being young in budapest

Viszontlátásra Budapest!

2010-03-03T18:39:00.003+01:00

I'm writing this last entry from my small couch in Chicago. I've been home for about a full day now, and so far I have felt exactly in place. I have seen the skyline, heard the El rolling on the tracks in the background, and had a full conversation (in my native tongue!) with my cashier at the grocery store on Sedgwick and Division. So far, all these things have made me feel relieved, comforted, and damn happy to be home.

But for the first time since I've left Budapest, I'm looking at this photo of the sun setting behind the Buda hill. I'm standing on the Pest side right near my university on the bank of the Danube with the Liberty bridge right in front of me. Now, I can't help but feel like I'm connected to Budapest, like a part of me belongs there. When I look at this photo, it's hard to believe that I'm not just taking another weekend trip to a new European city and that I won't be back there in just a few days. I'm gone from Budapest for good, at least until I decide to visit there again.

Budapest is the city that really confirmed my sense of purpose and identity. I learned that a person like me (maybe Capricorns in general) needs something to be responsible for. Besides my classes, which is such a regular part of my life now that it's hard to consider education as just temporary, I never had any commitments; I never had to be anywhere on a certain day at a certain time. It was this type of relaxation that at first was great, but after time made me want to pull my hair out. I'm not the type of person that deals well with too much free time. Without question I will be traveling in the future, and likely for long periods of time. Now I know it's my goal to have a job or be on assignment while doing so.

I can also credit this city to making me feel less American. For many reasons I am extremely proud to be from the country that I am, but for many of our stereotypes I'm embarrassed. As we all know, Americans have the tendency to be loud, complain when their meal is too salty, sue someone when the bus your riding on gets into an accident, and talk about people from other countries as if they don't understand or don't know any better. In Budapest, this doesn't happen. And that's the way it should be. Everyone should have an experience like this and learn these things about themselves. It would make the world a better place.

St. Vitus' Cathedral

2009-12-18T18:25:00.002+01:00

The exterior of St. Vitus' Cathedral.

The entrance into the area of the cathedral, which was built above the tomb of the martyred St. Wenceslas. The walls are encrusted with jasper, amethysts, and agates.

But first, a photo shoot in front of one of the doors.

And we're in!

The most extravagant organ I've ever seen.

It's the biggest Gothic church in the country.

Original stained glass by Alphonse Mucha. Yes, THE Alphonse Mucha!!!

Somebody doesn't take sinning seriously...

There are over 21 busts in this triforium, and they all have an unbelievable amount of detail.

Finally a Blue Sky! (Sort of...)

2009-12-18T18:03:00.005+01:00

Here is the St. Nicholas Church, finished in 1737. It stands out like a bright white dove in an otherwise neutral grey common square.

Making our way up to the green tipped building up there, St. Vitus' Cathedral.

A woman on Radnicke Schody enjoying a smoke break.

It was a steep climb up to the Cathedral.

But we didn't make it up before stopping for some absinthe first.

Prague by Day

2009-12-18T15:27:00.001+01:00

This is Prague from the Charles Bridge. This bridge, lined with statues of saints, was originally built in 1357.

I've come to accept and love this season in Eastern Europe for it's plethora of overcast and gray days. If you can ignore all the North Face jackets and digital cameras, you can almost feel like you were there five hundred years ago.

When I visit these cities, it's so hard to come to terms with the fact that people actually live in them and aren't just there to visit.

We must have looked like a group of famous people with all the big cameras.

Easter-egg looking houses on one of the main strips.

The architecture and design in this city was incredible - here is a door to a church.

And of course, a great backdrop for a photo shoot!

This was after we left the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was... very phallic.

Prague is probably the most ornate city I've seen.

Yet another awesome church door!

There really isn't even a need for cars in Prague, I think only a very small amount of people actually own them.

And then it was time to eat again! We went to a place called Svejk, which is a small tavern that pays homage to a hero, named Svejk, from a novel by Czech author Jaroslav Hasek.

Onion soup.

Chubby wieners and pickled vegetables.

Schnitzel!

At night we went to the Old Town Hall, which has been witness to the executions of Wenceslas in 929 and the Hussite chiefs in 1621.

The Old Town Hall also has the astronomical clock, which parades small statues of the 12 apostles on the hour every hour. However, it is really just an anticlimactic glorified coo-coo clock, so I wouldn't recommend waiting around for it.

We spent some time at the Christmas Market, and then went back to the hostel to bed. Not! Then we went out, but my camera did not join us...

First Night in Prague

2009-12-18T14:52:00.002+01:00

After a very uncomfortable eight hour bus ride my friends and I arrived in Prague at night. After settling into the hostel, we went into the Old Town Centre and did some walking around. Here is the Old Royal Palace from the other side of the Danube. It was once home to the Habsburgs and the kings of Bohemia.

Now, Budapest has its fair share of cobblestone streets, but Prague really has cobblestone streets - everywhere! They're exactly how you would imagine cobblestone streets to be: uneven, slippery when wet, and impossible to walk on in heels (even though most of the local women do).

