Hungarian Goulash

                                     Hungarian Goulash             February 23, 2018                  

It's so fun to just immerse yourself in a new place and absorb all that you can - looking and noticing and reading and researching and listening and wondering and making connections, all in a rather random fashion.  Budapest's two parts, the hilly old city of Buda and newer, flatter Pest, are divided by the Danube River.  We are fortunate to be staying for these 10 days in an apartment located on the edge of the Jewish Quarter on the Pest side of the river.  This area is a mix of Jewish establishments coming to life again after the atrocities of recent times, amidst a dynamic entrepreneurial flurry of small restos, galleries, "ruin pubs", stores, etc.  A definite "down at the heels" look of abandoned buildings has evolved into "shabby chic" and attracted graffiti and street art, now punctuated by construction work to rehab the old places, turning them into high price rents.  As our guide on a tour of the Jewish Quarter noted, synagogues and buildings housing sacred ritual baths are situated next to pubs and bars in a weird mix of the old and new, the holy and the profane.  

One of the hallmarks of this area is the street art, which we discovered purely by accident, by just looking up and being surprised to see huge walls with images.  Now the focus of guided tours, they have been professionally created and are an attraction.  

          Rubik's cube.  The inventor, Mr. Rubik, is Hungarian

A tree symbolizing the closeness of Hungary and Poland (our next destination)


One of the first places that we visited was just a few doors from our apartment, a museum dedicated to Robert Capa.  I had heard his name and was vaguely aware that he was photographer.  It turns out that he was Hungarian and a photojournalist who covered five wars during the 1930's and 40's.  His subjects were both the combat situations but also the citizens whose lives had been upended by war.  The show was historic and compelling.  

The museum was also hosting a contemporary show entitled Golden Boundaries, describing the lives of teens as they sort out who they are through dress, activities, friendships.  Despite locations as diverse as the slums of Mexico city and Tbilisi, Georgia, as well as a youth detention center in Hungary,  the youthful journeys were remarkably similar. 

                        a face full of vulnerability and hope

Poke a stick in the ground anywhere in Budapest, and hot water will come spurting out, goes an old saying.  This has been a spa town for a very long time.  We couldn't wait to soak in hot mineral water - and were not disappointed.  There are options, of course, but our landlord and our Eyewitness Guide book had both recommended the ancient Rudas Baths, built in the 16th century by the Turks.  

Off we went on yet another gray, snowy day with our bathing suits tucked under our arms.  The pools were obviously a destination for retirees, seeking to ease aches and pains.  The minerals are reputed to alleviate arthritis.  A few young Asian tourists seemed as full of wonder as we were.  We stretched out in the burbling hot water, letting any travel stress float away.  What a sublime experience!  

Bruce making his way across snowy Elizabeth Bridge, to be rewarded by a hot Turkish bath on the other side.  Unfortunately, I don't have a photo inside the baths.  Too watery for my camera!  

Walking tours are our cup of tea, we discovered.  Bruce and I were drawn to the Communist tour, led by a woman admittedly too young to have experienced that period.  But she was a bright university grad who had done her homework, including talking with her parents and grandparents!  We learned about the brutal period of Soviet domination when there was little food, outside news, only one political party, and arrests and torture were frequent.  This was followed by "happy communism", the period after the uprising of 1956 when the Soviets relaxed some of their harsh measures and Hungary became a holiday destination for people from other communist nations.  Our guide's mom had listened to Radio Free Europe every evening.  Her dad had attended church, a different form of protest in that era.  

Buildings constructed during the Communist era are known to be of shoddy workmanship, hard to heat and drafty, with thin walls that allow you to learn all about your neighbors' lives!  All of this makes them cheap to buy now.  Our guide pointed out one of these easily distinguished buildings alongside one of the lovely, early 20th century buildings.  

                     communist era building on the left 

Imagine our surprise to see a statue of Ronald Reagan on this tour!  The Hungarians appreciated his efforts to end the cold war, leading to the departure of the Soviets, which happened in 1989.   Reagan is placed where he looks at the American Embassy, a most heavily guarded building, btw, as was the one in Prague. 

