Category Archives: Tourist

Thanksgiving in Lowcountry

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I’m sitting at the edge of the marsh on Dataw Island, South Carolina. The tide is just retreating and in the distance, in deep water, three shrimp boats lower their nets. It’s raining, but only hard enough to unhinge a few leaves, annoy the alligators and disturb the piles of oyster shells that the raccoons dragged in last night, from the marsh, and struck open with rocks to access the silky nectar inside.

We arrived to my aunt’s home among the great sea islands of South Carolina yesterday. We’ll be here through Thanksgiving, then spend a week in Hilton Head.

Even though I grew up a true blue Yankee, my family has spent a lot of time in the last fifteen years down South. And this part of the country, with its straight-trunk wild-haired palmettos, humid breezes and tidal waters is what I miss the most when I’m away from the States. It’s true I’ve come to romanticize the South, which probably really set-in when I lived in Georgia, but I can’t help it. I’ve lived in a lot of places in my life, but my heart is really at home here.

New York City

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Woody Allen said, “There is no question that there is an unseen world. The problem is, how far is it from midtown and how late is it open?”

Last week, Gyorgyi and I were in NYC. We stayed with my awesome cousin, Brandy in her Gramercy apartment. We experienced a true, NYC Halloween, toured from the Bowery to Spanish Harlem. We saw the fantastic Addams Family on Broadway, calculated inches in the tenements, stalked Jennifer Aniston, ate bagels on a tour bus, and experienced as many must do’s (like Shake Shack, Gray’s and Dim Sum in Chinatown) and we could.

New York City hides so many unseen alleys that I wish we had a year to investigate. But in the time that we did visit, we certainly felt the prowess of a super-city. The quiet and the vocal. Times Square and Curry Hill. An elevator to the 80th floor and a simple, Sunday dumpling.

I’m a European blogger, so maybe I have no say whatsoever. But if you’re considering going, go. Eat, explore, indulge. Walk fast across the avenues and slow through the parks. Go to NYC as Kurt Vonnegut says: “…to be born again.”

(click on the picture for our NYC slideshow)

Kecskemét

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On Sunday we visited Kecskemét, which is a city in central Hungary, equal distance (86 km) between Budapest and Szeged. I haven’t been up for actively touring around Hungary lately, mostly because I’ve been so busy with work and making arrangements for the long trip abroad (!), but Sunday reminded me of the importance in making efforts to see as many little towns as possible, wherever they are.

Kecskemét has had continuous inhabitants for 5,000 years, though much of the post-Sarmatian (iron-age Iranians that inhabited Hungary a few millennia ago) villages were destroyed by the Mongols, just like everywhere else in this part of the world. Since then, the city has grown into a trading center and now, a little university town. Despite the soviet efforts to destroy everything productive about the city, such as its thriving wine and brandy industry, Kecskemét is slowly reestablishing those markets.

The biggest thing to happen to the city in a long time is that Daimler is about to open a 1.24 BILLION dollar Mercedes-Benz factory just outside of town, which will provide about 2,500 jobs.

But we didn’t visit for the history, or the tremendous Art Nouveau architecture. We were there to see the Hungarian Museum of Photography (Magyar Fotográfiai Múzeum). It is located in a restored 18th-century Orthodox synagogue and opened in 1991. There is a slight heaviness to this building from a historical sense. Kecskemét had a thriving Jewish community before WWII, when in May and June of 1944, almost all of the community was sent to Auschwitz.

The exhibit running right now is of famed WWII Hungarian photographer, Robert Capa. Capa was born Friedmann Endre Ernő in Budapest in 1913, covered 5 wars, and co-founded Magnum photos. The exhibition space is small and perfectly lit for viewing photographs. And these were original prints, too, including two of the eight surviving shots that Capa took when the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy (for those who know their photography history, a staff member at Life  in London set the dryer too high in the dark room, which melted the emulsion on the negatives, ruing the other 100+ pictures of that day). The following picture is one of the most Capa’s most famous.

After the museum, we walked through the town a little bit more and came across this fantastic 13th century church dedicated to Mary. It was the most charming, beautiful building in the whole town I think.

And after our stroll, we had to stop at the cukrászda (for purely research purposes, of course).  We had a little cake and rested at a marble table that was old enough to still have a candle holder in the middle of it.

