The Last Oink

I almost lost my lunch in the grocery store today.

I have never enjoyed grocery shopping, and this distaste has only been exacerbated during my time in Hungary. Whether it's the grumpy checkout ladies who scold me when I forget to weigh my vegetables, the other customers who scowl at me when I have the temerity to pay by credit card or buy more than 10 items at a time, or worst of all - the sheer lack of healthy foods. The onlyfruits/vegetables I can count on being fresh and in stock are tomatoes, potatoes and the occasional mushroom. Spinach, crisp apples, lettuce - forget it. Vegetarians are not welcome here.

Another experience that can be daunting is meat shopping. Before I learned my words for sheep and cow, I often bought ground sheep rather than beef. Also, I get a little squeamish when my animal products actually retain traces of animal, like when my eggs have feathers stuck to them or there's blood on chicken breasts, etc. (And yes, I know I should be a vegetarian or spend ample time on a farm.) Anyhow, today, I had the worst experience at a meat counter to-date. I was waiting in line to order chicken breasts (this is the old-fashioned meat market where nothing is prepacked and the butcher fixes everything for you - usually with bare hands). The lady in front of me ordered pigs feet!!! I started to watch as the butcher grabbed from a tray of severed Babe limbs - separating hooves that got stuck together.

Exihibt A:
It was horrible. It looked like the pigs could have been alive yesterday, and all that was missing from the legs was blood. I started to gag and had to leave the meat counter. Needless to say, I didn't get my chicken. I know pickled pigs feet are eaten in the US too, and it is not a Hungarian specialty. But, I've never seen them in person. It's still gross, right?

Plitvice Lakes National Park

During my road trip through Croatia with my sister and brother-in-law, we made a stop at
the Plitvice Lakes National Park, a UNESCO Heritage site. This national park is simply stunning. Ireland may be known for its myriad shades of green, but this site was a breathtaking second. During a three-hour hike, we saw a new waterfall with each turn of the trail, endless turquoise pools of water and crimson fall trees.

Here is a video of footage we shot during the tour of the park.

Sea Organs and Labyrinths

In October, I welcomed many visitors to Budapest, including my Aunt Elaine from Kansas City, my cousin Jessica from Berlin, and my sister and brother-in-law, Nicole and Nat, from Sun Valley, Idaho. We tromped around all of Budapest's major landmarks and even went underground into the castle district's labyrinths - a tourist trap I had not yet enjoyed. The picture above is of my sister and aunt next to the labyrinth's wine fountain, which represents the myriad wine cellars of the region. Unfortunately, no sampling was allowed.

Besides touring Budapest, I took Nicole and Nat on a road trip through Croatia. We stopped in Zagreb so I could show them my flat and beloved town, and then we went to Zadar, a small coastal town. Despite driving around for hours trying to find our apartment (which is a prerequisite to any trip to Croatia), our stay in the peaceful city was lovely. Our accommodations were right on the water and were gorgeous - this is a picture taken from our driveway.


Like the other charming coastal Croatian towns I've visited, Zadar had ancient Roman churches, city centers composed of narrow, winding streets and cobblestone walkways. The old part of town was on a peninsula, so it was easy to get to the sea, which we did to sit and watch the sunset. Alfred Hitchcock once said Zadar had the world's most beautiful sunsets, and I'm inclined to agree.





However, the highlight of the charming city was its sea organ, which trumped even the sunset. It is an experimental instrument activated by undulating waves and wind. On the surface, it just looks like marble stairs, but underneath the stairs are tubes that emit sound as water rushes into them. As air in the tubing is displaced, it plays a note and the pitch resounds through a hole in the marble stairwell. The resulting noises are soothing although chaotic. I found it completely mesmerizing. Here is a video of it.

Budapest Boo!

Of the many American exports abroad, Halloween has to be the most revelatory, and I am proud to be a seasoned celebrator of the day. Even since 2005 when I first lived in Europe, I am amazed at how this holiday has burgeoned - bringing along the jack-o-lanterns, creative costuming and parties that can do little but spread some ghoulish amity. Plus, it provides a nice juxtaposition to the somber All Souls Day on November 1, a holiday that I blogged about last year and one I think we should import back to the US.



This year I threw on a flapper costume, dragged Mike out in his "Texan" costume and went to an amazing party at an old mansion on Andrassy ut, one of the most famous drags of the city. The Colorado-native host (who went as a pharaoh for the evening) is Mike's business associate, and he opened his whole building for the occasion. There were cobwebs galore wrapped around the four-story building's giant antique stairwell and a spooky darkened entrance with fake smoke billowing out into the street. The floors were covered by chalk outlines of bodies and eerie messages were spelled out in blood on the mirrors - this, complete with karaoke on one floor and a DJ and filled dance floor on the other, made it quite a blowout.




One of the truly eerie elements of this evening is that the offices in which the party was held also used to be headquarters of both the Nazi and Communist parties. It is situated right next to the Terror Museum, also part of the former headquarters, which is now a museum dedicated to the grizzly aspects of the former reigns. Our host told us that there are even still prison cells in the basement. Also, he showed us the secret panels in his office which hide SS safes. This may be my only Halloween party I attend in what I'm sure is a bona fide haunted house.