                          President Ronald Reagan in Budapest

The ornate Hungarian Parliament, inspired by the British Houses of Parliament.  The tour ended here.  

Budapest's Holocaust Museum is impressively organized.  The years preceding the war are laid out as a series of losses for the Jews, with each type of loss becoming more serious until the final loss: life itself.  The creeping nature of the erosion of rights gives one pause in today's world.  And one can certainly understand the fierce desire of the Jews to have their own homeland where their destiny is in their own hands.  

We read that Hungary's current Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, is intent on re-establishing the grandness of Budapest through restoring the aging, once opulent structures and building new ones.  Several of the museums that we would have liked to visit are closed for renovation.  We did tour both the National Museum, where the gilded 10th century coronation robe was on display, and the National Art Gallery, where we had a tour by an English-speaking Mexican woman!  

            National Gallery, housed in the former Royal Palace

The Hungarian language has proven to be even more of a conundrum than the Czech language.  Very few words have English similarities - or French/Spanish - which I guess makes sense since Hungarian has a different root.  The unfamiliar combination of letters seems to mock us, as we try to decipher meaning in the many historical markers.  Fortunately, essential messages - and many adverts - are in English.  Business people take one look at us and launch into English.  

There are not a lot of tourists around at this time of year.  We rarely hear American English.  Now, at the end of our time in Budapest, we have a slight sense of living here:  we can find our way to the small grocery store around the corner and to the main streets without the use of our map; we're not surprised to hear the church bells across the street ring out the hour, can put our code into the security number pad at the apartment automatically, and a Hungarian thank you ("kurssemum") slides out easily, in a rough approximation of the real thing.  We've enjoyed our time of discovery here and have a better sense of the culture.  I wouldn't mind seeing the sun before long!  

Tomorrow we board a bus for a 7 hour ride to Krakow, Poland.  

Dental Tourists

Dental Tourists        February 22, 2018

As promised, this post will enlighten you on the topic of travel to foreign lands for the purpose of getting one's teeth fixed!  I had thought that my husband was the only person who visited foreign dentists, but it turns out that there is a whole category of tourism devoted to finding quality dental services in far-away places - at reasonable (some might say "cheap") prices.  Bruce is a veteran at this, having had  crowns put on in New Zealand and cleanings done twice in Guatemala - all with excellent results, I might add, with very accomplished professionals.  Not everyone would entrust their dental care to a stranger, but my husband enjoys forging practical new paths.  Due to his care in planning, it usually works out for him!  

This year's dental adventure was the result of his local dentist having recommended an implant at what seemed like a steep price, as well as multiple fillings.  This occurred at the same time that we had plans to visit Hungary, which, as it turns out, has a reputation of highly skilled dentistry.  We learned that many Brits travel to Hungary to take advantage of the low-cost, high quality dental care offered here.  Bruce did some research and found Helvetic Clinic, a Swiss company that employs Hungarian dentists in its clinic in Budapest.  It seemed like a good combination.  

From home, Bruce had made an appointment for a consult the day after we were to arrive. This would give him a chance to check out the clinic before making any commitments.  He was pretty sure that he wasn't going to arrange for an implant, since that involves surgery and recovery time, but he might get the cleaning and fillings done - and a second opinion on the implant. 

We arrived in Budapest on a snowy, wet Tuesday evening, after a 6 hour train ride from Prague, with no Hungarian currency on hand and a phone that wasn't working in a new country.  With no GPS, we resorted to the old fashioned method of finding our Airbnb apartment - by reading a map!  

We arrived in the vicinity of our apartment to find an apparently crazy man out on the sidewalk, yelling and waving his arms at passersby.   Due to meet our landlord, for a brief second we both wondered if that were him!  It wasn't :).  Miklos, a seemingly tender-hearted fellow, was standing just beyond the wild man, with a baby carriage holding his infant son.  A rather shabby-looking, but once lovely, door opened to the cavernous foyer of a large apartment building.  The tiny elevator, with chipped red paint, could hold only Bruce, me, and our two suitcases.  As it began its slow ascent to the 3rd floor, I couldn't help but wonder if it had been inspected recently.  No certificate in sight.  With the most amazing screech, the doors opened and we stepped out into a pitch black corridor.  Luckily, I was able to spot a light switch.  Soon Miklos and the baby landed, and we followed them to the apartment, along a space open to the outdoors on a balcony, of sorts.  

