Hi All,
I wrote a chornicle of our trip. It's kinda long but if you are interested I have posted the day by day accound starting with this one.
Be warned I wrote much of this while VERY tired so gramatically it needs help, but my homework calls so I won't get the help it needs. I have also left out a ton of detail but that too will work out some day, perhaps in an addendum or maybe just in my brain. I'll post a link for pics at some point
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Travel Day 1 Bound to Austria
Wednesday:
I had planned to go to work Wednesday but didn�t end up making it. Luckily I was pretty much wrapped up at work anyway. I had wanted to call J before we left so I could give her the run down, but there wasn�t enough time.
Got to the Airport at 3:30 for a 6:15 flight. Ended up driving around to the cheap lots only to find both normal ones full. Time was running short and I was upset almost causing a bus to flatten us before we found (with the help of a Massport employee) the super secret 3rd cheap lot where we could park. They expected payment up front when we got there, but they had uniforms on so I do have hopes the car is still there when we get back.
Finally in the airport at 4pm we easily checked in and checked our luggage. The employees where very helpful this time with the check in procedure. Unlike the time we went to Spin. We had to get the box with the equipment and the guitar hand checked by a TSA employee. He was very pleasant, through and quite efficient. Looks like at least one TSA man is a nice guy.
Went through personal security in less then 15 minutes. And their guy there too was super nice, even complementing me on my smile and clothing. Then we only had to wait for a bit over an hour before the flight was boarding. We people watched mostly and after a quick call to my mom, a magazine purchase and a lovely chocolate shake ala McDonalds we were boarding the flight to Amsterdam. We were unfortunate enough to be sitting very far back in the plane. But the lucky part was that it was two seats together. Not the best plane ride. Full of the small annoyances that make getting to and from your destination more of a nightmare than it should be. S did not sleep at all on the plane but I got at least 2 hours off and on. I was determined to sleep actually knowing that if I didn�t at least get some I would be a total wreck.
Thursday:
The time in the Amsterdam airport was quick and efficient. Very clean and organized people those Dutch. We actually had to go out onto the runway to get on the plane to Vienna. Never had to do that before so it was quite exciting. That leg of the trip was run by KLM so there fore it was a much nicer experience then the previous plane. The ride was short, just an hour and a � but I managed to get a bit more sleep in then too.
Landing in Vienna was a bit bumpy but the airport had a small homey feel that was kind of amazing considering the size of Vienna. It was also clean and orderly and our luggage came out so fast it was mind blowing. Sz and her brother T picked us up in the tour van. He drove us back to the apartment where Sz�s family were letting us stay while pointing out all of the major sights of Vienna. The apartment is in the 9th district very near the University and the center of Vienna. Sz�s father owns the building and half of his children reside here. The tram runs right in front of the building but it is very quiet on the street. In the basement there is a man who restores antiques. He has a musical instrument (a base I think), which is from the Mozart museum that he is currently working on. His work fills the entrance hall giving you the feeling you are stepping into a back wing of a museum. Our apartment is on the first floor. The building is stone as are the floors, but the apartment has tile over the stone with under floor heating running between. When you first walk in there is a little hall where you can leave your coat and shoes. In front of you is a small kitchen, which is the perfect size. It has white cabinets and a very large window that looks out onto the back garden. If you turn left you enter an extension of that hallway where there is enough space for a sideboard and other various furniture. The bathroom is accessible by a door on your right. It, like the rest of the apartment, is painted a soft blue and it has an old-fashioned hipbath with a hand shower. As soon as I saw the bath I could not wait to take one. Continuing further to the left is a living room of sorts with an amalgam of left over furniture. A table and chairs, a sofa, lamps etc. Off of this room in the tiny but comfortable bedroom. I have to mention here that the windows in the apartment that face the street are tall and wide with wonderful deep sills. I am already redecorating in my mind. Here is where I would put plants and these are the curtains I would buy etc.
T took us on a tour of the building showing us his apartment and the new bathroom he was very proud of. The building in general was amazing. But Sz's sister M�s apartment was the best one. Situated in the attic it is full of light and of old wooden beams. It was also full of bits and pieces of every kind of art and general bits of interesting projects.
Sz�s dad is here to greet us. He doesn�t speak English but I can see he understands very well, though he seems to pretend not. Like all parents he is ready to make us busy but we are so tired that we have to politely put him off. He does, however, order lunch for us, as it is not around noon on Thursday. The lunch is from a place on the corner and the food is plentiful and amazing. Roasted pork with walnut stuffing, cold cabbage salad and beets. We eat and drink bottled mineral water until we are very full. The family leaves finally allowing us to rest. S falls asleep immediately almost before he hits the bed. I decide to take my bath then, as I am always too aware of the travel dirt to get any rest without washing.
A few hours later rested and washed S comes back and we head out to the market. We buy a few necessities like shaving cream and razors and a few non-necessities like local chocolate wafers and cheese. We go back to snack before meeting her sister M for dinner at a local restaurant. Sz�s sister is much like her though a bit younger. She tells us all about the bike she just bought and helpfully translates the menu for us. The decor was dark with old newspapers and full-sized door decorating the ceiling. S has a local dish blood sausage with sauerkraut and I have sptezel. We both have a very large Viennese beer. The food was very good and the monster portions made it hard to eat the whole thing which was lucky since I am supposed to be dieting, but I did a pretty good job of nearly finishing it anyway. On the way back we soaked in the neighborhood feel knowing we had eaten at a place that didn�t seem many if any) tourists.
We headed back and I told M of our tour of the building she lived in and of seeing her apartment. She asked if her apartment was messy but I told her it wasn�t. After such a full day it was a little hard to go to sleep but it was 10pm Viennese time and we were determined to get over the jet lag and get back on schedule. I had to force myself to sleep but once I did only a few random loud snores and a few trips to the bathroom could wake me up
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Travel Day 2 Equipment, Family and Sightseeing
Friday:
I awoke at 6 but lay in bed for a long time thinking over the two days before and not quite wanting to get out of bed and start the day. I knew today would be busy as I was warned that we would be going to the music store to buy some equipment and then going sight seeing. We got ready fairly leisurely and ate very little. By 9am it was time for Sz, S, M and I to take the tram to the pharmacy Sz�s dad owns to meet T for the ride out to the music store. I had no idea the drive would be so long. T had mentioned that he had wanted to get back to the store by noon and it was almost 10:30 by the time we got out there. Sz�s father was there to meet us and S, T and Sz�s dad reviewed the choices for some time. Sz and I talked with her mom who had also come along for the ride.
It took quite a while but they were finally set and as T bought the equipment S, Sz and I went next door to a little pancake house to eat breakfast. Sz and I had warms buns with butter, marmalade and honey. I had hot cocoa and she had tea. S had eggs and bacon with coke light. SZ went with her parents to their home to get some things she had left there. T told us we would pick up M (who we had dropped at another store earlier) and we would go into the city. Some cell phone conversation between the music store and picking up M had us suddenly going to Sz�s parents home to pick her up.
Their house is on the outskirts of Vienna in a beautiful area. It is very large and old and made of massive stone. The inside is cool and moist and smells of courthouses and libraries. There is almost no describing the contents of the house. Think perhaps of an eccentric aunt who has lived in her house since she was born and now she is the only one left of thirteen and all of her stuff plus all of the memories of her siblings fill the house to the seems. This house is much like that but the theme is even more interesting. Sz�s father collects owls so many fill his study walls and shelves. His study, which is on the first floor, consists of two rooms paneled ion mahogany and darkened by velvet curtains. There are several rooms and floors, all of which are interesting and homey. S and I were able to check our email and I was able to send a quick message to family and friends letting them know we were safe and enjoying ourselves. Like all parents Sz�s mom sent us off packing eggs and ham and an assortment of food items meant to fortify us the next morning.
T drove S and Sz and I back into the city and dropped us off near the center at a museum of medical history called the Josaphinum. This museum is quiet out of the way but it was well worth the visit. We got there at 1:30 and the museum closed at two but it was plenty of time to see the impressive wax figures highlighting all and parts of the human body. . There was a whole wing devoted to these wax sculptures and the detail was both gory and fascinating.
From there Sz took us first by tram then by U to Stephensdom, which is a huge cathedral in the center of Vienna. The platz was warm and sunny shining on the hair and heads of the thousands of people, tourists mostly, who filled the square. There were many caped Austrians offering tours but we bypassed these people and the living statues and headed straight for the doors. I made a small donation of 1.5 euros as we entered. The inside was very large and dark and equally filled with tourists. There were candles for offer off to the right and a huge alter way in the front. Sz showed us the staircase with the frogs carved into the railing. They had long since been covered with a protective plastic case, but when she was a child she remembers touching them and wondering at their smoothness. We walked around the entire cathedral on the inside and repeated that on the outside as well. Parked next to the cathedral was a double row of hors draw carriages down one its entire length. I felt sorry for the poor animals who must have had to stand there for hours on a slow tourist day.
From the cathedral we went down an uncrowned side street to a caf� Sue hung out in as a teen. The atmosphere was much the same as the neighborhood bar we ate in the night before. It was dark and paneled and locals of all levels sat and drank and smoked. S light up a cigarette and we all ordered coffee. Sz and I had ours with whipped cream and sugar. S had what turned out to be the biggest double espresso in existence. It was a nice quiet break from the crowd and renewed us enough to then go out and search for the ubiquitous Kaueserkreiner which we found from a stand not far from the cathedral.
Ubiquitous though they might be, those cheese filled hot dogs could be a staple of my existence. I have tasted nothing so cheese and gooey and filled with yummy spices as that humble dog. We walked down the pedestrian mall where I bought a few required gifts and then headed for home on the U.
We ended up missing our stop and hopped what we thought was the next train back, but turned out to be a different line. Un daunted we rode that one to another one where I got to see the funky building all decked out in tile and copper that is the towns garbage and recycling center. It is famous for being so ugly but I found it whimsical and cool and I was glad we had missed out stop. We got of the U to catch the tram but were one stop too far so we figured out where the Tram we wanted was and walked to it stopping for gelato on the way.
