Third Post

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Jim 5/7/09
Yesterday and today was our big adventure in getting around Hungary on public transportation. Mary Anne and I are feeling pretty satisfied with our ability to navigate and use the trolley, the metro and the railroad to travel to Lake Balaton (probably about 130 miles). We know we owe Gene Weisner a big thank you for guiding us and also looking up the train schedule on the computer. There may also have been a bit of dumb (Irish) luck involved but we will ignore that fact. Yesterday we got up about 6:15 AM and caught the trolley and then the #2 metro to the Deli train station on the Buda side of the river. Then we bought a couple of cups of very strong coffee that completely wired us. We bought tickets and took the 9:15 AM train and had to make a transfer at Szekesfehervar and catch a train to Balszepezd. On the way back today, we caught a direct train from Balszepezd to the Deli RR station. Anyway Gene’s help was invaluable and success was a surprise.
Arpie Nagy, the father of Susie (my wife Juanita’s dear friend) is a wonderful host. He had rooms for us and some wonderful meals. Arpie took me fishing in Lake Balaton this morning. Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Europe (about 4 miles wide and 50 miles long). Arpie and his wife Anna have a beautiful vacation home near Baszepezd. Arpie built the home himself which included mining the stone etc. He even built a swimming pool where he cut the stone for the house. Arpie does not speak English, so communication is an adventure. One thing that is very different from the last time I was in Hungary (2003) is that almost everyone under 30 speaks English. So directions and help are really easy. Most Hungarians over 40 speak Russian. Everyone speaks German. I had an interesting demonstration of how popular English has become at Lake Balaton. The little girl in the attached picture just turned 6 years old and could not write her name but she could count to 10 in perfect English.
Arpie took me fishing this morning. I took Arpie fishing last summer in Minnesota. At Lake Balaton they fish from fish stands. They row a boat out to their fishing stand and then fish from the stand. In this blog I have a picture of some of the fishing stands and Arpie rowing out to his fishing stand. We had caught a couple of fish in MN but no luck this morning in Lake Balaton but the weather was beautiful and I was just happy to be on the lake at 6 AM.
The resort business in Lake Balaton has really been hit hard by the recession. There were very few tourists at Lake Balaton.
Tomorrow our friends from the Minnesota Friendship Force arrive. We will spend a couple more days in Budapest before moving on to Bratislava, Slovakia. .
Mary Anne 5/7/09
Our adventure on the transportation system yesterday and today was a huge surprise to me. By surprise I mean that we even got close to where we were going. I, for sure, have no ability to follow directions in English much less Hungarian. I’m not sure about my Brother Jim and his ability’s but I suspect that Irish luck had a great deal to do with us getting to Baszepezd without getting lost.
Baszepezd is a beautiful small tourist town on Lake Balaton. It seemed to me that the people we met while in Baszepezd were a lot friendlier and helpful then a lot of the people in Budapest. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that people who work in resorts are usually younger (under 30) and get it that the better the service the bigger the tip/commission.
We saw many bicycle riders along the lake. They have very good bicycle trails in all of Europe but also in Hungary. The riders come from other countries as well as Hungary. There are lots of German tourists on bikes as well as traveling on trains and cars. At the resort, for lack of a better name we met a German couple who had biked from Germany and were going around the lake. The women spoke English so she was a very big help after breakfast this morning.
I cannot believe how often or how much we ate while there. I’m not sure if Arpie just kept feeding us because it was easier than trying to talk to us. For instance we were down at the lake and Arpie asked me if I wanted to have dessert at an outdoor café. I said yes if he was having something and he went off to order it. When it came he had ordered himself one dessert and 2 desserts for me. No I did not eat the second one, Jim and Arpie split the second piece.
We really did have a very good time as guests of Arpie. He is a charming man who knows how to make people feel welcome, language barrier or not. It’s fun to have some unknown and adventure when you are traveling, I am finding. It’s a whole new way of accepting I am not in charge of things. Traveling with the group will be another new experience I am looking forward to.
We will be spending 2 more day here in Budapest with the group staying at the King Hotel and then by rail to Bratislava. June 10 and 11 we will be at Bratislava then on to Vienna to stay with our Friendship Force host family. Can’t help but wonder how that will be. June 18th we take the train from Vienna to Prague. We will stay the next couple of days in Prague and then fly to Amsterdam and on to the US. We gain several hours on the way back so will be returning June 21st.
We will blog when we have both internet and time.

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Comments

[Sheila]

what an adventure
Your blog is making me jealous. Figuring out the local transportation is always a challenge. Once you can get around, order food and go to the bathroom, you're pretty much set aren't you? Looks like the weather is cooperating too. Love, Sheila

[Pat]

Your trip and blog seems to be getting better and better. The pictures are great! It is so great to you are meeting the people out in the different areas and not just getting a tourist perspective.