Magyarul tanulunk!

Ahhh! What a wonderful week! It all started with our first care package! Our daughter Kari sent some of her coveted private stock of Ranch dressing to share with her mom because we can't find anything like it here in Hungary. She also sent some Italian dressing for her Dad. We have been enjoying salads ever since the package arrived!



We've been able to find the real McCoy or close substitues for most food items, with a few exceptions. In addition to the Ranch dressing, I've been surprised that we can't find Karo syrup, wheat germ, or anything like Bisquick. I can make Bisquick from scratch, but I'm not sure how to make Karo syrup and wheat germ!

On Friday, we walked down to the mall after our language class to mail a birthday present to Kari in France. While we were there at the mall, which is where the post office is located, we decided to eat lunch in the food court. Yes, the food court! (I tell you, I am having difficulty adjusting to this life in Budapest after not having any of these luxuries for all the years we were in Africa!!! For some reason, I feel I am supposed to be suffering!)



We both got a slice of "pepperoni", and then Glenn went back for a second one. When he sat down, he smiled and said, "Oh, they had my favorite pizza! Pepperoni, onion and kidney beans!" We are having to adjust to some different tastes! I bought a bag of pre-made salad at the grocery store and in it were corn kernels!

Because of a few little odd things, such as granulated vanilla flavoring instead of liquid vanilla, Cile is having to learn how to make adjustments in the cooking department. We invited guests over for lunch one day, and Cile made brownies from scratch but they turned out very grainy, and pretty tough to chew. (The other option was to buy a box of Duncan Hines brownies for $8.50 from the international food isle at Tesco.)



By that evening, they were hard as a rock and we had to try to break them by hand rather than cutting them with a knife. Cile will have to work on that recipe before company comes again, or try some other desert!

Saturday we took public transportation back into town with two other couples to do some real sightseeing. We left the house at 9:00 am and returned at 5:00 pm. We saw some beautiful sights! Cile, though she is not a history buff, really enjoyed the walking! The night before, the temperature dropped into the low 30's and stayed there all day. It was either walk fast or freeze.


Fishermen's Bastion

Glenn is standing at the base of the Fishermen's Bastion, which was built in 1905. It is located on the site of the former fish market, and was built primarily to be an outlook post. Though not the highest point of the city, it still offers a great view.


Chain Bridge over the Danube River

Down the hillside from Fishermen's Bastion flows the Danube River, which divides Budapest into two parts: Buda and Pest. We live on the Buda side. There are several bridges that connect the two parts of the city; this one is the Chain Bridge. It is a 380 foot suspension bridge that was built between 1839-1849, and was considered a technical wonder back then.


Heroes' Square

The famous Heroes' Square, completed in 1929, represents the patriotic feelings of the people and honors the seven legendary leaders of the Hungarians. In the porticos are statues of the Hungarian kings.


The Parliment Building

Probably the most famous of Budapest's landmarks is the Parliment Building that sits on the edge of the Danube River. It was built between 1885 and 1902, and was designed by Imre Steindl (you probably already knew that, didn't you?). Unfortunately, Mr. Steindl died two weeks before the ribbon cutting ceremony.


View from Fishermen's Bastion of the Parliment Building on the Danube River.


St. Stephen's Basilica

Saint Stephen's Basilica is the largest church in the city. It's construction began in 1851 by Jozsef Hild, but upon his death, Miklos Ybl took over. Very shortly afterward, several walls fell "due to a sag in the main pilons". It was odd that the walls fell during the daytime, and that there were no eye witnesses except Mr. Ybl. Fortunately, Mr. Ybl had made new plans and construction continued.


Big and beautiful but not warm and cosy like WCBC!

As we were walking through the city, we came upon the biggest park in Budapest. The name is simply The City Park, but it is nothing simple. It was formerly a swamp and was the hunting grounds of the King. The swamp was later drained and trees were planted. In 1896, an English-style park was built on the grounds with several interesting buildings, including a castle (but it was never used as a castle!) Today, a huge outdoor ice skating rink is located in the center of the park as one of the many attractions.


Brrr!

We have had so much fun exploring Budapest that we plan to go out again next Saturday! After our 8 hours of walking and catching buses, trams and the metro, Cile's feet were tired so Glenn rubbed her feet while they watched a DVD movie on the computer. He is soooooo good to her!

Talking with Kari and Jonathan. Chris and Kate, got yours ready?

We are doing well but miss our families. We've been blessed to be able to talk to our parents and children through Skype on a regular basis, and are enjoying our Christmas present from Chris and Kate, the web cam. Both Kari and Chris's families also have web cams so we can talk and see each other, which has been wonderful. Technology has been such a blessing to help us feel connected to one another.

By the way-we got word that our crates are somewhere in Budapest and are going through "customs" paperwork at this time. Maybe we will get them by the end of this week. God's timing is perfect.