Hangin' with Big Dave...

Florence, Italy

October 5 & 6, 2007
N43°46.653
E011°15.603

The Euro being at an all time high against the US Greenback isn’t keeping the Americans out of Italy! Every seat on the train from Venice to Florence was full, luggage everywhere and almost everyone was speaking English.

In fact, there was one pompous gasbag, who by Randy’s estimation didn’t shut up for more than 16 seconds the entire trip. The buffoon spoke incessantly, an expert on everything from world politics to bouillabaisse. When not babbling he hummed loud enough for everyone to enjoy, attempting to fill the void throughout the entire three hour train ride.

When the train stopped in Florence, the station was teeming with tourists. Pat, Randy, Marc and I briefly walked around the station to get our bearings and decided to grab a bus to our accommodation. We jumped on the 14C, a local bus, with our gear and headed in the opposite direction of our hotel, towards the suburbs of Florence, before we realized our mistake.

After a 25 minute tour of the Florence ‘burbs we got off the bus, crossed the street, and jumped on the 14A; now headed back towards the train station and the center of the city. After riding the bus for another 35 minutes we realized we went beyond our destination and jumped back off at the next stop. After asking for directions from a nice Italian gentleman, who obviously felt sorry for us, we realized we were about half a mile from our hotel. We opted to walk for it instead of enduring another bus. Needless to say, we were all exhausted, in need of some water and a glass of wine.

After we decompressed for a couple hours and polished off a bottle of fine Chianti, we headed out to explore the city of Florence. We decided to grab dinner at the recommended Osteria de Benci where I ordered the famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina. The tasty porterhouse steak was cooked perfectly, topped with arugula and shaved parmigiano cheese. Even though the cut of beef was succulent and tender, Argentina beef still holds the honor as best beef in the world.

Although it was a Friday night and the city was electric, we headed back to our room early to prepare ourselves for a day of exploring the streets of Florence and the Galleria dell’Accademia, where Michelangelo’s David is housed.

We didn’t really know what to expect from David, but as soon as we turned the corner in the museum we were instantly in awe over the size and artistic quality of Michelangelo’s masterpiece. The 17 ft. sculpture is the centerpiece of the museum and can be seen at almost any angle. The dome above the statue, combined with the strategically placed lighting, illuminates every curve, vein and muscle in the perfectly chiseled single piece of white marble.

It’s rumored that 30 people a day, supposedly Americans, pass out from the feelings that overwhelm them when they see the awesome sculpture. This is probably some type of urban legend, or an Italian superiority complex, who knows, but it gave us a good laugh at the end of the incredible experience. No, we didn’t see anyone pass out.

After we hung out with the Big Dave for a few hours we were all a little famished and headed to the local market. I loved the market, with all of the oils, proscuitto, olives, bread and mushrooms—it was like fifty Molinaris all under the same roof-- a food mecca.

As the market closed down for siesta, we took our goodies and headed back to our apartment after an accomplished day of sightseeing in Florence.

By the way… did you know Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provencal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille? The French and English form bouillabaisse comes from the Provencal Occitan word bolhabaissa, a compound that consists of the two verbs bolhir (to boil) and abaissar (to reduce).

Venetian Daze...

Venice, Italy

October 4, 2007
N45°25.964
E012°19.076

The mystical city of Venice has put all of us in a daze for a few reasons. First, seeing family, Pat and Dad, for the first time in six months was exciting. We stayed up late, talked about home, drank lots of wine, and caught up on everything. Secondly, the city of Venice, with its canals, islands and beautiful buildings had an almost surreal feeling; almost like Disneyland, or maybe Disneyland for adults. It was like stimulation overload!

After exploring the Italian ghetto in Venice we jumped on a vaporetto; the local Venetians primary mode of public transportation (a poor man’s gondola ride), to see some of the outer islands. The experience was definitely more real, with a mix of locals and tourists, coasting from one pier to the next and island to island. Little old Italian ladies climbed aboard with their groceries, mothers and children ran to catch the boat, and everyone just squeezed aboard always making room. It was snapshot of local culture. It would be the equivalent of riding the 30 Stockton MUNI circuit through San Francisco.

