Chillin' with one of our two chil'n

They're here! They're here!

Kari and Jonathan arrived on February 7th and we've had a GREAT time just chillin' and gettin' warm, doin' a little eatin' (okay, a lot of eatin'!) and a little sightseein". This is their 5th visit to Budapest so they have already done most of the normal tourist-y things. Each time they come, we try to think of something new to do with them so that they will want to come back!


A little shopping at Campona Mall


Dinner at Pizza Hut


A photo-op

One cold afternoon we drove 21 kilometers into a nearby village called Szentendre to do a little browsing. The village is quaint, caters to tourists, and is beautiful!


Glenn and me looking for small gifts



Town center



Kari's creative photographic eye



Langos!

This is one of the "snack" foods you can find here in Hungary that is available at all festivals and in a few restaurants. It is nothing more than fried sweet bread topped with ham, cheese, powdered sugar, sour cream or jam, and it is DE-licious!



Kari and Jonathan enjoy their langos



We had a bath!

One of the very special things about Budapest is the prevalence of thermal springs right in the centre of the city. There are 118 springs and boreholes altogether, supplying the city’s spas and baths with 15.4 million gallons of water daily.

The Széchenyi Baths are one of the largest bathing complexes in all Europe, and the only “old” medicinal baths to be found in the Pest side of the city. The indoor medicinal baths date from 1913 and the outdoor pools from 1927. There is an atmosphere of grandeur about the whole place with the bright, largest pools resembling aspects associated with Roman baths, the smaller bath tubs reminding one of the bathing culture of the Greeks, and the saunas and diving pools borrowed from traditions emanating in northern Europe. The three outdoor pools (one of which is a fun pool) are open all year, including winter. Indoors there are over ten separate pools, and a whole host of medical treatments is also available.


Ornate ceilings



Even the hallways are beautiful!



The family that soaks together...

The thermal water is drawn from both natural springs and a 3,000-foot deep artesian well drilled in the 1870’s (the temperature of the water coming from this well is 165°F (74°C)). If you have seen winter pictures of men playing chess in an outdoor pool while the steam rises around them, then this is where they were taken.



Water temperatures are 68-100°F (20-38°C). It was snowing the day we went so there was lots of steam coming up from the water. When we had to get out of the water to go inside or to change pools, the snow landing on our backs was like prickling pokes and was amazingly painful!



There is an outdoor swimming pool, fun pool and thermal pool, and twelve indoor thermal pools. Water mineral content: thermal water containing nitrates, calcium-magnesium-hydrogen-carbonates and sulphate-chlorides, as well as fluoride ions and metaboric acid in significant quantities. Open daily 6 a.m. – 10 p.m so it can be enjoyed all day long.


And then we went outside and froze again!


We warmed up with a cup of coffee at Gloria Jean's

Starbucks has not yet arrived in Budapest but we have several other coffee shop chains such as Gloria Jeans, Coffee Heaven and The Coffee Shop. Kari did a little checking on the internet and on two web sites it says that Starbucks is supposed to come to Budapest in March or April or before the summer of 2010. We'll see. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I need to get a Budapest Starbucks mug for Pastor Ken.


Making Hungarian Kolacs

If you've read our blog consistently since the beginning, you've seen a photo or two of a sweet treet we always buy at the local festivals called Kolacs. Now, for your viewing pleasure, we have made them from scratch and cooked them here at home. Yum Yum!

We bought the wooden cyclinder (wider at one end so the Kolacs slides off when baked) at a local festival. It has a steel or iron rod through the wooden cylinder with a small wooden handle at the other end. Oil it well sot that the dough slides off when fully cooked.



The recipe, should you decide to try this at home, is on our daughter's recipe blog. Simply mix up the sweet dough according to the recipe and roll out to a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips about an inch wide and wrap around the wooden cylinder, stretching it slightly as you wind it around.



Place it 4 or 5 inches over red hot coals and turn slowly. (Okay, we were impatient and didn't wait for the fire to turn to coals.)



Once golden brown, using a pastry brush, slather melted butter over it and then roll in a cookie sheet generously filled with cinnamon sugar.



With a little help from a friend or a spouse (you shouldn't try cooking and eating the whole thing without the help of someone! It's too delicous and you'll feel really guilty if you eat it all by yourself!), gently slide the dough off the spindle and let cool for a few minutes.



Kolacs' are best when eaten warm. Other mouth-watering toppings include chopped walnuts or pecans, flaked coconut or just plain white sugar. Mmmm!


Kari cooks

Glenn and I have been working some while they've been here, and Kari and Jonathan have been really helpful with things around the house.


Jonathan does dishes and the laundry


"Welcome to Moe's! Er, I mean, Arriba's!"

We've recently discovered a new "fast food" place in town called Arriba's. It is like Moes in Marietta where you pick from their selection what you want inside your taco, burrito or quesedilla. It's not Moe's, but it's pretty good. Especially if you've been a long time away from America.



We also grabbed a pizza from a local mall the other night while we were out. Don Pepe's has the hugest pizza's we've ever seen, and for all this pizza with 3 toppings, it is only $15!!!


Dr. Jonathan fixes Glenn

Each time Jonathan comes to visit, I like for him to "practice" on me, but somehow I lost out this time and he worked on Glenn instead. Rats!

Well, they return to France on Tuesday, the same day Glenn and I leave for another trip to Prague. We won't be gone long though this time, thank goodness! It has been so good to be at home, but even better to have Kari and Jonathan with us for 10 days!!