Budapest, Hungary

As you know, I went to Budapest earlier this week. It was a terribly long flight from JFK and it was filled to the brim with shopping crazed Hungarians bringing back the booty they spent their EUROs and HUFs on. They had trouble getting their things into the overhead bins and closing them. Then there was a group a few rows in front of us that stood in the aisle and talked all night long. The father in front of us had his head phones on and couldn't hear, or didn't want to hear his 6 year old son who tried to get his attention by saying "Daddy" in increasingly higher volumes until the Dad answered. Now you've heard the bad part, let's move on to the good part.

We stayed at the Kempinski Corvinus downtown. It's a 5 Star property with a wonderful staff. We were treated like royalty.



The nicest part of the room was the bathroom.



The view out my hotel window was of a park and a church.



This is the front of the same church. The city's buildings are varied, old, new, Soviet inspired, and the new Budapest. Hungary was ruled by the Roman's for 400 years, the Ottoman Turks for 150 year and the Soviets for 45 years. They have been independent for only 18 years. Economically, they are very young and trying to build a strong economy.



The Buda hills, the good side of the tracks (where the wealthy live)..



A cool eagle......



The Chain Bridge, looking to the Pest side, downtown. Budapest is made up of the Buda side, and the Pest side with the Danube River flowing in between. The Danube is referred to as the Black River since it begins in The Black Forest and empties into the Black Sea.













This is cool, a porcelain tile roof on an old building.



Parliament Building





Hungary is know for it's paprika. This is paprika chicken and dumplings. The dumplings were so small they looked like au gratin potatoes. When I took a bite my taste buds and brain were very confused.

And, did you know Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried sweet red bell peppers (Capsicum annuum). In many European countries the name paprika also refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add colour and flavour to dishes.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word comes from the Hungarian "paprika", which derives from the Serbian and Croatian "paprena", which means "the one that is hot" and it is derived from Serbian and Croatian noun papar "pepper" which in turn was borrowed from the Latin "piper", for "pepper."




Budapest has a nice opera house built after WWII.



The synagogue in Budapest is the second largest in Europe, accommodating 6,000.





The Tree of Life memorial.





Night on the Danube.



We had lunch at the Four Seasons and this is the fantastic dessert. The taste lived up to the description: Pineapple Carpaccio with Lemon Sorbet, Passion Fruit Coulis and Dark Chocolate Tarte!



So, after eating that wonderful dessert it's time to get into your car and go for a drive. But, we're too stuffed to get into our Smart Car, or Mini Cooper (in the background).



Instead, let's take this brand new Audi R8 for spin through the countryside.



"And That's The Way It Is.'

Flowers for Mom's Birthday

As you know, last we was Mom's birthday. She was remembered by many and even received some beautiful flowers. Here they
are. I hope they make you smile and feel warm and appreciated like they did her.

Happy Birthday Mom!










That's all for now. The next posting will be about my trip to Budapest, Hungary.

Flippin' Out!

Ok, enough is enough! We're flippin out from all this winter weather. We're tired of it!




So here's a relaxing picture if the infiniti edge pool at Round Hill resort in Jamaica.




So dig out your "flip flops and tank tops". Put up your hammock, put on your Panama hat, and some Jimmy Buffett tunes, fire up the coals, and throw on a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" and some ribs and brisket and cook 'em low and slow.

"Come Monday", you'll have a "License to Chill" and need to stop "Living in Fast Forward". Remember, "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere", so head for "One Particular Harbor" and "When the Sun Goes Down" it's "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem". Now it's your turn to eat the "Last Mango in Paris".