Against better judgment from some of our friends, we stopped at the island of Murano which is known for its glass blowing. The beautiful necklaces, bracelets, earrings, plates, glasses and other souvenirs sucked me in—I had to splurge on a new piece of jewelry. Again we got lost on the island, strolling along the canals, across the bridges and occasionally stopping in the plazas for a break before we jumped back on another vaporetto back towards the main train station.

The majority of our time in Venice was spent walking aimlessly through the allies of San Marco, catching up with Dad and Pat and, overall, enjoying each other’s company; a good thing since we are with each other for a few weeks! It was really a great feeling being back in the arms of family. Also, it gives Marc and me a slight break from each other and the requirements of trying to make conversation.

Tomorrow we’ll break out of our Venice trance and depart for Florence.

How Nice... Back With Family Again!

Venice, Italy

October 2, 2007
N45°25.964
E012°19.076

The train pulled into the Santa Lucia train station in Venice right around 1:00 PM. A warm sun shined brightly as we exited the station; we spotted the Grand Canal and it was immediately obvious we where we were. The gondolas gliding down the canal, the colorful buildings in the background and crowds of people ambling over footbridges were exactly what we anticipated. Just as there would be no doubt where you were if you were looking across the bay at the Golden Gate Bridge, peering up at the Eiffel Tower or at The Statue of Liberty… there was no doubt this is Venice.

As we roamed the streets, next to the canals, over the bridges, through the tunnels and into many of San Marco’s courtyards we got happily lost. We finally found ourselves in Piazza de San Marco. The vast plaza itself was stunning. We stood in the middle of the square taking in the 360 degree views with the other tourists; also clearly impressed. The one disappointment was the white marble columns surrounding the square that were covered in a black sheath of dirt and in dire need of a thorough cleaning. We tried not to let this deter from the overall beauty of the plaza which was very striking.

The highlight of Piazza San Marco is the San Marco Basilica and the gorgeous mosaics that ascent the arches. It took a several minutes to absorb the complexity of the artistry. However, due to the sheer density of people in the crowded plaza and to get away from the pigeons that had a 3:1 advantage over the humans we made a strategic exit to less crowded alleyways. I was personally appalled and disgusted by the people feeding the pigeons, allowing them to land on their heads, arms and shoulders—they are really nothing more than rats with wings… disgusting!

After we left San Marco plaza we meandered through the fish and vegetable markets. The purveyors were closed for the day, and there were only a few workers scrubbing the cement floors in a futile attempt to remove the perfume de fish in the area. We continued aimlessly for over four hours across bridges, along canals, through alleys and courtyards until we stumbled upon a local wine shop. We figured after a hard day walking the Venetian streets we deserved a treat and purchased 1.5 liters of the local merchant’s store specialty. The gentlemen grabbed an empty plastic 1.5 liter water-bottle and filled it straight from the cask. Best of all it only cost 3.10 Euro… Ah, it’s a good thing when wine is cheaper than water!

Even though we haven’t ventured outside the island of San Marco we’re elated to be in Venice, a city I’ve dreamed about for years. Marc has been very busy snapping pictures of the canals, buildings and gondola drivers. However, after four months of being away from family, we are with family again as Dad and Pat joined us in Venice—making our visit even more sentimental.

It’s really great to be with family again!

The Bus to Strong Espresso...

Trieste, Italy

October 1, 2007
N45°38.948
E013°45.935

There was a wet chill in the air at 7:30 AM as we wandered out of the Trieste bus station. After a ten hour journey we knew our day was still far from over.

Our "day" started by catching the 1:00 PM ferry from Hvar Island to Split. We spent our final hours in Split enjoying the coastline, reading in the sun, spending our remaining Croatian Kuna, grabbing a light dinner, and basically wasting time since our overnight bus for Trieste didn’t leave Split until 9:30 PM.

