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".

Noel - Sittin Pretty

The Duclos clan had a wedding awhile back and they got some nice pictures of Noel.
She sure is cute, and pretty. Enjoy.

Back Home Again

Mom and Dad are now in their new digs at Apple Village assisted living in Layton, UT.



They have a nice living room and a big bedroom. This is half of it, in the making. Mom will have her art table and supplies under the window and Dad will have his desk and a new computer table next to it.



They have a small "kitchen" area with a sink, microwave and refrig. Here, the kitchen is still in the "make-over" stage.



They have a cozy living room....



Each of them have their own space, next to each other.

Well, due to some unknown technical difficulties the last 2 photos won't upload to the blog. You'll just have to envision Mom and Dad in their leather recliners relaxing, reading, and watching TV. It seems like the only channels their TV gets are news channels!

"And That's The Way It Is."

Long Journeys

We're experiencing Long Journeys here in the McFadden Clan. Kimberly and Megan traveled a long distance to visit us, and soon Alisha and her daughters will journey to see us.

Grandpa and Grandy have both been on long health journeys being in and out of the hospital since October. We've done a lot of sleeping in chairs, like Grandpa is here.



Kimberly and Megan got in on all the action too. First, they visited Grandy in the hospital.



Then they visited Grandpa's apartment to make sure he's ok.



Throughout these difficult journeys we've been faces with one snow storm after another with no time in between for the snow to melt. This is a sample, but we have had much more.



Here we are with Megan-times-two. Little NutMeg always calls her new Aunt Megan, Aunt.



Megan Lily liked being around her new cousin and aunt and uncle.



Megan discovered our cabinet with dry goods like rice and noodles stored in Tupperware. So, to entertain herself she stacked them as high as she could, then knocked them over.



That's all we have for now. We'll have more after Mom and Dad move into Apple Village assisted living.

"And That's The Way It Is".

A New Year Is Here (heh, that rhymes)

As we turn down the lights on 2007.



We are optimistic 2008 will serve up lots of new possibilities.



We started the year with our special Mixed Up Enchiladas. They're filled with chicken, shrimp and crab, in a creamed cheese and salsa mixture, and then enchilada sauce, onions and Tillamook (as in Oregon) cheese, rolled in a tortilla and covered with more enchilada sauce and cheese.



So it's out with the old (the brown dead stuff) and in with the new (green stuff).



For 2008 we have our little house, and our sunny sun flowers and a weathervane to keep us on track.



Happy New Year and the best to all of you.