Exhausted we were back at the apartment at 5:30 pm hoping to rest up until M�s birthday party, which was to being at 8. S napped while I read a book for class called �I, The Divine�. The book was totally engrossing. I sat under the open window listening to the sounds of Vienna reclining in a chair. I stayed that way until 7:30pm when I woke S up. We were expecting Sz to come down any minute and announce our departure for her sister�s party. It wasn�t until 8:30 that Sz arrived and her brother T and the rest of us did a set up and sound check of the new equipment. We then loaded everything into the car and went to the party ready to serenade M with the sounds of a little RobotZen. It was to be our first show in Europe and it was at a club called The Blue Tomato. The club was on a tiny side street in the 9th district. Catering mostly to a college age crowd. The club had a few rooms but we were to play in the far back room. We set up quickly letting the DJ know what we needed as to sound etc. We had to plug in using guitar cables instead of the regular cables so the direct boxes were out. Sz�s whole family was there and the show went very well. They asked for encore after encore until we ran out of songs.
T and Sz took the equipment, and us back to the apartment where we went right to bed to be able to get up at 6am in order to go on the Slovakian leg of our Eastern Block tour.
Friday:
I awoke at 6 but lay in bed for a long time thinking over the two days before and not quite wanting to get out of bed and start the day. I knew today would be busy as I was warned that we would be going to the music store to buy some equipment and then going sight seeing. We got ready fairly leisurely and ate very little. By 9am it was time for Sz, S, M and I to take the tram to the pharmacy Sz�s dad owns to meet T for the ride out to the music store. I had no idea the drive would be so long. T had mentioned that he had wanted to get back to the store by noon and it was almost 10:30 by the time we got out there. Sz�s father was there to meet us and S, T and Sz�s dad reviewed the choices for some time. Sz and I talked with her mom who had also come along for the ride.
It took quite a while but they were finally set and as T bought the equipment S, Sz and I went next door to a little pancake house to eat breakfast. Sz and I had warms buns with butter, marmalade and honey. I had hot cocoa and she had tea. S had eggs and bacon with coke light. SZ went with her parents to their home to get some things she had left there. T told us we would pick up M (who we had dropped at another store earlier) and we would go into the city. Some cell phone conversation between the music store and picking up M had us suddenly going to Sz�s parents home to pick her up.
Their house is on the outskirts of Vienna in a beautiful area. It is very large and old and made of massive stone. The inside is cool and moist and smells of courthouses and libraries. There is almost no describing the contents of the house. Think perhaps of an eccentric aunt who has lived in her house since she was born and now she is the only one left of thirteen and all of her stuff plus all of the memories of her siblings fill the house to the seems. This house is much like that but the theme is even more interesting. Sz�s father collects owls so many fill his study walls and shelves. His study, which is on the first floor, consists of two rooms paneled ion mahogany and darkened by velvet curtains. There are several rooms and floors, all of which are interesting and homey. S and I were able to check our email and I was able to send a quick message to family and friends letting them know we were safe and enjoying ourselves. Like all parents Sz�s mom sent us off packing eggs and ham and an assortment of food items meant to fortify us the next morning.
T drove S and Sz and I back into the city and dropped us off near the center at a museum of medical history called the Josaphinum. This museum is quiet out of the way but it was well worth the visit. We got there at 1:30 and the museum closed at two but it was plenty of time to see the impressive wax figures highlighting all and parts of the human body. . There was a whole wing devoted to these wax sculptures and the detail was both gory and fascinating.
From there Sz took us first by tram then by U to Stephensdom, which is a huge cathedral in the center of Vienna. The platz was warm and sunny shining on the hair and heads of the thousands of people, tourists mostly, who filled the square. There were many caped Austrians offering tours but we bypassed these people and the living statues and headed straight for the doors. I made a small donation of 1.5 euros as we entered. The inside was very large and dark and equally filled with tourists. There were candles for offer off to the right and a huge alter way in the front. Sz showed us the staircase with the frogs carved into the railing. They had long since been covered with a protective plastic case, but when she was a child she remembers touching them and wondering at their smoothness. We walked around the entire cathedral on the inside and repeated that on the outside as well. Parked next to the cathedral was a double row of hors draw carriages down one its entire length. I felt sorry for the poor animals who must have had to stand there for hours on a slow tourist day.
From the cathedral we went down an uncrowned side street to a caf� Sue hung out in as a teen. The atmosphere was much the same as the neighborhood bar we ate in the night before. It was dark and paneled and locals of all levels sat and drank and smoked. S light up a cigarette and we all ordered coffee. Sz and I had ours with whipped cream and sugar. S had what turned out to be the biggest double espresso in existence. It was a nice quiet break from the crowd and renewed us enough to then go out and search for the ubiquitous Kaueserkreiner which we found from a stand not far from the cathedral.
Ubiquitous though they might be, those cheese filled hot dogs could be a staple of my existence. I have tasted nothing so cheese and gooey and filled with yummy spices as that humble dog. We walked down the pedestrian mall where I bought a few required gifts and then headed for home on the U.
We ended up missing our stop and hopped what we thought was the next train back, but turned out to be a different line. Un daunted we rode that one to another one where I got to see the funky building all decked out in tile and copper that is the towns garbage and recycling center. It is famous for being so ugly but I found it whimsical and cool and I was glad we had missed out stop. We got of the U to catch the tram but were one stop too far so we figured out where the Tram we wanted was and walked to it stopping for gelato on the way.
Exhausted we were back at the apartment at 5:30 pm hoping to rest up until M�s birthday party, which was to being at 8. S napped while I read a book for class called �I, The Divine�. The book was totally engrossing. I sat under the open window listening to the sounds of Vienna reclining in a chair. I stayed that way until 7:30pm when I woke S up. We were expecting Sz to come down any minute and announce our departure for her sister�s party. It wasn�t until 8:30 that Sz arrived and her brother T and the rest of us did a set up and sound check of the new equipment. We then loaded everything into the car and went to the party ready to serenade M with the sounds of a little RobotZen. It was to be our first show in Europe and it was at a club called The Blue Tomato. The club was on a tiny side street in the 9th district. Catering mostly to a college age crowd. The club had a few rooms but we were to play in the far back room. We set up quickly letting the DJ know what we needed as to sound etc. We had to plug in using guitar cables instead of the regular cables so the direct boxes were out. Sz�s whole family was there and the show went very well. They asked for encore after encore until we ran out of songs.
T and Sz took the equipment, and us back to the apartment where we went right to bed to be able to get up at 6am in order to go on the Slovakian leg of our Eastern Block tour.
Travel Day 3 Slovakia
Saturday:
The alarm went off at 6 it had been a rough night for sleep. I had to keep waking S up asking him to turn over. The trip had affected his sinuses more then usual and his snoring was very loud. And since I was probably much over tired I found it hard to stay asleep. I finally ended up on a tiny hard couch in the living room with my feet propped up and out to the side by one of the dining chairs. I slept for a good two hours this way. S was kind enough to let me move to the bed and got up to take the first shower. I slept for 15 more minutes much grateful for the extra sleep. I spied T out of the window at exactly 7. He had told us the previous day that we were giving a ride to a carpenter and his girlfriend to their newly acquired house in Hungary. The carpenter J is a restorer of antiques and uses the basement of the apartment building to ply his trade. His girlfriend M does a few chores and general cleanup for the building. They are both very nice but speak no English. They seem to be moving as the amount of stuff they have is more then slightly incredible. They load then we load and the whole Motley crew of us (J, M the band and the band manager T) are off leaving Vienna behind and off through Hungary to Slovakia.
The ride through the city is beautiful. Early on a Saturday morning no one is out and you can see the city for the clean and orderly place it is. T becomes guide again and points out sights along the way. After forty minutes of driving we arrive at a fill station where we eat a buffet breakfast and I accidentally discover that no one locks the doors of the bathroom stalls. But they seem not to mind being interrupted either. I was the only one who was startled apparently. The day turned rainy quickly and I did not envy t his huge driving task in such nasty weather. I thought several times to ask if he wanted a break but I got too frightened by the possibility of trying to drive in a place where I didn�t understand the road signs. I am sure I could have figured it out though.
After several hours of driving we reached the village home of J and M. Their house was outside of a tiny town tucked up onto a rather steep hill. There are several houses in a row like this looking down onto the road. Their stuff is wondrously heavy, but we manage to help them as much as we can. Their bathroom it an outhouse but the outhouse is not yet functional. I count my blessings that I have not drunk anything much as of yet today. S, however, goes to find some plants in their yard that need watering. The countryside here is beautiful. Wide stretches of farm land almost glowing green in the spring rain. Tiny old villages with stone houses and little old ladies riding ancient bicycles. For me it is completely foreign, something that would come out of an old movie. But it still has the feeling of home. Perhaps it is the farmland and the new green plants.
We make it to Budapest but it is not our destination for today. Out concert here is not until tomorrow. Today we must just go through and travel on to a medium sized town in Slovakia. It is still three hours away. By this time we�ve dropped M and J off in Budapest. They needed to get their car and drive it back to their village and it seems to be tucked away somewhere in the city. The land flows quickly past the window. We go past towns and villages separated by farmland. The landscape changes slowly. By the time we make the Slovakian boarder it is more hilly and even though it is still raining one can sense it is a bit more arid.
The boarder crossing turns into an event. Unlike the Hungarian boarder that we had gone through earlier, the Slovakian boarder has no line. We drive right up but they take a long long time to think about our passports. Finally they ask t to kill the engine and then to explain why we have blankets over our things. When we had parked to get a bit of a snack he had done it for the safety of the equipment. They ask how much it is worth and he tells them to us a lot but to someone else, who knows. They seem to have to get some sort of manager and he comes and in seconds waves us through. We continue and then see the people who have set up the show. They have come to meet us at the boarder to lead us to the gallery. T looks back and sees another official waving crazily at us. He backs up and we realize we had only made it past the Hungarian officials. We now hove to be scrutinized by the Slovakian guy. He is upset we went through without stopping. T explains that he thought the other guy told us to go, because he had. The Slovakian official puffs like a rooster and tells us to pull over to the side. He takes a lot of time sitting and smoking in his booth and letting the three cars that have now crowded behind us go on without even a cursory glance. Finally the people we have come to meet come up and T and the official and they all talk. They try and joke with him. Making a point that on May 1st this boarder crossing will be gone and that they will all be a part of the EU. They tell him even this part, which is now Slovakia will actually be Hungary again having been wrongly split off, from the country in WWI. He finally tosses out passports at T and we are off. The excitement wasn�t all that pleasant but we are through it and we drive off with heightened moods ready to explore this new country.
