Inside

I joined a tourist group to see the main parts of Parliament. It was in English but the lady 'babbled' in a strong accent so I hardly understood half of what she said!

The centre is the Dome which encompassed the Ceremonial Hall. Photography is banned there. Under the centre of the Dome there is a large glass protective case. Inside are the old Crown Jewels including King Stephen's crown. He lived from 1000 to 1038 and founded the Hungarian state.

Two guards stand on each side. Grim faced and with drawn swords. Try to get to the crown and I am sure you will lose a hand :-(  No-one tried. The swords looked very sharp! Around the Dome on its arches you can find statues of different Hungarian Kings and Queens.

Like the English Parliament, the Hungarian one is bi-cameral. Left of the Dome you can see the former House of Peers (peers no longer exist)  and right of the dome is the House of Deputies. It is still in use for that is where the MPs sit.

The Parliament is 265 metres long, 123 metres wide and the height of the Dome is 96 metres above the pavement. When completed it was one of the largest buildings in the world. In all, it has 152 rooms.  You can enter it through any of 17 gates, given they are not locked!

 Go and see for yourself when you visit Budapest. It's worth it!

Parliament

The centre of Budapest on the Pest side is dominated by a large, ornate building. It is the Hungarian Parliament. I have always liked it with other buildings around and opposite on the Buda hills.

We left for Budapest the day after Opa's party. Time for John to see a bit of culture. I went on a special tour of the building, sailed past it on an evening cruise boat and admired it from the Buda hills. Let's start with the building.

During the 19th century ruling and business elites were able to wrest more power from the ruling Habsburg Kings to create the Dual Monarchy of Austria and Hungary. Against this background of rising nationalism and economic power, the decision was made to build a 'Budapest' Parliament. The other was in Vienna.

A competition for its design was launched in April 1882 by a committee. They accepted offers from five renowned architects. Only the one from Imre Steindl was Neo-Gothic. It was accepted in 1884, because an influential member wanted one like the Houses of Parliament in London. Steindl oversaw the construction work, but died just before it was completed.

Jan would have had a great time if he had been around then! Digging the foundations created lots of problems. Mainly flooding from the nearby River Danube. This was finally solved by building a huge layer of concrete into which the foundations were set.

Most of the material came from Hungary, including 40 million bricks and 30,000 cubic metres of dressed stone. Heating came from a boiler house built next door. Building was not completed in time for the ceremony to mark Hungary's millenium in 1896, which was held in a section then completed.

In October 1902, government officials and representatives moved into the building and started work. Work on the inside of the building continued to the end of 1904. Final cost was 37,183.943 crowns which was four times the original budget. Building the new Berlin airport has the same problems :-)






 

Opa's Birthday

We duly arrived from the mountain to relax in the shade offered by grape vines in Opa und Oma's three gardens running from the house to the lake shore. Was I happy to be there, relax and let myself be looked after by different ladies in the family.

Opa celebrated his 81st birthday and I am sure you will agree with me that he does not look that age. He is a very active man. He has lots of things in his weekly diary. In addition to looking after a number of vineyards, making his own wine and 'schnapps', the vegetable gardens, fishing and lots more, he sometimes has time to relax and read the papers.

He and his wife speak very good German. Everyone in the family over 35 spoke German with me. Only Marcel, Alex and their teenage cousins spoke English with me. It is interesting for Alex speaks fluent German and Marcel's German is good enough for him to study in the language. Even so, the younger ones only wanted to speak English with me.

At the party we only spoke German so that no one was excluded from conversation. The younger ones in the family spoke English with me when no other members were present out of respect. I like this. What a pity that the English can only speak one language and with even more mistakes and difficulties than a decade ago!

Opa has a disarming quality about him. He could sell snow to Eskimos! Every morning when I came down for breakfast he would be waiting for me at the table with two glasses and a bottle of the special 'medicine' he had made.