              Balconies outside the apartments - on a dreary day

Lovely stained glass windows in the stairwell near our apartment

                        Wheels outside someone's door on our level

After that dubious introduction, our apartment turned out to be delightful!  Old and charming, four rooms with high ceilings, lovely woodwork and lots of windows and light.  All decked out in Ikea furnishings :)!  Miklos quickly showed us the ropes, as his little guy began complaining, and then we were on our own and counting our lucky stars.

                       Tick double lock to our apartment.

Pretty woodwork/window in entrance door to our apartment - looking from the living room with a peek into the kitchen.  

The next morning, we were up bright and early for the appointment at the clinic.  Bruce had chosen the apartment at least partially based upon its proximity to the clinic, about 6 blocks away, tucked behind the elegant Opera building. 

The clinic is accessed through a hotel lobby to a space that is light-filled and airy, with a glass ceiling.  A trim, bespeckled young man named Gianni greeted us in fluent English.  He was our guide for most of the experience, the personal face of the clinic.  

                                     Reception desk at Helvetic Clinic

Gianni gave us the particulars of how things would proceed, beginning with an x-ray and review of records which Bruce had brought along.  This was done quickly - and for free.  After a relatively short time, during which we could watch the Olympics (silently) on a huge tv screen - or read a Hungarian news publication, in English, with a cover story critiquing Trump's first year in office (upshot: he's not doing too badly - this from a nation that is tipping precariously right), Gianni was back.  He brought with him a raft of multi-page documents describing their conclusions about Bruce's dental situation, as well as three options for treatment.  Gianni was knowledgeable, showing us samples of the implants typically used, one type made in Sweden and one in South Korea.  There was no pressure to go with the implant option.  In fact, their suggestion was to begin with the least intrusive treatment, i.e. doing a root canal on the tooth in question.  Sounded intrusive enough!  

Bruce made up his mind on the spot to have a cleaning, a root canal, and 5 fillings.  We were to reappear the next day at 8 am to begin.  That left us with some time for sight-seeing that day.  

Since nearby St. Stephen's Basilica is one of the Top 10 Sights for Budapest, we began there.  It was a lovely church, not terribly old, finished in 1905.  It happened to be February 14 and son Matt's birthday.  I was pleased to spot St. Matthew on the outside wall :). 

                         Handsome St. Matthew

And, it being Valentine's Day, we checked out possibilities for a special meal that evening.  A sidewalk purchase of sweet pink tulips brought happiness for days!  That evening we planned an early supper at Academia Italia, which we had noticed next door to the basilica.  After a week of much meat in Prague, we were ready for some pasta.  What a fun experience, a resto staffed by energetic young Italians, proudly offering their wines, their pasta dishes, their cannolis.  Not having a reservation, we were seated at a small table on high stools next to the glass-walled kitchen where we could watch the chefs bustling about, which we loved!   I'm still drooling at the memory of the hand-made pasta.  We Webbs do enjoy our food :)!  

Back to the dental saga, we made three trips to the clinic the next day!  There does seem to be a lack of coordination.  However, we were impressed by the careful and honest assessment, including making sure that Bruce had an antibiotic before treatment, due to his pacemaker; deciding that the tooth couldn't be saved and so canceling the root canal; and ending up with the most thorough cleaning that his mouth has ever encountered, carried out by a fully trained dentist.  

The day after this, on Friday, three fillings were done.  And on Monday, very late afternoon - so that we could save the rest of the day for proper sight-seeing, the work was concluded with another four fillings.  It turned out that there had been more cavities than were first identified.  The treatments were all carried out by the same female dentist.  The clinic guarantees its work.

the patient, enjoying espresso and pastry during his weekend interlude 

I was proud of my dental-phobic husband for getting through all of this.  He was pretty shaky after periods as long as 2.5 hours, lying prone while keeping his mouth wide open with someone's hands in it!  However, he concluded that he'd never had dental treatment without a shred of pain - all at a very reasonable cost.   