Our new hosts to a castle that has a bust of a Hungarian freedom fighter out front take us. Mustache rubbing and belly patting punctuate explanations of important history. Am I mistaken or does our host resemble the bust just a little bit. We pile back into the van and our three guides pile into their car and we are taken to a local winery to have a wine tasting. The wine is white and sweet, though there are several types. All are made from local grapes whose vines cover the hillsides. We are shown everything including underground caverns where the wine is stored and teased about buying several cases to bring home. I could not imagine how much the wine might be and aside from that we have no way to transport it home. S and I discuss and we think that if one bottle is not too much we will buy one and drink it with the family on Monday. We ask and they tell us the prince in Slovakian money, which T tells us, is about 2 euros. Yeah. We have no Slovakian money but lucky for us they would gladly accept Euros. We buy one bottle for ourselves and another bottle as a present to Sz�s mother and father. All told it comes out to about 9 euros. T then buys a bottle as well and we end up giving him 15 euros, which is about 4 euros more, then the charge but he has no change and we are not concerned.
Happy and VERY full of wine (we did have to try every vintage of everything after all) we then make out way to the home of the hosts. It is in another little village a short distance away. The wife/mother has laid out a spread of snacks for us. The husband shows us his modern rather colorful and moving paintings and the weird but wonderful pastel and pen and ink drawings of his oldest daughter C who has set this whole evening up for us. The food is quite wonderful. She has set out delicate little pastries and some lovely little sandwiches that have fresh butter and ham and radishes. We eat as much as we can S and I both familiar with the custom of eating as much as a grown up offers you. Everything is obviously homemade and we don�t want to disappoint her. But there is no need to force ourselves since the food is so wonderful.
We are then quickly off to the gallery. It is in an old building much like a town hall. The gallery is really quite impressive. Someone has taken a great deal of time in the making of it. The paintings are wonderful though I don�t have as much time as I�d like to examine them. There is only an hour until the show so we set up and sound check as quickly as we can. We have an avid audience for the sound check which is something entirely new for us.
C the journalist introduces us. S and I have little idea as to what she is saying since we speak zero Hungarian but the crowd warms properly and we go on to applause. The set went well though a little rough for me as I made a couple of mistakes. Sz seems a bit nervous at first but gets over it. It is certainly weird to look out at the crowded room full of everything from 7-year-old girls and teenaged boys to old men. The room is also very bright. It was like performing at noon at a family reunion. They ask us for two encores and then C requests we reply Black Swan, as it is her favorite. Finally I close the computer and then the crowd gets to ask us questions with Sz and T translating. It was very surreal but really quite friendly.
After the concert we tried to hurry and strike the show at it was now 8:30 and the restaurant in town closed at 9pm. We were prevented from striking by a line of young and old who expected us to sign CDs. S had decided to just give away the CDs and we set out 30 all of which were snapped up and all of which we eventually signed. Finally at 9 exactly we were in the van with one of the organizers and went to the restaurant. We found when we got there that he was actually the mayor of the town. RobotZen meets and dines with the mayor. We had a before dinner toast with hard liquor and then ordered not off of the menu but by the recommendation of the lady of the house. Beer or wine is also traditional so we had that to. The conversation meandered through art and politics and back to art. Most of which Sz and T translated for us but some of it passed us by. Though I was convinced if I had another couple of drinks my Hungarian would have been very good.
After dinner we went to the apartment they had set up for us to stay in. It was dark and I didn�t notice the building as we went in but the apartment on the third floor of a 5 story building was clean and had everything we would need the most important of which was a bed because after all of that alcohol and the lovely chicken we ended up eating a bed was all I really wanted.
Saturday:
The alarm went off at 6 it had been a rough night for sleep. I had to keep waking S up asking him to turn over. The trip had affected his sinuses more then usual and his snoring was very loud. And since I was probably much over tired I found it hard to stay asleep. I finally ended up on a tiny hard couch in the living room with my feet propped up and out to the side by one of the dining chairs. I slept for a good two hours this way. S was kind enough to let me move to the bed and got up to take the first shower. I slept for 15 more minutes much grateful for the extra sleep. I spied T out of the window at exactly 7. He had told us the previous day that we were giving a ride to a carpenter and his girlfriend to their newly acquired house in Hungary. The carpenter J is a restorer of antiques and uses the basement of the apartment building to ply his trade. His girlfriend M does a few chores and general cleanup for the building. They are both very nice but speak no English. They seem to be moving as the amount of stuff they have is more then slightly incredible. They load then we load and the whole Motley crew of us (J, M the band and the band manager T) are off leaving Vienna behind and off through Hungary to Slovakia.
The ride through the city is beautiful. Early on a Saturday morning no one is out and you can see the city for the clean and orderly place it is. T becomes guide again and points out sights along the way. After forty minutes of driving we arrive at a fill station where we eat a buffet breakfast and I accidentally discover that no one locks the doors of the bathroom stalls. But they seem not to mind being interrupted either. I was the only one who was startled apparently. The day turned rainy quickly and I did not envy t his huge driving task in such nasty weather. I thought several times to ask if he wanted a break but I got too frightened by the possibility of trying to drive in a place where I didn�t understand the road signs. I am sure I could have figured it out though.
After several hours of driving we reached the village home of J and M. Their house was outside of a tiny town tucked up onto a rather steep hill. There are several houses in a row like this looking down onto the road. Their stuff is wondrously heavy, but we manage to help them as much as we can. Their bathroom it an outhouse but the outhouse is not yet functional. I count my blessings that I have not drunk anything much as of yet today. S, however, goes to find some plants in their yard that need watering. The countryside here is beautiful. Wide stretches of farm land almost glowing green in the spring rain. Tiny old villages with stone houses and little old ladies riding ancient bicycles. For me it is completely foreign, something that would come out of an old movie. But it still has the feeling of home. Perhaps it is the farmland and the new green plants.
We make it to Budapest but it is not our destination for today. Out concert here is not until tomorrow. Today we must just go through and travel on to a medium sized town in Slovakia. It is still three hours away. By this time we�ve dropped M and J off in Budapest. They needed to get their car and drive it back to their village and it seems to be tucked away somewhere in the city. The land flows quickly past the window. We go past towns and villages separated by farmland. The landscape changes slowly. By the time we make the Slovakian boarder it is more hilly and even though it is still raining one can sense it is a bit more arid.
The boarder crossing turns into an event. Unlike the Hungarian boarder that we had gone through earlier, the Slovakian boarder has no line. We drive right up but they take a long long time to think about our passports. Finally they ask t to kill the engine and then to explain why we have blankets over our things. When we had parked to get a bit of a snack he had done it for the safety of the equipment. They ask how much it is worth and he tells them to us a lot but to someone else, who knows. They seem to have to get some sort of manager and he comes and in seconds waves us through. We continue and then see the people who have set up the show. They have come to meet us at the boarder to lead us to the gallery. T looks back and sees another official waving crazily at us. He backs up and we realize we had only made it past the Hungarian officials. We now hove to be scrutinized by the Slovakian guy. He is upset we went through without stopping. T explains that he thought the other guy told us to go, because he had. The Slovakian official puffs like a rooster and tells us to pull over to the side. He takes a lot of time sitting and smoking in his booth and letting the three cars that have now crowded behind us go on without even a cursory glance. Finally the people we have come to meet come up and T and the official and they all talk. They try and joke with him. Making a point that on May 1st this boarder crossing will be gone and that they will all be a part of the EU. They tell him even this part, which is now Slovakia will actually be Hungary again having been wrongly split off, from the country in WWI. He finally tosses out passports at T and we are off. The excitement wasn�t all that pleasant but we are through it and we drive off with heightened moods ready to explore this new country.
Our new hosts to a castle that has a bust of a Hungarian freedom fighter out front take us. Mustache rubbing and belly patting punctuate explanations of important history. Am I mistaken or does our host resemble the bust just a little bit. We pile back into the van and our three guides pile into their car and we are taken to a local winery to have a wine tasting. The wine is white and sweet, though there are several types. All are made from local grapes whose vines cover the hillsides. We are shown everything including underground caverns where the wine is stored and teased about buying several cases to bring home. I could not imagine how much the wine might be and aside from that we have no way to transport it home. S and I discuss and we think that if one bottle is not too much we will buy one and drink it with the family on Monday. We ask and they tell us the prince in Slovakian money, which T tells us, is about 2 euros. Yeah. We have no Slovakian money but lucky for us they would gladly accept Euros. We buy one bottle for ourselves and another bottle as a present to Sz�s mother and father. All told it comes out to about 9 euros. T then buys a bottle as well and we end up giving him 15 euros, which is about 4 euros more, then the charge but he has no change and we are not concerned.
Happy and VERY full of wine (we did have to try every vintage of everything after all) we then make out way to the home of the hosts. It is in another little village a short distance away. The wife/mother has laid out a spread of snacks for us. The husband shows us his modern rather colorful and moving paintings and the weird but wonderful pastel and pen and ink drawings of his oldest daughter C who has set this whole evening up for us. The food is quite wonderful. She has set out delicate little pastries and some lovely little sandwiches that have fresh butter and ham and radishes. We eat as much as we can S and I both familiar with the custom of eating as much as a grown up offers you. Everything is obviously homemade and we don�t want to disappoint her. But there is no need to force ourselves since the food is so wonderful.
We are then quickly off to the gallery. It is in an old building much like a town hall. The gallery is really quite impressive. Someone has taken a great deal of time in the making of it. The paintings are wonderful though I don�t have as much time as I�d like to examine them. There is only an hour until the show so we set up and sound check as quickly as we can. We have an avid audience for the sound check which is something entirely new for us.
C the journalist introduces us. S and I have little idea as to what she is saying since we speak zero Hungarian but the crowd warms properly and we go on to applause. The set went well though a little rough for me as I made a couple of mistakes. Sz seems a bit nervous at first but gets over it. It is certainly weird to look out at the crowded room full of everything from 7-year-old girls and teenaged boys to old men. The room is also very bright. It was like performing at noon at a family reunion. They ask us for two encores and then C requests we reply Black Swan, as it is her favorite. Finally I close the computer and then the crowd gets to ask us questions with Sz and T translating. It was very surreal but really quite friendly.
