Moon Shadows

Bright air describes the effect of the light of the moon 

to the earth below on a partly cloudy night.

The roundish orb, as brilliant as the sun, but not as circular in shape,

peeks through the illuminated puffs of cotton dotting the sky.

A golden ring accentuates the flattened pieces of mattress batting

emanating from the reflection of the sun on the eclipsing bulb.

The effect on the ground is shadows cast by the dog and I, 

as we take in the evening air.

This is my favorite type of night,

quiet and still below.

The clouds moving just swiftly enough above from left to right

forming changing patterns to draw my gaze upward.

Watching God's hand move the fluffy sky across the moon

gives me peace in knowing that I am not in control.

Heaven is up there, and everywhere. 

I can see the beauty, therefore heaven is real.

Last Tour Day - Florence/Milan

The last day of our whirlwind European vacation was bittersweet. After a long travel day and late evening, we made the decision to sleep in a little. We ate an impressive breakfast of eggs, meat, bread and fruit on the patio with beautiful service and lovely weather. After our meal, we loaded our heavy packs on our backs and took the long trek back to the train station. We decided that we had made the correct decision to forgo the viewing of Michelangelo's statue of David, and we just didn't have the energy to go see him in the morning. 

When reviewing all that we had seen in the last week, we decided that this trip had been one of architecture and atmosphere instead of museums and art. We had seen plenty of art in churches, outdoors, in parks, and had seen God's hand in the beauty of the natural landscapes (and weather from the plane to Budapest) and with people watching as we sat on a square eating, in a crowded marketplace, or on a bus, train or plane. On our way to the train station, we perused the Florence market, where we purchased an owl bag (Rachel's sorority mascot), a scarf for me and Florence frame in which to place a vacation photo.

We purchased tickets on a fast, fuel-efficient train to Milan, arrived by 1:15 pm, checked in my backpack into "left luggage" to explore for the day, and took Rachel's to share the load. It was another sunny day, and we certainly had perfect weather the entire trip. While it was hot at times, we dressed appropriately, and had no rain except in the evening when we were already in for the night, and it was partly cloudy, and breezy. It was so much more comfortable sharing just the one big backpack and walking 6-10 miles a day, including 259-400 stair climbs  to the top of the city in Budapest and Florence. Next trip - we will make much more use of  "left luggage."

We decided to pursue a tour of the city of Milan since I had not seen it, and we walked to town by way of the Duomo and the mall to visit the Cathedral. Wow. Two more incredible structures greeted us - first the shopping mall and then the Milan Cathedral, which is the fifth largest church in the world. The style of architecture I would describe more as Gothic than of Florence 's Byzantine. While building of the cathedral began in 1386, it took hundreds of years to build. 

We were in awe of the construction, floors and stores of the Piazza Duomo on which the cathedral sat, the vastness of the square and the beautiful sculpture surrounding it. 

Again, we didn't go inside because Rach had already been on a tour, and she noted that it wasn't significant, especially after Florence and Budapest. We felt more at peace examining the huge marble sculptures in the square, people-watching, and window shopping. We grabbed a final gelato and enjoyed it at a small shady sculpture park where Italians chatted and rested during a work break or after shopping or running errands. As we started to take the hike back to the train station, we felt the urge to make a final handstand show in the huge mall area. We paused under the towering arches and upon the gorgeous floors to do a final handstand. We 
asked a couple of passing women to take a few shots, and the younger of the two took fabulous photos, although a couple of them were not so flattering for Rachel due to her, well, lack of modesty. :-)

The walk from the city to take the train to Milanesa was exhausting, with the heat of the day wearing upon us. Milanesa was nearer to the airport, and I had booked a relatively cheap hotel there. We arrived and waited almost an hour for free shuttle from the airport to the hotel, which was very nice. We asked about nearby restaurants, for as cheap as I like to travel, I didn't want to pay for a cab. 

We thought we would drop into the first one, which offered had a happy hour(s) that included a delicious buffet of pizza, salad, fresh fruit, meat and cheeses. Upon drinking a couple of fruity drinks, we decided that we didn't need to go to the other, more formal restaurant. I learned from Rachel that in Italy, it's not polite to fill your plate when serving from the buffet (like Americans like to do at pizza joints and Asian buffets in the US), rather, it's appropriate to go back several times.We sat outside and digested the past whirlwind week. We left before nightfall and made it back to the hotel in time to notify the front desk of our hotel of early departure (5 am!) on the free shuttle. 

We packed up the things we wanted to bring home, and left almost empty toiletry bottles, and threw away excess food and trash. As I settled in for the short night of sleep, I was again filled with anticipation of an early departure and a looong trip home. 

Texas Chilly in August

Okay, I just spelled "Chili" incorrectly to make the reader question the reasoning of chilly weather in Texas, or the continental United States, in August. Last week, we had a high of 79 degrees in Spicewood, which is indeed rare, but not necessarily chilly.

