Friday Night Fun and our First Full Saturday in Hungary

Friday evening, June 11, 2010
The festival began today in Papa. Between the heat everything I had to do to put a claim in on our stolen stuff, we had decided to wait until evening to take TJ to it. Eric and arranged with John, Louis and Kevin (all from the HAW) to walk to it together around 6 PM. TJ was so excited he fairly skipped into town, chattering away and talking about what there might be for us to do. The streets were bustling with activity and we could hear a band playing at the city center. When we arrived we could see there were two bands (the kind that you see at football games, not at a rock concert) one in blue uniforms and one in red. They took turns playing for the crowds that were sitting or standing around the square listening.

We eventually wandered off to the park where all the action was. We hadn't eaten so we first searched out the festival tent which had a stage with a local group playing music and singing Hungarian songs, lots of long tables and booths selling food. We got a hot dog for TJ, I bought gyro platter - which had the meat and lots of veggies piled on top of french fries instead of a pita, and Eric got a skewer of pork and veggies and fries. Once we ate we were ready to hit the carnival. Eric and I are pretty cautious about letting TJ go on rides that are moved around a lot. Those rides having the highest rate of breaking and people getting injured, but there were a few things that looked pretty safe. First TJ rode on a children train/roller coaster. The track was different than any we had seen. I'll post pictures at the bottom of my blog as I can't explain it very well. We were impressed at how long the ride went. TJ loved it. Nest we bought a ticket for him to go on a bouncy castle type thing. Once again our little Mr Aloha made friends with the other kids there, the language barrier was nothing to any of them. When the time was up on that, Eric took TJ on his very first bumper car ride! It was a riot watching the two of them. Eric managing the gas pedal and TJ steering the car. They aimed for the cars driven by Louis and John and Peter, crashing into each other and laughing with delight. Thankfully Eric kept shielding TJ's head after a few mishaps of TJ getting thrown around a bit. The age and height limits in the US have their reasons! LOL After that ride we walked to the end of the carnival and found some giant inflated slides which TJ HAD to try out. So the adults stood around, talked and swatted mosquitoes while he climbed up and slid down over and over. It was getting dark and almost time to head back home so we did one final 'ride' - we paid to have TJ strapped into a harness and he was hoisted up a bit and spent about 5 min jumping and doing 'tricks' on a large trampoline. He never wanted to leave but Eric was going to stay late to listen to a rock band, scheduled for 10 PM to past midnight. He needed to walk us home and then be back in time for that. Once back at the apt we made a quick trip by car to get Eric back downtown, then came back and got TJ showered, fed a snack and tucked into bed. He was asleep within 2 min of laying down!

Saturday, June 12, 2010
It's hard to believe that it was a week ago this afternoon that TJ and I flew in Vienna and then drove to Papa. It feels like we have been here much longer! I glance through my previous posts and realize we have packed a lot into a single week. I'm sure that once TJ is in school and we get into a routine we will slow down a bit - but I'm hoping the summer continues to be full of activity and exploration!

The festival in Papa is still going on but we ended up not going to it. It's a VERY hot weekend and the thought of walking on hot cement streets with crowds of people fighting off the swarms of mosquitoes is unappealing. Thankfully the Reeds provided a wonderful alternative. Marti, one of the Hungarian people who works for Boeing, had arranged an excursion. She is anxious for us to all discover Hungary and love it so she plans weekend adventures. I love that! Anyway, the adventure today was to drive to Balatonfured (the double dots that our pc can't do go over the U in fured). Balaton is the largest inland lake in Europe. The Reeds (Corey and Lisa - the sweet couple that has allowed us full use of their 2nd car until ours comes - amazing!!!) came by about an hour before we were to meet the group. Lisa and I have been talking via Face Book and has given me some of the best advice I've had to prepare for the move here. They have been here since the beginning of this NATO mission and have helped blaze the trail for the rest of us to follow. They are as nice in person as thru FB and it's nice to finally get to meet them. They brought a bottle of wine and a container of homemade choc chip cookies (TJ's favorite) to welcome us. So nice - I have been trying to think of an appropriate way to thank THEM for the use of their car!

The three of us rode with Corey and Lisa to ALDI (the small grocery store) where the group met. Then the several families caravan-ed to Veszprem (the county seat I think). On the way there I felt moments of concern as cars and motorcycles that wanted to go much faster than the speed limit whizzed past us, seemingly unconcerned if we were approaching the top of a hill or a curve in the road. I tried not to think of the potential unseen car barreling equally fast from the opposite direction...defensive driving here is key! Corey is a great driver and got us safely there. Marti's boyfriend drove the lead car - very fast. Corey drove very safe, which means we lost sight of the group and followed the GPS. We had been told by Marti that we were meeting at an ice cream shop, which Corey had put in his GPS and we drove directly to. No one else from the group was there even though we were the last car. A quick call to Marti directed us to another location down the street. One of many lessons of how things get lost in translation or that explanations may only be partial. :-) The adventure was to begin with parking and walking down to the lake to feed the swans. It didn't take long for TJ to make friends with some of the other children his age and to scamper off ahead. To a 6 year old it doesn't matter what country you happen to be in as long as there are other kids to play with. He was enjoying have other kids that spoke the same language.