Naturally, our first stop was to sit down and get some food.

There is a Czech beer called Budweiser, and (thankfully) it's not the same Budweiser that we have in the States, but it is a sure surprise when you see it on the menu!

Ham, sauerkraut, and potato pancakes - delicious.

Polariods

2009-12-17T19:51:00.001+01:00

I took a few sets of expired Polaroid film with me on my trip. Here, I have some photos I took in Budapest and Vienna. From left to right, there is: Parliament in Vienna, a building on the ring road in Budapest, the back of St. Istvan's Basilica in Budapest, a sculpture in Museumsquarter in Vienna, Mozart's grave in Vienna, Parliament in Vienna again, Beethoven's grave in Vienna, the sunset in the cemetery in Vienna, and an old car in Budapest.

Stephansdom

2009-12-11T15:51:00.002+01:00

A few from Vienna after a 343-step climb up the tower of the Stephansdom.

This is Stephansdom's 390 foot tall spire.

Inside the 13th century Riesentor exterior, there is a beautiful cathedral with countless marble statues.

The flamboyant Gothic decor has been here since 1515. 1515!

Halfway up the climb to the top of the spire. Surprisingly enough, the architects of this building didn't plan for having hundreds of people climb up the winding stairs 500 years later, so the staircase is small, cramped, and not suitable for two-way traffic.

However, the view was worth it!

Back at the bottom again, here is another view of the Stephansdom from Graben, which is one of Vienna's most elegant thoroughfares.

Random Shots from Vienna

2009-12-11T11:29:00.001+01:00

This was outside the Kunst Haus Museum Hundertwasser where we saw an amazing Annie Liebovitz exhibit, which was one of the highlights of the trip for me.

Schloss Schönbrunn

2009-12-11T00:09:00.001+01:00

The Schloss Schönbrunn is a 17th century palace of the Habsburg Empire.

At the time we visited, the courtyard, called Ehrenhof, was home to yet another Christmas market with a beautiful Christmas tree.

We stood around and drank mulled wine to warm up.

This is the Schlosspark Schönbrunn which is inspired by French gardens and has straight rows of hedges, botanical gardens, and mock Roman ruins.

This is the Schönbrunn, a 1,441 room palace.

In the background is the Gloriette, a neoclassical triumphal arch that commemorates the victory of Maria Theresea over the army of Frederick II of Prussia. It's decorated with sculpted trophies and the Habsburg two headed eagle.

Oh hey!

Vienna

2009-12-10T17:51:00.000+01:00

The weekend of Thanksgiving, my friends and I celebrated by taking a three day trip to Vienna. Well, it really had nothing to do with Thanksgiving; we just wanted to see Vienna!

Our first stop was at a Christmas market in Museumsquartier. What a colorful, musical, and good-smelling market it was! The Viennese really know how to celebrate the holidays.

Everybody was in a good mood.

That is the Rathaus in the background which we visited on the last night.

We went to the amusement park at night. This is the Riesenrad, which is a giant ferris wheel that has been turning in Vienna since 1867 (hopefully with some renovations). It was built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Franz-Joseph's coronation.

I just love the way empty amusement parks look at night.

What the fjuck is a fjord?

2009-11-30T15:11:00.000+01:00

As it usually goes, on our last day in Norway the sun finally came out. With only half a day left, we went on a really long walk along the shore of a Stavanger fjord.

I felt like I was living in a postcard - we could not have asked for a more perfect afternoon.

The shoreline was just breathtaking. It's interesting because homeowner's have their backyards back up into the fjord, but it's illegal for them to fence it off without a gate. Even if you own the property, it's a law that you must allow the public to walk along the shore.

The water was impeccably clear. Even I, who hates water, wanted to spend all day in there!

Now that's fresh.

These are houses that look onto the fjord. And beleive it or not, they only cost around $1.5 million to own. But, I guess when half of your income goes towards taxes, it's more like $3 million. Still, you'd pay more than that for a half decent condo in Chicago!

It was just so romantic. I can't wait to go back!

There were some families there enjoying their Sunday afternoons with thermoses of coffee while skipping rocks. Ahhh, the simple things in life...

My mom touched this strange thing with her shoe and then it projectile squirted some liquid all over her leg - hilarious!

If only one small section of Norway was this beautiful, I can't wait to see more of it.

Solheim

2009-11-26T17:33:00.000+01:00

We spent a couple hours driving into the mountains through nearly torrential downpour to visit my mom's eighty five year old uncle.

I took a quick trip outside and got some shots before it started pouring again. I felt like I was in the true Norway: mountains, freezing temperatures, ice, snow, and horizontal rain.

In the seventies my mom would spend her summer hiking in these hills and swimming in this creek. I can't wait to see what this area actually looks like in a green season; I'm sure its even more beautiful.

Family

2009-11-26T16:40:00.000+01:00

It was a weekend of reunions for my mother and new introductions for myself. Right here is a picture of my grandparents and my grandmother with her sister.

Storm.

My mom and her cousin who had some good times back in the day.