Usually, I save cooking chili for the fall months, with September being the earliest, but at the insistence of my daughter Kristin, I made some today. It may be the best ever, using many "secrets" and special spices to make it the best. Some of those secrets are lots of cumin, saffron, fresh tomatoes, chocolate and crushed pineapple, but because we are trying to adhere to a Whole 30 diet, there's no use of sugar in any way, no cured bacon (an awesome addition to chili), no preservatives, and no cheese.

A good friend, Petra, gave my family some ground venison earlier in the year, and I had that to add. Plus, when I traveled to Budapest, Hungary with my daughter, Rachel, this summer, I purchased a nice-sized portion of saffron and paprika (sweet) to include. The last addition, which I added when I felt that it needed some fresh veggies, were some fresh and tasty Campari tomatoes that I purchased on sale at HEB this week. For an excellent chili with plenty of love poured in, no measuring, many adjustments and time to cook on the stove, here's the recipe:

Chilly August Chili
1 smallish sweet onion - chopped  
2 garlic cloves
1 pound ground venison
1 pound lean ground beef
Olive oil

Saute onion in about 1 Tb of olive oil until almost translucent, then add chopped or pressed garlic, stir until the garlic turns slightly tan in color. Slide out onto a large plate and add another Tb of olive oil and the venison to the skillet. Cook and chop into small chunks with a flat edged spoon. After the meat is cooked, drain off the juices for less venison taste (the liquid can be replaced), and slide on the plate with the onions. If the beef is very lean, add another Tb of oil and then add it. Repeat cooking steps. Pour the meat and onions into a chili pot. At this time, you can add all the spices listed below and mix into the meat to make sure that the meat is flavored first, especially the venison. Your style will determine your process. Next,

1 28 oz. can of petite chopped tomatoes
1 14 oz. can of chopped tomatoes and green chilis
1 lb. container of fresh tomatoes (Campari preferred)

Pour in all of the can of green chili tomatoes, and about half of the can of plain tomatoes directly into the meat and onions in the chili pot.  Use a Cuisinart Smart Stick to blend half of the can, in the can, into more of a sauce than chunks, and to add some thickness to the chili, since corn (masa harina = corn flour) and grains (wheat flour) are not allowed on Whole 30. To prepare the fresh tomatoes for the chili, it's best to peel first. Today, I forgot to prepare the boiling water on the stove to dunk them into for 60-90 seconds, wait for their skin to wrinkle, then pull out with a fork, peel, cut into quarters, remove the seeds, and use the blender stick to make more saucy.  I rushed the process by using the microwave to bring the water to a boil in a large glass measuring cup, threw in the tomatoes a couple at a time, pulled them out and peeled and chopped them. I did make an error when I reached in to pull out a tomato, forgetting that it had been boiling a few minutes before. Ouch. Blend the tomatoes as noted above and add to pot. Once the tomatoes have been added, it's time to include spices, if that's your process.

8-16 oz. organic chicken broth
1-2 Tbs saffron
1-2 Tbs paprika
1 1/2 Tbs. cocoa powder
1-2 Tbs garlic powder (if you don't have fresh garlic)
1-2 Tbs chili powder
1-2 Tbs cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1-2 Tbs cracked pepper
1 Tbs. kosher salt

Mix in all of the above ingredients and heat to medium high temperature until it becomes nice and bubbly, then reduce to low, low and slow cook for 1-3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so. The longer it cooks on low, the more tender the meat will be. Taste on occasion to determine if it needs salt, pepper, chili powder or anything else you feel it is missing. I love Texas Chilly in August!


This recipe can also be prepared by browning your meat and onions, and throwing it all in a crock pot on low in the morning, to come home to terrific chili in the evening.

Florence

Florence 

Because we wanted a full day in Florence, we left early, before breakfast, in a taxi cab through much traffic to the train station. We were disappointed that we had missed the street vendors that we passed on our ride. It might have been fun to find some deals on the street, but we encountered it later in Milan, so it resolved itself.

The train ride was several hours long, and if I remember correctly, we sat with an enjoyable couple from Norway that was taking a summer break to Italy. We had to go back a town to ride on the faster train to Florence, and we prayed we would not be ticket checked, as we didn't purchase the short backwards tickets.

We were Cranky on arrival, however, due to the early arrival, no substantial breakfast (we ate some on sale cookies we purchased at the convenience store), and the general discomfort of riding on a train for several hours.  The cheap mom that I am said that we had to walk to our hotel, which was well rewarded for an awesome place in the heart of the city. It was a bead and breakfast type set in an office building of sorts on the first floor. We left our bags after taking the tour, with instructions for entering if we arrived after 6 pm.  We had the tour, which included a lovely courtyard and a small kitchen where breakfast was to be prepared. 

