever increase it (including a newfound head-over-heels love for Oxford).
I saw some places for a second time with Mom but we still managed to do things I hadn't done in my first tour of the UK, including a Denmark-redux in the form of Legoland Windsor.
I am currently in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is my absolute favorite city in the entire world. Last time, I visited it as a tourist and as a place to do and see things. This time, I am enjoying it for itself - taking time to relax from my hectic months of sightseeing and decipher the foreign language that is Scottish (at least twice I have been listening to conversations, trying to figure out what language it was, only to suddenly realize minutes later that it was English). The greatest excitement I had was my first (well, possibly second, if you count the suspicious not-Paul-McCartney-encounter...so, let us say, first confirmed) celebrity sighting. The prospect of a Starbucks was too irresistible for me, but I was rewarded for my addiction, when the British comedian Jimmy Carr sat down at the table right next to mine. Now, if only it had been J.K. Rowling, who is rumored to be writing once more in cafes in Edinburgh - an activity which I can fully understand. Edinburgh is a city of inspiration, beauty, and magic.
One last day here, and then I will return to Brodsworth for two weeks of doing archaeological things, hanging out with old friends, and possibly making even more new friends. And then, after 226 days, the day toward which I am looking forward to and dreading with equal measure - it is goodbye to Europe but hello to home.
So, with that - only one final reflection that this has been the greatest experience(s) of my life. And that even with many of the great European cities at my feet, it is the people, more than the places, that give the greatest joy, for it is the people who make the places.
I have enjoyed writing this blog, so I hope you have enjoyed reading it.
Farewell, my friends!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Denmark, the Last
From Helsinki, it was back to Denmark, where we made a tour of the country and visited what seemed like millions of mom’s old acquaintances. I had met most of them before, but, once again, I have very little recollection of my first Europe trip.
My head about died when suddenly, after a month of not speaking Danish, people began addressing me in Danish and actually expecting me to answer. After a few days, I began thinking in Danish – only problem, I don’t have a large enough vocabulary to properly think in Danish. It would, perhaps, have been a better learning experience in the beginning of my trip, rather than the end, but ah well…I was assured that the country Danes have heard from everyone about the difficulty of speaking Danish in Copenhagen, where everyone just speaks English as a convenience.
The city of Sønderborg, where my mom’s Danish family lives, has an annual Ringridning fest, which celebrates the old tradition of riders with lances trying to get these tiny rings onto the lances. It’s a big festival now. There’s a parade first with all the riders who are participating and also bands (There were Scottish bagpipers there! With the rest of one of the royal bands…they had a concert later in the afternoon, and it was so awesome. It also got me super excited for Edinburgh and bagpipers on street corners, even if they do only play the same song always…). Then they have the fairgrounds where the riders compete and there are also food stands and carnival rides.
I discovered that there is a point when a ride stops being fun. Mom and I went on this one spinning ride, and I was so impressed, because Mom was going on it…and then it was the longest ride ever. We timed it afterward, and it was five minutes of spinning backwards and forwards and whipping around. After about two minutes, I started thinking “This is really long!” After three and a half, I was thinking “I’m glad I didn’t eat lunch…” After five, I was about ready to kiss the ground when we got out. We couldn’t go on another ride for another two and a half hours, and even then, my mom still felt her stomach churn if she did something too fast.
I also saw the Jelling Stone (the largest rune stone, in which Harald Bluetooth claims to have united and Christianized Denmark), and two more bog bodies…one that was kind of random lying in a church in a town which appeared to be the hick-town of Denmark (all the rest of the time, the Danes have seemed so classy…but not in this town). The other was none other than the Tollund Man – a pretty huge deal in archaeology, and one of the best preserved prehistoric bodies. It seems that my study abroad could be relabeled as “The Search for Bog Bodies” and it has also made it one of my last wishes to, when I die, be thrown into a bog for archaeologists to find hundreds of years later.
