Halloween!

In the US, Halloween is a huge event with candy and costumes for all ages.  In Hungary, it's not even a real holiday.  We haven't seen any special candy or decorations. People are not in costume, at least not the majority of people.  When we were walking home this evening, we saw about four people with face paint.  They were not together but they all had a scary type of face paint made to look like a skull.  They had no other costume or accessories.

I've been noticing that I miss certain foods and products. One of my favorite types of candy (especially around Halloween) is the Reese's peanut butter cup. It is something that I definitely miss. The special holiday shapes always seem to taste better. Reese's cups do not exist in Hungary.  I don't know why but Hungarians seem to prefer all other nuts to peanuts.  There are plenty of sweets made of walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, and chestnuts.  Peanuts and peanut products are rare.

Tomorrow is All Saints' Day (Mindenszentek).  Dan and I are going to check out a cemetery that is near our apartment.  Don't worry, this isn't a macabre event.  Every grave is decorated with flowers and candles and it is supposed to be very beautiful.  We've had two different people recommend this event to us so I'm sure it will be great.  I found a video online from last year.  I will be sure to post pictures or film from our trip tomorrow.

 

Horn Music!

One of my favorite things about any library is when the give away freebies! I've collected many books, scores, and cds over the years as libraries have upgraded their collection or removed duplicates. I wasn't expecting this situation in Hungary but it happened today.  There were extra copies of some new cds so Dan and I checked them out. I was so excited to find a cd with horn music! Hooray!!

Here is the cd. It is a collection of works by young Slovenian composers brought together by the horn player Saar Berger.  After sampling the tracks, I am definitely looking forward to listening to this music.  Horn and percussion is a pairing that is not used frequently. We need more of it. The music sounds fresh and exciting. I encourage all horns players to check it out!

Also, I'm excited to know another word for horn, rog. :)

Photos and Language

Good news! The photos have been posted from our trip to the American Corner in Pécs.  Dan and I had a wonderful experience. I hope you enjoy the pictures! Click on this link to see them:

https://picasaweb.google.com/acorner314/ConversationClubOctober22


This past week, Dan and I started privately tutoring a student.  It has been very interesting. Our student is a high school boy hoping to go to college in the United States this fall. We're helping him prepare for the spoken portion of the TOEFL test. The title stands for Test Of English as a Foreign Language. His English is already at a very high level. The problem for any person studying a language is finding a conversation partner.  Reading, writing, and listening are all good but they can only help so much.  Speaking the language is the most beneficial.  We have been helping our student by asking him questions and discussing a variety of topics.  Even though we have only met twice, we can already see an improvement.  I can easily relate to our student. Although we're here in Hungary, we don't have as many opportunities to speak Hungarian as you might think.  In order to keep my Hungarian progressing, I'm going to start Hungarian lessons soon. I have been studying on my own but I think having a person to help me will be better. I'm looking forward to my lessons and I will let you know how they go!

Pécs - Day 2

On Thursday, we decided to see as much of Pécs as possible before our trip back to Budapest.  It was an amazing day! First, we ate breakfast at our hotel.  When we came down to the lobby, there were two place settings set for me and Dan.  We helped ourselves to the food, just like in an American hotel, but the fancy place setting made it special.  Our first stop was the Cathedral.

It was beautiful!! I took so many pictures that it was hard to choose which ones to show. Unfortunately, I can't post them all.  The inside has gorgeous paintings of the Bible stories, apostles, and saints. Here is one picture from the inside.

 Underneath the cathedral is a crypt. It is also beautifully painted.

After the cathedral, we went to the Cella Septichora.  This UNESCO World Heritage Site is an ancient Christian burial ground from the 4th century! This first picture shows the remaining walls from the Cella Septichora.  It was a "sepulchral building with a unique floor plan with seven apses; it was not used for burial purposes."

There were two main burial chambers to see inside the building. The artwork was shocking because it's in such excellent condition.  Here is the information they provided us: 

"Burial chamber I (Peter-Paul): discovered in 1782, this late 4th-century chamber consists of an above-ground chapel, the subterranean burial chamber proper, with religious wall paintings, and a small vestibule leading to the burial chamber. It is cut into the slope of the Mecsek hills.