After the concert we tried to hurry and strike the show at it was now 8:30 and the restaurant in town closed at 9pm. We were prevented from striking by a line of young and old who expected us to sign CDs. S had decided to just give away the CDs and we set out 30 all of which were snapped up and all of which we eventually signed. Finally at 9 exactly we were in the van with one of the organizers and went to the restaurant. We found when we got there that he was actually the mayor of the town. RobotZen meets and dines with the mayor. We had a before dinner toast with hard liquor and then ordered not off of the menu but by the recommendation of the lady of the house. Beer or wine is also traditional so we had that to. The conversation meandered through art and politics and back to art. Most of which Sz and T translated for us but some of it passed us by. Though I was convinced if I had another couple of drinks my Hungarian would have been very good.
After dinner we went to the apartment they had set up for us to stay in. It was dark and I didn�t notice the building as we went in but the apartment on the third floor of a 5 story building was clean and had everything we would need the most important of which was a bed because after all of that alcohol and the lovely chicken we ended up eating a bed was all I really wanted.
Travel Day 4 Budapest
Sunday:
The rain seems to have stopped but the clouds persist. I woke up with what could be a really bad sore throat but I tired not to think of it as I showered and got ready. I hear that others are up not out of their rooms. I got ready quickly hoping to do some homework before we leave. I chose a nice spot in the kitchen of the apartment to sit and write and stare out of the window. S showers and Sz and T go to get the van, which was, parked some distance away in a safer neighborhood.
The bell rings and there is a man at the door. T and Sz are still gone so S and I mime through a situation that tells him to come back later when T gets back and he can have the key to the apartment. I am still amazed at the capacity people have for understanding even with a language barrier. Lucky for us Sz and T get back as the man in leaving. He helps us load our stuff and we are off to the home of C and her family.
We find out on the way there that they have made us breakfast. Nothing we expected of course but considering the warm welcome and care we have received thus far we should have expected nothing left. By the time we get there my throat is in a terrible state. Luckily there seems to be a Hungarian tradition to drink a bit of plum cordial before eating breakfast. It has almost no taste it is so strong and after the first sip, which travels simultaneously up my nose and down to my belly, I can no longer feel anything in my throat.
Breakfast was amazing. More of the pastries from the day before were laid out for us to eat plus some eggs with mushrooms and some cold sausage. Also there is bread with a red pepper spread, which I would love to have the recipe for, as it was nothing like I have ever tasted. Later there is also bread with a thin brown spread, which turns out to be duck liver but none like I have ever tasted. The host also insists that we drink from his private stock of wine. Wine for breakfast is not something we are used to but it was so wonderful and fruity. It turns out it is their own wine and he will not let us leave without trying a few of the vintages. S, ever polite, drinks half a bottle at least. All of it in small �tastes� and all of it with a certain gusto. After breakfast C who works as a journalist interviews us. Most of the questions are not translated as Sz just handles them but a few are and we answer trying to be simple but profound (if there is such a thing) knowing some will be lost in translation.
We are shown memorabilia of the father�s art career and we discuss art and how in Hungary all artists drink at breakfast. There is much exciting hugging and kissing and goodbye punctuated by a 2-liter bottle of wine thrust at us as we leave. I know this will not get through customs in the US so we will have to find some time to drink more before we go.
Tired and more then a little drunk we pile into the van an T takes us out of Slovakia (no hassle at the boarder this time) and on into Hungary where we will stop at their relatives before going on to the World Hungary After Party to play our final Eastern Block gig.
**********
The drive was long. It did rain and all of us slept some, except T who drove and drove. We went to Sz and T�s cousin�s house, which was outside Budapest, where they were waiting with a late lunch. M was nice and speaks English very well. He has 3 beautiful children a 7 year old boy a 6 year old girl and a 1 month old baby. We stayed there a bit then drove on to another cousin where we were to spend the night. We basically dropped our stuff off, met everyone and went to the club.
The club was in the university district of Budapest. It was medium sized with a fairly large stage. We did not unload the equipment as it was only 6:30 and we didn�t plan on sticking around until 10 when our time slot was supposed to begin. We talked to the soundman in Hungarian and English and he told us our set up would work and be very easy for him (and for us). We went back to the van and M (the cousin) asked us what we would like to see. We went first to a beautiful (and huge) church. It was more impressive than Stephonsdome in Vienna not only because it was larger but because it was alive with people all worshiping. Next we went all around the city seeing all of the major sites all pointed out by M. It was pretty tiring but it was very nice to see the city. We tried to stop for coffee but the first place was closing so we went off to another. S had a few problems and was getting pretty tired, but we all were. Finally off to the club again. It was only 9:00pm and the first band was on. They were a pretty funky mix of a number of different instruments and sounded really good to me. The next band was a crazy threesome. The girl was a drummer and was Hungarian and the guitarist was American and took off pieces of clothing as he went along. They had a few songs that were really interesting but on the whole I was not a fan. The band on just before us went really long. And I was definitely not enjoying them. By this time I was really tired and worried about S because he had been feeling ill since just before we had coffee. We FINALLY went on at 11:45 (note that they told us we were supposed to be on at 10). S only wanted to play 4 songs but after the first couple we just kept going. The crowd (at least the ones that were left) really enjoyed it. We sold 1 CD, I gave 2 away and we were asked for an encore. Sz was GREAT her voice was very ON and she moved and danced quite a bit. I didn�t even seem to make any mistakes with the looping.
We drove back to the cousins� house and didn�t get to bed until 2am. S had to shower and I had to read a bit before we were both calm enough to sleep in our separate child sized beds.
Sunday:
The rain seems to have stopped but the clouds persist. I woke up with what could be a really bad sore throat but I tired not to think of it as I showered and got ready. I hear that others are up not out of their rooms. I got ready quickly hoping to do some homework before we leave. I chose a nice spot in the kitchen of the apartment to sit and write and stare out of the window. S showers and Sz and T go to get the van, which was, parked some distance away in a safer neighborhood.
The bell rings and there is a man at the door. T and Sz are still gone so S and I mime through a situation that tells him to come back later when T gets back and he can have the key to the apartment. I am still amazed at the capacity people have for understanding even with a language barrier. Lucky for us Sz and T get back as the man in leaving. He helps us load our stuff and we are off to the home of C and her family.
We find out on the way there that they have made us breakfast. Nothing we expected of course but considering the warm welcome and care we have received thus far we should have expected nothing left. By the time we get there my throat is in a terrible state. Luckily there seems to be a Hungarian tradition to drink a bit of plum cordial before eating breakfast. It has almost no taste it is so strong and after the first sip, which travels simultaneously up my nose and down to my belly, I can no longer feel anything in my throat.
Breakfast was amazing. More of the pastries from the day before were laid out for us to eat plus some eggs with mushrooms and some cold sausage. Also there is bread with a red pepper spread, which I would love to have the recipe for, as it was nothing like I have ever tasted. Later there is also bread with a thin brown spread, which turns out to be duck liver but none like I have ever tasted. The host also insists that we drink from his private stock of wine. Wine for breakfast is not something we are used to but it was so wonderful and fruity. It turns out it is their own wine and he will not let us leave without trying a few of the vintages. S, ever polite, drinks half a bottle at least. All of it in small �tastes� and all of it with a certain gusto. After breakfast C who works as a journalist interviews us. Most of the questions are not translated as Sz just handles them but a few are and we answer trying to be simple but profound (if there is such a thing) knowing some will be lost in translation.
We are shown memorabilia of the father�s art career and we discuss art and how in Hungary all artists drink at breakfast. There is much exciting hugging and kissing and goodbye punctuated by a 2-liter bottle of wine thrust at us as we leave. I know this will not get through customs in the US so we will have to find some time to drink more before we go.
Tired and more then a little drunk we pile into the van an T takes us out of Slovakia (no hassle at the boarder this time) and on into Hungary where we will stop at their relatives before going on to the World Hungary After Party to play our final Eastern Block gig.
**********
The drive was long. It did rain and all of us slept some, except T who drove and drove. We went to Sz and T�s cousin�s house, which was outside Budapest, where they were waiting with a late lunch. M was nice and speaks English very well. He has 3 beautiful children a 7 year old boy a 6 year old girl and a 1 month old baby. We stayed there a bit then drove on to another cousin where we were to spend the night. We basically dropped our stuff off, met everyone and went to the club.
The club was in the university district of Budapest. It was medium sized with a fairly large stage. We did not unload the equipment as it was only 6:30 and we didn�t plan on sticking around until 10 when our time slot was supposed to begin. We talked to the soundman in Hungarian and English and he told us our set up would work and be very easy for him (and for us). We went back to the van and M (the cousin) asked us what we would like to see. We went first to a beautiful (and huge) church. It was more impressive than Stephonsdome in Vienna not only because it was larger but because it was alive with people all worshiping. Next we went all around the city seeing all of the major sites all pointed out by M. It was pretty tiring but it was very nice to see the city. We tried to stop for coffee but the first place was closing so we went off to another. S had a few problems and was getting pretty tired, but we all were. Finally off to the club again. It was only 9:00pm and the first band was on. They were a pretty funky mix of a number of different instruments and sounded really good to me. The next band was a crazy threesome. The girl was a drummer and was Hungarian and the guitarist was American and took off pieces of clothing as he went along. They had a few songs that were really interesting but on the whole I was not a fan. The band on just before us went really long. And I was definitely not enjoying them. By this time I was really tired and worried about S because he had been feeling ill since just before we had coffee. We FINALLY went on at 11:45 (note that they told us we were supposed to be on at 10). S only wanted to play 4 songs but after the first couple we just kept going. The crowd (at least the ones that were left) really enjoyed it. We sold 1 CD, I gave 2 away and we were asked for an encore. Sz was GREAT her voice was very ON and she moved and danced quite a bit. I didn�t even seem to make any mistakes with the looping.
We drove back to the cousins� house and didn�t get to bed until 2am. S had to shower and I had to read a bit before we were both calm enough to sleep in our separate child sized beds.
Travel Day 5 Back to Vienna
Monday:
Up at 7am to shower and then read a bit. I almost finished my book but wanted to save some for the ride so I took a shower. Their gust bathroom is very nice though it is difficult to shower without getting the entire floor wet. S showers again and we wait and listen for Sz and T upstairs before we too go up to eat breakfast. It�s quite a feast. It�s clear the kids are at school and the data at work but cousin mom is home with her 1 month old. We get rolling again around 9:30 for the long drive back.