We hit the road again after relieving ourselves of our heavy backpacks and began our trek after noon. Statues and glorious architecture accompanied our walk, and we encountered plenty of traffic and tourists. As we entered the Quorum, the huge square that held incredible Byzantine architecture, we knew we were where we wanted to be. We stood in line for about 15 minutes assessing our situation, asking fellow line standers about our next move. Turns out the line in which we were standing was about an hour long, for those people who had already purchased tickets to the museum, either online or at the box office a few blocks away. We went online and found that we could buy our €15 each tickets for JULY 5!  

We considered, watched a wedding party leave a lovely chapel, and decided to proceed to the famous Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Rachel's bucket list included a trek up the 435 steps To see the awesome view on a beautiful day. Tourists crowded the ticket office which we reached after a long walk around the huge building, and while Rachel waited and toured outside, I purchased €30 to climb the steps and see other chapels on the grounds of the piazza. We lollygagged further around the building to the line to climb and realized we had a minimum one hour wait in the afternoon sun. We watched an amazing bubble blowing man entertaining children with his huge ring dipped into soapy water. We decided to relieve our wait with some gelato, so Rachel left me to find some. It was hit, the lines were long, and after she proceeded in the direction opposite the way the line was moving, she returned, about 25 minutes later, dripping with the creamy substance all over her hands and arms. The expensive gelato did not match to the flavor of that we found in other Italian cities, and by time we finished, we were both covered in the sticky mess. We entered the church not inour clean Sunday best. 

Our trek to the top was ahead. Rachel had the fortification to count the steps as we circled up antiquated stone and steel steps. At times, we encountered exhausted people, skinny people, Italians, Americans, Germans, Asians and many different languages. Occasional steel grated window openings greeted us on our way. It was surprisingly cool, and the pace was very doable. At about the halfway point, we came very close to the gorgeous painted ceiling, and we marveled at how difficult it must have been to paint it. I was concerned about the endurance of my knee, but obviously the cortisone shot was doing its work, along with the occasional one step at a time with my right leg. Everyone was joyful it seemed, especially when we reached the joyful opening at the top!
Once at the top, we barely wanted to leave. There was a feeling of euphoria after climbing nearly a quarter mile into the sky.

Going down was a bit tricky, as I was wearing a cute black and white polka skirt, and we had to step over a small bar and maneuver down a ladder, with people waiting to go up below us. Another feeling of joy arms we descended and entered the church on the way out. The inside of the church was much less impressive than the exterior and certainly less elaborate than the churches we'd visited in Budapest and Venice. We stepped outside and am found a side shop to lurchase much needed water, a Coke and a Peroni, and sat in the curb and drank.
Our next stop on the self-guided tour of Florence was to the baptistery across the square from Santa Maria. Gold plated walls and ceiling, a lovely place to sit down and rest our weary legs. We relaxed in awe for a few minutes and then Rachel pulled the goofy trick of posing with a water bottle over her head, demonstrating baptism. Goofy girl. :-) We then headed for the river and a destination on the other side where a friend had promised the best Gnocci in Italy.

On our way, we took cool photos and then crossed the cool bridge where vendors barked their wares. Google maps assisted in our quest to find this fabulous restaurant. When asked if we had reservations, we did not, and the hostess stated that we could sit, but must be finished in an hour and a half or so. We agreed and sat down. We ordered an incredible salad and a bottle of Chianti, to be followed with the Gnocci. O-M-G, it was the most tasty meal of the trip, and we had plenty of good ones, and possibly of the year. We were stuffed, and had to pass on creme brûlée, and we had a long walk home to work it off, giggling as we crossed the bridge again and took a few more photos at sunset.

Since we were near the end of our trip, we decided to make a late nighter of it and we picked up a bottle of Proseco, made it Italy, with plans to enjoy it in the hotel courtyard. After picking up our packs, which had remained undisturbed at the front desk, we began a search of the kitchen to find a bottle opener, as the cork was wedged near the top of the lip and we could not pull it out. That, however, proved disastrous. The pressure of the liquid inside forced out the cork as soon as the sharp metal pierced the other side of the cork. It caused a breakage on the neck of the bottle. Thank goodness we were already outside and the spillage did not affect our room. We picked up the pieces and tentatively drank a little, but because of our concern for the glass, we abandoned the bottle and reverted to sipping the Linonada.

We turned before midnight after a thoroughly enjoyable day in Florence, Italy!

Travel Guide

Traveling to Europe for the first time in 25 years gave me the opportunity to possibly be prepared for the next time, and to advise others who may be going overseas. Many of the ideas here may be common sense to you, but for the less traveled, it will enhance your experience to peruse them.  

