Cat Cafe!

Last weekend, I finally got to visit a place which has been on my list all year...the Cat Cafe! I have heard about cat cafes on one of my favorite websites: cuteoverload.com. Cafes where you can pet animals are very popular in Japan. There are two in Budapest but I hadn't had a chance to visit because Dan is allergic to cats. I was finally able to go with one of my Fulbright friends, Caitlin, because we were both desperately missing our pets. Here is a picture of my baby, Puddy Tat.  I like to think that she is pondering the complexities of the universe in this picture....ha!

Although I miss my Puddy, I was happy to spend some times with the cats here in Budapest. The Cat Cafe has about 12 cats total and they were all beautiful. The cats can roam the rooms and sit or lie down wherever they like. Unfortunately, we didn't have any cats join us at our table so we went to them. There were many cat trees and other places for the cats to play and sleep. Here are a few of the cats we saw.

One of the best things about the cat cafe was the similarity to a regular cafe. The menu had a large number of choices for drinks and desserts. I had peanut butter hot chocolate and a peanut cake. Both were delicious. They also sell treats which you can give to the cats. I bought one treat and I gave it to the large orange main coon in the picture just above.  The cafe was also large and exceptionally clean. It is up to the customer to decide how close they want to be to the cats. You can sit at a table, a couch, or even on the floor. I definitely plan to return to the Cat Cafe while I'm here. Here is their website: http://catcafebudapest.hu/  Make sure to check this place out if you're in Budapest!

Bodza!

One of my favorite new flavors that I have tasted in Hungary has been bodza. Bodza is Hungarian for elber berry. As Harry Potter fans know, the Elder Wand is made from the same plant that produces elder berries. Just as the Elder Wand was the most powerful and magical wand, I believe that bodza is one of the best and most magical flavors. I love it! Most of the time, I have had the bodza flavor in beverages. Here are a few we have tried at home.

On the far left and in the middle, we had two types of bodza pop. The pop in the middle is flavored by the elder flower. Second from the left is a bottle from bodza lemonade. This is the most common bodza flavor that I've had. I've had bodza lemonade in many restaurants. Second from the right is a bottle of bodza flower syrup. Syrup is not something we have in the US. This bottle can be used to make several liters of flavored beverage. All you do is pour a small amount, maybe a centimeter or less in the bottom of a large glass, and you fill the remainder of the glass with plain or sparkling water. It's great! We have tried raspberry and bodza syrup and I know I will miss them when returning home. On the far right is an elderflower tea. One of the things that I like about the bodza flavor is that it is sweet but light and refreshing. I highly recommend it to anyone who can try it.

Finally, we haven't seen many foods with the bodza flavor but they do exist. Our landlord gave us some bodza honey that his brother made. It is very delicious. I haven't been one to eat honey frequently before but I'm now finding many new ways to eat it.

Anniversary Celebration!

On January 19, Dan and I celebrated our six month wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful time exploring new and favorite parts of Budapest. For breakfast, we had a delicious chocolate croissant.

For lunch we decided to try a Persian restaurant. It was a neat experience. The wall-to-wall decorations made us feel like we were in a new part of the world. We had rose water and mint tea to drink with our chicken and rice.

Around sunset, we took a stroll along the Danube and watched the lights come on on the bridges, castle, and fisherman's bastion. It was lovely.

Here we are by the Parliament.

For supper, we went to a restaurant, well more like the experience, called Sir Lancelot.  It's food and a show all in one. When we entered, we had to go downstairs to a long dining hall filled with long wooden tables. The restaurant was packed. We decided to order the sampler platter for two people. We had chicken, pork, goose, and beef with sides of potatoes, corn on the cob, and pickles. We had to eat with our hands but everything was delicious.

Dan and I also enjoyed the performances. Shortly after we arrived, there was a sword fight and short play about fighting for a damsel. There was also a belly dancer and a fire twirler. Throughout the remainder of the time, Renaissance style music was playing. The meal was delicious and we had an extremely fun time.  Just to test the size of our stomachs, we had a delicious chocolate cake at home. 