I should mention the reason we opted for a bus instead of a train to Trieste is because the train system in Croatia pretty much sucks! The majority of the locals also use buses and those were our fellow passengers on the journey with us.
The ride started out uneventful. Most of our fellow travelers decided catch some ZZZ’s as soon as we pulled out of the station. Others, however, had a different idea of what they were going to do on the long bus ride—they wanted to party!

The ten hour journey was riddled with pit-stops every 30-40 minutes. At each stop a group of 3-4 young men jumped off the bus, took a piss, had a smoke, and bought another "tall boy" beer that would almost last until the next stop. After each stop they got drunker and louder; making it difficult for the civilized people on the bus to sleep. Even with headphones or earplugs jammed in our ears, we could still hear the raucous crew falling around at the back of the bus.

After each stop, when the crew rumbled back, they would pass me in my half conscious state. As their drunkenness grew, so did their stench. Beer now permeated their skin mixed with the lovely smell of sweat and cigarettes. By 3:00 AM they absolutely reeked and the smell was intolerable. I had to hold my breath as they stumbled by me. Luckily, the drunks got off of the bus around 5:00 AM when we arrived in the Croatian port town of Rijeka.

I think everyone slept a little better after the crew departed; however, we only had two hours left before we hit Trieste and there was no way to recapture our lost sleep. Needless to say, we stumbled off the bus, found our hotel, dropped our gear, and immediately started our hunt for a strong Italian espresso.

The Sunsets On Our Time in Croatia...

Hvar Island, Croatia

September 29, 2007
N43°09.936
E016°26.542

The brilliant sun shined on the island of Hvar all day today, not a cloud in the sky, at least, not until the evening hours when a small blanket of cotton provided the perfect amount of cover for a radiant sunset. As the sun slowly dropped to the horizon, the clouds gradually changed colors from flaxen, to orange, and then to a crimson. The bright indigo waters that surround the island during the day magically turned salmon in color as the sun disappeared. The shadows of fishing boats glided across the glass like water, the fisherman’s silhouette in the back of the boat maneuvering towards the next hot fishing spot.

The stunning, dreamlike sunset our final night on Hvar Island capped off a very relaxing stay in the middle of the Adriatic Sea. We absolutely loved our accommodations on the island, especially our little balcony overlooking the harbor. Our five days flew by with very little excitement. We read like Hemingway, tried to write, drank wine like Hemingway (well, not quite), discussed the tragic events unfolding in Burma (Myanmar), took several long walks, and did our best cooking on a two burner stove. It would be easy to spend a relaxing week here at the end of September, another year, when we need a break from our jobs.

Tomorrow we leave the beautiful island for the mainland where plan on catching an overnight bus to the small Italian town of Trieste. We have one night before we meet Dad and Pat in Venice, we might as well see the town of Trieste which is the namesake for our favorite café in San Francisco.

We Are Where We Are...

Hvar Island, Croatia

September 27, 2007
N43°09.936
E016°26.542

It’s very easy to relax, sit on the balcony and enjoy the views of the water. The weather has been a little overcast, but the warm winds still allow us to enjoy our meals and drinks on the balcony overlooking the Adriatic Sea and Hvar Town. For a little exercise, we walk into town, grab more provisions (bread, cheese, wine, beer, ham, etc.), wander through streets of the charming town and then make our way back to our apartment.

Before arriving on Hvar Island we heard it’s known for its party atmosphere; however, since we’re staying a good kilometer outside of town we haven’t had to deal with the drunken backpacker, and loud music, party scene—exactly how we like it. Instead the serene setting makes it very difficult for us to do anything except for stare out at the crystal blue water, and watch the sailboats and occasional ferry slide in and out of the harbor.

Today we decided to climb up to the castle, towering 100 meters above town, since it has being capturing our eye every night since we’ve arrived. Construction of the castle started in the 13^th century, and was mostly under Venetian rule. In the mid 1500’s the Turks rolled into Hvar looking to murder everyone in their path and burned the village to the ground. Luckily, the vast majority of the inhabitants found safety and refuge within the great walls of the castle.