There is actually a photography book covering the area in which my family is from. My mom got it as a gift, and here is a photo of my great-grandmother.

Stavanger Part II

2009-11-26T10:17:00.002+01:00

On our self-guided tour of the quiet city, we came across this unexpectedly bright and colorful area. It was absolutely lovely, and we all ended up eating lunch at a great vegan cafe called Respet. This cafe had delicious food and the nicest employees in the world as far as I know.

And yes, there was still outdoor seating even though it was a dramatically low temperature.

I was told by a Norwegian who visited the States that he was shocked when he found out what our minimum wage is. Even though Norwegians are taxed a lot, their minimum wage is still the equivalent of $30.

Also, I was told that the Norwegian government is trying to pass a law to eliminate the entire use of cash. The idea is that if everyone uses plastic, there will be no more crime. It's a bit far-fetched, but it makes sense in the sphere that it has potential to eliminate illegal deals and money laundering. Those Norwegians... so progressive...

My mom's cousin told me that Norwegian prisons are like hotels. Regardless, they don't have many people in them and sentences are short (like 12 years for murder). They even pay their prisoners 100 Krone a day ($20) which they get to receive once they are released. It's an interesting concept which I can only compare to the way the system works in America that sends prisoners back out into the world with no money, no job, and sometimes no support group of friends or family at all. It's a good idea to keep prisoners stable and break the cycle of returning to the big house after getting released.

Stavanger Part I

2009-11-25T10:37:00.000+01:00

My mom, cousin (sort of) and I ventured into Stavanger's city center for one day. The sky was filled with clouds like I've never seen before; it seemed that they had stripes of white and blue. I can only describe it in one word: unreal.

Here is the neighborhood we stayed in. We took the public city bus into town. A short ride for about $12 - yikes!

But it was all worth it for these amazing views of the bay!

There was a precious park at the edge of the coast but no one was there besides us, probably because it was so cold.

The colors in this country are just unbelievable!

Vestnes

2009-11-25T10:09:00.000+01:00

Right after arriving at the airport, we were met by mom's cousin. He immediately took us to Vestnes, once declared one of Norway's most beautiful beaches.

The weather was overcast, but gave the entire environment a really ethereal feel.

Street Art in Stavanger

2009-11-25T10:04:00.000+01:00

There was some great street art at every turn in Stavanger. Here is the Amnesty International building.

Norwegian Food

2009-11-20T20:52:00.000+01:00

The great thing about visiting family is that you get a lot of great home-cooked meals. As a student that is still trying to hone my skills in the kitchen, I really appreciate that. We visited my great uncle in the mountains, and him and his wife served one of the most delicious dinners I've ever had: moose. Better yet, my 85 year old great uncle and his wife were together with the man that hunted the moose, and they all carried it back to their home on their backs.

With a good meal must come a good dessert, and that was the case. These are Norwegian multe berries, specific to the area, Kvinen, in which we were visiting. They are served as a dessert with cream and sugar - wow are they good!

I was tricked: I initially expected this to be a brownie but it was instead a delicious cinnamon cake.

A wonderful fluffy pancake with fresh strawberry topping.

Norway's Mannequins

2009-11-20T20:38:00.000+01:00

While walking around Stavanger, I couldn't help but notice the... creative... Norwegian mannequins.

Who needs the Red Light District in Amsterdam when you have the city center in Stavanger?

Now that's a pearl necklace!

Really?

Budapest

2009-11-20T11:58:00.001+01:00

I guess since I do live in Budapest, I should post some more photos from there. Between the Netherlands and Norway (coming soon!) I had some time to hang out in the city and do some touristy things.

I took my mom to one of my favorite places in the city, the central market. I wish we could buy our groceries at a place like this in the States, but unfortunately we have to shop at bright, shiny supermarkets with advertisement overstimulation and pop music in the background.

The best part is that everything is cheap because there is probably little to no overhead for people selling their goods there. They can display things how they want and even smoke cigarettes right at their stalls.

We also took a dinner cruise on the Danube with live music. They played all the same songs as the musicians did in the movie Titanic, so we were hoping that the boat wouldn't sink. It didn't, and the views were beautiful!

It was a buffet, so naturally everyone had a great time. I was particularly glad that I remembered to wear my stretchy pants!

A grunge bar called Csendes for some late night drinks.

The Citadella.

St. Istvan's Basilica.

The Parliament building at night.

Amsterdam

2009-11-17T23:40:00.000+01:00

After five full days in Amsterdam, it was time to leave.

I'll be seeing this city again soon!

Haarlem

2009-11-17T01:00:00.000+01:00

Because the Netherlands is such a small country, it's hard to go there and only visit Amsterdam. Therefore, we spent a long afternoon in the tenth century town of Haarlem, which is between Amsterdam and the beaches of Zandvoort and Bloemendaal.

I felt like there were barely any tourists in this town; it seemed like I was the only one with a camera out the whole time.

This town really was out of a story book. I can't believe people actually live here.

Forget coco-puffs!

That's the St. Bavo's Church, built in 1313.