So, that's our dental tourism story.  It was an interesting look into a side of travel that is more developed than we had realized.  We felt it was successful.    

Now, on to the fun stuff!  Coming up:  our Communism walking tour; our morning at the thermal baths; street art; and more.  

Embroidered detail of a priestly vestment at the Inner City Parish Church, oldest building in Pest.  


  

Prague's Jewish Quarter

Prague's Jewish Quarter    February 16, 2018

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."   
   Elie Wiesel

For our last day in Prague, we visited the Jewish Quarter.  It's comprised, of course, of old streets, just like the rest of the Old Town.  However, the distinctly Jewish area is concentrated in one part of town, as was required for centuries by governments all over Europe.  The ghetto is an old, old concept.  Keep a minority group in one place where you can keep tabs on them and control them.  

 Today's Jewish Quarter is composed of several synagogues which are part of a museum system.  They serve as a way to teach the rest of us about Jewish life and customs, dating back a thousand years in this city, and to remember and honor those thousands of Prague Jews who lost their lives in the Holocaust.  Considering the small size of the current Jewish population, the museum is a testimony to the strength of their commitment to keep alive the memory and history of their people here.  Most of the reconstruction and refurbishment of the deteriorated synagogues has taken place since 1989, the end the communist presence.

One ticket offers admission to 6 sites - 4 synagogues, a cemetery, and a ceremonial hall.  Rick Steeves, our Prague guru, feels that the Prague Jewish Quarter is the most interesting collection of Jewish sights in Europe.  

We knew it would be a long day and a sad one, given the discrimination, misery, and repression, that has dominated the history of the Jews.  

                                         Maisel Synagogue

Our tour began at the Maisel Synagogue, originally built in 1592.  Around the interior are panels describing Jewish history in the Bohemian lands, written in both Czech and English, luckily for us!  This is also the location where the Nazis stored property stolen from Jews who had been sent to death camps.  "Stuff" had been cared for and survived, while the people didn't.

The Pinkas Synagogue serves as a memorial for those who died in the Holocaust.  The names of Czech Jews are written on the walls, arranged by town and alphabetically by the last name, including birth date and date of death.  Many of the death dates are the same for members of the same family.  A recording of the names are read on a continuous basis, all day long, interspersed by a cantor singing Psalms.  Seeing the number of names as it stretches all around the room, floor to ceiling, is a powerful statement.  

Upstairs is a display of art created by children imprisoned at Terezin, a concentration camp 40 miles north of Prague.  Their innocence, juxtapositioned by the horror of the situation, is heart-breaking. 

                                             Jewish cemetery

Because land was limited by the boundaries of the ghetto, the cemetery is composed of bodies buried upon other bodies.  This results in the area being higher than the surrounding terrain.  Dark tombstones, engraved in Hebrew, lean precariously against each other, in a jumble, like wobbly old men.  A worker raked fall leaves while we were there, releasing the aroma of fresh earth and uncovering a few tiny, hopeful yellow spring flowers.  

                                                Ceremonial Hall

The Ceremonial Hall, an interesting small building constructed in the early part of the last century, educated us on the rituals of Jewish burial customs, which were surprisingly interesting.  We learned that alms are collected at funerals to help support widows, orphans, the poor and disabled, and thus the community takes care of its most vulnerable members.  

                                            Spanish Synagogue

The last synagogue on the tour is the Spanish Synagogue, though it is really very Moorish in style.  It was built during the 1800's when restrictions on Jewish life had been eased, allowing them to prosper.  This large center of worship is very ornate, with every square inch of wall and ceiling space painted in elaborate vines, stars, and geometric designs.  

Along with this sobering and informative tour, I am learning a lot by reading a book that's been on my bookshelf for a long time, Memoirs by Elie Wiesel.  Elie grew up in a small Jewish community in Romania, near the Hungarian border, and was forced, with his family, into a concentration camp at age 16.  He and his two older sisters survived, but his parents and younger sister perished.  His most famous book, Night, describes his time in Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.  He later graduated from the Sorbonne and went on to become a professor of humanities at Boston U., as well as a champion for human rights internationally.  Coincidentally, while waiting at Logan last week, we had seen his photo featured, along with other Nobel Peace Prize winners from Boston.  He has been described as the most important Jew in the USA.  

