Random Photos

My mom and Angelina infront on the yellow church, some more photos around Budapest, Mor Wine festivals: Daniel on Peter's shoulders, And Bakonysarkony: Zsolti and Peter's Nagymama, on her farm

Last thoughts on Budapest

Last few thoughts on the trip are mostly positive, but is you asked me yesterday, they were negative and emotional…..no kidding after the travelling and stress….
My mom needs to be thanked again for watching the kids our last evening in Budapest. We went one last time to the Szecsenyi Baths. The therapeutic waters, the jet filled pools, the open air relaxation pools, the ½ naked people making out all around us, is exactly what we needed to disconnect from the stress. After, we went to our little restaurant across from the apartment, 'Bastya', where they got to know us and us their staff, especially Sanyi, our main waiter. A big guy, who loves food, and sports, knew the menu inside out. The food, more traditional, was very reasonable priced. In the summer they have an outdoor terrace on Racotcsi Ut., to watch the busy passer-by’s.
A view of a little yellow Catholic church can be seen from the restaurant window, and also happens to be where my parents were married. Electric trains, buses and cars drive by, along with beautifully well dressed people making their way to and from work during the day or clubbing in the night. At heart I must be a big city girl for I am alive when life rushes by and a feeling to jump up and join them takes over. There is always something to do. Theatres, festivals, wine tasting, tourist sites, history... whatever you fancy, can be found within walking distance from here.
I love Europa, and in the heart, a little country, once not so little....the Magyar's country: Hungaria.

Germany

Have you ever had a gramma drink you under the table? Down by the Neckar River?? Zsuzsa Neni and Josi Bacsi brought champagne from France and treated us to a tasting…before I knew it I was ready for bed. Not Zsuzsa……..hats off to her, she can hold her own!
Josi was very sick when we were there and didn’t partake in the festivities….Alfonz showed pictures of Hungary to them and our trip thus far.

Passau was picturesque. Three rivers flow into one another: The Danube, Inn, and Ilz. Bordering one another, Czech, Austria, and Germany, is the location of this younge old city full of history and culture. Passau has been shaped by a variety of historical events. My favortie event is The queen of Hungary in 856, came from this town, and converted the wild King Istvan to a Saint, after showing him Christianity. Before that pagan kings ruled Hungary.

We lucked out with a sunny day. Enjoy the pictures...

Oct 15th

October 15th 2008
On the M7, stuck in traffic, with no movement in sight. Not out of Hungary yet and still have 4 hours once through the boarder. I just don’t get why they don’t push everything off to the side and let people get through, but it could be a huge 6 car accident for all we know. Last time through Austria, the traffic baked up for miles, and it ended up being the highway repair trucks. It does add on time but on a happy thought we got through safely.

Before we left Hungary we stopped off quickly to drop a phone we borrowed from Akos, at their bakery. Gabor, Alfonz’s cousin, also a master baker, loaded us up for the road with his specialties from organically grown ingredients. Chocolate dipped coconut and walnut cookies, puff pastries with mild sausage inside and for the kids pizza buns. The store also carries a brand of no salt seasonings and soda syrups. Gabor stalked us for another year away. Thanks Gabi!! Can’t wait to see you here in Canada next November. We said our goodbyes to Mama and Gabor and off we went.

In Austria now and the warm weather is definitely changing. We brought the heat with us to Budapest and now its turned cooler as we leave. Angelina and I just woke form our naps to find ourselves in an Austrian gas station with the boys no where in sight. I noticed that most of the workers stopping to refuel and cut the grass on the outskirts of the highway still spoke Hungarian not German. Alfonz reappeared with coffee to go with Gabor’s cookies. On the road again…

HI from Lake Balaton

My lovelies......in Tihany, a beautiful village along the North coast, overlooking the largest lake in Europe... The Balaton.....
Alfonz found a moment, calm and peaceful, with the kids. A rareity this trip.

The Hamori Kiddies

Park, Bobsled, mountain climbing, these kids fear nothing.

More Apartment pictures

More inside pictures, furnishings from Ikea......

Apartment news!!

Views from the outside, inside out and ground up....I guess you can figure it out. I decided not to show you the before, more afters will come later...
cheers,

Here we are again!