I had to drink two glasses before food was placed in front of me and chewing began. His 'medicine' has to be tasted to be believed. Mmmmmh.....it now sits in the Fish'n Chip and Pork Pie Tasty Heaven!! I could really enjoy a glass or three as I write these words :-)

Here are a few photos of his party for you to enjoy. I am sure you will agree with me that he is a person who really enjoys life and will join with me in wishing him many more years to enjoy it with his remarkable family. Thanks Opa for sharing your special day with me!

Keep Climbing

Just behind Opa und Oma's house is a mountain/rest of a volcano. It is 438 metres high. I climbed it! When I read these words I can still hardly believe it! At my age and with 31°C temperature. It seemed like a good idea at the time :-)

There was a special day. It was Opa's birthday. His daughter Ilonka travelled from the north by train to Budapest. There, son No.1 called Alex(ander) picked her up in his new chicy Mini S Cooper (a la BMW). He drove her to her parents house for her father's birthday. It was a Sunday.

Son No.1 (Alex) and son No. 2 (Marcel) decided they needed a bit of exercise and adventure, and that I needed the same! I was told that we were going to climb the mountain at the back of Badacsony. "Oh, great," I moaned. Off we went.

The 'Boys' were generous and went very slowly so that I could keep up with them. After many stops, and swilling water into my mouth while panting, we arrived at the top. Wonderful views over the lake south of us and we could even see Opa and Oma's house. Here is a photo of them with the view down to the town in the middle.

Here is another of them climbing the mountain and being patient enough to wait for me. I think my loud panting must have slowed them down!  The family were waiting for a call that, "Uncle John has arrived at the top and is still alive", and so Opa's party preparation started.

Szigliget

Szigliget is the next small resort west of Badacsony. There is a railway line next to a road that follows the coast then goes inland into the bay before it runs along the back of the mountain at Szigliget.

Next to the road, and rail track, is a bicycle way. We went on that! You can see a photo of Marcel enjoying a ride on the track.  The mountain is 242 metres high and at 229 metres you will find the ruins of a castle. We headed for that.

We climbed towards the summit and noted the castle was built over a number of years. A hole was dug to find a stream under the mountain, but with no luck. Instead, the engineers built a system to store rainwater. Even so, I would not have liked to stand next to a soldier in the middle of summer who had not bathed since who knows when = water only for drinking :-((

The toilets were also interesting. Just a room with a seat hanging over the side of the castle and a long drop for anything coming out of the body. I wonder if they gave a warning to anyone underneath walking up the track to the castle?

Marcel showed off his skills as a bowman. (See earlier post) He would never have made it into the English army whose bowmen defeated the French cavalry at Agincourt in 1415. I didn't tell him that. He asked me how he had done. I was generous and just smiled and said, "It could be better!"

We had a small beer break to let him get his strength back, for me to go to the toilet and then to walk up the last stretch of the mountain/castle. The view from the top was superb. A memorable view north towards Badacsony and inland to the mountains scattering the landscape.

Actually, they are the remains of volcanos which formed the area millions of years ago. Many people think of Hungary as flat. This wrong idea comes from the area in the middle called the Puszta. This covers about a third of modern Hungary. It is flat grassland (Alföld) around the river Tisza in the east, but extends into western areas.

Hungary has many interesting scenic faces to offer. See for yourself! Marcel also has different faces. I like this shot of him being a five year old again when we found the children's playground on the way down the mountain. Nice!

Hungary

If you have never had a holiday in Hungary then you must add it to 'My Must Do List'.  Sorry for the late posting about my holiday there in the first two weeks of July.

I have just returned from my first session putting election placards onto lamp posts for the SPD. I learnt a few new techniques and had a few laughs with other helpers. On returning home I noted that a storm was brewing so decided against dozing in the garden.

Instead I decided to finally post a few stories about my adventures in Ungarn as we Germans say :-) The locals call it Magyar. The population is about 10 million and it is a very attractive land locked country in what some call 'Middle Europe' and others say 'East Europe'. It may depend on where you are standing at the time as to which one you use :-)

I first went there in 1984 with Sally. I returned to England after a contract in north India. She decided we needed time to get to know each other again so we packed some bags and headed off in her Peugeot 305 estate car in the direction of Vienna for a 10 week tour. It was then that I discovered the joys and delights of Continental Europe.