Bruce and I are both reading a small, pertinent and extremely relevant book, called Tyranny: 20 Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder. It refers to the rise of the Nazis and the Czech fall to communism as instructive to our current vulnerable American era.  Highly recommended.   

That evening's supper destination had already been planned for the V Korunni, a pub recommended by Eva McVicar, one of my Breakwater parents and a Czech native.  This resto is run by her cousin.  

The resto is located only a short walk from Deminka Palace, our hotel.  As we approached, we could see a cluster of burly working men around the door, smoking and chuckling.  We made our way through and entered a bar area, where a dog lay sprawled happily at his owner's feet.  We immediately liked the vibes.  This was a no-nonsense, local establishment where a group of men were playing cards, a tableful of young folks were drinking beer, an older man was having his dinner alone.  

We were seated at a sturdy wooden table in the far side.  Although Eva had warned us that dinner might not be offered at night, since Central Europeans eat their main meal at noon, not to worry!  I sprang for one last hearty traditional Czech spread of roast pork, sauerkraut, potatoes, red cabbage, and bready dumplings, all on a yummy puddle of gravy, washed down with a beer, of course.  Oof, I couldn't finish it all, but our waiter offered us an end-of-dinner treat:  schnapps!  When we declined, he proposed plum brandy.  Why not?  It was our last night in Prague.  The brandy arrived, looking innocuously like clear water.  One sip, and we knew it was not innocuous!   We did find our way back to our "palace".  

                         This is how some tourists get around the city!

Despite our 6 days in Prague, I felt that we hadn't really gotten to know the city.  We did roam around quite a lot; we did read our Rick Steeves guide book pretty thoroughly, supplemented by the internet; and we did sample iconic food and beer.  But, it still feels pretty superficial.  One important missing ingredient for me was a good chat with a local.  Superficial or not, here are our impressions of Prague:

• lovely architecture, with an abundance of art nouveau buildings
• safe
• clean
• few beggars
• an amazing Jewish Quarter
• not too expensive
• compact and easy to walk around
• difficult language for us, but intriguing
• lots of cheap beer but not much dark beer, our preference
• very meat-centric traditional food 
• nice wait staff
• no flowers outside, even though there were in Vienna at this same time of year
• not much obvious diversity in the people (where are all those immigrants from Africa and the Middle East that are flocking into Europe?) 

The next day we took a train to the second of our trifecta of Eastern Europe:  Budapest.  It was a 6 hour ride through some dreary landscapes and towns, including a big swath of Slovakia.  Winter and train views don't always show a country at its best.  

We've been in Budapest for 3 days now and are enjoying it.  My next blog will describe our escapades in "dental tourism".  Or, what have YOU been doing on your holiday?  

Prague

Prague                 February 11, 2018

We're getting our bearings in Prague.  As our base, Bruce has us booked into a "palace".   That term is a little more lofty than the reality.  Actually, it's a lovely old hotel with suites that serve as two-room apartments and give us the opportunity to have our own breakfasts or cups of tea, etc. - and to have lots of space!  I guess the word palace has a different connotation here, as I notice it being used to refer to shopping arcades, hotels, and big buildings.  

                                           Deminka Palace!

We are really enjoying our Deminka Palace!  It's very old-world, with tall, tall ceilings and windows, cozy radiator heat, embellished woodwork and fancy iron grill work in the corridors and staircase - a perfect fit for this elegant city.  Next door is a classic old resto, serving typical Czech food, such as potato soup, goulash with dumplings or pigs' knuckles/duck or rabbit with cabbage and potatoes.  Good, old-fashioned comfort food - and beer, of course! 

Beautiful stenciled wood doors and tiled floors at Deminka "Palace".  

  The pretty, light-filled staircase.  We're on the 4th floor - and there is an elevator.  