- Bring a pair of supportive shoes, along with the comfortable, broken in sandals. The sandals will allow a bit of cool in the summertime, but may not provide complete support, all the way around your foot as a pair of running or walking shoes will do. "Broken in" is a key word here for the sandals, as Rachel endured several blisters during the Seven weeks she walked five to ten miles a day in newer shoes.   I will add that the waters of the baths in Budapest healed her most recent blisters!

- Pack as light as possible. While I did well to wear two bottoms at least two times each, a lightweight dress and skirt once each, I could have probably brought either the dress or the skirt and worn it twice. There's not much that I didn't bring in my bag that I didn't use. Don't fill your bag all the way if you want to have room to store goods that you purchase. A backpack, with a lightweight carry all bag and a side sling pouch that fits into the bag works well, so you can carry your money, passport and favorite lipstick in an easy to access manner. 

     

- Change money to the currency of the country you are visiting before you leave, or plan to do so at the airport when you arrive. Be prepared for a not so good exchange rate as well, so you budget properly. Ask the visitor center at the airport, or a local, should you happen to come across one on the plane for the vendor with the best exchange rate. 

- Save, save, save before you go, so you can shop, shop, shop when you arrive! There are always going to be "deals" or things you can't live without or buy for someone else to make your trip special. Plan a budget to spend money on yourself - on a scarf, earrings, piece of clothing or art, and a separate budget to spend on others- spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend, parents, children and BFFs if you are so inclined. That's another reason to pack light, and to bring another expandable, lightweight bag to collect your treasures. 

- Bring disposable containers of daily needs. After you've used most of your shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste, leave the remainder at your last hotel to allow room and weight for gifts and individual purchases. 

- Check out the transportation options where you are visiting before you leave. Almost every transportation company, even in Europe has a website. 

- Print a map of what you want to see, in relation to transportation and where your hotel is located.  Possibly study it on the airplane ride over. 

- Obtain recommendations for sights to see and restaurants from friends that you may know have travelled to where you are going. People love to share what they pursued while in Europe, and it gives you some guidance. I have listed a few restaurants and hotels at the end of this article. In addition, or if you have no recommendations, do a little research of restaurants in the area of where you are staying or will be visiting. Grocery stores are another convenient item to know about to have water, breakfast food and snacks available.

- Look at your pictures, and favorite your favorites on a daily basis. By the end of the trip, you have hundreds of photos to review, and choosing 100 or so to have printed can be a challenge if you haven't reviewed them prior. You can also edit out your finger, another tourist, or other unwanted object, as well as lighten the shot so you can better see a face or point of interest. 

- Write about it. Even noting the order of the day with a couple of incidents in chronological order will help with the memory making. Pictures won't capture the funny words said,  how food tastes or the way people smelled. Writing about it captures the sensory details of the spicy, sweet, crunchy or creamy texture, the thrill of reaching the top after climbing 435 stairs, or the joy you shared with your travel companion.

- Don't wait to publish it. It's been almost two months since my return to the United States, and I haven't finished my blogs about our last two days! This was mostly written, so all I had to do was edit. I'll have to add the restaurant and hotel recommendations later. Comment if you are going to Budapest or Italy soon. :-)

Vicenza

Vicenza

We awoke in Venice at 9 am in order to quick dress and join other guests at a delicious breakfast. We ate sugar coated croissants, filled with a tablespoon or two of apricot jelly, cheese and ham, canned peaches an pears, yogurt and granola and delicious cappuccino from a machine. Upstairs we went  afterwards and back to bed for about an hour after our grueling day in Venice. Upon leaving, we spoke with the office attendant and asked for a taxi to the train stations. Seeing that we only had backpacks, the young man said, "I will call you a Taxi, but the station is but 700 meters away." That was music, and hellacious for us to hear after our trial of finding the hotel the night before. 

We strolled along and found it quite easily, then purchased our tickets to Vicenza.  We didn't wait long to board, and were on our way to my birthplace. We wanted to go on base, so we wandered around a bit to happen upon and army service person, and asked about a bus to the base, but after a bit we were ready to take our bags to the room. We walked about a mile through a mostly residential area and found our cool accommodations, Key Hotel. Modern, clean and friendly, it had comfortable beds and had a nearby sushi restaurant and a grocery. Our map wasn't the best, but we eventually made our way the the city center. Along the way, we stopped into a glamorous caffeteria and ate eggplant parmigiana and lasagne bolognese. It was delicious, but we were scolded for placing our personal water bottles on the outside table. We realized near the end of our tour of the city that we may have missed out on several points of interest because we had not purchased a pass to view the inside of several churches and other buildings of interest. 