Before we leave Budapest we stop at one of the largest warehouse stores I have ever seen. Inside we buy a few gifts and sundry items including this cheesecake desert, which I eat, three of and feel like if they sold them in the US I would be very very very fat indeed. T gets a kind of cherry soda that looks quite interesting. As we drive off he points out an apartment his wife B used to live in (she is from Budapest).
We all sleep some (even T I suspect) and get over the boarder with no hassles, We all comment again how in just a few days the boarder won�t even be here. Vienna traffic is like that of any large city so we slowly make our way into the city center then to the apartment building where they live and we have been staying. I am reminded again how much like family they�ve made us feel.
S and I rest a bit and then pack up our stuff as we are leaving the next morning. Almost all of the clothes are dirty so it makes packing easy, as I don�t care at all of wrinkles or if the dirty shoes touch the clothes. I fill my backpack full of the food and other souvenirs we�ve bought and I hope that the wine makes it through customs.
We go upstairs to see what Sz is up to and almost her whole family is gathered. We had talked about going on one more sight seeing excursion but it�s already late afternoon and we don�t want to just go off while her parents are here to see all of us.
Sz�s dad rattles some constructive criticism at us while Sz translates. It boils down to the fact that the music is very good and professional but we aren�t terribly commercial in our appearance. None of us wants to be Brittney Spears and since we like it that way it makes us happy to hear that e3veryone enjoyed the music so much.
S gives Sz�s dad the wine we bought for him and we all drink a small toast. Then Sz, T S and I are off to the candy factory to buy more gifts. The wafers are so good and I have a hard time limiting myself to only a few things, but I know we hardly have any room which to bring stuff home. Nor do I like to buy too much while on vacation. Because of all of the care we�ve gotten S and I have hardly spent any money on the trip which is very good considering our current situation.
We are back and rest and finish packing then go up to hang out with Sz until her sister gets home. We are going to have a bit of a family dinner (minus T, his wife, and the parents). This is really the best part of the trip. Hanging out with Sz and getting to know her better (since I am not at practice too much I don�t get to talk to her that often). Also getting to know her family is quite fun. Each of them has a very distinct personality and all of them are so smart and full of life. Sz lays out cheese bread and pate and tidies while I write some and transfer the pictures from the camera onto the computer. I also get a chance to check my email, which is great since I seem to have over 600 of them thanks to some sort of spoofing.
When M gets home S and Sz help her make dinner. Total roll reversal as I am usually the one who is elbow deep in the kitchen. I feel a bit awkward about it but I am a guest so I decide to enjoy and listen to the talk and the music and look at all of the pictures we�ve taken and at M�s wonderful art that fills her entire apartment.
Sz youngest brother Mk and her youngest sister My show up for dinner as well. As does Mk�s girlfriend who reminds me of someone I know so much that I nearly fell out of my chair. We eat WAY too much. The meatballs are so yummy and the sauce so good I have seconds even though my first helping was huge. There is also desert which is really yummy. They speak in English to help us out but sometimes revert to German when it suites the conversation. I can follow a few of the things, but my vocabulary is horrid. It is easier to follow then Hungarian though.
S and I leave dinner around 11 feeling bad it is so early but feeling so tired we can�t help it. I decide to take a bath since my cold is so much worse. I also load up on the meds to try and get a good night sleep. I end up moving out to the couch about an hour after we go to bed mostly because I am tossing and turning but also because S is sleeping so heavily and loudly that I can�t fall asleep. I am so full of the memories of the events over the past few days that I even dream of them.
Monday:
Up at 7am to shower and then read a bit. I almost finished my book but wanted to save some for the ride so I took a shower. Their gust bathroom is very nice though it is difficult to shower without getting the entire floor wet. S showers again and we wait and listen for Sz and T upstairs before we too go up to eat breakfast. It�s quite a feast. It�s clear the kids are at school and the data at work but cousin mom is home with her 1 month old. We get rolling again around 9:30 for the long drive back.
Before we leave Budapest we stop at one of the largest warehouse stores I have ever seen. Inside we buy a few gifts and sundry items including this cheesecake desert, which I eat, three of and feel like if they sold them in the US I would be very very very fat indeed. T gets a kind of cherry soda that looks quite interesting. As we drive off he points out an apartment his wife B used to live in (she is from Budapest).
We all sleep some (even T I suspect) and get over the boarder with no hassles, We all comment again how in just a few days the boarder won�t even be here. Vienna traffic is like that of any large city so we slowly make our way into the city center then to the apartment building where they live and we have been staying. I am reminded again how much like family they�ve made us feel.
S and I rest a bit and then pack up our stuff as we are leaving the next morning. Almost all of the clothes are dirty so it makes packing easy, as I don�t care at all of wrinkles or if the dirty shoes touch the clothes. I fill my backpack full of the food and other souvenirs we�ve bought and I hope that the wine makes it through customs.
We go upstairs to see what Sz is up to and almost her whole family is gathered. We had talked about going on one more sight seeing excursion but it�s already late afternoon and we don�t want to just go off while her parents are here to see all of us.
Sz�s dad rattles some constructive criticism at us while Sz translates. It boils down to the fact that the music is very good and professional but we aren�t terribly commercial in our appearance. None of us wants to be Brittney Spears and since we like it that way it makes us happy to hear that e3veryone enjoyed the music so much.
S gives Sz�s dad the wine we bought for him and we all drink a small toast. Then Sz, T S and I are off to the candy factory to buy more gifts. The wafers are so good and I have a hard time limiting myself to only a few things, but I know we hardly have any room which to bring stuff home. Nor do I like to buy too much while on vacation. Because of all of the care we�ve gotten S and I have hardly spent any money on the trip which is very good considering our current situation.
We are back and rest and finish packing then go up to hang out with Sz until her sister gets home. We are going to have a bit of a family dinner (minus T, his wife, and the parents). This is really the best part of the trip. Hanging out with Sz and getting to know her better (since I am not at practice too much I don�t get to talk to her that often). Also getting to know her family is quite fun. Each of them has a very distinct personality and all of them are so smart and full of life. Sz lays out cheese bread and pate and tidies while I write some and transfer the pictures from the camera onto the computer. I also get a chance to check my email, which is great since I seem to have over 600 of them thanks to some sort of spoofing.
When M gets home S and Sz help her make dinner. Total roll reversal as I am usually the one who is elbow deep in the kitchen. I feel a bit awkward about it but I am a guest so I decide to enjoy and listen to the talk and the music and look at all of the pictures we�ve taken and at M�s wonderful art that fills her entire apartment.
Sz youngest brother Mk and her youngest sister My show up for dinner as well. As does Mk�s girlfriend who reminds me of someone I know so much that I nearly fell out of my chair. We eat WAY too much. The meatballs are so yummy and the sauce so good I have seconds even though my first helping was huge. There is also desert which is really yummy. They speak in English to help us out but sometimes revert to German when it suites the conversation. I can follow a few of the things, but my vocabulary is horrid. It is easier to follow then Hungarian though.
S and I leave dinner around 11 feeling bad it is so early but feeling so tired we can�t help it. I decide to take a bath since my cold is so much worse. I also load up on the meds to try and get a good night sleep. I end up moving out to the couch about an hour after we go to bed mostly because I am tossing and turning but also because S is sleeping so heavily and loudly that I can�t fall asleep. I am so full of the memories of the events over the past few days that I even dream of them.
Travel Day 6 Boston Bound
Tuesday:
I set the alarm for 7 but when it goes off I simply move back into the bedroom from the couch and snuggle with S for a while. Finally at 7:30 we both get up. He showers and I clean and tidy the apartment and move all of the luggage out into the front hall. We open the door at 8 and wait for T or Sz to come down and get us.
I finish my book and at 8:30 Sz comes down with M and with T and ewe load the van and get in for our5 final road trip to the airport. The airport is quite crowded and we get there at 9:30, which is only 1.5 hours before the flight. But the airport is very small and there is not line or hassle checking in so T, Sz, S and I go to have breakfast. It is a very yummy breakfast but, as with all airport food, it is quite expensive. Even that is not a problem though as we have enough left over euros to cover.
Breakfast is pleasant but expectant. I like to be early to the plane but resign myself into calm because I really do like spending time with T and Sz and I want to make the most of our last few moments. There is no telling when we will see T again and I know I will miss his unusual sense of humor and his eternal good grace.
We all say goodbye before S and I head to the gate. T and Sz will sit around for another hour before she is off. Security is quite easy though I set off the metal detector. I am not sure with what as I have been through with everything (including the bra) before. Maybe it is my shoes as those have not bee through, but there is no metal on my shoes so it is a mystery. An efficient woman whose only word was �under wire� patted me down and then we were off to get onto the plane for the 2-hour flight to Amsterdam.
I slept most of the way to Amsterdam only waking briefly to eat a cheese filled sandwich and to give them my trash. Our flight to the US was on the complete other side of the airport so we made out way there with a few stops. At first we were standing at the wrong gate but I realized that we didn�t really want to go to Detroit so we found the right gate and were grateful for our lateness as the security line was very short. We were some of the last few to board and surprisingly enough there was space in the overhead for my carryon.
I won�t dwell on the 7-hour flight back. I am sure our lack of sleep and the general tiredness from the trip contributed to our feelings about the flight but so did the brat of a girl that was behind us constantly yelling, singing and kicking the back of the seat. S guessed right that the mother was unconcerned but the child did eventually fall asleep only to throw a tantrum when we landed about not wanting to wake up. I did not feel sorry for the child or the mother. Immigration and customs was also a breeze this time and our luggage came out rather quickly and in good order. We had to wait for a very long time for the bus to the cheap lot and then almost didn�t make it back to th4e one where we parked, as it is not a regular stop for the bus. But we made it and S drove us out of the airport right into 5pm rush hour.
Knowing that it would take forever to get home we stopped for a dinner of all American hamburger and milkshakes. I call my mother and sister from the cell phone and tell them we are back. At 7:30 PM we are finally home. G has missed us and meows for the rest of the night. We start laundry and unpack (I am very anal about this as I like to wake up with nothing to do from the vacation). We both shower and get into the fresh clean sheet of our own bed. I fall asleep immediately and have no dream sleeping solidly for 9 straight hours with no worries about getting up to go anywhere to the next day.
Tuesday:
I set the alarm for 7 but when it goes off I simply move back into the bedroom from the couch and snuggle with S for a while. Finally at 7:30 we both get up. He showers and I clean and tidy the apartment and move all of the luggage out into the front hall. We open the door at 8 and wait for T or Sz to come down and get us.