The humid heat had us all sweating so it was lovely walking down the tree lined street toward the lake. Balaton is beautiful, doted with sailboats and lined with stretches of beach where sun bathers sat on chairs and couples walked along the edge. As soon as we walked to the bank alongside the pier, the ducks and swans paddled up expectantly. Everyone (but Eric and I - we didn't catch this part of it) had brought bags of bread to feed the swans. They are HUGE and beautiful and like geese, somewhat ornery. I was less afraid of TJ getting bitten than I was of him falling into the lake. They were standing on the edge of a cement wall and TJ was perilously close to the edge. He often is so focused on the excitement on hand that he doesn't pay attention to little things like edges and drop-offs. Although the water wasn't extremely deep, it was murky and I envisioned the swans thinking that any child that fell in was an offering - not to mention the creepiness of the black water snake that slithered past. ick After awhile the swans and ducks tired of bread and swam off to find the bugs and fish they preferred. The group wandered down the pier to where the boat tours dock and where the public bathrooms (WC) are. It's prudent to always have a few 100 forint coins in your pocket as that's what is required to use bathrooms, park cars or 'rent' shopping carts. The breeze off the lake was cooler and the view was beautiful. Eric and I plan to return another weekend to take the 2 hour cruise as well as stay at a military owned beach area where Lisa said we could stay at a hotel for about $25 a night. I can't wait.

Next we ended up back at the lake's edge where the kids all played in a spot that had water shooting up from the ground in several places, designed specifically for kids to cool off in. I started by warning TJ to only get his feet wet since we were riding back in the Reeds car and I didn't want him to be soaked and sit in their car. But as I watched the other kids getting drenched and having so much fun I wasn't going to be 'that' mom that doesn't let her kid participate. Many of the local kids were stripped down to their underwear of totally naked so I bit the bullet and allowed TJ to play in his nascar underwear. He was briefly concerned if "the other kids were doing that too", and when I pointed out several that were he quickly joined in. They had a blast! We had rung out his lightweight shorts and when it was time to continue on we just took off his underwear, put on the damp shorts and trusted the sun and the breeze to dry him out. As we walked back to the cars we passed several booth es that were set up along the tree-lined walkway. The handmade baskets. ceramic bowls and wooden platters are beautiful. Before I leave this country I'm certain I will have acquired a selection of each. We bought pizza baked in open brick ovens at one of the stands - delicious! TJ was hesitant to try it (what a surprise - not!) but once he took a small bite he came back for several more. Once back to the cars we continued on by driving to Bergmann's, the ice cream shop we originally went to. Most of the tables were on an outdoor patio, our favorite way to dine. By this time in the afternoon it was mostly shaded and the breeze made it very pleasant. The ice cream selection was small (about 8 delicious flavors) but there were also amazing looking pastries as well as a small selection of sandwiches. TJ ordered his favorite - basic vanilla. I am hopeful that he will broaden his ice cream horizons while we live in a place where there are such amazing choices. It seems such a waste to stick to simple vanilla, although I admit even that tastes better here than in America. A few in our group ordered sundaes. When they were delivered to the tables we were delighted with how cute they were, created to mimic animals or clowns, etc. It reminded me of my mom teaching me that "we eat first with our eyes, then our mouths". TJ enjoyed hanging out with other kids even more than the ice cream, and by the time we began the hour long drive back to Papa, his shorts were dry and he was worn out. It barely phased him when we passed the familiar golden arches of the McDonald's in Veszprem. Corey kindly drove us to wear we will have to go in a week to get our visa's at immigration. We are grateful for this as it would have been difficult to find the correct building which is tucked around a corner and up a flight of stairs. TJ slept the remainder of the ride home as Eric and I sat back, soaked in the view and asked questions about whatever we could think of. It was a really fun day!

When we got back we saw several tables set up on the driveway by the patio. Shandor explained (through his son) that they were hosting a party for his friend to celebrate his 'name day'. It seems that there are days throughout the year that celebrate people who share certain names. It was obvious there would be many people attending, some were already arriving with gifts of wine or food. We were invited to join them, but as this was for his friend (who we didn't know) and not for Shandor, we felt the invitation was more Hungarian politeness than anything else so we thanked him for the invitation and went back to our little apartment. TJ, well rested and ready for action, was whining about wanting to return to the festival where he had had so much fun the night before. But Eric and I were hot and tired and just wanted to relax. Eric had planned with John to go to a metal concert on the border of Austria and Hungary this evening (they would have left around 2 PM so he hadn't planned to do the ice cream excursion with us), but when he woke up he wasn't feeling great = just really tired and not up for a concert. He was still feeling that way so we told TJ we'd maybe go again on Sunday.

Eric grilled hot dogs/brat's and I cooked up veggies and we enjoyed an easy diner at home, listening to the music from Shandor's party. One of the highlights of this evening was skyping with Marci and Dejah and then again with Nate. What a wonderful invention, skype! As the sun went down we were careful to leave lights off as the mosquitoes are so fierce and our windows have no screens - but it's too hot to close them as we also have no AC in the apt. Eric made me go in the bedroom and close the window and door so the light I needed to skype didn't attract the little insects. When I was finally done I turned off the computer and the lights, plunging the entire apt into darkness. It was so hot TJ was having a hard time falling asleep and he was afraid to lay on his little bed awake and alone. I laid down by him. placing a cold wet wash cloth on his tummy and tickled his arm until he drifted off. Eric and I lay in the dark, listening to the loud music and singing going on just outside our little yard. It made me smile.