As we stood within the castle walls looking down upon the red rooftops of Hvar, the cool wind from the Adriatic whistled across our faces. Gazing upon the sea we had to remind ourselves where we were. It’s strange, we’ve been traveling for so long now, it seems like we’re floating from location to location. We aren’t necessarily cognizant of our exact location in the world, but more aware of our surroundings and the environment around us.

We are where we are and it’s good…

Oh, What a View...

Hvar Island, Croatia

September 25, 2007
N43°09.936
E016°26.542

The hour and a half ferry ride from Split to Hvar Island was as picturesque as one could imagine. All of the tiny islands and white tipped sailboats scattered across the bright blue waters of the Adriatic Sea held our attention for the entire crossing.

There were dozens of sailboats coasting across the water on the remarkably sunny day. As we passed, I could see the sun-burnt smiles of those on board and thought to myself how much fun it would be to just sail the waters of the Adriatic, Aegean and Mediterranean with no particular destination. A group of us could sip wine, drink cold beer, eat fresh seafood, and soak-up the sun, only occasionally stopping at a secluded beach on a tiny island… not a care in the world. Marc contradicted my dream by telling me I wouldn’t last six hours cooped up on a sailboat in the open waters, no showers, no internet and no fancy kitchen. He said I would go crazy and he’d be fishing me out of the sea after I jumped overboard.

When the ferry reached Hvar Town there was a bit of chaos on the pier with all of the locals trying to rent out their rooms for the night. We already booked a place to stay and quickly pushed our way through the throng, acting like we knew where we were going, even though we didn’t have a clue. We found the first tourist office to help us with directions.

Susan and Paul, an Australian couple we met in Cesky Krumlov, recommended Bicanic Apartments to us based on their daughter’s visit to Croatia. We looked it up on the internet, liked what we saw and locked ourselves in a few weeks back. It’s a good thing since they’re packed. Apparently we missed Susan and Paul by a few days; they recently left Hvar Island and headed back to Australia.

When Miro, our host at Bicanic Apartments, showed us our unit we walked straight to the balcony to check out the views. The balcony has incredible panoramic views of Hvar Town, the harbor and, most importantly, the crystal blue waters surrounding the popular tourist island. We were already smitten with our little apartment, outfitted with a small kitchen, perfect for our next five nights in one location.

In fact, after a quick trip to the local market, we just sat on the balcony for the rest of the afternoon reading, admiring the views and breathing the air. And, in case we got tired of sitting on the balcony, we could take a break, lie down on the bed, and admire the magnificent view from a soft pillow. This is by far the best view we’ve had on our trip so far. I think it even edges out the sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge from our stay at Angela’s place—tough, I know.

Tomorrow we’ll venture out a little more to explore the island and what it has to offer. One thing we know for sure—there is a lot of fresh seafood.

Gotta Split...

Split, Croatia

September 24, 2007
N43°30.500
E016°27.210

We officially shed our long sleeved shirts and long pants in exchange for shorts and t-shirts again. The warm weather along the Adriatic coastline was brilliant and definitely a welcoming change.

Today was dedicated to strolling along the coastline of Split, getting lost within the walls of the castle and hitting the market to find some local cheese and produce.

The beaches in Split aren’t the most glorious, at least the ones we saw. Instead, large concrete boardwalks wrap around the coastline with ladders stepping down to the actual water. There were people basking in the sun scattered along the coastline; however, it was obvious we were a little late to the party as several of the umbrellas and sun-chairs were put away for the winter. To us, the sparse numbers were perfect; allowing us to casually stroll along the promenade and not fight crowds.