In the town square, we ran into a couple of Anerican moms pushing baby strollers and chatted with them for a few minutes. They stated that while the base was not tough to get to, it was rather boring with nothing of interest to see. We crossed it off our list to places to visit in Vicenza.  The architecture of the city was of course beautiful, with towering old towers, lovely churches and statues, with a gorgeous paved square. I loved waking the streets imagining my mother, dad and sister and I strolling around many years ago. The colorful buildings with bougainvillea on the windowsills and the antiquated ceiling walkways warmed my heart. We had the obligatory gelato in town at a friendly place, stopped into a couple of stores and bight a golden Baylor blouse for Rachel, an interesting cat tank top for Kristin and a fun holey white top for me.
I dragged Rach to the city park, which was a joy! A cool bridge to columned pergola was a perfect place for a mother daughter picture, and statues lined the walk around the perimeter. The best part for Rachel was the bunnies. She delighted in watching the cute black and white and brown creatures hopping around. We passed an outdoor Zumba class in session, and we're disappointed to not join them because of our clothing, a dress for me and an inappropriate Zumba top for Rach. 

After a lovely day tour of Vicenza, we walked back to our room late in the day with a decision for our evening meal to be made. We realized that we might want to enjoy the temperate evening air, so we purchased some Limonada and soda water at the convenience store on the way to our hotel. We quickly decided on Sushi and walked to the nearby restaurant. What a meal we had! Delicious rolls and salmon sushi, plus that yummy fried veggie dish. An affordable €30 including wine and dessert. The quick walk home was refreshing, and we relied to our room for some reading and a sweet drink, with leftovers for tomorrow. 

Venice

Venice/Venice Mastre

What a day! Beginning at 4 am with a phone alarm clock, we readied ourselves and jumped in a cab on time at 4:30 am.  A slower, female driver took us to the airport through much traffic. Longer security lines in a smaller airport awaited us, which meant we were unable to visit the local airport grocer to purchase goods with our last forints (HUF - Hungarian Ft). We clambered upstairs with our heavy packs and settled for cappuccino and a sandwich for breakfast. 

The flight  was uneventful, with little sleeping, and Milanesa airport greeted us with crowds, and a train trip to Milan.  We inquired about renting a car to take us to Ileo Lake, where we wished to see the Floating Piers exhibit by Christo-JeanClaude. None available, and not recommended, due to the incredible traffic to the exhibit, according to the car rental agent. When we walked over to the train ticket office, we were disappointed to hear that while the trains were still going there, that the police were allowing no more to go to the exhibit until the next morning at 7:45 am, If that, because of the high use and the crowds.

Slightly disappointed, and exhausted at 9 am, we went to breakfast at an Internet cafe/bakery on the Milan train station square. We decided on another cup of cappuccino, freshly squeezed OJ and two salami and cheese sandwiches, Rachel's was sweeter, while mine was less appetizing. Rachel filled her water bottle in the public water fountain on the way back to the train. Plenty of homeless or otherwise unengaged people hanging out, who obviously hadn't bathed or used a regular toilet recently. For being such a beautiful airport architecturally and art-wise inside, it seemed tragic to have such filth outside. We considered that it could be refugees from the middle east looking for a place to land. They were dark-skinned, and groups of 15-20 gathered on rug- and towel-like cloths, men and women alike.

We hopped on the 2 1/2 hour train to Venice, a nice train that travelled past Ileo Lake, where I strained to see the bright orange floating piers, to no avail. I laid my head on the pop up table and slept for maybe a quarter hour. Rachel and I had separate seats during the ride, and I encountered an unusual man who spoke to me about a clothing designer he had met with in his trip to Milan. Understanding his broken English was challenging at times, but as I interpreted, he was a fabric designer and took the train to Milan from a town outside of Venice on a regular basis. He gave me some instructions on how to make it to the grand square of the island  the city, which proved to be fruitless.[

Upon arriving in Venice, we took the smart route and placed our heavy backpacks into the "left luggage" section at the train station. I did not know exactly what this man had described to do when I purchased a map and we started walking. We were turned around and the signage was not exactly clear. We were hungry and had a little trouble deciding what or where to eat, for we did not see too many restaurants that appealing/affordable. We settled on going into a deli store and purchasing some tasty cheese, proscuittio, a loaf of bread and some chips. We grabbed a spot on a shady spot of the river and chowed down. We shared a bottle of Proseco in celebration of our several modes of transport before noon - a taxi cab, airplane, metro train and fast speed train. We decided not to splurge on a $125 gondola trip on the Venice waterways, although it would have made our transportation modes complete!

Our combined description of Venice was a resounding "eh." Lots of meandering streets where we were lost or confounded, plenty of vendors near the bay waterside, and mega crowds everywhere we went. No stunning architectural marvels (although the square had a few cool sculptures and the buildings were impressively large. It was fun to see all the boats as well. We also played a little with handstands on the edge of the boat docks.