One of my favorite places was Skagen, or the northernmost tip of Denmark, where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet. The weather had been sunny and even upsettingly hot (not as bad as Budapest, mind you, but bad enough) until, of course, the day we went to the beach. That day it rained – with a few thunderclaps thrown in there – until we left the beach, at which point it decided to clear up and get warm again. No worries – though I may have complained too much to my mom, I still loved it, and the beach was beautiful. The Baltic Sea was warmer than the North Sea by just enough that I could tell, and much warmer than the water in Finland, so I waded in the water, stood where the two seas crash into each other, and waded back. And to top it all off, when we returned back to the town, we saw an elephant walking down the road. Because Skagen is just that awesome. (Or possibly because there was a circus there that evening and they were promoting it…)
Leaving Denmark was not as sad as it could have been, mostly because of a mix-up in days when my rental agreement ended, leading to a hurried and frenzied packing job, but still a very nicely cleaned apartment – mostly thanks to my mom. Then came the task of hauling all my luggage (everything fit really nicely, surprisingly, but I forgot to be worried about the weight and annoyingness of carrying multiple bags each). Everything worked out in the end, though, and we made it to the ferry with a stop at Ribe – Denmark’s oldest, and cutest, town!. Then, we were on a boat, leaving Denmark, and greeting my old friend England.
It is only now, relaxing, unhurried by errands or sightseeing, that I can really realize that this amazing experience is over. It'll be a little weird to go back, but I am looking forward to it.
My head about died when suddenly, after a month of not speaking Danish, people began addressing me in Danish and actually expecting me to answer. After a few days, I began thinking in Danish – only problem, I don’t have a large enough vocabulary to properly think in Danish. It would, perhaps, have been a better learning experience in the beginning of my trip, rather than the end, but ah well…I was assured that the country Danes have heard from everyone about the difficulty of speaking Danish in Copenhagen, where everyone just speaks English as a convenience.
The city of Sønderborg, where my mom’s Danish family lives, has an annual Ringridning fest, which celebrates the old tradition of riders with lances trying to get these tiny rings onto the lances. It’s a big festival now. There’s a parade first with all the riders who are participating and also bands (There were Scottish bagpipers there! With the rest of one of the royal bands…they had a concert later in the afternoon, and it was so awesome. It also got me super excited for Edinburgh and bagpipers on street corners, even if they do only play the same song always…). Then they have the fairgrounds where the riders compete and there are also food stands and carnival rides.
I discovered that there is a point when a ride stops being fun. Mom and I went on this one spinning ride, and I was so impressed, because Mom was going on it…and then it was the longest ride ever. We timed it afterward, and it was five minutes of spinning backwards and forwards and whipping around. After about two minutes, I started thinking “This is really long!” After three and a half, I was thinking “I’m glad I didn’t eat lunch…” After five, I was about ready to kiss the ground when we got out. We couldn’t go on another ride for another two and a half hours, and even then, my mom still felt her stomach churn if she did something too fast.
I also saw the Jelling Stone (the largest rune stone, in which Harald Bluetooth claims to have united and Christianized Denmark), and two more bog bodies…one that was kind of random lying in a church in a town which appeared to be the hick-town of Denmark (all the rest of the time, the Danes have seemed so classy…but not in this town). The other was none other than the Tollund Man – a pretty huge deal in archaeology, and one of the best preserved prehistoric bodies. It seems that my study abroad could be relabeled as “The Search for Bog Bodies” and it has also made it one of my last wishes to, when I die, be thrown into a bog for archaeologists to find hundreds of years later.
One of my favorite places was Skagen, or the northernmost tip of Denmark, where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet. The weather had been sunny and even upsettingly hot (not as bad as Budapest, mind you, but bad enough) until, of course, the day we went to the beach. That day it rained – with a few thunderclaps thrown in there – until we left the beach, at which point it decided to clear up and get warm again. No worries – though I may have complained too much to my mom, I still loved it, and the beach was beautiful. The Baltic Sea was warmer than the North Sea by just enough that I could tell, and much warmer than the water in Finland, so I waded in the water, stood where the two seas crash into each other, and waded back. And to top it all off, when we returned back to the town, we saw an elephant walking down the road. Because Skagen is just that awesome. (Or possibly because there was a circus there that evening and they were promoting it…)
Leaving Denmark was not as sad as it could have been, mostly because of a mix-up in days when my rental agreement ended, leading to a hurried and frenzied packing job, but still a very nicely cleaned apartment – mostly thanks to my mom. Then came the task of hauling all my luggage (everything fit really nicely, surprisingly, but I forgot to be worried about the weight and annoyingness of carrying multiple bags each). Everything worked out in the end, though, and we made it to the ferry with a stop at Ribe – Denmark’s oldest, and cutest, town!. Then, we were on a boat, leaving Denmark, and greeting my old friend England.
It is only now, relaxing, unhurried by errands or sightseeing, that I can really realize that this amazing experience is over. It'll be a little weird to go back, but I am looking forward to it.
Finland
I’m a little – nay, a lot – behind. I considered simply letting it peter away, but as I have at least one reader still, and I am sitting on a train to Edinburgh, I decided perhaps to let everyone in once again on what and how I’ve been doing.