The castle in Split was built in 305 AD and celebrated its 1700 year anniversary in 2005. The castle walls glowed in the early afternoon sun, unfortunately the graffiti that plagues many of Eastern European cities hasn’t missed Split, and distracted from the full beauty of the historical monument. We wandered through the labyrinth of back streets and alleyways, getting lost a few times within the castle walls, but after carefully retracing our steps we finally found our way.

Our exit from the maze led into a local market where fruit, vegetables, nuts and cheese were being sold. After sampling a few of the local cheeses we decided upon one to take to Hvar Island with us tomorrow. We also grabbed some almonds and dried fruit to make our own trail mix, a relatively healthy afternoon snack.

Before splitting from Split, we decided we should walk through the castle at night, especially since the moon is almost full tonight. We’ll enjoy the full moon out on Hvar Island where we will spend the next five nights.

Back to the Coast...

Split, Croatia

September 23, 2007
N43°30.500
E016°27.210

After spending the last month in land locked countries throughout Eastern Europe, we finally set our eyes on the coast line of the Adriatic Sea. Don’t get me wrong, our time in Tihany, on the shore of Lake Balaton, was comfortable and quaint, but we really missed the site of open water.

I actually started getting a little grumpy over the past week. I didn’t really think about it much until we boarded the train for Zagreb and made our way to the coast; I think both of us missed being near the water. This happened to us once before during our travels—in Argentina—when we were in Bariloche and El Bolson—we felt a little crazy until we got back to the coastline.

Then I started to wonder if the distance from the coastline was part of the high suicide rate in Hungary. Annually, there are 60.1 suicides per 100,000 people in Hungary, most by hanging, compared to 15 per 100,000 in the UK and 20 per 100,000 in America. There are very few smiles and as we walked the streets through the remote areas of Tihany, we tried forcing a few hellos, but people just sat and stared at us, disbelievingly.

Regardless, we’re happy to be back to the coast and to the second largest city in Croatia, Split. We immediately recalled a great dinner we had at Eric and Jim’s house after they returned from Croatia a few years ago, an incredible mix of grilled meat. After finding our accommodations we decided to re-live this dinner and headed out to eat.

At dinner we ordered the small mixed grilled-meat platter and the mixed grilled-fish platter, plus two salads. It was such a treat to have fresh, tasty tomatoes and lettuce after our time in Hungary where fresh vegetables are hard to come by. They actually deliver 25 KG bushels of potatoes to your doorstep—I don’t think we could consume a bushel in a year!

The mixed grill plate of sausage links, beef patties and pork chops definitely brought us back to our meal at Eric and Jim’s. We talked fondly and laughed about the big barbeque they had at their house and now completely understood the theme of the BBQ. As we sat at the large wooden tables in the small, intimate room of Fife Bufe, we heard a group of young ladies talking. We could tell they were of Indian descent, but their accents told us they were from the USA, most likely California.

A few minutes later one of the guys in the room asked them where they were from and they responded California. After a few minutes, I made eye contact with one of them, from across the room, and asked them where in California they were from. They were three cousins traveling together—two from San Diego, one from LA.

The group, Sonal, Palka and Devi, were traveling for two weeks throughout Crotia, so far, without incident. We moved over to their table and shared some of the wine bought for them by a few unwanted admirers. We talked about what we missed most from home (after our families), which is, of course, food, our time in India and other stories from our travels.

As usual, it was nice to talk to a few Americans and hear some stories from home.

Ahhh, It's Fall Again...

Siofok, Hungary

September 22, 2007
N46°54.485
E018°03.106

The Tihany hillside with its numerous trails was a perfect break from the fast paced life of the cities. The lush, green hillside with terraced houses, numerous vineyards ready for harvest, views of the famous Abbey Church and old men relaxing and fishing on the banks of village ponds, will be ingrained in our memories forever. The town closed down at around 7:00 PM each night, we were actually turned away for dinner at 7:30 PM, but we enjoyed the tranquil flow of things and appreciated our time in Tihany.