Once we made it to the shipping side, we grabbed some delicious gelato and headed back to the train station. This took us over an hour, but put us there just in time for the six hour period charge of $6 for our bags. Back on the train we piled again, to take us back across the river to our hotel. Finding that hotel was a nightmare. We saw that it was within a mile of the train station, but because on my GPS I had it listed as driving instead of walking, we marched for about a mile, through a run-down neighborhood, with no success. With Rachel near total exhaustion and complete exasperation with me, we entered a hotel and asked them to call us a cab to take us to our hotel. They were very helpful and we were quite grateful. It turns out that it was about a mile away, on the other side of the tracks though, and a mere seven euros cab fare.

The host at the hotel was brusque but friendly, and we made it to our second floor room and plopped down on the beds. After refreshing ourselves, we went down and asked about nearby restaurants. We were directed to an excellent pizza place up the street. Unfortunately, there was no pizza to be served. I asked for a recommendation and received mushroom ravioli of sorts that was incredible! Besides being eaten alive by mosquitos, it was an enjoyable meal, but of course, we were very tired. I grabbed an Italian beer at the nearby convenience store, and we went to bed with a world of sights and experiences travelling throughout our heads. Two countries, three major cities in Europe, and four types of transportation, beginning at 4 am and ending near midnight. What a travel day!

Budapest II

We set no alarm clock for our second day tour of Budapest, but awoke early enough to consume the free Breakfast in the hotel. It consisted of fluffy, crusty, delicious rolls with fresh butter and jam, meat and cheese slices, a bit of fruit, coffee and juice. We took the usual cab to the airport, bus to the metro, then the metro into town. I felt like we were sincerely absorbing the culture, using all the various types of transportation!
Although rain was forecast for Sunday and Monday, we had not a drop during our daytime adventures. Sunday night, however, we had thunder and lightning and the lovely sound of rain pitter-patting on the skylight above our room. The roads were wet as we made our way into the city, and as the morning wore on, we were barely aware of the sunrise showers. 
We wandered around town on this day, sans the heavy, bulky backpacks. After climbing the steps from the metro, we jumped on a Hop On, Hop Off bus, we made our way to the market, and what a market it was. I have to say it was rather packed with the touristy trap items of t-shirts, magnets, hats and pot  holders. Of course, there were some beautifully made, local Budapest and Hungarian items, such as lace, glasswork, leather items and scarves. But the real beauty of the market was the local foods and spices. 

Hungarian food is resplendant with paprika - spicy and sweet, and saffron. While packaged in a touristy way with a minature scoop, the paprika was a bargain, at less than three dollars for both flavors, and I purchased a significant size, again for under $3 American.* 
The taste of the food, what we enjoyed, was incredible with the Langos - the most awesome form of pizza ever! The crust was a light dough, similar to our breakfast rolls, only flat. It had been deep-fried and was ready for toppings. Several menu choices greeted our hungry eyes, and we went for the top of the line, everything version Langos. Sour cream was the first layer, topped by a variety of lettuces, then feta cheese, tomatoes, pepperoni, some sort of sauce again, pickled onions and cucumbers. We split one Langos and could barely finish it - it was just divine!

After we paid a dollar to go to the bathroom and purchased a few souveniers, we jumped on a bus, then changed to a different line. We made our way through the more wealthy parts of town to Heroes Square, next to a nicely landscaped park with castles,  a lake, bridges, and a church on it, and made our way to the bier garden. We enjoyed a Hungarian beer and then walked across the street to the Healing bath house at Scholinski (?), a goal of our trip. 

We were well rewarded! On the advice of Rachel's friend Laren (?), we both purchased a day pass, along with the rental of a cabin where we could change and store our belongings. The bath house itself was huge, beginning with at least 30 stalls/cabins that we could see, with pool after pool of warm thermal water, showers and massage rooms. We made our way outside and jumped right in, starting with the lazy river (that was actually quite fast moving) that went round and about at a fast pace, powered by jets along the floor. After a bit of time there, we went to the side of the pool to sit in the sun, and were thankful to find more wall jets to massage our throbbing backs from our prior day of carrying our packs. As we sat there, we saw people standing in another area where jets shot up from the floor of the pool to massage feet, calves, and whereever you wanted.  

We then decided to go explore the indoor thermal pools and saunas. It was non-eventful, with people just hanging out on the benches looking at each other or chatting with whom they had arrived, enjoying the healing warm waters. We stepped into the wet and the dry sauna, and placed our feet or sat in at least three indoor baths, the showered off before going to our dressing room. we were thankful to have brought a phone charger so Rachel could charge her phone in the common area while I dressed.

We had plans to meet Laran for dinner, so we made our way to our meeting place - an intersection on the east side of the Plaza of Heroes, Many people milled around the plaza, on all sides. As we waited, we heard loud, American rock and roll music begin to play, and saw an interesting site. People were congregating on the plaza, with a section on the back fenced in. Suddenly, two police motorcycles approached from the east where the baths and the beir garden were located, behind them were a couple of fancy suburbans, and then, two huge white custom busses. As we asked around, we determined that the futbol team - unsuccessful in their win last night, were being greeted home by the loyal fans. The team had not been to a Eurocup finals game in over 40 years, and the fans were very excited about their success. How many times to teams in America return to their home town after a finals loss with a police escort to the primary place of celebration in the city with wildly adoring fans? It was heartwarming.