We had a very memorable holiday at Lake Balaton and so started my love affair with the area, the country and its interesting people.  This time I flew to Budapest. Marcel and father Sandor were waiting for me at the airport. We stayed in his sister's flat in north Budapest before driving to Lake Balaton next day.

We headed for Opa and Oma's nice house on the north shore of the lake in a small resort called Badacsony. It was great to see them and the house again after so many years. I also noted the temperature was heading towards 30°C, but with low humidity so it was bearable. I stayed there a week and did many things.

One was to go on a bicycle ride with Marcel on my third day. Here are a few photos and I shall tell you more in the next post.

August 2013 things

I hope August will be as interesting as July has been! Many things are returning to my diary dates. Activites to help the SPD in the election in September are clear to read. Teaching the oldies on a Thursday afternoon is also there, as is the Oldie Breakfast each Thursday morning.

My doc has allowed me to resume stretching and movement with Kerstin's Senior Group next Friday morning. Things are slowly returning to normal! There are even two meetings with Stefan and my Photoshop Gang in August.

One is at Familie Schröder's Garden House for coffee-cakes and later a 'Grillen' session. A week later we are meeting for a picnic in Britzer Garden, and take photos of the flowers etc. to use in the next series of meetings. Looking forward to all that and seeing their smiling faces again.

Also looking forward to seeing Marcel in Berlin. He arrives with his parents to take a German exam 24 August. His study place at the TU Berlin is riding on this. Fingers crossed! I'm looking forward to seeing the family again and with Marga who has got to know his parents much better this year.

Who has a birthday in August?

Christian will celebrate his 19th in Dublin tomorrow. He shares 1st August with Shirley in St. Augustine who will be a little over 70! Happy memories of my birthday with her and friends in 2012. Here is a nice photo of Judy, Modesta and Shirley taken the evening before my return to Berlin. How I miss the pool and beach :-)

Beatrix hits 40 on 6th August in Köpenick, Jerome will be 19 and celebrate with his family in Marzahn on the 8th.
Peter and Andre celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary on the 9th in Alt-LB. I went to their wedding and can't believe it was so long ago. Nicole with celebrate being 68 on the 21st in a good old French style  - I hope. Jürgen will be 69 on the 24th, Angelika from the Kömische-Oper Orchestra will be 61 on the 25th.
 My sister Pauline will celebrate her 69th birthday with family in Cherry Hinton on the 26th. Dieter will also be 69, but on the 27th. He shares this day with my dear Birgit who died on 27th August 2004.

 Finally, my one and only Jan will be 30 on the 28th August. I hope he manages to make it to Berlin for it would be nice to celebrate such an important birthday with him and his lovely sister Andrea - not to mention his Arancha. Jan shares his day with Bernhard P. who will be 53. I guess he will be somewhere in the world organising part of the next Olympics!
 Wherever you are and whoever you are with -- Have a wonderful day and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EACH AND ALL!

Drama

After talking to Hannelore I cycled to my photocopying shop, then to the Post Office and a supermarket. A drama had taken place on my front garden in my absence!

As I cycled home, I noticed lots of my neighbours standing around in groups and looking at a helicopter. In front was a large red fire-engine and nearby were two police cars with officers.

Sitting on my low front lawn fence were four men from the fire-engine. I asked them what was happening and in a good thick Berlin accent one told me there was an emergency. I could see that for myself so I asked him what about.

He told me he didn't know exactly but they had received an emergency call that an ADAC helicopter had to make a landing in my front garden. He then asked me who I was. I answered in likewise Berlinisch short form that I only lived here, he was sitting on my fence and the drama was taking place in my front garden!

He just smiled and decided to say nothing else. Together we watched the drama unfold. The ADAC is the national emergency service for motorists in trouble, and for picking up accident victims and transferring them to hospitals for emergency operations.