Our ferry cut a path across the calm lake towards Siofok with the sun shining brightly; a perfect fall day—the first day of fall to be exact. It was a glorious morning on Lake Balaton; our thermometers registered 80F, but with the wind chill off of the water a light sweater was still required. Several Hungarians were also enjoying the first day of fall on their sail boats; capturing one more day on the water before the weather turns frigid and the lake is surrounded with snow covered mountains. We simply soaked up the sun for the entire hour and a half and were thankful for having our second fall season of the year.

Siofok isn’t an exciting town this time of year; it’s really happening during summertime, but as kids go back to school the local vendors start closing down the shops near the lake for the winter. We’re only here to catch the single daily train that runs to Zagreb, Croatia. Unfortunately, the ferries don’t begin running across the lake early enough to catch the 10:00 AM train to Zagreb.

We’re making the best of our day in Siofok as we sit on the spacious patio connected to our unit, thumbing through our Lonely Planet “Italy” and reading a few chapters of our paperbacks. Tomorrow is going to be a long travel day with two back-to-back train rides hopefully ending in Split, Croatia.

So You Say It's My Birthday...

Tihany, Hungary

September 20, 2007
N46°54.450
E017°53.237

Well, since I made Marc do a special blog for his birthday, he is making me do the same. I don’t have anything philosophical to say, like my body being a vessel or anything like that. I’m just happy that today’s technology allowed me to receive the Happy Birthday wishes from my family and friends at home.

A few days ago I warned my mom I might not have email or cell phone access in the Hungarian countryside. Her voice was strained; I could tell she was a little hurt that she wouldn’t be able to talk to me, her baby, on my birthday, a special day for her too. It was 34 years ago that I brought hope to her, my father and sister; helping them get through each day by diverting their attention from their current tribulations. I like to think I was sent to them with the purpose of providing them with the strength and courage to persevere.

By 9:00 AM, my time, I had heard from both my mom and dad who called me on my cell phone. My coverage has been spotty in most remote areas and both parents were happy they could hear my voice; wondering how 34 years passed by so quickly. When I finally rolled out of bed, I had several emails from family and friends.

Since we’ve been traveling, I thought days like today, Christmas and other holidays would be difficult being away from family and friends. I can’t lie, it’s been tough, but being able to hear my mom and dad’s voices today and exchange emails has made me feel as close in Hungary as I would in San Francisco. In fact, my Dad commented that it sounded like I was just around the corner, as my phone worked perfectly during his birthday greeting.

Marc and I will celebrate my birthday at a top restaurant in Tihany known for their excellent Hungarian cuisine and wine pairings. I’ll think fondly about my family and friends at home and realize they are with me in spirit.

This birthday was a challenge, but it reminded me how much my family means to me. It will be a birthday that I will remember forever; one spent in the countryside of Hungary.

A Vacation From Our Vacation...

Tihany, Hungary

September 19, 2007
N46°54.450
E017°53.237

The alarm went off at 6:30 AM and we officially started another “travel day”… we jumped a trolley to the Metro, took the Metro to the train station, and rode the rails southwest for 126KM to the town of Siofok, boarded a ferry and eventually arrived on the Tihany pier at 12:30PM.

When we arrived on the Tihany Penninsula, we walked about 2 KM, mostly uphill, to our accommodation for the next three nights only to be told they didn’t have our reservation. After several minutes of back-and-forth in broken English and Hungarian we found out that they had an available room. Thank goodness, since lodging in the village of 1500 residents is limited to say the least.

The quaint town of Tihany is set up on a hill that overlooks Lake Balaton; the land locked country of Hungary’s excuse for a coastline. It’s actually the largest lake in Central Europe and the area northwest of the lake is the famous wine region of Badacsony.

We look forward to relaxing in the countryside, enjoying the views of the lake and not fighting our way through a big city for a few days. Not that we expect any sympathy, but navigating our way through a large and unfamiliar city day after day gets very tiring. We’re kind of taking a vacation from our vacation for a few days.

Of course, we already have our food and wine mapped out for our time in Tihany, a mini-Napa—well, we’ll be the judge of that!