Despite the excitement, we opted to go to the nearby restaurant to enjoy a lovely dinner, with me choosing soup again - an incredible vissyssoius of cabbage and cream, with an incredible pumpkin seed oil in it. Rachel opted for the salad with chicken. After dinner, we weren't ready to go home yet with the long light of the evening. Laran led us on the metro back into town, and introduced us to a tasty treat in several flavors which we enjoyed on the steps of the church. 

We went home - via Metro under Laran's advice, to the train station to the bus station, to the airport to the hotel! We greeted our hosts and went upstairs to pack for the early morning departure, another early day. 


*Since returning to the states I've added saffron to almost everything - eggs, dips and meat spices - and it certainly adds a delicious, rich flavor!

Budapest

A bright airy place overcoming darkness is how I would describe Budapest. From the friendly airport information attendant who introduced us to the Hop on, Hop off bus service that carried us around town for two days to the smiling and and subservient waiter where we ate our first meal, it felt good to be there. While I could still see remainders of a darker time - the cheaply made government housing, the aging Metro trains and stations with graffiti-ridden walls alongside the transit - most people were open and happy. One possible reason for the happiness was the Sunday evening game of the Eurocup finals, in which Hungary was playing against Belgium.
The plane ride to Budapest went smoothly with few wait lines and crowds at the Milan airport. Beautiful views of the town of Lugano, where Rachel resided for the past six weeks, greeted us, along with the gorgeous Swiss alps. An unusual neon green water peered up from the landscape, from a large lake and smaller waterways tha appeared to be holding tanks.

We were excited to arrive, despite the early departure hour of 8 am on a Sunday morning. We arrived downtown by 11 am and were starved while also exhausted from our early morning departure at 6 am to take a cab to the Milan airport. From the airport, we took a bus to the train station, and then the Metro into town. We did not think of possibly leaving our heavy backpacks at the airport, Metro station or hotel, but carried them around all day. Please think of this when you hear about the beer and wine we drank. We climbed possibly 300 stairs and came back down, to see the city from the top on the Buda side, and travailed down a switchback of steps and ramps on the Pest side, of at least 300 feet in elevation.


On to the schedule. We had picked up a snack at the airport, and purchased much too expensive juice on the  plane, not knowing that it wasn't free as it is on American planes. Thus, we were hungry, but didn't want to eat at the first place we encountered. The beautiful tulip shape applied gelato was certainly attractive, but our palates were craving a sandwich, soup or something more substantial. We picked a place called Platz and ordered a beer and wine right off the bat. We had remarkable sandwiches, that may not have actually been so incredible, but it was our memorable first meal in Hungary, when our appetites were strong.


We decided to jump right in to the church, St. Stephen's across the platz, and before we even explored the church, we were paying the fee in Forints to climb to the tower (reminder: With backpacks). Of course, the view was incredible, and exposed us to most of what we would see on our visit to Budapest. We rewarded ourselves with our first gelato of the trip, with at least one gelato a day! It was the cool tulip shape that attracted us, but the taste was sincerely rewarding. Rachel noted the best way to choose a gelato shop, since there is typically one shop on every block, is to determine if too many flavors exist, and is it visually attractive.


We were very thankful to Rachel's friend, Larren, for her suggestion to buy a 48 hour pass to Hop On, Hop Off bus service in the rather large city that is split by the Danube River. Two lines, one traveling East West and the other North South offered double decker buses with the top open, with headphones giving a verbal description of the sights we passed, and regular stops at the primary attractions of the city. Each bus had about 20 stops/points of interest, and we took advantage of almost the entire tour on both the red and yellow lines. And yes, ew, we put the yucky headphones to our head, hoping that the previous user did not have lice and had showered in the past week. But really, by late afternoon, we were so sweaty and stinky that we probably contributed to the sweat factor.
An awesome benefit of the Hop system was the free boat ride along the Danube. After touring the church, seeing a little of the city, we climbed off the bus at the boat stop, and while waiting for the bus, had a delightful Hungarian beer. That boat ride was delightful, passing in front of gorgeous buildings and castles, including the Parliament building, a lovely city park, and an ancient bathhouse. Budapest is famous for its healing waters, and was certainly a stop on our trip to the city that I described as romantic, with the beautiful architecture, parks and statues.