After Oslo, Mom and I traveled to Helsinki, which I enjoyed much more. I’d been there before, when I was 10, but I have very few memories of it. We have several family friends living in a suburb of Helsinki, and it was great fun seeing them again. The trip was a little more relaxing, though still an awful lot of sightseeing. I’ve confirmed something I had suspicions about before, which is that, perhaps, two months (and counting) of traveling is a bit much. I’m having a fantastic time – but sometimes I really long for my own bed and to not move my place of residence for at least a week.
Some interesting occurrences in Helsinki:
We saw a group of school band kids from Denmark. As they converged on us, all speaking Danish, suddenly things felt right and normal and “this is how it’s supposed to be.” Then I had to stop and think for a moment, and I realized I was very weird if after hearing too much English, I was comforted by the strange, strange language that is Danish. Actually I was very weird to think I was hearing too much English in the first place.
Our friends took us to a medieval market in the city of Turkuu (possibly with only one u, but with Finnish, I think it’s safer to misspell on the side of too many vowels, rather than too few). The majority of it didn’t get going until the afternoon, but the morning was still great, seeing all the crafts. Sort of like a Renaissance Festival, without the shows, but in an actual old city. So much more authentic when you’re in Europe!
We took a steamboat ride to the town of Naantali, a small, cute town, which also is the location of Moomin land. Moomin, if you do not have the joy of being acquainted with it, is a series of cartoon characters developed by a Swedish-Finnish writer (back in the day when Finland still belonged to Sweden). They are about the cutest things ever, and I spent way too much money in Finland on Moomin paraphernalia.
The last day, we e went on what Olli kept referring to as a “southern cruise…with pine trees, not palm trees!” Also known as sailing to one of the southern islands. We were able to actually sail for a bit until the wind completely died, so we had to use the motor the rest of the way. We picnicked on the island, and then even though it was (almost) the hottest day in Finland in 100 years – we didn’t break the record by .2 degrees – the water was FREEZING…but I jumped in anyway. However, I did not stay in for long.
After Oslo, Mom and I traveled to Helsinki, which I enjoyed much more. I’d been there before, when I was 10, but I have very few memories of it. We have several family friends living in a suburb of Helsinki, and it was great fun seeing them again. The trip was a little more relaxing, though still an awful lot of sightseeing. I’ve confirmed something I had suspicions about before, which is that, perhaps, two months (and counting) of traveling is a bit much. I’m having a fantastic time – but sometimes I really long for my own bed and to not move my place of residence for at least a week.
Some interesting occurrences in Helsinki:
We saw a group of school band kids from Denmark. As they converged on us, all speaking Danish, suddenly things felt right and normal and “this is how it’s supposed to be.” Then I had to stop and think for a moment, and I realized I was very weird if after hearing too much English, I was comforted by the strange, strange language that is Danish. Actually I was very weird to think I was hearing too much English in the first place.
Our friends took us to a medieval market in the city of Turkuu (possibly with only one u, but with Finnish, I think it’s safer to misspell on the side of too many vowels, rather than too few). The majority of it didn’t get going until the afternoon, but the morning was still great, seeing all the crafts. Sort of like a Renaissance Festival, without the shows, but in an actual old city. So much more authentic when you’re in Europe!
We took a steamboat ride to the town of Naantali, a small, cute town, which also is the location of Moomin land. Moomin, if you do not have the joy of being acquainted with it, is a series of cartoon characters developed by a Swedish-Finnish writer (back in the day when Finland still belonged to Sweden). They are about the cutest things ever, and I spent way too much money in Finland on Moomin paraphernalia.
The last day, we e went on what Olli kept referring to as a “southern cruise…with pine trees, not palm trees!” Also known as sailing to one of the southern islands. We were able to actually sail for a bit until the wind completely died, so we had to use the motor the rest of the way. We picnicked on the island, and then even though it was (almost) the hottest day in Finland in 100 years – we didn’t break the record by .2 degrees – the water was FREEZING…but I jumped in anyway. However, I did not stay in for long.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Day 181 - June 30
How have I been since I last updated? Well, I had a splendid birthday party, complete with Danish flags and many, many sweets. I think it’s safe to say my sweets stomach was overfull. The very next day, Mom arrived. One bag went missing (and arrived only later that day – Denmark is efficient!), so she did not come out for such a long time we began to think something had happened. But after that bump in the road, everything was fine and dandy, and it’s been so great having Mom around!