On the other side of the church is the Grote Markt, which is one of the most beautiful town squares in all of Europe (according to my guidebook). On a warm October afternoon, it seemed as if the entire town was enjoying the golden hour with pints of Belgian beer, and I don't blame them.

We went into a bar on the other side of this square to enjoy a few drinks as well. The crowd was 40+, the atmosphere was jolly, and there was what I will call (for the sake of mediocre travel writing) traditional Dutch music being performed by a seventy year old man.

After about twenty minutes, we realized that not only were we the only two people wearing backpacks in the bar, but we were the only people part of a cash transaction. After some close observation, it was clear that every person in the bar knew the bartenders on a first name basis, and the bartenders were literally keeping tabs in a huge leather bound book near the glasses. It was amazing; I've never seen anything like that before.

Even though we were clearly outsiders, we weren't treated like it. Everyone was so comfortable, and being in those situations makes me love the Dutch even more!

As I've probably said before, in the Netherlands bikes are used for so much. I've seen women riding bikes with one kid on the back of their bike, one in the front, a bag of groceries on their shoulder and a cigarette in their mouth - all while remaining perfectly in control. In Haarlem in particular, many (many!) people were riding their bikes while singing out loud! If that doesn't make you feel instantly happy on a beautiful fall afternoon, I don't know what will!

If you're not already impressed, imagine witnessing this: two garbage men (unfortunately I don't have the new "politically correct" term) in the red were picking up the trash bags from the street. And yes, the trash bags were supposed to be there, because this town was built before urban planning, thus, the development of alleys into cities for the use of, for one thing, garbage disposal. Anyway, the man in a blue, a complete civilian to my knowledge, just stops his walk and helps them! They share some friendly conversation and they both go on their way. You'd never see this in Chicago!

Canal Cruising

2009-11-11T01:22:00.000+01:00

We finally had a sunny day with a blue sky in Amsterdam, so we decided to cancel our museum plans and do some sight seeing! Our first instinct was to go on a cruise of the city's canals...

...but not before some Vlaamse fries!

Inside this building is one of the world's most intense rock climbing walls - for portions of it you climb almost horizontally.

The craziest thing about these boats on the canal is that they are actually people's homes.

The yellow train travels all throughout the Netherlands, and stops right at Centraal Station in Amsterdam. The structure next to this train is a parking garage, but instead of a garage for cars, it's a garage for bikes. Very progressive.

Holland

2009-11-04T20:32:00.000+01:00

My favorite travel companion and I spent five days in The Netherlands late last month. It's impossible to visit this country and not be absolutely intrigued by the passive and peaceful temperament of the people who live there.

Not willing to spend more money than we needed to, we decided to stay outside of the city center in a neighborhood called De Pijp. This neighborhood used be called Area YY when socialism was in control. However, last century (already) rents were high and owners were forced to rent extra rooms to students and artists, giving the neighborhood it's Bohemian character.

Now that I've lived in Europe for a few months, I've become a huge fan of shopping for my groceries solely at markets. I feel it's the best way in the world to get food: it's less expensive than the shops, you're helping the income of people who sit in the cold all day with their products, and you know you're getting fresh and minimally handled goods. We stayed right by the Albert Cuypmarkt, which is the largest daily market in the entire country.

Not surprisingly, the weather was mostly overcast during our stay. I think it just added to the "Amsterdam" effect.

I found it interesting that there were just as many men walking babies as there were women - I don't feel like I've noticed this in other cities before.

That night, we went walking around downtown. We drank some Belgian beer called Jupiler at a bar called Cafe Van Daele and I bought hot almonds off a street vendor. It was a great start to an awesome weekend in an entirely new part of the world for both of us.

A series of gloomy days...

2009-10-20T00:27:00.000+02:00

Recently, the weather in Budapest has been less than ideal. Imagine cold, wet temperatures and lots of wind. Wait - I'm from Chicago - I'm used to this! I mustered the strength to go outside with my camera, so here is a compilation of the last couple weeks.

The Belvárosi Plébánia templom is a church that exudes baroque architecture. It also has remains of 12th century Romanian walls, a 15th century fresco, and an Islamic alcove that actually faces Mecca.

I walked across the Erzsébet Bridge to see the Szent Gellért emlékmü, which I quickly learned is the most un-photogenic monument ever.

The walk up towards the monument was beautiful and yet again required more hiking. I can get a workout here without even planning on it!

I usually can't decipher the graffiti in Budapest, but this example is quite clear.

Szent Gellért - a fanatical convent who was thrown off this hill for reasons I am unsure of.

The first statue I've seen which is impossible to see all 360 degrees of. Intriguing and frustrating...

Took this one while leaning the majority of my body weight over a small iron fence blocking off the steep decline and highway below. Yet, still no face...

Oh well, I'll just go find sneaky views of Parliament!

Visegràd

2009-10-14T11:19:00.001+02:00

Did I have a half litre of Stella Artois on draft for less than $2 at this mountaintop bar at this table with this castle in the background? Why yes, as a matter of fact, I did.