 Among the interesting things that we've discovered in the past few days include the fact that there is quite a large Vietnamese community here.  Apparently, the Viets arrived during the Communist era when both countries shared the same type of government.  When the Soviets left (in the wake of the Velvet Revolution in 1989), most of the Vietnamese stayed.  As a result, there are lots of Vietnamese restos - like the one where we enjoyed bowls of pho one evening!  

 Located in a mall, this resto was short on ambience but made up for it with their delicious pho - and their cute toddler who made googly eyes at us while we ate.  

The temperature has hovered around the freezing mark for the past few days.  There's no snow except for a few stray flakes today.  However, as we have gotten out and about, the damp chill has nearly frozen our fingers, despite gloves, hats, scarves, etc.  Some of you are probably thinking, "Duh, you chose to visit cold cities in the winter!!".  Yes, yes we did.  So, ok, good excuse to pop into a cafe for a coffee and apple strudel, which we did this afternoon.  Our fingers thawed out, and we enjoyed the most delicious, light, classic Czech dessert.  I am determined to try making it when we return home.  

                   Sweet trdlo being cooked over charcoals outdoors.

The other sweet street food that we've stumbled upon is something called trdlo - one of those Czech words that we have no hope of pronouncing.  It is a light dough wrapped around a stick and slowly grilled over charcoals, then sprinkled with sugar and walnuts.  Yum!  Bruce and I ordered it off a menu one day during another cafe stop.  I'll remember the experience for a couple of reasons - the discovery of trdlo, the fact that it cost a fortune since it was in a high tourist area and we were eating it indoors, but mostly because we happened upon the opening ceremony of the Olympics being broadcast on the huge screen tv in the cafe!  What luck!  We love the Olympics - and we got to see the young athletes entering the stadium, looking so proud of their nation and so hopeful, even those from tiny, decidedly un-wintery places like Madagascar and Jamaica!   The lovely Korean winter fairies leading each team were beautiful!  I'm encouraged that North & South Korea are joining together for the games.  

On weekends, the tourist areas here are busy!  We can't imagine what it's like when the weather is warmer.  In the massive Old Town square, clumps of people, clad in European black, surround guides.  Passing near them is like being at a U.N. outpost - each group listening to the pertinent info in their own language.  We could detect Spanish, Italian, German, Czech or Polish (not sure which) and, of course, English.  

             The ancient Charles Bridges spans the Vltava River

The famous pedestrianized Charles Bridge, built in the late 1300's (!) and spanning the Vltava River, attracts a lovely, strolling crowd, taking in the scenes of both sides of the city from the river.  It's a bit like a party, as folks stop to take selfies, get their images quickly drawn by charcoal artists, have fun feeding & attracting pigeons, study the many statues of saints that line the bridge, or gaze up and down the river at the nearly empty tourist boats.

                             

       Huge statues of saints and heroes, 30 in all, line the bridge.

A number of charcoal artists do portraits, including caricatures

                Looking up at the real Castle from the Charles Bridge

  Crowds on the Charles Bridge; we're told that it's wall-to-wall in the warmer weather!

Prague has a proud history, dating back to at least the 14th century when it was the center of European culture and ruled by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor.  He founded Charles University, one of the oldest universities in the world - still a highly respected center of learning and tuition-free for Czech students!   

As we have walked around, we've been wowed by the architecture, ranging from grand, baroque styles to lots of art nouveau and some modern. With little damage during WWII, it's all still there, reining over this majestic city - ornate and fascinating in detail and a good reason to look up!  Here are a few buildings that have caught my eye:  

                             Art nouveau Europa Hotel

                 the fabulous art nouveau Jerusalem synagogue

Old Town scene

Old Town Square

wowser!  

We've learned that the Czechs are known for their lead crystal glassware, puppets, garnet jewelry (in addition to their beer and pastries).  Some of the shop window scenes that we encountered:

                                               Puppets

                                                  Crystal

                                             Gingerbread!

We have only one more day here for now.  We hope to tour the Jewish quarter tomorrow.  As usual, we walk everywhere and have been logging about 7 miles each day on our fitbits.  How else does one manage to stay lively after all that comfort food?? On Tuesday, we'll be off to Budapest by train, a 6 hour trip.