On the 27th, we had one last hoorah, entitled by us the “crying party”. While no crying was actually involved (by the time the goodbyes came around, I was too tired, which was probably a good thing), it was definitely an upsetting experience when it was all said and done. I’ve had the most amazing time and met the most amazing people. And while I’m still in Europe for another month and a half, and while the friendships are not ending, it’s already setting in that my life is no longer in Copenhagen. I won’t be seeing these people every day, I won’t be struggling in the supermarket wondering why in the world they don’t have something, I won’t be saying the word “chokolaaaaaade” in that exaggerated tone. Not that I’m not excited to go back – I most definitely am, but if I could turn back time, and have another six months, I would do it in a heartbeat. There’s a little hole in my heart where my life in Copenhagen was. Soon, I’ll adjust back and the hole will be bandaged, but it will always be there, and, of course, that’s how I would have it. But it’s on to the next adventures in life, with more friends than before, and more homes to crash in (let’s just say I already have the next few vacations already planned out…).
Early in the morning on the 29th, Mom and I headed to Oslo, Norway. Maybe it was because I was running on two hours of sleep, but I’ve heard it from other people as well – Oslo just isn’t that impressive. It’s a nice enough city, I suppose, but I’ve been spoiled by some of Europe’s most beautiful cities. I recommend Oslo only if you’re already going to Norway, and if you have plenty of money. However, it does have some absolutely gorgeous Viking ships. Other thoughts: Most Norwegians have less of an accent than Danes – far less. The weather is less bipolar than Copenhagen, but it did still pour for a morning, then, after we had changed into warmer clothes, get almost too hot, then go back to spitting again. Their public transportation system, or what I have experienced of it, is rather not as nice, as public transportation goes (but here I am, being spoiled once again, when I should be grateful that there even IS a public transportation system). They are obsessed with trolls, or their tourist shops are, anyway. As my experiences with Scandinavian countries go, Norway is more different from Denmark compared to Sweden, which is like Denmark-but-not. Oslo only seems more expensive to me in the fact that we are actually eating out, and so I’m aware of prices, whereas in Copenhagen, I tended to stay away from restaurants. I have not stepped in a supermarket to see how prices compare there, but so far, many things are actually comparable to Copenhagen.
I would like to return to other parts of Norway, especially as these are my kinsmen!
From now on, if I update this blog, it’s going to be picture-less and not day-by-day (I hear a sigh of relief – no more long-windedness and thousands of photos!). It’ll make it easier for me to keep up with this blog while traversing the northern countries. Next stop: Helsinki!
On the 27th, we had one last hoorah, entitled by us the “crying party”. While no crying was actually involved (by the time the goodbyes came around, I was too tired, which was probably a good thing), it was definitely an upsetting experience when it was all said and done. I’ve had the most amazing time and met the most amazing people. And while I’m still in Europe for another month and a half, and while the friendships are not ending, it’s already setting in that my life is no longer in Copenhagen. I won’t be seeing these people every day, I won’t be struggling in the supermarket wondering why in the world they don’t have something, I won’t be saying the word “chokolaaaaaade” in that exaggerated tone. Not that I’m not excited to go back – I most definitely am, but if I could turn back time, and have another six months, I would do it in a heartbeat. There’s a little hole in my heart where my life in Copenhagen was. Soon, I’ll adjust back and the hole will be bandaged, but it will always be there, and, of course, that’s how I would have it. But it’s on to the next adventures in life, with more friends than before, and more homes to crash in (let’s just say I already have the next few vacations already planned out…).
Early in the morning on the 29th, Mom and I headed to Oslo, Norway. Maybe it was because I was running on two hours of sleep, but I’ve heard it from other people as well – Oslo just isn’t that impressive. It’s a nice enough city, I suppose, but I’ve been spoiled by some of Europe’s most beautiful cities. I recommend Oslo only if you’re already going to Norway, and if you have plenty of money. However, it does have some absolutely gorgeous Viking ships. Other thoughts: Most Norwegians have less of an accent than Danes – far less. The weather is less bipolar than Copenhagen, but it did still pour for a morning, then, after we had changed into warmer clothes, get almost too hot, then go back to spitting again. Their public transportation system, or what I have experienced of it, is rather not as nice, as public transportation goes (but here I am, being spoiled once again, when I should be grateful that there even IS a public transportation system). They are obsessed with trolls, or their tourist shops are, anyway. As my experiences with Scandinavian countries go, Norway is more different from Denmark compared to Sweden, which is like Denmark-but-not. Oslo only seems more expensive to me in the fact that we are actually eating out, and so I’m aware of prices, whereas in Copenhagen, I tended to stay away from restaurants. I have not stepped in a supermarket to see how prices compare there, but so far, many things are actually comparable to Copenhagen.