I finish my book and at 8:30 Sz comes down with M and with T and ewe load the van and get in for our5 final road trip to the airport. The airport is quite crowded and we get there at 9:30, which is only 1.5 hours before the flight. But the airport is very small and there is not line or hassle checking in so T, Sz, S and I go to have breakfast. It is a very yummy breakfast but, as with all airport food, it is quite expensive. Even that is not a problem though as we have enough left over euros to cover.
Breakfast is pleasant but expectant. I like to be early to the plane but resign myself into calm because I really do like spending time with T and Sz and I want to make the most of our last few moments. There is no telling when we will see T again and I know I will miss his unusual sense of humor and his eternal good grace.
We all say goodbye before S and I head to the gate. T and Sz will sit around for another hour before she is off. Security is quite easy though I set off the metal detector. I am not sure with what as I have been through with everything (including the bra) before. Maybe it is my shoes as those have not bee through, but there is no metal on my shoes so it is a mystery. An efficient woman whose only word was �under wire� patted me down and then we were off to get onto the plane for the 2-hour flight to Amsterdam.
I slept most of the way to Amsterdam only waking briefly to eat a cheese filled sandwich and to give them my trash. Our flight to the US was on the complete other side of the airport so we made out way there with a few stops. At first we were standing at the wrong gate but I realized that we didn�t really want to go to Detroit so we found the right gate and were grateful for our lateness as the security line was very short. We were some of the last few to board and surprisingly enough there was space in the overhead for my carryon.
I won�t dwell on the 7-hour flight back. I am sure our lack of sleep and the general tiredness from the trip contributed to our feelings about the flight but so did the brat of a girl that was behind us constantly yelling, singing and kicking the back of the seat. S guessed right that the mother was unconcerned but the child did eventually fall asleep only to throw a tantrum when we landed about not wanting to wake up. I did not feel sorry for the child or the mother. Immigration and customs was also a breeze this time and our luggage came out rather quickly and in good order. We had to wait for a very long time for the bus to the cheap lot and then almost didn�t make it back to th4e one where we parked, as it is not a regular stop for the bus. But we made it and S drove us out of the airport right into 5pm rush hour.
Knowing that it would take forever to get home we stopped for a dinner of all American hamburger and milkshakes. I call my mother and sister from the cell phone and tell them we are back. At 7:30 PM we are finally home. G has missed us and meows for the rest of the night. We start laundry and unpack (I am very anal about this as I like to wake up with nothing to do from the vacation). We both shower and get into the fresh clean sheet of our own bed. I fall asleep immediately and have no dream sleeping solidly for 9 straight hours with no worries about getting up to go anywhere to the next day.
Monday, January 26, 2004
I haven�t posted here in a while as I am now in grad school trying to get an MFA in writing. Thought I would post here a class exercise we did to try and get us to (I think) write more fluidly without as much thought. It was a really helpful exercise and taught me a lot about characters and what you have to have in your mind or figured out before you write about them.
The first one we did, all she specified was that we describe our bedroom. I sort of did, but a more idealized version with more of a back-story to it so I wrote this:
Exercise 1
When she invited him into her bed he could not help but notice how comforting it was. White on white, no decoration, the room seemed ethereal grounded only by the black metal of the bed.
As the sun rose, a shaft of light bisected the room leaving his half of the bed in darkness but lighting hers on fire.
She was already up, tea in hand, feet planted in the deep carpet, standing under the lone sky light staring up into the blue morning sky.
She was impressed and I was the only one who wrote it in third person which she questioned me on. I told her in order to describe something I had to make up a story in my head of why it would need describing in the first place, even if it was something I knew very well. She was more then pleased with this answer and it ended up being what the whole exercise was about so that was a good thing for the first thing in the morning!
In the next one we were supposed to describe the room from someone else�s point of view and make it in first person so I wrote this:
Exercise 2
I had helped her move into the big house in the country � a normal person might have made one of the finished rooms a bedroom, but she decided she had to be close to the sun. Must be from all those years of living in basements. White paint slapped on bare timber no art or decoration to speak of, if you saw it in the full day light from the lone skylight it might seem shabby, slapped together. The carpet she laid herself is white too � how can it be such with 3 cats
That one wasn�t as good mostly because I didn�t fully have the character formed in my mind but we were getting there. The next one she wanted us to focus on Motive, Physicality, Self, Vocabulary and Point of View from that character specifically, so this is what I came up with.
Exercise 3
This is where I have to sleep? I help her move, I agree to take care of her cats (hate cats) and house sit all while she is off at some fucking �writers� conference. What does she do for me �oh it will be like a vacation in the country for you,� she says �you can write,� she says. Right, maybe I like sirens.
Lord, there isn�t even any insulation in this room � no electricity. If I sit up in bed to fast I�ll bang my head on the fucking beams. Not everyone is 5 fucking feet tall for Christ sakes. One ass fuck is not worth this
Everyone laughed at that one, I think cause it was pretty surprising at the end and they got a clear picture of the character who was describing my room. The last exercise we were supposed to name the character and have them describe their own room. And we were supposed to title the pieces with the character�s name
Exercise 4
Michael
Isn�t country living supposed to calm you down or some such shit? A mattress on brown carpet and I am closer to the earth in my own place then I am in this god-forsaken-attic.
The sirens in the city give me inner-fucking-peace. As long as I know there are some ripping through the streets � someone else is worse off then me.
I like books towering over my head while I sleep. Piles on the floor. If they were all in neat matching fucking shelves like they are here I�d never want to disturb the order. No order � nothing to disturb
The first one we did, all she specified was that we describe our bedroom. I sort of did, but a more idealized version with more of a back-story to it so I wrote this:
Exercise 1
When she invited him into her bed he could not help but notice how comforting it was. White on white, no decoration, the room seemed ethereal grounded only by the black metal of the bed.
As the sun rose, a shaft of light bisected the room leaving his half of the bed in darkness but lighting hers on fire.
She was already up, tea in hand, feet planted in the deep carpet, standing under the lone sky light staring up into the blue morning sky.
She was impressed and I was the only one who wrote it in third person which she questioned me on. I told her in order to describe something I had to make up a story in my head of why it would need describing in the first place, even if it was something I knew very well. She was more then pleased with this answer and it ended up being what the whole exercise was about so that was a good thing for the first thing in the morning!
In the next one we were supposed to describe the room from someone else�s point of view and make it in first person so I wrote this:
Exercise 2
I had helped her move into the big house in the country � a normal person might have made one of the finished rooms a bedroom, but she decided she had to be close to the sun. Must be from all those years of living in basements. White paint slapped on bare timber no art or decoration to speak of, if you saw it in the full day light from the lone skylight it might seem shabby, slapped together. The carpet she laid herself is white too � how can it be such with 3 cats
That one wasn�t as good mostly because I didn�t fully have the character formed in my mind but we were getting there. The next one she wanted us to focus on Motive, Physicality, Self, Vocabulary and Point of View from that character specifically, so this is what I came up with.
Exercise 3
This is where I have to sleep? I help her move, I agree to take care of her cats (hate cats) and house sit all while she is off at some fucking �writers� conference. What does she do for me �oh it will be like a vacation in the country for you,� she says �you can write,� she says. Right, maybe I like sirens.
Lord, there isn�t even any insulation in this room � no electricity. If I sit up in bed to fast I�ll bang my head on the fucking beams. Not everyone is 5 fucking feet tall for Christ sakes. One ass fuck is not worth this
Everyone laughed at that one, I think cause it was pretty surprising at the end and they got a clear picture of the character who was describing my room. The last exercise we were supposed to name the character and have them describe their own room. And we were supposed to title the pieces with the character�s name
Exercise 4
Michael
Isn�t country living supposed to calm you down or some such shit? A mattress on brown carpet and I am closer to the earth in my own place then I am in this god-forsaken-attic.
The sirens in the city give me inner-fucking-peace. As long as I know there are some ripping through the streets � someone else is worse off then me.
I like books towering over my head while I sleep. Piles on the floor. If they were all in neat matching fucking shelves like they are here I�d never want to disturb the order. No order � nothing to disturb
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Thanksgiving 2003
Today is Thanksgiving, and however the holiday tradition originated (pilgrims and harvest) it has come to mean food and family, usually in that order. In my order however, it was always the other way around. Perhaps it is simply because I do not live near my family that I long for them especially at this time of year.
One year my brother drove his Yugo eight hours in the freezing cold to make it for dinner. Hoping (knowing) that the gas tank would be refilled with a furtive gift from Dad�s wallet before attempting the return trip. It was so cold and clear that morning. I kept stealing glances out of the slightly fogged kitchen window out into the sparkling snow, waiting for him to arrive. The dog knew first and we ran at our separate paces, to the door. Arriving in order from youngest to oldest, my little sister first and my father last. Even at his age he could have beat my sister in a race, but he always had a rambling sense of time, what�s the hurry? He�s coming to us. I was always shy around my brother. He was eight years older then I was and very tall and handsome. I had always envied those pond blue eyes, though I later realized I had similar eyes, but on him, they were dramatic against his darkly freckled face and deep chestnut hair. He always smelled as I thought all men his age must, of Brutt and cigarettes, of slightly musty clothes and car exhaust. No matter what his situation at the time, he would always bring gifts for his little sisters.
My sister and I would giggle (or was it fight) through the rest of the dinner preparation stuffing celery with cream cheese and stealing jewel black olives. I wonder at how much we fought at that age. What was it exactly? It�s hard to remember now when I talk to her about daily life. Now we are only three years and 2000 miles apart, but are not separated now as we were then by rivalry and jealously. A sister is a wonderful thing, but perhaps only after you are both 21. Today I think of my family, knowing that my sister, due to graduate schoolwork load, is spending one of her first Thanksgivings free from family obligations, to work on an important final exam. I know she will still eat Turkey, but I can�t help but feel for her and what she will miss.