If you’re on a regional tour of Hungary, especially of central and south central Hungary, I would definitely recommend visiting Kecskemét. From its charming architecture and the streets lined with flora to the cafes and restaurants in the city center, it’s definitely worth the hour drive or train ride from Budapest.

 

 

A Week in Nessebar, Bulgaria

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Györgyi and I just got back from a week in Nessebar, which is a little beach town on the Bulgarian Black Sea. Though Old Nessebar is a World Heritage Site, New Nessebar’s “South Beach” area is relatively modern resort town. We stayed at the Mirage of Nessebar Luxury Apartment Suites, which were actually very nice apartments right on the beach, adjacent to the Mirage Hotel.

We had a relaxing week lounging at the pool, exploring the town and nearby resort areas, drinking Bulgarian wines and beers, and at least trying to prepare some local food in our kitchen (we ate some kind of lamb meatballs from the local shop that were insanely good!)

Though Bulgaria is a bit raw compared to Western or Central Europe, the staff at the Mirage was incredibly nice and accommodating. The driver who ferried us to and from the airport told us that over half of the guests are Russian, and most of the rest are Bulgarian, Norwegian and a few Brits. If you’ve never spent an afternoon at the seashore with a hundred or so Russians, well, I’ll just say it’s quite colorful for a somewhat reserved American! In the larger resort areas, like Sunny Beach, there is a perpetual Spring Break quality mixed with that somewhat icky post-Soviet free market gold rush feeling. But this can be avoided by staying at a hotel outside of Sunny Beach, such as in Nessebar, or somewhere along the northern coast.

The trip itself was quite inexpensive. The apartment was only 50 Euros a night and the local currency, lev, buys you a little more than a dollar would on a vacation to many resort towns in the US (which is great if you live in Europe and are spending Euros or Pounds). And the drinks were pretty cheap. The two beers above cost a total of 5 levs, which is about 3.50 USD for the pair. One important tip: if you do book a trip to the Bulgarian Black Sea, avoid the tourist clog by visiting in early June or early September.

Though we’re glad to be back home, we had a really unique and relaxing time in Bulgaria. The trip highlights included the great air-conditioned apartment, the Bulgarian version of crepes that were filled with Nutella, the Byzantine ruins of Old Town, an ice cold Kamenitza at the shore, and on the last night, the fat Harvest moon rising over the Black Sea.

Click below for a video collage of our escapades!

Long Weekend in Békésszentandrás

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Békésszentandrás is a village that is situated along the Hármas Körös River in central eastern Hungary. The village was inhabited about a thousand years ago by ancient Hungarians, though it was depopulated (to borrow a word from archeology) by the Mongols and then resettled a few hundred years later. Of course those settlements were only up for a few decades before being depopulated again by the Tartars. But in typical Hungarian fashion, the villagers came back and moved on with their lives, resettling again by the 18th century, after a young aristocrat bought the territory for about $150. The village has only had public utilities since the 1990s, but you wouldn’t know it from driving through the touristy city center.

Now it’s sort of a weekend vacation spot. Nowhere near as posh or expensive as the Lake Balaton region, Békésszentandrás is still a sleepy little village where weekend homes and fishing huts line the river. Gyorgyi and I, along with 8 friends (Edi, Csabi, Andi, Gabi, Erika, Dezso, Anita and Tamas) spent the end of last week and the beginning of this one at a great little house on the river. We swam, paddle-boated, cooked outside, road bikes and scooters and had a lovely, relaxing mini-vacation.

Visegrád, Esztergom & St. Stephen’s Skull Wrapped in Chiffon

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The last week has been a rainy mess, so we have been a little bit off of our itinerary plans. Luckily we had a relaxing week in Budapest before the majority of our other traveling begins (Monday we are off to Florence).  Last weekend there was a little spot of sunshine and we drove to a few neighboring towns.

Our first stop was Visegrád, which is a town 40K north of Budapest and right on the Danube. The real attraction there is visiting the fortress and getting the most spectacular view of the Danube bend. The Roman initially built a fortress in Visegrád, but the Mongols destroyed it in 13th century. The fortress that we explored was rebuilt in the 13th century when the Mongols left Hungary, during the reign of King Béla IV.