After the bus ride, we walked to the bridge where we saw a man walking on the uprights, and where Rachel wanted to climb herself. We took a few shots and hopped back on the bus, realizing that it would be our last tour, as the buses stopped running at 6:00 pm. We made it over to the other side, feeling exhausted, and rode the tram to the top. We barely wandered around, I purchased a couple postcards and a refrigerator magnet, took photos and made our way down the hill, slightly painful with those dang bags on our backs. We crossed the beautiful chain bridge back to the other side, and dragged ourselves to a street off of St. Michael's Platz, plopped down at an artificial grass signed restaurant and ordered a drink. Rachel had her first cosmopolitan, while I had a specialty vodka cranberry line drink from the menu.  I ordered an incredible vissischouis soup, while Rachel had tasty fish and chips.


We were rewarded for our lateness in the city by the celebration and preparation on the square for Hungary's participation in the Eurocup Futbol finals. Men and women, children and adults converged on the main platz, wearing red, white and green, with the flag painted on their cheeks, shouting and cheering as they were carried along by the crowd. We hung with the group a little while and then made our way back to the airport via Metro, then bus, then took a cab to our quaint hotel. Our legs and backs were tired, so we rested and ate the snacks we purchased at the train station and retired early.

Istanbul

This is the first in a series of my recent summer vacation to Europe. 

I am a foreigner and a minority, and it feels strange. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the tastes and the feeling of exhaustion are overwhelming me. Sitting on a row of connected chairs has not been comfortable, with the shifting of a person's weight jarring my reverie. Each time an individual stands up or sits down, the entire row shakes and reverberates.  The air is heavy with humidity, and the lack of ventilation makes the scent of male and female body odor especially strong, including the man with a scent who just sat down beside me. I may have to move soon, to purchase water (with what other funds than my debit/credit card) and to eventually charge my phone at one of the charging stations. This is not the Houston airport, with cushy leather seats and USB ports every other chair. 

The Istanbul international airport holding area for travelers heading to different countries is not sweet. Packed with smelly people, old dudes, babies and snobbish women, not excellent food choices, no carpet, and a bar that makes you order a drink if you are to stand and watch the soccer game on their flat screen TV. 

"What do you want to order?" a young man with a menu asked me after I stood there for not even a couple of minutes. "Excuse me?" I said, twice, after he repeated himself when I did not understand his Turkish accent the first time. When I said, "nothing," he shook his finger at me and said, "Then you cannot watch the game." I was not supremely interested in pursuing the game, but it hit me as impertinent. I looked incredulously at the others outside the bar, although not really feeling it (they were farther out from the bar than I), smiled and walked away. Anything to make a buck in Turkey. I just heard cheering from the bar area. 

Ah, I was misled, or rather, I misled you, the reader. The area I entered from the plane held only gates from 300-309, as I discovered after sitting there for two hours. When I looked on the digital information area to find at which gate I would be boarding, I was led upstairs, and a whole new world was opened to me. Gates numbered 100-500 displayed glittering shops and restaurants, Starbucks, bars and lovely, large, clean, sparkling, uncrowded bathrooms. What had I done? I found my gate, walked around a bit to make sure I was tired, and then stretched out on the padded (yes!) seats on a row to snooze for a bit, and set my alarm to wake me up in 15 minutes in case I fell asleep. Thank goodness I did that because sleep I did!  And when I groggily woke up and read my book for a few minutes, I decided to check the sign again to make sure that it was the correct departure gate, and no, it was not. I quickly checked the board and found that was in a completely different terminal. The time was 9:10, with departure scheduled for 9:45. I boogied my way across the airport, and at about halfway, 9:13, a sign said gates 222-230 were 3-9 minutes away. I made it to the gate, in time to rest for a couple minutes before lining up to board. I'm now awaiting take off. :-)

After  a three hour flight, I landed in Milan, about 15 minutes early. I expected to go to the curb and grab a taxi, but when I went there, I was told that I must go to another waiting area, where there were no taxis, and await one. I was told that that was the area of the "local" cabs that took travelers to nearby addresses. Since it was midnight by now, I waited only 15 minutes before panicking slightly, as the airport was emptying, and no one was in attendance at the information booths. I called Rachel, after a couple of texts, and she talked to the front desk at the hotel who called a taxi for me. Imagine my surprise when I asked the cost for the one mile, five minute drive, and the cabbie told me 25 Euros! Of course, I had not been wise and exchanged money before I left, so I told him that all I had in cash was $28, and he took it. 

It was wonderful to see my eldest daughter Rachel after her six week nannying stint in Switzerland, and despite the fact that I probably only slept about three hours on the overnight flight from Houston, I found it difficult to go to bed, and once there, to fall asleep. We had an early Sunday morning flight to Budapest, but the thrill of the long day/night and future travel kept my mind from shutting down completely. 

Firefly Light

The porch was bright
I turned it off.
The darkness cloaked
the dog and I,
We climbed the hill
undaunted.
The welcoming light of the firefly
led us to the street.
It lifted my eye to see the sky
the match to the firefly.
What did I see?
No sparkling stars,
or was it Mercury?
Mars and stars
they led our way,
into the summer night.