Burial chamber II (Wine Pitcher Chamber): a two-storey structure, with limestone walls and brick vaulting. On the wall of the niche carved above the sarcophagus there is a painting of a wine pitcher and glass, symbolizing the thirst of the soul journeying to the netherworld."

The picture below shows the ceiling of the Peter-Paul chamber. We were able to enter a small room below the chamber and look up through a glass ceiling. I actually gasped when I saw it. 

One of the burial sites included a sarcophagus which held the remains and this glass pitcher.  It's amazing to think they could make a pitcher out of glass in the 4th century.

In several sections of the Cella Septichora, they pointed out the use of the Christogram in the paintings and carvings. Dan and I were unfamiliar with this symbol.  This picture shows part of our guidebook which explained the design and meaning.

After the Cella Septichora, we visited the ancient Christian mausoleum.  This structure is also from the 4th century. There are paintings and carvings which have been preserved. On the left, you can see depictions of Adam and Eve and Daniel with lions.

Now for the romantic part of the day. There is a street in Pécs with a lock-wall.  The origins aren't romantic.  Apparently a student once returned his lock to the school by just putting it on the fence.  However, a tradition started for couples in love.  When a couple puts a lock on the fence, their love is "locked" together. Of course Dan and I wanted to participate as well. The original sections are completely full of locks so they have built a new structure for additional locks.

This is a picture of the lock we bought and our wedding rings. We were able to write our names on it and our wedding date (July 19, 2014!). I liked this lock because it had a letter S and the little heart makes me think of Hello Kitty.

Our final stop for the day was the Zsolnay Museum.  The Zsolnay family produced ceramic and porcelain products for all sorts of purposes. Their work includes sculpture, vases, dinnerware, figurines, and even architecture.  Zsolnay tiles are found on many famous buildings including the Mátyás Templom in Budapest. Here are a few pictures of my favorites. This first picture is from a well. The ducks have a special glaze where different colors can be seen from various angles.

This picture shows small little tiles in a frame. I was amazed by the detail of the landscapes.

Finally, this is a violin that they had made. We weren't able to get very close to it but it was beautiful. You can see more of their products on these websites: http://zsolnay.com/shop/   http://www.zsolnay.hu/

After the museum, we had to head to the train station for our journey home. Dan and I loved Pécs! The city was beautiful. We particularly enjoyed the slower pace than Budapest.  There were tourists at all of the places we visited but it remained rather quiet. We were often the only two people in a certain area.  It's nice not to be crowded while learning about these amazing pieces of history. I recommend Pécs for everyone! 

Pécs - Day 1

On Wednesday, Dan and I traveled to Pécs in southern Hungary.  The American Corner in Pécs has a English Conversation Club and we volunteered to be their guest native English speakers.  Our day began with a three hour train ride.  I enjoyed looking out the window during our ride. Southern Hungary is quite mountainous with lots of trees.  When we arrived in Pécs, we walked to our hotel near the city center.  We were immediately amazed by the beautiful architecture.  In the center of the city is the Mosque of Pasha Qasim.  The Turkish architecture stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding buildings.  It serves as a Catholic church today.  Unfortunately, it was under construction so we were unable to go inside.  This picture was our first sight of the mosque.

You will also notice a giant horse statue in the picture. This is a new addition to the city.  There is currently a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit in Pécs. The horse statue is something da Vinci had hoped to make himself.  A modern artist constructed this massive statue according to da Vinci's design.  

After we checked into our hotel and ate lunch, we walked to the Zsolnay Cultural Corner, the home of the American Corner.  During the Conversation Club, we talked about books, movies, food, and traditions with about 13 people. We had so much fun! The one hour event lasted about three hours. Getting to know the Hungarian people has been our favorite part of this Fulbright experience so far. Yes, my research is going well and the sights are great but the people are my favorite.  After speaking with people hoping to improve their English, Dan and I are always amazed at how exceptional their skills already are.  I wish my Hungarian was as good as their English. We have a few more events like this lined up but I hope we can do more.  I enjoy getting to know people and learn about their lives. 