Thanksgiving has evolved in my family. My mother always used to make the feast and before I was in college, the whole family would gather at our everyday dinner table laid with our everyday plates (spruced up by the antique serving pieces laden with holiday food) and give thanks for the past year. What I miss most now at my thanksgivings away from the family is the moment at the table where we�ve all just sat down and we turn expectantly to my mother who seemed surprised every year that we want her to say Grace. It is not a normal practice for us to say Grace before an everyday meal, but this is Thanksgiving. We hold hands around the table and bend our heads. I know I should close my eyes, but instead (as I always have) I gaze out of the corner of my left eye at my mother who is radiant in the marbled sunlight streaming in from the foggy kitchen window. We are all at our normal places around the oval table (now with leaves added to maintain the weight of the feast). My mother is at the head and to her right is my sister. I sit next to my sister with my father at the other head; my brother is across from my sister and me. I catch him gazing at my mother as well. Mom seems to pause and remember before thanking God for the basics of food, family and those who are not with us, Amen. Her words sustain us like the food we are about to partake and we lift our heads and blink her dreamy voice away as provisions are already being passed. I wonder now if she will pray for me today half way across the country and for my sister under her mound of terms and facts and figures. A place in my heart tells me she will.
Thanksgivings are no longer primarily around the old family table. In fact the old family table and even the old family house are not a real part of the family anymore. We�ve moved on to other houses and other tables. Thanksgivings (like other holidays) are now rotated among the extended family of new wives and boyfriends and their parents. The old family�s Thanksgivings are replaced with the new families� Thanksgivings with the children in an out as our schedules allow. It has been long since I�ve been able to attend a Thanksgiving at home. Mostly I make a semblance here for my husband and I to eat alone. It�s not as forlorn as it sounds. We much enjoy each other�s company and talk and laugh enough to fill the house. Now it is he and I who stuff celery and steal olives, no longer worrying about my mother�s wrath at the half empty olive bowl. For the first time since we�ve been married we will go to his mother�s this year, where she will cook a feast. I am nervous, as it is her first Thanksgiving in a long time and my first ever where I haven�t really been a part of making the meal. But still I have gathered things to bring pies, olives and deviled eggs, flowers for her and wine for me. I know when we sit down to our plates at her table I will be thinking of my family and what they are doing and missing their laughter and their Grace.
Perhaps my finest memory of the holiday involved my father�s tradition. My father was an old farmer to the core. No matter the worldly traveling he did as a youth, when he returned home to the farm to raise his family like he raised his crops, the land and he reconnected and were symbiont. If my father was awake he was outside doing this or that. He rose at dawn to work in the fields or help a neighbor or build a house or cabinets. There was always something to clean or fix or haul. Though when he sat in his chair (and it was his alone) he became like the land in winter, dormant and snoring awaiting the first warming rays of spring. His holiday meal tradition did not vary from his everyday meal tradition. He would eat like he had two hollow legs and push his extended belly away from the table. He would slowly (hoping we would not to notice?) make his way to his chair perhaps thinking he would watch some TV before going out to the shop to repair that hinge he had meant to fix. In minutes his snores would resonate throughout the house. My sister and I would always roll our eyes at the same time we smiled. I always thought his earsplitting snoring was his body�s way of making itself heard for my father was a very quiet man when he was awake. No matter how deafeningly we were cleaning the kitchen or banging the dishes or how loudly our 1970s dishwasher would churn, he would sleep on.
Since my father has passed away there won�t be a new memory of that tradition in the context of the current way my family spends their Thanksgivings. But like the pilgrims and the harvest and food and family, some traditions live on even when new traditions have over taken. I might not live near my family now, or take part in their Thanksgiving, but my memories sustain me as my mother�s Grace once did.
Today is Thanksgiving, and however the holiday tradition originated (pilgrims and harvest) it has come to mean food and family, usually in that order. In my order however, it was always the other way around. Perhaps it is simply because I do not live near my family that I long for them especially at this time of year.
One year my brother drove his Yugo eight hours in the freezing cold to make it for dinner. Hoping (knowing) that the gas tank would be refilled with a furtive gift from Dad�s wallet before attempting the return trip. It was so cold and clear that morning. I kept stealing glances out of the slightly fogged kitchen window out into the sparkling snow, waiting for him to arrive. The dog knew first and we ran at our separate paces, to the door. Arriving in order from youngest to oldest, my little sister first and my father last. Even at his age he could have beat my sister in a race, but he always had a rambling sense of time, what�s the hurry? He�s coming to us. I was always shy around my brother. He was eight years older then I was and very tall and handsome. I had always envied those pond blue eyes, though I later realized I had similar eyes, but on him, they were dramatic against his darkly freckled face and deep chestnut hair. He always smelled as I thought all men his age must, of Brutt and cigarettes, of slightly musty clothes and car exhaust. No matter what his situation at the time, he would always bring gifts for his little sisters.
My sister and I would giggle (or was it fight) through the rest of the dinner preparation stuffing celery with cream cheese and stealing jewel black olives. I wonder at how much we fought at that age. What was it exactly? It�s hard to remember now when I talk to her about daily life. Now we are only three years and 2000 miles apart, but are not separated now as we were then by rivalry and jealously. A sister is a wonderful thing, but perhaps only after you are both 21. Today I think of my family, knowing that my sister, due to graduate schoolwork load, is spending one of her first Thanksgivings free from family obligations, to work on an important final exam. I know she will still eat Turkey, but I can�t help but feel for her and what she will miss.
Thanksgiving has evolved in my family. My mother always used to make the feast and before I was in college, the whole family would gather at our everyday dinner table laid with our everyday plates (spruced up by the antique serving pieces laden with holiday food) and give thanks for the past year. What I miss most now at my thanksgivings away from the family is the moment at the table where we�ve all just sat down and we turn expectantly to my mother who seemed surprised every year that we want her to say Grace. It is not a normal practice for us to say Grace before an everyday meal, but this is Thanksgiving. We hold hands around the table and bend our heads. I know I should close my eyes, but instead (as I always have) I gaze out of the corner of my left eye at my mother who is radiant in the marbled sunlight streaming in from the foggy kitchen window. We are all at our normal places around the oval table (now with leaves added to maintain the weight of the feast). My mother is at the head and to her right is my sister. I sit next to my sister with my father at the other head; my brother is across from my sister and me. I catch him gazing at my mother as well. Mom seems to pause and remember before thanking God for the basics of food, family and those who are not with us, Amen. Her words sustain us like the food we are about to partake and we lift our heads and blink her dreamy voice away as provisions are already being passed. I wonder now if she will pray for me today half way across the country and for my sister under her mound of terms and facts and figures. A place in my heart tells me she will.
Thanksgivings are no longer primarily around the old family table. In fact the old family table and even the old family house are not a real part of the family anymore. We�ve moved on to other houses and other tables. Thanksgivings (like other holidays) are now rotated among the extended family of new wives and boyfriends and their parents. The old family�s Thanksgivings are replaced with the new families� Thanksgivings with the children in an out as our schedules allow. It has been long since I�ve been able to attend a Thanksgiving at home. Mostly I make a semblance here for my husband and I to eat alone. It�s not as forlorn as it sounds. We much enjoy each other�s company and talk and laugh enough to fill the house. Now it is he and I who stuff celery and steal olives, no longer worrying about my mother�s wrath at the half empty olive bowl. For the first time since we�ve been married we will go to his mother�s this year, where she will cook a feast. I am nervous, as it is her first Thanksgiving in a long time and my first ever where I haven�t really been a part of making the meal. But still I have gathered things to bring pies, olives and deviled eggs, flowers for her and wine for me. I know when we sit down to our plates at her table I will be thinking of my family and what they are doing and missing their laughter and their Grace.
Perhaps my finest memory of the holiday involved my father�s tradition. My father was an old farmer to the core. No matter the worldly traveling he did as a youth, when he returned home to the farm to raise his family like he raised his crops, the land and he reconnected and were symbiont. If my father was awake he was outside doing this or that. He rose at dawn to work in the fields or help a neighbor or build a house or cabinets. There was always something to clean or fix or haul. Though when he sat in his chair (and it was his alone) he became like the land in winter, dormant and snoring awaiting the first warming rays of spring. His holiday meal tradition did not vary from his everyday meal tradition. He would eat like he had two hollow legs and push his extended belly away from the table. He would slowly (hoping we would not to notice?) make his way to his chair perhaps thinking he would watch some TV before going out to the shop to repair that hinge he had meant to fix. In minutes his snores would resonate throughout the house. My sister and I would always roll our eyes at the same time we smiled. I always thought his earsplitting snoring was his body�s way of making itself heard for my father was a very quiet man when he was awake. No matter how deafeningly we were cleaning the kitchen or banging the dishes or how loudly our 1970s dishwasher would churn, he would sleep on.
Since my father has passed away there won�t be a new memory of that tradition in the context of the current way my family spends their Thanksgivings. But like the pilgrims and the harvest and food and family, some traditions live on even when new traditions have over taken. I might not live near my family now, or take part in their Thanksgiving, but my memories sustain me as my mother�s Grace once did.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
VACATION BLOG Tuesday night and all of Wednesday
Since we were going East to Spain we decided to work a full day and leave that night from work for the over night flight.
Got to the airport no problem (thanks to the new and handy off ramp) and parked in the long-term lot, this isn�t too terribly expensive. Bus to the terminal and a HORRIBLE self check in. I have to say. Using NW I am usually able to check in online but since this was a KLM flight, even though I had an electronic ticket I was forced to check in at the airport. They required all sorts of crazy screens and no one was there to help and it was loud and hot... needless to say I got frustrated.... But got through it and got to our gate (though security which didn't take too long) and got settled to wait....
And wait...
And wait....
The plane ride was pretty uneventful, the food wasn't terrible and there was a movie (the title of which escapes me). I actually did sleep a bit and our seats were good since it was jus the two of us in the row.
Got to Amsterdam Wednesday morning and was as VERY impressed with the airport. So clean and nice! And very nicely set up. Went through emigration and waited at our terminal for the flight to Barcelona
Landing in Barcelona 2 hours later... Our bag came off the plane almost first so we went to find customs and ended up outside... Um, no customs... OK what ever...
Standing there I was trying to find my little notebook with the phrases for asking a taxi to take us to a hotel when an older man asked us in broken English if we needed a taxi. Hell yeah we need one, so he ushered us across the street while looking at the address for our hotel. He seemed a bit distressed at the address but we got in and were off. He spoke no English but I think he was explaining to us something about how our hotel might be hard to get to but (and he made hand gestures for this) we could walk a short way to it from where he would drop us off.