Stay tuned… tomorrow is the Big Birthday Post for you know who!

A History Lesson in Budapest...

Budapest, Hungary

September 18, 2007
N47°31.120
E019°04.900

Today, our last full day in Budapest, was spent checking out the remaining sites we hadn’t seen. This included the Citadel with its amazing views of the Budapest skyline and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Unfortunately, the clouds came in overnight, dropping a little rain, and making another day at the baths very unlikely.

First, we headed to the Holocaust Memorial Museum which is located only a few blocks from our hotel. The museum and adjacent Synagogue detailed Hungary’s involvement and loss of life in the horrific events during World War II. We’ve read a lot of literature around the events, but seeing the pictures and listening to audio and video accounts from survivors we fought back tears as the films outlined the devastation.

At one point during World War II, Jews from other European countries sought protection in Hungary where Jewish people were somewhat protected by the government. The Jewish people in Hungary contributed greatly to the economy and continued to live in there homes; not in ghettos and internment camps as in neighboring countries and, from what we could tell, without the yellow star, or yellow badge the Jewish people were required to brandish.

However, the Hungarian government was caught playing both sides during the war—they worked with Hitler to regain territory they lost after WWI and then began negotiating with the British and Americans when it became evident that Germany was fighting a losing cause. Germany caught wind of the negotiations and in the early part of 1944 and sent in troops to occupy the country. A pro-Nazi government was put into place, the Arrow Cross Party, and this is when Hell began for the Jewish people of Hungary. They were rounded up and placed in ghettos though out the country with very little food or provisions to survive.

In May of 1944, the deportations of the Jews began, and, this is the most staggering fact, over 430,000 Jewish people were deported to Auschwitz in a time period of ten weeks! Marc and I were shocked as we read these numbers, shaking our heads in disbelief. In addition, Auschwitz, probably the most infamous of the concentration camps, had 1.3M people pass through its gates; of which, 1.1M were killed. Of those people killed, approximately 33% were either Hungarian citizens or deported from Hungary.

The Hungarian citizens weren’t limited to only people of Jewish descent. There were people of Romanian descent who fell victim to the atrocities. Most of these people were simply poor, living life as vagrant gypsies roaming throughout the countryside looking for work. Even before the Arrow Cross Party takeover these people were victims of government raids and forced to work as laborers or participate in military events—their freedom and dignity was frequently violated. They too became victims at Auschwitz.

We took our time walking through the museum, shocked by what we were seeing, but at the same time we are aware of the unfortunate history from books, including “Night” by Elie Wiesel, that we read during our trip. When we finally exited the museum and continued our walk through the city we reflected on what we saw. How could we as humans let this happen?

Then, you look at the news today, and you see the tragic events in Darfur. The World is letting genocide happen all over again—haven’t we learned from our mistakes?

Stories From the Baths...

Budapest, Hungary

September 17, 2007
N47°31.120
E019°04.900

The sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, another perfect day to enjoy the city and, of course, visit the famous Budapest baths. After strolling by a few key sites, such as the Hungarian State Opera House, we took a long walk through the City Park before heading back to Szechenyi Bathhouse; the only co-ed bath house in Budapest.

Not only are the baths relaxing, but they generate great stories. Just imagine it… take a bunch of characters from the general population of say… San Francisco; young, old, locals and tourists and have them all jump into a giant swimming pool of warm water and simply enjoy each other’s company. However, the best stories have to be the, big gut, flabby butt and incredible camel toe sightings. Yes, there were multiple sightings—men’s toes (aka moose knuckle) and women’s toes, there’s no discrimination here. Of course, I can’t forget the saunas and a few great moments in the intense heat.

The other day when we were in the bath, I asked Marc if this would be a place he would take a date. He thought it would be a perfect date, probably not a first date, but maybe a third or fourth. We noticed a young couple, who both appeared to be British (based on accents), who were having a get-to-know-you conversation, that included their relationships with their parents, etc. as they waded through the water, occasionally touching hands, the sexual tension was thick enough it could have been cut with a knife. We figured they are both here, in Budapest, on a holiday, separately, but somehow met and are now enjoying the baths on their second date. We casually followed them around the pool for fifteen minutes or so before we got bored and headed to another pool.