Last weekend, on the most beautiful autumn day anyone could have asked for, some friends and I decided to take a day trip to a northern Hungarian town called Visegràd. We rode a bus for about an hour and a half for 325HUF, which is $1.80. I think all of us assumed someone else in our group knew where we were supposed to get off the bus, but no one had any clue. We ended up getting off the bus after we actually should have, and walked about a mile and a quarter back into town.

However, the walk was beautiful - no complaints!

Our intention for the trip was to go zip-lining through the mountains. After arriving, we made our way up the mountain - on foot. Without any solid directions - which seems to be the way things are done in Hungary - we first walked through the grounds of this 13th century tower.

I later learned that this building has walls that can be up to eight meters thick and used to be home to Vlad the Impaler.

Amongst five people and two guidebooks, we only had one small hint that the zip-lining place actually existed. One sentence in one of the books hinted that the opportunity to zip-line through the mountains was possible if you hike all the way to the top - but with no inclination as to how to get up there.

Not willing to go home defeated by the inconsistencies of American publishers, we decided to take our chances and hike up an unclear path in a deserted part of the forest.

The light was so beautiful within the woods; it was bright enough but overcast - the perfect spot for a photo shoot!

Absolute and total confusion.

It's impossible to convey how steep parts of this climb actually were. It literally felt like we had to climb on all fours with no support at some parts of the journey. I was so nervous that I was going to fall and smash my camera because I don't even have good balance to start with, but I took it like a man and was able to get my first real work out in six weeks.

After a few rest stops, a near death asthma attack and an "Anchorman"-like jump of accomplishment we finally found our destination. Believe it or not, there is a mysterious zip-lining business (that isn't advertised AT ALL (so non-American)) in the mountains of Visegràd. We had some time to kill before we were able to go, so what better of an idea than to have a beer.

The perfect place to relax and stretch those muscles before our adventure back down the mountain. This was a really nice establishment; it was empty and you might think that it looks expensive, but it was actually really cheap!

Since I'm not clinically insane, I didn't bring my camera with me while zip-lining. All I can say is that the views were breath-taking. I have never seen anything more beautiful in my life and I will never forget it even though I don't have photos to show. Also, there was an extra element of adventure because we could not communicate with our guides. Hand signals and body language are a bit more hilarious when you're in a harness and trying to ask how to not kill yourself at high altitudes and extreme speeds.

We made it back down the mountain and had some time to kill before hopping on a boat to cruise the Danube back to Budapest.

The town was quiet, almost empty, and very old.

You can see a lot of houses in the mountainside. By the time we left, the area had the most appealing smell of fireplaces burning wood, and you could see smoke coming up from most of the homes. It was so peaceful and romantic.

The day was a great success, and we went home very happy!

Miskolc

2009-10-12T17:11:00.001+02:00

As the sun began it's descent, we made it to Miskolc. Miskolc is the second largest city in Hungary, and the area we went to seemed right out of a movie. It is a gypsy slum which I can only closely compare to scenes I've seen of slums in Africa, India, or Brazil.

In this photo you can see the degree of segregation in the gypsy slum. Behind the fence, there is a brand new chain gas station representing the development of the city of Miskolc. However, in the foreground the garden of a family barely getting by struggles to flourish.

Here is somebody's yard. Notice the lawn which is a combination of grass and dirt; the laundry line with minimal dirty clothing; the guard dog; the sporadic gutter; the crumbling facade and the holes in the exterior.

The grave in the foreground which says "fiam," meaning, "my son."

Notice the house behind these kids: the fence is made up of miscellaneous pieces of wood or plastic and there is no coverage in the space for windows. Also, I thought it was interesting that there is a satellite dish. I asked my guide about this, who has also done extensive ethnographic work in Chicago's south side, and he compared satellite dishes to fancy cars. He was basically saying that somebody might need food stamps but somehow own an Escalade, just like how people in this slum will need welfare but find the cash to pay for digital cable.

After arriving, we were approached by a man with one and half legs in a wheelchair that looked half his age. He told us about how difficult it is for him to get around his neighborhood because of the gravel, dirt and cracked cement roads and floors. He brought us to a couple of other people, all around the age of 60 but nearing death due to lack of necessary means for taking care of themselves. One woman is blind and has to maneuver herself around conditions like these, thus causing her to constantly fall and break her bones since her living space is deteriorating around her. She has no means of getting to any hospital, let alone any way to call them, so all she can do it wrap herself up and hope everything heals okay. Another woman is suffering from heart disease, and she ran out of money for medication and can't find a suitable means for getting any more. Not only do the people of this slum have to deal with their worsening health conditions, they also have to pay to live in these "homes."

Probably the most shocking event in the slum of Miskolc for me was when I was approached by a slew of giggling young girls asking me, through a translator, to take photos of them. Of course, I happily agreed, and as I set myself up to shoot away I found that the girls were posing for me as if I were doing a spread for Hustler. It was weird and I felt dirty doing it but I couldn't stop because they made it seem so normal.