We had a wonderful celebration and we're looking forward to many more celebrations to come.

2015 - A New Year!

Boldog Új Évet!! That is Hungarian for Happy New Year! I hope that all who read this blog are looking forward to this new year as much as I am.  2014 went by in a blur. Dan and I got married in July and we moved to Budapest in August. The past 5 months have gone by especially fast! I'm glad that we still have 5 full months in Hungary and I plan to make the most of them. Of course, I have resolutions for the new year. Whether we complete all of our goals or not, I plan to continue sharing our wonderful experiences in Hungary.

Travel Goals
Dan and I want to see as much as we can while we are here. Some places that I hope to see include the Esterhazy Palace, Lake Balaton, Szeged, Debrecen, and Transylvania. I hope we can visit the music museum, the pinball museum (apparently you can play unlimited games), the zoo (again!), and one of the baths. In March, we will be fulfilling our goal to visit other countries as well. Dan and I will be going to Berlin to attend a Fulbright Conference. We're looking forward to this exciting trip!

Academic Goals
Of course, my main goal is to complete my research on Hidas. I'm also looking into other Hungarian music for brass instruments. There are so many pieces, I hope to at least gain more awareness of the repertoire available here. In future years, I hope to conduct more research in Hungary. Along those same lines, I want to improve my Hungarian as much as possible while I am in Budapest.  My Hungarian has improved greatly since we have been here and I hope to continue my progress. I also plan to push myself by applying for conferences and submitting articles for publication.

Personal Goals
My personal goals are not limited to the new year, but rather I think of them as New Day resolutions. Each day can be better than the last. Each day is a new opportunity to love and give to those around us.

I plan to continue sharing culture, experiences, events, and pictures through this blog in 2015. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read it! You may not know that the website provides me with statistics about who is viewing the blog (no worries, no personal information). I am amazed that I have had readers from the United States, Hungary, France, Taiwan, Germany, Canada, Poland, United Kingdom, Russia, and Slovenia! And those are only the countries with the most number of views. Wow! I am honored and grateful. I hope you have learned something new from my blog. :)

Budapest Festival Orchestra - Christmas Surprise

On December 26, Dan and I took my family to the Christmas Surprise Concert of the Budapest Festival Orchestra.  This was the second time that we have heard the ensemble (see my previous post for more info). As before, this concert was non-traditional.  The point of the "surprise" is that the audience does not know the program for the concert. When we entered the building (The Budapest Congress Center), we were handed a program. I assumed that maybe the pieces were only a surprise until you came in the door. I was wrong.  The program listed 28 pieces by 16 composers but we didn't use this program until toward the end of the concert.

The concert began with Brahms' Academic Overture.  The Conductor, Ivan Fischer, announced the program from the stage. Other works included pieces such as: an overture by Smetana, the March of the Priests from Mozart's Magic Flute, and the Scherzo from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

One of the best parts was the variety of styles and sizes of ensembles. For smaller groups, the musicians played off-stage on a platform.  Some of the small ensemble works included: a triple violin concerto by Telemann and a low brass group playing Henry Mancini's Pink Panther.

At one point, the conductor spoke about the excellent music teachers in Hungary. One local bassoon teacher conducted her 31 students in a large bassoon ensemble. They played popular songs such as Do Re Mi from the Sound of Music, the Baby Elephant Walk, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It was great! I hope I can have an ensemble of my own students some day.

One of the most surprising elements was that the musicians from the orchestra pulled double duty in this concert because they also sang as a choir! The group sang a few madrigal type songs by Morley and Monteverdi. It was a unique part of an orchestra concert.

Finally, toward the end of the concert, we finally found out the meaning of the programs.  First, three seat numbers were chosen, out of the tuba! Then the people in these three seats were allowed to choose which piece they wanted to hear off of the program.  Then the audience voted for one of the these three pieces. The winner was the Bach Air.