I would like to return to other parts of Norway, especially as these are my kinsmen!
From now on, if I update this blog, it’s going to be picture-less and not day-by-day (I hear a sigh of relief – no more long-windedness and thousands of photos!). It’ll make it easier for me to keep up with this blog while traversing the northern countries. Next stop: Helsinki!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Hungary - Part 3
Day 168 – June 17
Andrea, her sister Diana, who has a short holiday from work, and I walked to Margaret island, a nearby green island/park in the Danube. Because of the water level of the Danube, most of the island was closed off as a precaution, but it looked like a very nice park.
Andrea went off to work and Diana took me to a little overlook of Budapest, some Roman ruins, and then our final destination, the town of Szentendre, a little ways outside of Budapest. It’s a very cute town, a little tourist-trappy with all the stores doubling as tourist shops, but it was fun. There I tried lagros, a Hungarian food like Indian Fry Bread, only savory rather than sweet – you can get it with garlic, sour cream, cheese…
We found a cat.
It’s amazing how tired the sun can make you. You’d think it would give you energy, but after a day out in it, you just want to crash.
Day 169 – June 18
Friday night we took the train into Szombathey, Andrea’s hometown, so on Saturday we explored it. It was a nice town – smaller, but not too small, and with a lake. It reminded me a tiny bit of Prescott, at least when we got to the lake and I saw the paddle boats and I remembered the times we would rent paddle boats at Lynx Lake (though Lynx Lake is much bigger, and Prescott is bigger as well…).
A tourist, just like me!
In the afternoon, Andrea’s dad, who’s a journalist, asked if he could interview me. Andrea acted as translator/interpreter for us. His questions were interesting and jumped from subjects to who I would define as a “real American” to how I feel about American movies to what I like about archaeology. We also talked about how much I knew about Central Europe and Hungary in general, and whether or not I knew anything about it before meeting Andrea (no, except for the elementary school joke “How can you be Hungary surrounded by Greece and Turkey?” which, growing older, I learned was geographically incorrect…). It’s a little sad how little we know about Central Europe, but I can say that I now know, if not a lot about the region, far more than I knew coming in.
Andrea’s dad’s girlfriend came in the evening. I really liked her. She was really warm and inviting and open. She had also made food for us and left it in the fridge, which was so nice (and it was good). It was fun, just listening to everyone chat and listening to the sound of Hungarian…and sometimes Andrea would translate things, or her dad’s girlfriend would ask me things. It’s amazing how much you can communicate even when you don’t speak the same language. Granted, it helps having Andrea around, but even without it – facial expressions, hand gestures, everything – there is so much you communicate that you don’t even realize. Maybe the basics, but the most important things.
Day 170 – June 19
Saturday we went to Sopron, an absolutely beautiful town. Its character was just perfect. Cute buildings and streets, awesome cobblestone alleys, archways…I think it’s my favorite place I’ve been to in Hungary.
We found another cat.
It rained off and on, but nothing too heavy, and it didn’t stop us from having ice cream. At one ice cream place, they had a picture of an ice cream sundae, which had me craving one. We asked inside, but they said they didn’t actually have any so we’d have to go across the street. False advertisement! The place across the street may have been owned by the same people, but I still declare false advertisement. However, the other place was an adorable little café/ice creamery with lots of fancy ice creams. At the outside window, we read the menu and saw something labeled “Pizza ice cream”. Both of us made a face, but when we went inside and saw the menu, we actually decided to get one – it was not, as we first guessed, ice cream tasting like pizza, but lots and lots and lots of fruit. Hurrah!
Day 171 – June 20
Sunday morning we did a bit more walking around Budapest and saw the most important place of all – the Elizabeth Bridge. :-)
In the afternoon, we went to see Toy Story 3. I’m mentioning this in my blog not because it is in any way cultural, but because it was so amazing. Pixar, of course, is always amazing, but this movie really was awesome. It made me cry. It was a little like Up in the way that it seemed to be a more adult Pixar film – some of the stuff was actually really scary. Anyway, point being, the movie was awesome (and the short film, as always, too!).
This guy was awesome.
In the evening we went to Caledonia, a Scottish pub, since Andrea and I share a love for the Scottish. It was a fun night with Andrea, her sister, and her mom, and we played games and ate chips and listened to everyone else screaming for whichever team had currently scored a goal at the World Cup.