Silence

One of the things that always surprises me in Hungary in the silence.  I first noticed it when I visited last summer.  When I was in Balatonfüred in August 2013, it was incredibly hot.  It was above 40 celsius every day of my trip. Everyone opened their windows at night to cool off.  As I tried to go to sleep I was surprised about how quiet it was. Nothing. Every now and then, I could hear someone cough in the distance or maybe I could hear someone's steps on a street a few blocks down.  Surprisingly, it's the same here in Budapest. At night, our neighborhood is silent. There was one day when I woke up around 6 and I opened the windows. I just looked out at the street and heard nothing.  It's amazing. I can't decide if it's unnerving or refreshing, maybe both.  Most places in Hungary do not have air conditioning. There is no "white noise" of constant machinery or people. Back at my old apartment, there were times when I would arrive home late at night and it was never quiet. There were always sounds of air conditioners and heaters.  If they weren't running, I could always hear a hum from the vehicles on the interstate.  This makes me wonder how much sound is going through my ears back home.  I've noticed here that I can hear one person walking down the street. One car driving down our street seems incredibly loud. Of course there are other factors at play.  Dan and I have noticed the lack of animals. There are pigeons on the high traffic streets but otherwise we haven't seen any other birds, squirrels, or even bugs.  I don't know that I have even heard or felt wind near our apartment.  The most air movement is felt waiting in the subway. Also, all of the buildings are made of cement. I guess it is the ultimate sound-proof material or something. I'm not quite sure.  I never realized how much sound I'm used to hearing until it is gone.

Messiaen

Last Sunday evening, Dan and I attended the Hungarian premiere of Olivier Messiaen's Des Canyons aux étoiles.  Concerto Budapest performed the piece at the stunning grand hall of the Liszt Academy. It was a wonderful performance.  I have studied Messiaen's works in school but this was the first time I have heard one of his orchestral pieces live. My focus was naturally on the horns.  Yet my focus often turned to the piano and percussion as well.  The percussion had their own set-up in the choir loft of the hall and two percussionists even performed at the front of the stage.  The pianist was a very young gentleman. I thought he was fantastic! The piano part is very prominent with many solos. One of the other main solos is an entire movement for solo horn. (This movement is actually the only part of the piece which I had heard before.) The solo was played by Szabolcs Zempléni.  We had heard him play the Ligeti Horn Trio just two days prior.  I was inspired by his performance.  He played entirely from memory.  The grand hall at the Liszt Academy has wonderful acoustics. His high notes had amazing resonance.  The horn section also impressed me.  Just like the last time I heard Concerto Budapest, I was struck by their balance and blend. The most unfortunate part of the performance is that program does not list the personnel. Who are these horn players? I want to know more about them! Can I take lessons with them? Des Canyons aux étoiles begins with a horn solo so I was hooked from the start. The first horn, shown on the right in the picture below, was playing a type of horn that I have never seen.  (I apologize for the horrific picture from my phone)

In my dream world, the program would list the personnel but also other fascinating information such as the make/model of their instruments.  Since Sunday I've been trying to find information about this type of horn but I still have no idea. It is not the traditional Kruspe/Geyer wrap horn. Nor is it a Vienna horn. Whatever it is, the first horn player and this instrument had an amazing sound.  It was incredibly full, rich and smooth. It is the way I hope to sound. I would be curious to hear it up close and perhaps try this instrument myself.

Here is a recording so you can hear the piece yourself. If you have a free hour and a half, go ahead and listen to the entire piece.  My favorite moments are the following:

The opening horn solos in "The Desert" - 0:00 - 3:48
The solo horn movement "Appel interstellaire (Interstellar Call)" - 27:18 - 35:02
The end - 1:06:49 to the end
1:06:49-1:10:50 = Perhaps Messiaen's music here inspired the NBC theme and the T-Mobile ditty. ;)
1:10:50 - This is the amazing unison horn line. It gloriously rang through the hall!