To conclude the evening, the orchestra played Igor Stravinsky's Firebird. It was excellent! I love this piece. It was a wonderful selection to close the concert.  Here is a recording of this piece if you'd like to hear it:



I particularly enjoyed this concert because it brought variety to the traditional concert setting.  It also speaks highly of the Budapest Festival Orchestra that they are able to have concerts such as these. No matter what they play, they will draw an audience.

Family Visit!

One of the best parts about this past Christmas holiday was that my family came to visit us here in Budapest from December 25 to January 1. We had a wonderful time! Dan and I enjoyed showing our favorite places and sights of Budapest. We also had the opportunity to visit a few new places as well. One day we went to the Museum of Fine Arts to see the Rembrandt exhibit. I have been to a few small art shows before but nothing like this, nothing with the works of such a well known artist. Walking through the exhibit gave me a new appreciation for artwork. When you see photos of famous paintings, the detail cannot be captured. I was amazed by all of the artists' ability to capture the details of objects, clothing, food, and animals.

We also visited Heroes' Square, the Széchenyi Baths and Vajdahunyad Castle. We had coffee and cake in the Alexandra Bookstore Cafe. The hot chocolate there is so thick that it is like pudding! We also visited the most iconic buildings of Budapest: the Parliament, Buda Castle, Matyas Templom, and the Fisherman's Bastion.

Some of our other adventures included the Christmas Surprise Concert by the Budapest Festival Orchestra. Look for another blog post about this concert. We also had a special coffee and breakfast at the McDonald's in Nyugati Pályaudvar. They say it is the fanciest McDonald's in the world and it is very nice. Many McDonald's in Hungary have a separate McCafe section which serves fancy coffee, hot chocolate, and desserts.

One of the extra special parts of our holiday was a quick trip to Vienna. We were all excited to see another part of Europe. Vienna was filled with tourists but it was frigid cold the day we were there. Some of the neatest places we saw were St. Charles Church, St. Stephen's Cathedral, and the Hofburg Palace/Austrian National Library. Here are some photos in order:

As we drove back to Budapest, we stopped in this store called Auchan (pronounced almost like o-shawn). It was insanely big, maybe 2-3 times a Walmart Super Center. It was an experience we'll never forget. Most likely, Dan and I won't shop there again because we don't have a car. The purpose of shopping there would be to buy large quantities of groceries, something we can't take on public transit. Here is a picture from the main aisle.

The time with my family seemed to go so quickly. They were gone before we knew it! It was fun to be the locals who could lead the way and give the inside information. After only a few months, I feel like Budapest is my home. It will always hold a special place in my heart.

Christmas in Hungary - Traditions

In Hungary, Christmas is a special holiday filled with traditions.  Things begin in early December with the start of Advent.  Near Vörösmarty Square and the Basilika, Christmas markets fill the open spaces with ornaments, crafts, sweets, and mulled wine. At the Basilika, there is a light show on the front of the church. It's actually really cool. The lights are lined up exactly with the columns and other architectural features and the entire program is set to music. Here are a few photos.

There are a variety of traditions about gifts and those who bring them in Hungary. On December 6, Mikulás (St. Nicholas) visits children and brings candies and small presents to their shoes and boots. On Christmas eve, there are few possible gift givers depending on the family. For some, Télapó (very similar to Santa) brings gifts to children.  For others, the presents are brought by the three wise men or even by the baby Jesus.  No matter who brings the gifts, the Hungarian tradition is that they appear during the evening meal on December 24. Often the gifts appear around the same time that an adult in the family leaves the table to use the restroom.

For everyone in Hungary, Christmas is a national holiday. On December 24, 25, and 26, hardly anything is open or in business. The public transportation runs on a very limited schedule and all stores are closed.  Dan and I had to buy all of our groceries on December 22 and 23 to make sure we had enough of everything we needed. We even saw a few businesses which were closed through the end of the year. In the afternoon of December 24, Dan and I went for a walk and the streets were empty. Everyone was at home with their families.