Andrea, her sister Diana, who has a short holiday from work, and I walked to Margaret island, a nearby green island/park in the Danube. Because of the water level of the Danube, most of the island was closed off as a precaution, but it looked like a very nice park.
Andrea went off to work and Diana took me to a little overlook of Budapest, some Roman ruins, and then our final destination, the town of Szentendre, a little ways outside of Budapest. It’s a very cute town, a little tourist-trappy with all the stores doubling as tourist shops, but it was fun. There I tried lagros, a Hungarian food like Indian Fry Bread, only savory rather than sweet – you can get it with garlic, sour cream, cheese…
We found a cat.It’s amazing how tired the sun can make you. You’d think it would give you energy, but after a day out in it, you just want to crash.
Day 169 – June 18
Friday night we took the train into Szombathey, Andrea’s hometown, so on Saturday we explored it. It was a nice town – smaller, but not too small, and with a lake. It reminded me a tiny bit of Prescott, at least when we got to the lake and I saw the paddle boats and I remembered the times we would rent paddle boats at Lynx Lake (though Lynx Lake is much bigger, and Prescott is bigger as well…).
A tourist, just like me!In the afternoon, Andrea’s dad, who’s a journalist, asked if he could interview me. Andrea acted as translator/interpreter for us. His questions were interesting and jumped from subjects to who I would define as a “real American” to how I feel about American movies to what I like about archaeology. We also talked about how much I knew about Central Europe and Hungary in general, and whether or not I knew anything about it before meeting Andrea (no, except for the elementary school joke “How can you be Hungary surrounded by Greece and Turkey?” which, growing older, I learned was geographically incorrect…). It’s a little sad how little we know about Central Europe, but I can say that I now know, if not a lot about the region, far more than I knew coming in.
Andrea’s dad’s girlfriend came in the evening. I really liked her. She was really warm and inviting and open. She had also made food for us and left it in the fridge, which was so nice (and it was good). It was fun, just listening to everyone chat and listening to the sound of Hungarian…and sometimes Andrea would translate things, or her dad’s girlfriend would ask me things. It’s amazing how much you can communicate even when you don’t speak the same language. Granted, it helps having Andrea around, but even without it – facial expressions, hand gestures, everything – there is so much you communicate that you don’t even realize. Maybe the basics, but the most important things.
Day 170 – June 19
Saturday we went to Sopron, an absolutely beautiful town. Its character was just perfect. Cute buildings and streets, awesome cobblestone alleys, archways…I think it’s my favorite place I’ve been to in Hungary.
We found another cat.It rained off and on, but nothing too heavy, and it didn’t stop us from having ice cream. At one ice cream place, they had a picture of an ice cream sundae, which had me craving one. We asked inside, but they said they didn’t actually have any so we’d have to go across the street. False advertisement! The place across the street may have been owned by the same people, but I still declare false advertisement. However, the other place was an adorable little café/ice creamery with lots of fancy ice creams. At the outside window, we read the menu and saw something labeled “Pizza ice cream”. Both of us made a face, but when we went inside and saw the menu, we actually decided to get one – it was not, as we first guessed, ice cream tasting like pizza, but lots and lots and lots of fruit. Hurrah!
Day 171 – June 20
Sunday morning we did a bit more walking around Budapest and saw the most important place of all – the Elizabeth Bridge. :-)
In the afternoon, we went to see Toy Story 3. I’m mentioning this in my blog not because it is in any way cultural, but because it was so amazing. Pixar, of course, is always amazing, but this movie really was awesome. It made me cry. It was a little like Up in the way that it seemed to be a more adult Pixar film – some of the stuff was actually really scary. Anyway, point being, the movie was awesome (and the short film, as always, too!).
This guy was awesome.In the evening we went to Caledonia, a Scottish pub, since Andrea and I share a love for the Scottish. It was a fun night with Andrea, her sister, and her mom, and we played games and ate chips and listened to everyone else screaming for whichever team had currently scored a goal at the World Cup.
Hungary - Part 2
On Sunday, we stumbled upon the "beta testing" of Hungary's first ever Starbucks:
Day 165 – June 14
Monday we took the train to Esztergom. It was a nice, new train, and the ride was really good. It rained a bit on the way, and I love trains in the rain.
When we got out of the train station, we discovered another “train” outside. It only cost $1 for it to take us up to the church, so we decided to go for it. It reminded me of Disneyland – taking the trolley things from the parking lot to the park – and that is a good feeling.