These girls haven't been to school in years and likely spend their days watching satellite television. I assume this is how they learned these poses, and with a lack of cultural capital it's no wonder they are subject to sanctioned ignorance towards social cues understood by most of the world. I showed them the photos directly after I took them, and it was like they were seeing their reflection for the first time. It's the most hopeless feeling to think that what I experienced during this trip is just a small representation of what people wake up to everyday. Upward mobility is so limited in this part of the world based on forces that are beyond the control of citizens, humanitarian organizations, and sociologists that it was so hard to leave knowing the most I can do at this point in my life is try my best to understand.

Csenyéte Part II

2009-10-07T23:45:00.001+02:00

During the second trip to Csenyéte I fortunately was able to get a lot more of a close look on the home life of the people living in this village. We visited for a second time on a Saturday, so kids were out playing but parents were nowhere to be found.

A brother and sister (I assume) curiously staring at the group walking by. The little boy was wearing a baby "one-sie" that wasn't snapped and without anything underneath it. The girl was wearing a sundress that was not her size; the neckline fell about two thirds of the way down her ribcage.

He fell and cried, but there was no one around that came to console him besides his sister, who can't be more than four years old.

That's their house. You can see in one side and out the other. Shortly it will be winter in Csenyéte and it's residents will do everything they can to make it through by layering clothing, staying near the fire and eating minimally. Like I said before, the most popular method to get in and out of Csenyéte is by foot, and that is nearly impossible in winter. People rely heavily on their level of preparation and kindness and help from neighbors. However, families are large and rations are small, so there is never enough food and warmth for everybody.

Children care for children in Csenyéte.

The shoes of the girls in the fourth grade class.

The most hardened looking toddler I've ever seen in my life.

The children's faces were covered in dirt. Their teeth were brown or yellow, and they had an odor that reminded me of homeless men from Chicago. These small details are all signs of the poor living conditions, and even greater signs that families have bigger problems to care about than the health of their children, which is really hard to imagine.

Shortly after we arrived, the entire village was following us. Pictured are the stragglers, as there was a slew of other people with us already.

Some boys enthusiastically playing with us.

We were as intrigued by them as they were by us.

Peasant Village

2009-10-07T00:01:00.002+02:00

We started our second day bright and early to spend time in a peasant village, Csenyéte again, and a gypsy slum.

A look out tower in which you can see the small villages in the area and Slovakia to the North.

It's always 12:15 in the peasant village (without a name). It's hard to tell in the photo, but the clock on the steeple actually isn't a clock at all, it's just a painting.

This is a memorial for the people from the village that were killed in WWII. The town is so small that this list contains most of the people in the town at that time.

The village from a hilltop.

Neviczky Agoston 1841-1909

From the road, I was really impressed by how great all the flowers in the cemetery looked. I assumed that the villagers highly respect the dead and take care to plant flowers often. Upon closer inspection, I learned that all the flowers are plastic.

Baby graves.

Szanticska

2009-10-05T18:49:00.000+02:00

We spent the night in the smallest village of Hungary; Szanticska. Only 8 people live there. At one point, the youngest person was 67.

Before we got to our location for the night, we had to stop this unidentified building to see his "fat friend's" (pictured below) collections. We weren't told his friend's real name and when we asked what he collected, we were told "everything."

Some really cool old radios.

Ironic toys in English.

A vanity with wigs.

Old family photos.

Soup lunch at the farm we stayed at. Lunch was this soup, noodles with vegetables and bread as well as a small pasta dish with one little piece of meat in it. Dinner was a heavy soup of potatoes and sausage with bread, and breakfast the next day was bread, mustard, and sausage.

The pig pen that our room was right next to.

I was a little disappointed that we didn't have bacon for breakfast. But I do know where those sausages came from!

You can tell by the cooking supplies that a lot of soups and stews are made. The winter months are cold and long, and the farmhouses don't have electric heat, so people need to use fireplaces, their stoves, and a lot of warm liquidy food to keep warm.

We saw these stray dogs all over the place. We though they were cute in their own scruffy way; some people even went so far as to pet them and play with them. Then we saw that they were chewing on this deer leg...

Here's the "fat friend."

I felt like I was in the Sound of Music or something in this area - it was so beautiful.

We were let in on a little secret that there is small amounts of silver in the ground.

The town's burgeoning used alcohol bottle collection; it goes really far back and fills many shelves.

Csenyéte Part I

2009-10-04T16:06:00.002+02:00

This past weekend, I had a great opportunity to get a close look at gypsy villages and urban slums in the Northeastern region of Hungary, near Slovakia. I traveled with a guide who has been studying gypsification in villages such as Csenyéte and Misckolc for over twenty years. Also on the trip were people from Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Singapore, Hungary, France, and America.

After we got off our three hour long train ride, we all saw this bus and likely had similar thoughts about the fact that it's falling apart and covered in spray paint. Then we learned it was our bus for the weekend.

Which, in all honesty, was a great thing because it would have been extremely embarrassing to drive around Hungary's poorest areas in a bus that was shiny & new.

One of our destinations was Szanticska, but I'll post about that another day.