We don't know much about the history of Christmas trees in Hungary but we saw many people buying them on the street. Near our apartment, we saw a few vendors selling Christmas trees in the few days before Christmas. In the United States, many people put up their trees right after Thanksgiving. Hungarians seem to get a tree only a day or two before Christmas. Most of the trees we saw were small and cute, maybe 2-3 feet high.  I would think that this is so people can easily carry them to their homes. We decided not to get a Christmas tree. Instead we purchased a pineapple as our tree which we could eat later. We did this thinking of one of our favorite shows to watch together, Psych.

Around the city, we have seen several nativity scenes and Advent wreaths. Nativity scenes are just called Betlehem in Hungarian.  Of course we saw these near the churches but also in public places. Here is a picture of the nativity scene and Advent wreath in front of Parliament.

As a married couple, our first Christmas was here in Budapest. We couldn't have asked for anything better. I hope that maybe some of the Hungarian traditions, music, and food can be a part of our future Christmas celebrations.

Christmas in Hungary - Food

The traditional foods at the Christmas meal in Hungary are very different than those in the United States. That being said, my family never ate the traditional holiday meal. We ate our favorites, shrimp and rice. In Hungary, one of the traditional meals is halászlé, fish soup.

The ingredients are fish (typically carp), paprika (both the pepper and the ground spice), tomato, onion, black pepper, and salt.

Another popular food for Christmas is beigli. This is a rolled pastry that comes in a variety of flavors. The two most popular flavors are mák (poppyseed) and diós (walnut). We tried a walnut beigli for the first time this Christmas. It was delicious! In the picture below, the third flavor is chestnut.

One of the popular Hungarian desserts is mákos guba.  It is delicious. We have eaten it three times since we've been here. Our first taste of mákos guba was actually at McDonald's. I noticed that it was something that I had never seen before and I decided to try it. The picture on the menu (click here to see it) looked like a shake so I was surprised when it wasn't. The taste made up for any confusion. It was delicious. We also ate mákos guba when we were in Letkés with the Clowns on the Horizon and at the Fulbright Christmas party. Every time, it has been great. I haven't been a fan of all of the poppyseed dishes here in Hungary but mákos guba is exceptional.  For Christmas, we decided to make our own mákos guba. The recipe was fairly simple (bread, sugar, poppyseed and milk) yet I struggled with a few measurement conversions. Still, I didn't worry about accidentally adding too much sugar...that wouldn't be a bad thing! Our dessert turned out very well! Here is a photo of our creation:

If you have a chance to come to Hungary, try these dishes while you are here. Otherwise, look for the recipes online. It's easy to bring the taste of Hungary to your own home. 

Christmas in Hungary - Music

Unlike the United States, in Hungary the Christmas music and decorations do not come out until December.  For about the past few weeks we have been able to hear Christmas music throughout the city. We have heard music in stores and throughout the Christmas markets. This music has covered a wide range of styles.  For example, I heard the techno version of Silent Night in an electronics store called Media Markt.  Other songs are played in a variety of languages and styles.

When we had our Fulbright Christmas party, we sang three songs as a group. The First Noel and Joy to the World were two classics that Dan and I already knew. Our third song was a Hungarian Christmas carol, Pásztorok, Pásztorok.  We enjoyed learning this song! 

Here is a recording:

There are many Christmas songs and carols in Hungary and it is hard to share all of them. Here are a few that I wanted to share.

Az angyal énekel
This song is set to the tune of the song we know as "Good Christian Men Rejoice." The lyrics are as follows:

Az angyal énekel,

Tekints az égre fel:

Napvilágos lett az éj,

Meghasadt az ég,

És a Második Személy

Most földre lép.

Mézet ont az ég!

Az angyal így dalol

A fényes ég alól:

,,Istenünknek glória

A mennyekbe fenn!''

Véle mondja Mária,

Véle Betlehem.

Mondjunk glóriát!

Krisztus urunknak áldott születésén
This is a protestant Christmas carol. Enjoy!



Száncsengő csilingel
This is a pop song for Christmas.



I hope these songs are something new for you to experience and I hope they can give you a taste of Christmas music in Hungary.