Esztergom was where the kings were crowned, so the church was pretty important…and impressive. We took a look at their treasury, and they had several things that were “the most precious in Hungary” and a few that were the most precious in Europe, or even in the world. Especially this amazingly detailed chalice that took two years to make, and even the Vatican doesn’t have anything like it. We got an impromptu tour by one of the curator/guards – he would tell us about various items, then let us wander a bit, then come back and tell us about another item, and eventually it turned into a tour from item to item, although he went rather fast, and Andrea had to translate for me.
We then climbed up the 300-something stairs to get to the dome, where we could see all of Esztergom, and some of Slovakia on the other side of the Danube. How cool – it’s more fun to see another country’s border than another state’s border (though the Four Corners does still entertain me…).
Hey, look, it's Slovakia!
We spent the afternoon walking around the town. We stopped to get ice cream, and I got a flavor of fruit that we do not know. Andrea couldn’t remember the name of the fruit in English, and I couldn’t even determine it from the taste. Intriguing.
Day 166 – June 15
Andrea and I went to the zoo today. Andrea couldn’t stay long because she had work, but we saw the flying foxes for her (she loves bats) and we saw baby prairie dogs. A lot of the animals had babies – so adorable! When Andrea left, I hung out with some butterflies for a while. Despite my colorful outfit, none of them mistook me for a flower, and none of them tried to hitch-hike out of their building, unlike in the Boston Museum of Science. Other highlights were wolves, of course (sleeping…again – they don’t know what to do with this heat, either!), accidentally stumbling upon a sea lion show, and Dippin Dots-style ice cream (huzzah!). An interesting moment was when I got to the snake house to discover they had just fed the pythons, and watching a snake slowly digesting a rabbit whole. I felt like I was IN the Discovery Channel.
Babies!
It thought it was a prairie dog, too...
Colors!
Is this really the English name?
I was walking along near the end and witnessed an adventurous attempted-escape by a turtle. Right as I walked by a bush, he came running out of his hiding place as fast as his little body would take him, straight for freedom. Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough, and some pre-teens found him and started scaring the poor guy to death, picking him up and disorienting him and changing his directions. Finally a zookeeper came to his rescue…but the poor guy didn’t get his freedom.
Day 167 – June 16
A very nice rainfall in the morning. We were going to go to a park, but, alas, this year me and parks always equal rain. We did however go to drop off Andrea’s last assignment at her university, and I got jealous of all the old buildings.
Andrea then took me to the university library. When we asked for a guest pass, the woman asked Andrea where in the U.S. I was from, and when she said I studied at Boston, the woman smiled and gave me two thumbs up. She then told Andrea that she really liked Boston, especially the old city, because it was so European. I smiled and nodded – me, too! The idea of leaving Europe isn’t as hard when I think of where I’m going back to. I do so love Boston.
Being in a library really made me miss libraries. It’s been so long since I’ve just gone in and picked books off shelves. Too busy in Boston, plus I have a lot of my own books that I haven’t read yet. Still, I’m looking forward to when I’ll be able to browse library shelves and leave with about 10 books under my arms.
With Andrea at work again, when her mom came home she taught me more Hungarian. She called me a “dream student”. I guess it helps that in the last six months I’ve had the beginnings of three other languages taught to me, so I’m getting a hang of it. Andrea’s mom really wants me to know the two different conjugation types of present tense – she thinks it’s the essence of understanding Hungarian and how to speak it – so today I learned the first type. Then she brought out an English-Hungarian dictionary and chose words for me to look up and then pronounce, and then conjugate. It was kind of fun…in the weird way that somehow gets me into learning too many languages (but never actually getting fluent in any of them – which, I have resolved, is changing, and I will know at least French fluently, if not others as well).
In the evening, we met Andrea’s friend Miki at the Grand Opening of Hungary’s first Starbucks. I felt so special. The line went around the corner of the Starbucks, and took maybe twenty minutes. Shamefully, they don’t yet have the Java Chip Frappuccino…ah well. Starbucks is the one American chain that I approve of spreading. What can I say? I’d rather get fat from sugary coffee and a nice atmosphere than hamburgers and dirty buildings. Plus, I’d already introduced Andrea and hooked her two years ago in Edinburgh, and then she’d hooked her friend Miki when they went to Berlin.
The line for Starbucks - reminds me a little of 4th of July in Seward, only I was on the other side then.
Day 165 – June 14
Monday we took the train to Esztergom. It was a nice, new train, and the ride was really good. It rained a bit on the way, and I love trains in the rain.