We stopped at a "market" in the city center of a town near Csenyéte. There was one woman making lángos; a fried piece of dough covered in sour cream, cheese, and garlic.

So. Incredibly. Delicious.

Csenyéte is down there in the valley, and those mountains in the background are actually in Slovakia.

The most direct route to Csenyéte is down that dirt road. The problem for the people that live there is that there isn't public transportation for them and most of the people do not have cars. Therefore, they have to walk in and out of their town to do any sort of shopping or errands. You can only imagine how miserable this must be in the winter.

We encountered these cows on the way into the village. Nobody knew what they were actually called, just that they are a rare Hungarian breed.

See? Our bus blended right in!

We paid a visit to the only school in town. It is compulsory to finish 8th grade, but the school in Csenyéte only reaches 4th grade. To attend 5th-8th grade, the kids must travel far away to another location. Like I said before, this is extremely difficult and most parents chose to keep their kids at home. Even though it is technically required, there is no outside force that mandates whether or not the children are receiving their required eduction.

This is a 4th grade classroom. Even though the kids are the same age as 4th graders in the United States, they are much smaller due to malnutrition. Also, there is only one boy in this classroom.

We asked the kids how many brothers and sisters they have. Most of them have at least 7. We were told that the kids start having babies so young that it is likely for a woman to be a grandmother by the time she is 28 years old.

The school is the only adequate looking facility in the entire village and it was obvious that the children were having a great time there. It's impossible to tell in the photos, though, but there were flies everywhere.

The cafeteria where the children eat lunch.

The third grade classroom.

There were many more boys in 3rd grade, but I don't know why.

The 1st grade classroom. We asked the children how old they were and they didn't know. Also, we saw the first chubby kid since we arrived.

Their playground, obviously inspired by communism.

A house.

There will be many more photos to come. We visited other villages and Csenyéte once again with more interaction with the locals on our second day.

World Press Photo 2009

2009-10-01T09:46:00.000+02:00

The World Press photo exhibit came to Budapest, and I went to go see it! It was amazing - the photos were some of the best pieces of photojournalism that I've seen in a long time.

I found a gem!

2009-09-28T20:19:00.001+02:00

Thus far, I've noticed that it's really rare to walk into a place in an unfamiliar country, in which your language is typically a burden, and feel immediately comfortable. Kiadó Kocsma és Étterem is a little cafe/bar in Lipótváros with chill music, cheap drinks and snack, and an artsy setting. I'm saying all these great things about it, but I just read some reviews explaining the bad service and food sickness from their stew. Regardless, I'll still give it another try!

A lot of Budapest is under construction right now. At first, I was a little disappointed because of my visual implications, but I realize that it's great for the Hungarians to have updates to their city. Besides, I'm sure it takes a lot to maintain buildings that are hundreds of years old.

There are bikes everywhere, and they even have these precious stop lights for cyclists as well!

I went for another solo wander and ended up at Hősök tere, which means Hero's Square. I've never been to any sort of historical monument with nobody else there, so it was slightly eerie. In the center is a statue of the archangel Gabriel looking down towards seven mounted knights charging into battle which represent the chiefs of seven Magyar tribes.

Oh look! I found a reader and a skateboarder! Both who turned their backs on me when I tried taking photos of them...

The Hungarian Countryside

2009-09-21T15:09:00.003+02:00

This past weekend I took a trip to an area of Hungary called Balatongyörök, which is about a three hour drive southwest of Budapest. Myself and around 200 other students from all around got to know each other (very) well during our two day retreat out of the city, and I feel really lucky to have been able to see this new area of the country.

Corvinus University had 4 buses full of undergraduate and graduate students. Luckily we all had one thing in common: English. Sure, that's great for us Americans, but it also makes us feel like total doofuses. We actually weren't supposed to go on this trip because it was organized by an exchange program that deals with just about every country in the world besides the United States (because we're elitists, perhaps? Unwilling to compromise, maybe?) but were allowed to attend because all the spaces didn't fill.

After our bus ride beginning at 08:30am, we arrived at Lake Balaton. I didn't really take any photos because I didn't think it was that interesting. From there, we went to a place called the Abbey Church, a 250 year old monastery and crypt.

We had a tour guide, which was nice because we could listen and look at the same time. I probably would have found it more interesting if I was religious, though. I was most compelled by how old the place was. It seems like it's really hard for myself and the other Americans I've spoken with to grasp how young of a country we come from.

In the Benedictine Museum next door, there were a lot of great surrealist sculptures. Some of them were even demonic, in a way.

My new friends and I posing with central Europe's only body of water, Lake Balaton, in the background.

One thing I will try to establish when I come home is dessert after every meal, like crepes after lunch, for example.

The next day I went to the Helikon Kastelymuzeum which is the former palace of the Festetics family. It was built in 1750, and they take such good care of it that you have to wear felt booties while walking around inside to preserve the wooden floors.

An amazing library, and really detailed wallpaper.