It was a pretty wild ride. Red lights and pedestrians mean nothing and neither does a traffic lane... And when we got close he suddenly veered off of the main road after a garbage truck, which had a police office opening a gate to an alley for it. It was quite clear that this little alley was off limits for car and the police office wagged his finger at us, but the cabbie just laughed and I laughed and he said something to the effect of, the police wouldn�t stop us cabs... Or something... So we darted quickly down this alley and then ended up in a pedestrian street (read no cars, but LOTS of people) and suddenly we were in front of our hotel... Which I have to tell you is not on a street but is in between two strictly pedestrian squares... But hey that didn't stop our taxi driver... He wished us a good stay and thanked us for our tip and I wished him Bueno Suerte cause had no idea how he would get out of the pedestrian area...
At the hotel they gave us some lovely champagne and we went up to our room quickly so as to take showers and change. We decided a proper Spanish lunch was in order (at 2:30pm that is exactly lunch time). So we walked down the narrow and windy Del Pi to a lovely square with a bit cathedral in it (which we would visit later). We found a place called La Buena Estrella (the lucky star). S had lovely Paella and I ordered from the menu of the day. I had NO IDEA what I was ordering and there was a bit of confusion when I actually did get something (as we didn�t know if it was mine or S�s) But when it all did come it was really good.
We then tried the farmacia to get shaving stuff and to try for bubble bath, but I got too shy to ask� though S did get a razor and foamy cream.
We walked around a bit to get oriented and took some pictures of some amazing graffiti. Then it was back to the hotel for a nap until 8pm where we then got up to go to dinner (8pm is still early for dinner in Spain but what the heck�)
We found a place called Irati in our guidebook, which ended up being very close to our hotel. I wanted to try tapas very badly. We had a nervous start, but after a quick check of the phrase book we were back in, ordering, and doing OK. Tapas are a wonderful invention!!! We also tried gelato later, but I was full so only had a few licks. We walked around a bunch more getting more oriented and avoiding tourists, motorbikes and beggars. The buildings are ALL so amazing it is hard not to walk around looking up with your mouth gaping open� We stopped for espresso at a chain called Cappuccino. I even had one and it was GOOD! We went back to the hotel late to look up thnigs to do the next day and to make a quick call to the family.
Since we were going East to Spain we decided to work a full day and leave that night from work for the over night flight.
Got to the airport no problem (thanks to the new and handy off ramp) and parked in the long-term lot, this isn�t too terribly expensive. Bus to the terminal and a HORRIBLE self check in. I have to say. Using NW I am usually able to check in online but since this was a KLM flight, even though I had an electronic ticket I was forced to check in at the airport. They required all sorts of crazy screens and no one was there to help and it was loud and hot... needless to say I got frustrated.... But got through it and got to our gate (though security which didn't take too long) and got settled to wait....
And wait...
And wait....
The plane ride was pretty uneventful, the food wasn't terrible and there was a movie (the title of which escapes me). I actually did sleep a bit and our seats were good since it was jus the two of us in the row.
Got to Amsterdam Wednesday morning and was as VERY impressed with the airport. So clean and nice! And very nicely set up. Went through emigration and waited at our terminal for the flight to Barcelona
Landing in Barcelona 2 hours later... Our bag came off the plane almost first so we went to find customs and ended up outside... Um, no customs... OK what ever...
Standing there I was trying to find my little notebook with the phrases for asking a taxi to take us to a hotel when an older man asked us in broken English if we needed a taxi. Hell yeah we need one, so he ushered us across the street while looking at the address for our hotel. He seemed a bit distressed at the address but we got in and were off. He spoke no English but I think he was explaining to us something about how our hotel might be hard to get to but (and he made hand gestures for this) we could walk a short way to it from where he would drop us off.
It was a pretty wild ride. Red lights and pedestrians mean nothing and neither does a traffic lane... And when we got close he suddenly veered off of the main road after a garbage truck, which had a police office opening a gate to an alley for it. It was quite clear that this little alley was off limits for car and the police office wagged his finger at us, but the cabbie just laughed and I laughed and he said something to the effect of, the police wouldn�t stop us cabs... Or something... So we darted quickly down this alley and then ended up in a pedestrian street (read no cars, but LOTS of people) and suddenly we were in front of our hotel... Which I have to tell you is not on a street but is in between two strictly pedestrian squares... But hey that didn't stop our taxi driver... He wished us a good stay and thanked us for our tip and I wished him Bueno Suerte cause had no idea how he would get out of the pedestrian area...
At the hotel they gave us some lovely champagne and we went up to our room quickly so as to take showers and change. We decided a proper Spanish lunch was in order (at 2:30pm that is exactly lunch time). So we walked down the narrow and windy Del Pi to a lovely square with a bit cathedral in it (which we would visit later). We found a place called La Buena Estrella (the lucky star). S had lovely Paella and I ordered from the menu of the day. I had NO IDEA what I was ordering and there was a bit of confusion when I actually did get something (as we didn�t know if it was mine or S�s) But when it all did come it was really good.
We then tried the farmacia to get shaving stuff and to try for bubble bath, but I got too shy to ask� though S did get a razor and foamy cream.
We walked around a bit to get oriented and took some pictures of some amazing graffiti. Then it was back to the hotel for a nap until 8pm where we then got up to go to dinner (8pm is still early for dinner in Spain but what the heck�)
We found a place called Irati in our guidebook, which ended up being very close to our hotel. I wanted to try tapas very badly. We had a nervous start, but after a quick check of the phrase book we were back in, ordering, and doing OK. Tapas are a wonderful invention!!! We also tried gelato later, but I was full so only had a few licks. We walked around a bunch more getting more oriented and avoiding tourists, motorbikes and beggars. The buildings are ALL so amazing it is hard not to walk around looking up with your mouth gaping open� We stopped for espresso at a chain called Cappuccino. I even had one and it was GOOD! We went back to the hotel late to look up thnigs to do the next day and to make a quick call to the family.
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
I'm BACK from vacation.
Actually came in last night after being on the go for 22 hours straight! AND having the absolute WORST cold I have ever had (SERIOULSY). I felt for you Teru when you were sick on vacation, but when I was sick on vacation I was like, SHIT this really DOES suck.
Nothing is more of an adventure then looking up your symptoms in the phrase book so you can tell the chemist in Spanish that you feel like you are dying and need heavy drugs now (In Spain you can't get ANY kind of medication excpet though the chemist who keeps it ALL under lock and key)
I have a daily account of the trip, which I WILL type in here, but not tonight, still recovering from both the cold/infection and from jet lag
Actually came in last night after being on the go for 22 hours straight! AND having the absolute WORST cold I have ever had (SERIOULSY). I felt for you Teru when you were sick on vacation, but when I was sick on vacation I was like, SHIT this really DOES suck.
Nothing is more of an adventure then looking up your symptoms in the phrase book so you can tell the chemist in Spanish that you feel like you are dying and need heavy drugs now (In Spain you can't get ANY kind of medication excpet though the chemist who keeps it ALL under lock and key)
I have a daily account of the trip, which I WILL type in here, but not tonight, still recovering from both the cold/infection and from jet lag
Friday, October 17, 2003
Thursday, October 16, 2003
So... I've been thinking alot about food lately (gee wonder why) OK Obsessing about it is MUCH more like it.
Every time I am hungry I have to have a talk with myself (in my head, hopefully without my lips moving) about WHAT I am going to eat, if I am going to eat and IF I am really hungry.
The weight loss thing is working, but it is really mentally tiring that is for sure. If I didn't have Teru going though a similar thing I would get totally fed up and depressed (like my other diets) and convince myself that a big piece of cake is EXACTLY what I need, instead of what I don't need...
At times it is pretty easy, but even when I was really ill yesterday I had to watch myself from eating too much of my hamburger and chips while I was talking with a friend at lunch. She was chatting away about work and I was munching and pretty soon the food I set out for myself to eat was gone and I was about to eat the rest on my plate. The simple fact that I ate fast and was paying attention to her instead of concentrating on the food almost made me eat more. (And I WOULD have eaten more in the past without even thinking about it)
I think I am the quintessential habit eater. I eat out of habit, out of nervousness, out of boredom, out of stress, out of sadness, and out of opportunity (like yesterday) OK I just eat all of the time
But it is not too late to change your habits, as Teru is teaching me. I am finding this is not really a diet, but something I will have to do long-term to really make an impact on my life.
Every time I am hungry I have to have a talk with myself (in my head, hopefully without my lips moving) about WHAT I am going to eat, if I am going to eat and IF I am really hungry.
The weight loss thing is working, but it is really mentally tiring that is for sure. If I didn't have Teru going though a similar thing I would get totally fed up and depressed (like my other diets) and convince myself that a big piece of cake is EXACTLY what I need, instead of what I don't need...
At times it is pretty easy, but even when I was really ill yesterday I had to watch myself from eating too much of my hamburger and chips while I was talking with a friend at lunch. She was chatting away about work and I was munching and pretty soon the food I set out for myself to eat was gone and I was about to eat the rest on my plate. The simple fact that I ate fast and was paying attention to her instead of concentrating on the food almost made me eat more. (And I WOULD have eaten more in the past without even thinking about it)
I think I am the quintessential habit eater. I eat out of habit, out of nervousness, out of boredom, out of stress, out of sadness, and out of opportunity (like yesterday) OK I just eat all of the time
But it is not too late to change your habits, as Teru is teaching me. I am finding this is not really a diet, but something I will have to do long-term to really make an impact on my life.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Monday, October 06, 2003
Friday, September 26, 2003
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Sunday, September 21, 2003
Found a new section of woods today near my house. It is weird. I've discovered 2 new things in just the last month. Makes me think I need to go for a several hour hike so I can make it a bit farther and see what is in there deeper into the woods. This section is across the road from a neighbor�s house. I noticed there is an old driveway there so I stopped my bike and went in on foot. Looks like in the 30's or 40s there may have been a house in there. There is a 1930 car sitting in the middle of woods with trees growing in and around in and an early model 50s car in a similar state. I didn't have bug spray on so I didn't stay long to investigate, but I think I'll throw on something orange (it is hunting season after all) and some bug spray and better shoes and tramp around there. I found what I think must have been a rubble foundation... Could be interesting.
Friday, September 19, 2003
Librarians are a funny bunch!
So to conitue with my Library theme over the past week....
See what the favorite government reports of librarians are
This report comes out WEEKLY.....????
So to conitue with my Library theme over the past week....
See what the favorite government reports of librarians are
This report comes out WEEKLY.....????
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