Hungary and meeting my relatives

After my stretch in Ukraine I went to Hungary for 10 days to visit my relatives (note: I will refer to everyone as relatives or cousins to simplify how they are related to me). My first stop was Budapest where it rained non-stop for the two days I was there. But that didn't stop me from touring the city. The city is divided into two sections - Budda and Pest which are divided by the Danube.

For most of the 1800's Hungary was extremely wealthy. During this period the country invested a great amount of money in buildings. Among them the Hungarian Parliament building - the third largest Parliament building in the world.

Though the country has gone through hard times, recently it has seen vast economic improvements. As a result there are many brand new, incredibly modern buildings in Budapest. For example, a new theater. I am standing beside a fountain flanking the theater. Sinking is a replica of the gates to the old theater.

One of the things that I was most excited to see was the Christmas market. It was so charming and glutvin (spiced hot wine) was never in short supply. Here I am with my cousin Bea.

After visiting Budapest I went to Gyor (pronounced Yur). Happily, it also had a Christmas market which I frequented with my cousins Agi and her fiance, Gabor, and David and Audrey (twins).


Here we are in front of the city hall. Most of my cousins in Canada are several years younger than me and I thought it was really great being able to spend time with my Hungarian cousins who are my age.

I visited a monastery near Gyor. It was on a hilltop and provided a beautiful view of the city. The monastery is old and has survived several wars and countless battles. Today it is still a functioning monastery.


Inside the crypt.

They had a beautiful 'Beauty and the Beast-esque' library.

After the monastery we went to visit my cousins. They gave me lots of really good food. After dinner we went to my cousin's bar and tried to homemade palinka. Palinka is a traditional Hungarian drink. It is pure fruit branding; it is delicious and very strong.

My last stop in Hungary was with Lajos and Bea in Buk, a city near the Austrian border. We took a day trip to Sopron to see a castle. Interestingly, on my last trip to Hungary, about 10 years ago, I visited this city and this castle and I remembered it!


Ten years ago my choir sang here.

My last tourist visit was to a small heritage village, kind of like Fort Langley. All the houses and household items were imported from various regions throughout the country and organized to look like a traditional village.

Curly horned, curly haired sheep!

My relatives Bea and Lajos.

Now I am back in Canada, more specifically, I've been back for over a month. I had a wonderful time in Hungary and it was really special for me to meet my relatives who were all so loving and kind. I will definitely go back for another visit.

Kiev

After leaving Crimea I stopped in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. I tried to take the bus from the airport into the city, but I got lost. A kind lady took pity on my traveling companion Ben and I and put us on what eventually we found out was the correct bus. We were then dropped off at the subway station. Meanwhile, my friend back in Ukraine, Anton was phoning us and his cousin, our hosts, trying to figure out where we were and what we should do to meet up with them. Eventually we met up with our hosts.

We then set off to do some sight seeing. Our first visit was to Independence Square. We then went for a walk among the many Orthodox Cathedrals.





We took a ride on the Fulicular.

The Chernoble Museum was haunting. The art displays were ghostly, moving and depressing.



Kiev at night and the Dnieper River.

Ben and I with Sasha. He's a rocker/programmer and was incredibly kind. Him and his wife Olesya showed us around Kiev and let us stay in their apartment.

Under the 'Friends of the World' rainbow some statues. The one immediately below is from the Communist era. It was meant to promote unity between Russia and Ukraine.


Outside the Pinchuk Art Gallery. Most of the displays were modern art and one of the best galleries I've seen.

Down the escalator to the subway!

We visited the Water Museum.

Our lovely hosts inside the museum.

I'm in a bubble and really happy about it!


We were allowed to pet the fish.

This picture was taken second before a fish (the white and orange one) snuck up and tried to eat my finger. I almost hit the ceiling.

The cave monasteries (aka lavra). It was cold and raining outside.

My Last Week in Crimea

My final week in Crimea passed very pleasantly. On the weekend I went on a little trip to a town called Eupatoria. It is on the Black Sea and is known for its health spas and particularly for the healing properties in the mud found in the area. It also boasts religious diversity and a history dating back to 500 BC.

My first visit was to a synagogue.

We then went to Cuma Cami Mosques - the largest in Ukraine. They had very strict dress policies, unlike the mosques in Istanbul which are used to tourists, and I had to dress up.

"Tanya I love you. Please forgive me!" Apparently it is common for men to do this. Ukrainian men also give their girlfriends/wives flowers on a nearly weekly basis.

This is a street in the old town of Eupatoria. The street layout has been virtually unchanged since its construction. As a result the streets twist and turn at random and are very difficult to navigate.

The tower that you see in the background is a reconstruction of the main gate that existed at the site during the Medieval ages. Today it has a museum and a restaurant.


After some tea and sweets at the restaurant we headed home to Simferopol. We were caught in the rain while waiting for the tram.

Back in Simferopol my friend Iliya wanted to teach me how to make borsh! We had a lovely dinner of borsh and some local cognac for dessert. :D

During my last week I was thinking about all the things that I should take pictures of before I leave. I am somewhat surprised to say that the thing I wanted to take a picture of most was - mud. In particular, the mud puddle near the house I was living. This stupid mud puddle (or more precisely mud lake) was the bane of my existence. It was huge and it never dried! As a result my shoes were constantly dirty which aggravated me to no end.

On my final day in Simferopol our bus was forced to detour before of a political rally. Later I found out that the participants at the rally are mostly public servants who were explicitly told to attend and students university students who were also expected to attend. Moreover, apparently there are people who take attendance to ensure that those who were 'invited' arrive.

I passed the rally to get to an event called 'Global Village'. My colleagues and I, as well as a few other individuals, participated by sharing with everyone information about our countries. We also prepared food. I made 'croque monsieurs' - a French Canadian open faced sandwich. (And for the May's Austrlian friends who read my blog - May made cookies that Austrlians used to make to support WWII efforts. Unfortunately she didn't have the proper ingredients and was rushed. To make a long story short, when all was said and done they resembled ammunition more than cookies. I almost broke my tooth trying to eat one. Sorry May, it had to be told. :D)

After Global Village we headed to our friend Emir's house for a traditional Tatar dinner. To get there we had to go through one of the several underground passages. I took a picture because I had been meaning to. The underground passages are full of florists and other vendors.

We arrived at Emir's and were greeted with a presentation about Crimean Tatar culture and a wonderful home cooked meal prepared by his mother. It was amazing!

Mavile and I in Crimean Tatar hats. She is wearing the women's version and I am wearing the men's version.

Good company, good food - it was the perfect way to end my time in Simferopol.