Fell in Love at the Ludwig Muzeum

2009-09-18T21:43:00.001+02:00

Birth of a Nation - Robert Capa

Planting Potatoes - Theo Frey

I went to the Ludwig Muzeum today also known as Budapest's museum of contemporary art, which housed two of the most inspiring exhibits I've ever seen in my life: Robert Capa and Things are Drawing to a Close.

The Robert Capa exhibit was a personal favorite of the Hungarians, as he is from Budapest. He eventually moved to the United States and worked for Life magazine in the thirties until his death while reporting the beginning phases of the Vietnam war. He stepped on a land mine and was the first American photojournalist to die while on assignment. The second exhibit had photos from numerous photographers, but the ones by Theo Frey were my favorite. He photographed poor families living in Switzerland, Amsterdam, and the US during the thirties. The most compelling work I've ever seen. The problem is, neither of these photographers have a justifiable online library. I guess that's what happens when you do all your work decades before the internet was even invented. As soon as I get home, I'm going to buy these photographer's books and look at them over and over again.

Zsido Negyed

2009-09-14T22:37:00.004+02:00

Amid the din of radio sets and bulldozers, Budapest's Jewish quarter is slowly recovering itself after the nightmares of WWII. It had been home to the close-knit community since the late 19th century, before the Nazis walled it up in 1944, deporting the inhabitants.

Chicago has the Bean; Budapest has the Breast.

Ashley and I came across a found-object dress display. There is one with a lop-sided top and bank receipts - how revolutionary.

An altitude of 1700 feet

2009-09-13T20:59:00.000+02:00

My friends and I took a trip to Budapest's hills today. On Sunday nothing in the city is open, so you have to entertain yourself in non-consumerist ways. Go figure - we're definitely not in America anymore.

We saw a campground that looked cute. But I have a stiff mattress and pillows with yellow stains, so I don't need no campin'!

There's a ski lift contraption that you take all the way to the top of hill. It's beautiful because you can see the entire city from a distance.

The view of Budapest on the Pest side from the highest point on the hill, which is on top of the building above.

There's Chuck, representing Hungary.

A whole section of trees had carvings on them in all different languages.

A walk through Buda

2009-09-11T18:27:00.000+02:00

Since today was my first day that I actually felt like an alive and functioning person, I decided to do a solo adventure. I took the Metra (aka subway) across (more like under) the river to the Buda side of Budapest.

The escalator down to the Metra is literally the steepest escalator I've ever seen in my life. You get vertigo just riding on it. It takes 2 minutes to get as far underground as the Metra is, and I heard that it was built that way under Communism to be used as a bomb shelter.

Budapest also has a tram system. They are rail cars on the streets attached to these electric wires. I haven't been on one yet, but they look cool. The only down side is, the wires get in the way of taking photos of cool buildings, like this:

However, when a tram does drive by, it's kind of an interesting juxtaposition between past and present.

There's a lot of graffiti in the city, especially on phone booths.

A creepy statue in a kid's playground. A little creepier than me being in a kid's playground with a camera. But hey, I was there to see a free photo exhibition of students' work from around the Roma area. It was interesting because the photos were good but they were printed on paper and put behind plastic at a construction site. Some of them were really pixelated and disappointing, hence, not worth showing. :(

I then ate lunch at a place called Cafe Miro that was inspired by, not suprisingly, the Catalan painter Miro. It was really delicious. I had this huge soup with bread (white bread - I don't know yet if wheat bread exists over here) and it was only 790 forints, or $4.24.

Zellers burgonyakreimleves piritott baconnal. Known in English as potato soup with celery and bacon. And grease, but they didn't say that on the menu.

I ended up in a really residential area and there was barely anybody around.

Beep beep.

Wandering around...

2009-09-10T12:37:00.000+02:00

First Day and a half in Budapest

2009-09-09T17:46:00.002+02:00

I arrived in Budapest yesterday afternoon while being deprived of sleep the night before. I had a great flight, it was especially exciting because I was upgraded to Business Class by a couple charming men from Wales. That's what I call a good start to a great trip.

My apartment is . . . cute. . . It's a bit retro. That's our courtyard and our front door. You can't flush toilet paper down the toilet and the sink water can either be hot or cold, but only one at a time. We were told that the apartment came with linens and towels, and what a pleasant surprise to find that this is one of our towels:

I don't know what this building is yet, but I'm sure it has some significant historical meaning.

Kozel: a delicious, wheaty, and very alcoholic Hungarian beer that cost about a dollar.

I met up with some American friends, we had some drinks and spicy food, and then I went to bed around 11 like a jet-lagged traveller would.

Packing...

2009-09-03T20:16:00.002+02:00

No memory will be left undocumented!

Also, this is how I travel without looking like a total tourist. Instead of screaming "I'm reading a guidebook; take advantage of me!", it will be more like "I'm an intellectual reading a mysterious book, now you're intrigued."

T-Minus One Week

2009-09-01T02:13:00.001+02:00

I have less than a week until I'm on board that British Airways flight (with Ativan in hand, of course) to spend about 12 hours in the air before arriving in Budapest. I have so many things to do before I go, but it's just so much more fun to hang around and get excited about everything that's going to happen in the next four months...