After Visegrád, we drove another 20 minutes northwest to Esztergom to visit its beautiful basilica. Esztergom is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary and it has played a really important religious and royal role through the centuries.  The official name of the basilica is the Primatial Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven and St Adalbert.  The title makes me feel a little sorry for the after thought that is St Adalbert. The build itself is the tallest in Hungary and the the 18th largest church in the world. But that’s not all. Plopped down right in the corner in a nice little glass case is the old skull (and a few other bones) of St. Stephen, wrapped, delicately, in white chiffon.

We ended the night by visiting our favorite trout restaurant on the side of the road between the two cities.  Trout, almonds, steak potatoes, huge salads and beer was the perfect reward to a very full (and holy) day of traveling.

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The Visitor

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As I mentioned in my last post, my brother, Brian, came to Budapest to visit me for two weeks.  He just went back to Colorado Springs yesterday, and I finally had a little bit of time to take a look at the pictures we took. It was a fully-packed two weeks and we all had a great time. We spent the first part of the time exploring Budapest. And since he is a History teacher, we made sure to see the relics and museums of the various conflicts, occupations and revolutions.  We did some touristy things and some non. By the end of the trip, he knew his way around the market, how to order a cappuccino and scones, and the value of sausage and palinka.  We had a wonderful party with friends in Szeged, and at the weekend he was even able to eat a shnitzel in Vienna.  We ended our trip with a four day adventure in Bovec, Slovenia, which is by far the most beautiful place I’ve seen. He went mountain biking, while Györgyi and I went on a white water trip. The next day we all went on ATVs in the mountain passes. I know I could drag out a blog post all week long and the next, probably, just to tell every detail of his trip. But I think the pictures will do a better job with the story. To see the set from the last two weeks, just click on the picture below.

Čakovec, Croatia

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When I was a kid, I remember watching Neil Zurcher’s segment on Cleveland’s WJW-TV called One Tank Trips. I used to love that show–how he’d meander the country roads looking for the undiscovered Ohio. Those were the days when you’d actually consider spending a FULL tank’s gas money on an Ohio travel odyssey, which I’m sad to say I think is something that many people wouldn’t consider doing anymore. Still, it really influenced my appreciation for Ohio and for travel, long before the Anthony Bourdains came around and made traveling hip.

Since coming to Europe, I’ve found that despite the fact that gas is about three times as expensive in the US, people still love to travel, even by car. Day trips, weekends, whatever, people are on the move and looking for that undiscovered thing, whether it be a castle, a quiet beach or a cabbage festival.  Györgyi and I travel a lot, and to a lot of big name places. But recently we’ve taken to going to quieter locales that don’t always make the must-see lists.

Yesterday, Sunday, we decided to drive down to Čakovec, Croatia. It was a true one-tank trip and one of the most pleasant days I’ve experienced in a long time.

Čakovec is named after the Hungarian Count, Dimitrius Csáky who built the castle there in the 13th century. The castle was later owned by the Zrinski family and it was the location of the Zrinski-Frankopan conspiracy, which was one in a very long list of attempts to overthrow the Habsburgs. But before Csáky, the area was the Roman town Aquama, marshland and legionnaire camp.

The castle is located inside of Zrinski park.

The weather was perfect just before noon, which was a relief to us since it has been raining and storming for what seems like months now in Budapest. And there weren’t a lot of people in the park or the castle, which gave us plenty of opportunities to take pictures of our little monster.

The city is located just a few steps outside of Zrinski park. On Sunday, there was a little street basketball tournament taking place. Everyone else was strolling around town and enjoying the late morning at one of the many cafes.

I loved the arch and curve of the streets. It offered perfect lines for beams of the high sun, and that quaint Adriatic pose of a resting town.

Čakovec is a small town. In addition to the town’s center, there are a few schools, a library, a cultural center, and one bypass that where the town’s only traffic lights are located. There is one sports stadium, which holds 7,000 or half of the town’s population.

We sat down at one of the cafes before leaving. Our waitress didn’t speak English so we ordered the universal language beverage: Coke. Honestly there’s almost nothing better than a cold, .25l regular Coke on a sunny, Croatian Sunday. And after we finished and our straws were empty, we went back to the car and drove the 3 hours home. Two toll booths, one EU customs and passport check (which we almost failed because we forgot Barnabás’ passport)  and the much beloved Marche petrol station where we enjoyed a delicious Hungarian lunch. And we did it all on just one tank.