October 7th 2008,
WOW does time fly when you work yourself senseless!!
Okay so I haven’t had a chance to update, too drunk and too many renovations.
We had a chance to head over to my family’s place in Bakonysarkony, then over to the Mor wine festivals.. We left early Sunday morning, got to my Aunt Ili’s place in time for lunch, (which was duck, hand raised, organic, free range, beautiful creatures, especially from god to our very eagerly awaiting bellies!! Ha ha!) It was funny, she called and asked when we can visit. How about the day after tomorrow? I said, um , is that enough time to kill a duck! For the record, exactly enough time. So if you come here and visit my Ili Neni, give an extra days notice for the best duck you have ever tasted! There was other food too but I couldn’t see past the bird.
Okay the Wine Festival! We got there in time for the parade, walked straight up to town square where a huge church has been for hundreds of years with a statue of some famous dead guy, I didn’t catch the name of. Little vendors sold Hungarian relics, home grown paprika and wood carved toys. Then on the main drag down to the city’s park, were stalls selling their home made wines and palinkas! Palinka is the Hungarian version of Finish Vodka. Comes in different flavours, like medgy (sour cherry, my fave), plum, apricot, gooseberry, strawberry. Its not sweet at all, and the burn is what relieves the flavour. Its good stuff. My cousin Peter poured the drink down our throats and treated us to one of my best adventures to date. Thank god mom and my aunt Ili were there to help us staggering folk with our kids. We must have lost mom and Ili in the 10 thousand other drunk people at least 5 times. It’s a miracle I didn’t loose Alfonz. The kids had fun too. Horse back riding, horse drawn carriage rides, snake charmers, fried bread called Langos, oven baked breads, bumper cars, trampoline jumping, huge slides, roller coasters…..the list does not end…From 3:30-10:00 we did not stop moving or drinking. We managed to get home somehow, just to eat and then go out again to a real low end bar. The walk was worth the fresh air then home to eat again…. Thank you Bakonysarakony, you never disappoint!!!

Miss you girl friends!!

Hello from the girls!! Angelina and I want to say a quick hello to Aliyah and Makaylah, Auntie Shannon, Nadine and Tracy, Auntie Sara and Brooklynn too! We miss you!
Many times I wish the net was hooked up just to write a note. Shannon, I have a new favorite food. You take the Paprikas Chicken and put the meat into a pancake then pour the sauce over top....OMG!! Its like a giant noodle with gravy.....yummy....
Anyways today's our last day here in Hungary, from here back to Germany.
It hasn't been a very restful vacation, in fact the fastest way to splitting up is by doing a reno together.....hah!! There were some pretty hairy times. But its all done. Up goes the before pics and I will post the after once I down load the last of from the camera!!!
See ya' soon,
the hamori's

Saturday 10th

Good morning from my kitchen window overlooking the court yard, and little windows facing Angelina and I as we drink espresso and chocolate milk waiting for the boys to wake up. It has been an exhausting vacation, but worth it.
Alfonz and I got an evening off, and went to the Baths. Natural healing spas, that smell a little like eggs, but 40 degrees of heaven. We were there from 7:00 until 10:00, shifting from hot to sauna to cool to cold. They have jets and bubble pools, a very well known tourist attraction, and its mostly outside, open air, and the stars stare down at you. The whole structure is Roman design, pillars and cathedral domes. Its beautiful to say the least. After we went for a quick bite to eat and took advantage of my mother babysitting. Sorry mom for being so late, but it was our second time alone since we started the apartment renos!! We love you mom!!
Today is gonna be very busy. The apartment is finally done, pictures for the website, then taking the kids to the Circus and then a soccer game!!

Almost there!!

The time here has gone so fast, that Alfonz said he's looking forward to going back to work just to sit down a little. Hah! Yesterday Alfonz went with Akos, his cousins husband, and our savior in the whole apartment purchase, to a very beautiful spa/gym. He, after sauna, hottub, and workout, went to an Irish Pub for a quick salad.....
My lovely husband , by the way, has lost 10kilos since the beginning of summer. Looks great, stylish and loving Europa! I am one lucky lady! It sure helps the 13 flights of stairs up and down getting the apartment furnished. And we picked out a warm yellow color for the walls. It very Europa with the dark furniture and white crown moldings and natural floors. I can't wait for Alfonz to down load the pictures. The before is a little rough, but its getting there........
The painter is working around the clock and my cousin Zsolti came at 9:00am after a 24 hour shift at the parliament and left at 7:00pm, helping put together the Ikea furniture. The quality of this furniture sure has changes since I was a kid. It's pretty solid stuff, and space efficient. And the colors, just perfect.

Today the last run to the bank, then to the Piac (Market) to buy some homemade paprika. And that's all I can efford for gifts friends because we are officially out of money! 2 weeks early....Oh well.....I guess its time to dip into credit if selling the kids off doesn't work!

Okay time to go let in the painter,
cia,
eva