When we got out of the train station, we discovered another “train” outside. It only cost $1 for it to take us up to the church, so we decided to go for it. It reminded me of Disneyland – taking the trolley things from the parking lot to the park – and that is a good feeling.
Esztergom was where the kings were crowned, so the church was pretty important…and impressive. We took a look at their treasury, and they had several things that were “the most precious in Hungary” and a few that were the most precious in Europe, or even in the world. Especially this amazingly detailed chalice that took two years to make, and even the Vatican doesn’t have anything like it. We got an impromptu tour by one of the curator/guards – he would tell us about various items, then let us wander a bit, then come back and tell us about another item, and eventually it turned into a tour from item to item, although he went rather fast, and Andrea had to translate for me.
We then climbed up the 300-something stairs to get to the dome, where we could see all of Esztergom, and some of Slovakia on the other side of the Danube. How cool – it’s more fun to see another country’s border than another state’s border (though the Four Corners does still entertain me…).
Hey, look, it's Slovakia!We spent the afternoon walking around the town. We stopped to get ice cream, and I got a flavor of fruit that we do not know. Andrea couldn’t remember the name of the fruit in English, and I couldn’t even determine it from the taste. Intriguing.
Day 166 – June 15
Andrea and I went to the zoo today. Andrea couldn’t stay long because she had work, but we saw the flying foxes for her (she loves bats) and we saw baby prairie dogs. A lot of the animals had babies – so adorable! When Andrea left, I hung out with some butterflies for a while. Despite my colorful outfit, none of them mistook me for a flower, and none of them tried to hitch-hike out of their building, unlike in the Boston Museum of Science. Other highlights were wolves, of course (sleeping…again – they don’t know what to do with this heat, either!), accidentally stumbling upon a sea lion show, and Dippin Dots-style ice cream (huzzah!). An interesting moment was when I got to the snake house to discover they had just fed the pythons, and watching a snake slowly digesting a rabbit whole. I felt like I was IN the Discovery Channel.
Babies!It thought it was a prairie dog, too...Colors!Is this really the English name?I was walking along near the end and witnessed an adventurous attempted-escape by a turtle. Right as I walked by a bush, he came running out of his hiding place as fast as his little body would take him, straight for freedom. Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough, and some pre-teens found him and started scaring the poor guy to death, picking him up and disorienting him and changing his directions. Finally a zookeeper came to his rescue…but the poor guy didn’t get his freedom.
Day 167 – June 16
A very nice rainfall in the morning. We were going to go to a park, but, alas, this year me and parks always equal rain. We did however go to drop off Andrea’s last assignment at her university, and I got jealous of all the old buildings.
Andrea then took me to the university library. When we asked for a guest pass, the woman asked Andrea where in the U.S. I was from, and when she said I studied at Boston, the woman smiled and gave me two thumbs up. She then told Andrea that she really liked Boston, especially the old city, because it was so European. I smiled and nodded – me, too! The idea of leaving Europe isn’t as hard when I think of where I’m going back to. I do so love Boston.
Being in a library really made me miss libraries. It’s been so long since I’ve just gone in and picked books off shelves. Too busy in Boston, plus I have a lot of my own books that I haven’t read yet. Still, I’m looking forward to when I’ll be able to browse library shelves and leave with about 10 books under my arms.
With Andrea at work again, when her mom came home she taught me more Hungarian. She called me a “dream student”. I guess it helps that in the last six months I’ve had the beginnings of three other languages taught to me, so I’m getting a hang of it. Andrea’s mom really wants me to know the two different conjugation types of present tense – she thinks it’s the essence of understanding Hungarian and how to speak it – so today I learned the first type. Then she brought out an English-Hungarian dictionary and chose words for me to look up and then pronounce, and then conjugate. It was kind of fun…in the weird way that somehow gets me into learning too many languages (but never actually getting fluent in any of them – which, I have resolved, is changing, and I will know at least French fluently, if not others as well).
In the evening, we met Andrea’s friend Miki at the Grand Opening of Hungary’s first Starbucks. I felt so special. The line went around the corner of the Starbucks, and took maybe twenty minutes. Shamefully, they don’t yet have the Java Chip Frappuccino…ah well. Starbucks is the one American chain that I approve of spreading. What can I say? I’d rather get fat from sugary coffee and a nice atmosphere than hamburgers and dirty buildings. Plus, I’d already introduced Andrea and hooked her two years ago in Edinburgh, and then she’d hooked her friend Miki when they went to Berlin.
The line for Starbucks - reminds me a little of 4th of July in Seward, only I was on the other side then.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