Ecseri Piac

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Ecseri Piac (market), located in Budapest’s 19th district, is one of the largest outdoor flea markets in Eastern Europe. It is bric-a-brac and kitsch galore, and I’ve been wanting to go ever since I came to Budapest but for some reason I just never found the time. Finally a few Saturdays ago we drove over to the market and meandered through just about everything you might expect to find at a flea market in a country with a history as rich, diverse and strange as Hungary’s.

We arrived at about 8, which could be considered late for real bargain hunters, since the doors open at 6 a.m on Saturdays. But when we got there, there was still a substantial crowd. The vendors had all their wares unpacked from boxes and cardboard crates.

Porcelain? Check. Old military patches? Check. Farming equipment? Check. Paintings of Mediterranean Jesus?

Check. There were a lot of Jesus things, actually. But I wouldn’t say there was a theme to any of it. I think you could find just about anything at Ecseri. And even when you go there not wanting or expecting anything, I imagine that a common reaction to the sea of stuff is: I think I need that.

Sculptures. Heirlooms. Old Clocks.

And a lot from the Soviet-era. If you’re interested in Soviet or Communist history, go to a flea market in Central or Eastern Europe. It’s living, three-dimensional history in a place like Ecseri.

As a closet romantic, I really love old typewriters. And there were quite a few at Ecseri, equipped, of course, with the Hungarian keyboard.

There were a lot of old toys. Scary, scary old toys and stuffed animals and dolls whose vacant, 19th century eyes really gave me the creeps.

I don’t know why anyone would want an old stuffed animal with someone else’s baby’s saliva on it, but it’s always those old bears that turn up on Antique Roadshow and end up being worth thousands. Some of the fancier booths had beautiful jewelry and very expensive looking estate silverware.

And various replacement pieces in case you lost your giant home crucifix.

It’s a place where you can’t help but imagine the charm of older times.

A place where the stories of the old uniform, Russian icons, antique water jugs, and family portraits are more important than the items themselves. I think flea markets must be one of the last places on Earth where strangers talk to each other face to face.

You can reach Ecseri, which is on Nagykörösi út, by public transportation, but it’s just as easy to catch a cab, since the market is just outside of the city. Take a Hungarian friend if you really want to haggle prices, because as the flow of tourists have increased over the years, the bargains have decreased. That’s not to say you won’t find bargains, but probably you have to know your stuff. Keep in mind that if you want to purchase antiques, no one will stop you, but you have to have permission from the Museum of Applied Arts before taking them out of the country. Whether you are looking to spend an early morning in sensory overload, learn more about the history of the Magyars, or find an elusive Herend Porcelain vase to take back to your home country, Ecseri is definitely not a place to miss in Budapest.

The Rock

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On Wednesday we went to The Rock–otherwise known as Gibraltar. It’s about an hour’s drive from Marbella and only 20 kilometers from the coast of Africa. Gibraltar is also a British territory, and the 28,000 residents are proudly British. British flags, accents, police with their bobby hats, and fish & chips restaurants were everywhere.

We took a private tour of The Rock with Douglas, a native Gibraltarian and captain of their professional field hockey team.

We got to see a few of the island’s 280 wild, tailless apes, some of them who knew Douglas and came to his car for a few peanuts. The tour was well worth the money, as we would have never gone up to the Top of the Rock alone, probably, without the guide. And the accompanying info was very interesting (especially for history nerds) including the importance of Gibraltar and the straights of Gibraltar.

Also– for you Americans– we learned that the Prudential insurance slogan “solid as The Rock” is actually a bit incorrect, because during the 18th century, over 56 kilometers of tunnels were dug into The Rock.  We toured those as well.

Even though it was a bit touristy, I’m really glad that we went. From the top we could see Africa in the distance, which of course inspired our trip yesterday to Tangier.

On the way in and out of Gibraltar, before and after customs, you have to cross over the one and only airport runway. Technically it belongs to the Royal Airforce, but three times a day, planes come in from London and Madrid. I really got a laugh out of the sign “YOU ARE NOW CROSSING A LIVE RUNWAY. PEDESTRIANS ARE TO KEEP WITH THE WHITE LINES…PLEASE CROSS QUICKLY.“

Gibraltar was definitely a good day trip, and a total surprise in a week of interesting places near this part of Spain.