Shortly after, we noticed two pretty young ladies, in their early 20’s, prancing around the courtyard in their bikinis—one in a gold thong bikini, the other in a pink floral suit that was very flattering. They were both carrying cameras and clicking posed pictures of each other strategically around the baths. From afar, it was obvious the thong was tiny, but when they got closer to us we noticed there was serious camel toe going on. In fact, at one point, in the intense sunlight, it appeared the gold bikini was translucent, and the young lady might as well have been running around buck naked. They attracted plenty of attention as they took pictures of each other with sexy faces and sultry poses. A man in his early 60’s, obviously smitten, got up the courage and offered to snap a picture of the two—I’m sure he zoomed in on the golden toe.

A few minutes after the golden toe incident, a man in his 70’s hauled his belly out of the pool, and exposed his sheer, gray, Speedo. I think he had the Speedo since he was a teenager, it had definitely seen better days. With that being said, I had the displeasure of witnessing a rear, male-toe, butt hair and all. I know, I shouldn’t have been looking, but it sucked me in, it was like a train wreck, and I couldn’t look away—I'm just happy I didn’t see the frontal view!

Hopefully, the toe sightings didn’t offend you, if they did, we apologize; sometimes the truth hurts. The next story isn’t about toes, but about big, fat, sweaty men.

Half of the bath was closed today for ongoing renovation required to keep the baths clean and functional. This meant only half of the saunas and the pools were open. We still wanted to punish ourselves a little bit in the sauna. However, as we entered the 75C (167F) steam room Marc chickened out and headed back to pools. I braved forward and walked into the room that was totally packed. It appeared to be a meeting for sweaty, fat guys... to be part of the club you must be over 60, wear a Speedo, weigh at least 250 pounds, and have enough chest and back hair to give the little lady in Vietnam, who removed Marc’s back hair, a full time job. All of the wooden benches were full of these sweaty, fat guys so I just stood there, looking at them looking at me, all of us sweating profusely. The heat in the room was so intense that when I breathed air in through my nose it actually burned my nasal cavity; I figured this was my body’s way of saying get the Hell outa here. Plus, I realized I wasn’t meant to be part of this exclusive club and exited stage left.

As we say… traveling is all about the stories.

A Day in Buda...

Budapest, Hungary

September 16, 2007
N47°31.120
E019°04.900

Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, is split into two distinct areas, Buda and Pest; divided in half by the Danube River. The majority tourist sites, including the castle, are located on the western, Buda side, of the river. We’re staying in Pest and haven’t ventured to the other side of the Danube—until today.

Before crossing one of the many bridges connecting Buda and Pest we strolled by the magnificent Parliament building on the Pest side of the river. A small rock concert was being held in the middle of Parliament Square; a band playing to about 50 screaming teenage girls. The squealing girls and the cheesy Hungarian hunk leading his band were enough keep us walking.

The riverfront walk was beautiful as we peered across the river, anticipating what was in store for us this afternoon. After crossing the Margaret Bridge we entered another UNESCO protected area and instantly noticed the cobblestone streets and brightly colored house were clean, free of graffiti and obviously the ritzy neighborhood of Budapest.

Weaving our way through the streets, we admired the churches, including the Matthias Church, looked back across the Danube towards Pest from the vistas high in the hills, and explored the Royal Palace. The superb weather allowed Marc to capture tons of pictures of the classic architecture and left us both with sunburned faces.

As the sun began to fall toward the horizon we made way down the cobblestone streets within the walls of the castle and over the Chain Bridge back toward Pest. As we walked over the historic bridge that was first opened in 1849, we took one last look back at the Castle on the hill before walking deeper into the neighborhood of Pest, no longer able to see the beauty of Buda.