Nothing happened for a while then two men appeared from centre stage right and walked towards the helicopter. They wore the usual emergency uniform and colours and carried what looked like emergency breathing equipment.

They boarded the helicopter. The police and fire engine crews returned to their vehicles and started their motors. The helicopter engine roared louder until it slowly rose into the sky. I took this shot exactly at that time.

As the usual sleepy quiet returned to my front garden, I still didn't know what the drama had been about, but it was interesting while it lasted :-)  What a strange morning I had!

Get well

Get well very soon, Peter!  I got a call mid-morning and was delighted to hear Hannelore's voice. The usual pleasant introduction but something in her voice said all was not well!

She then told me Peter was in hospital. He had a heart attack earlier in the month and an operation. A tube was inserted into a vein leading to his heart. Standard procedure, but it became infected. Lots of treatment, pain and he is still there.

On her recent visit they decided I should be told so that I could try to cancel my flight. I told her about my thrombosis and that on docs orders I had not yet booked my flight. We agreed to keep in regular contact and still try to meet at their house in Claviers in the south of France in early September.

Hope to see you there Peter. Meanwhile, here are some flowers until I can personally present you with some!

Day out

I had a day out today. I went to an S-Bahn station north of where I live and met Johanna. Can I hear my Silsdeners asking who she is? She lives not too far from my place, is a long time friend of Jutta and Gerald and hosted my 1st Birthday Party. See recent posts!

We had arranged this at my 1st Birthday Party and Ursula joined us later. She was also at my party. You can see both in the photopraph. We went to the east of Berlin to one of my favourite areas. I have shown photos about it earlier on my blog.

The last time I went there was last July when Marcel was in town. He liked the area and so did my two fellow cyclists. We stopped the bicycle tour at the top of a lake. Time for lunch. We sat outside with a view onto the northern part of the water.

Much later we mounted our trusty bikes and headed back towards Berlin. We got to a town called Altlandsberg where the skies opened. We made for the nearest bus stop shelter and huddled against the storm.

We donned plastic capes and headed for the nearest S-Bahn station as the rain eased and blue skies slowly appeared again. We ignored this and just talked about the nice parts of the day as we returned to Berlin. We plan another bicycle trip next Wednesday. Watch this space :-)

Ilkley

With a sad heart and lots of hugs I left Cas-Vegas and headed towards Silsden once again. The end of my holiday was not far off.  Before leaving there was one more important thing to do. This was to visit Ilkley.

This town is the home of my mother and her family. It is also where the family grave is. It has now become something of a ritual that I take 'The Girls' to Betty's Tea Shop on The Grove which is the town's famous shopping street.

We all climbed into my car and off we went. I can hear you asking who 'The Girls' are. They are sister Frances, cousin Barbara and an old family friend called Rachel. I write this blog for Frances and Barbara. Barbara is very computer savvy and is an avid reader.

We decided to visit the family grave first and place some flowers there. We dutifully did this before keeping the memory of mother's family alive by going to Betty's. This was a ritual observed by grandmother, my mother and Barbara's mother, all our aunts and cousins. We took them with us again in spirit and talked about them as we sipped tea from china cups, and ate cakes served from silver plates. Nice!

Next day, goodbyes to all and into the car with Geoff's detailed plan of how to get to Liverpool airport. This time I did not get lost :-))) and dutifully returned the car and settled into waiting for my flight to Berlin.

It was a standard, even boring, flight home with only a short wait for my regional train to take me to my home station. The end of a very memorable visit to family and friends in England. Warm thanks to each and all for your time and generosity.

Fatherhood skills

Back in Cas-Vegas and in the family home, Lynne showed her mettle in the kitchen. I was just amazed at how food for 12 people arrived on the table and enjoyed listening to all chat and jokes between each and all.

Later I saw something different, but just as amazing. Peter has a four year old son called Jake. It was getting late and Jake was clearly tired, but would not give in. I think you all know the scene. Jake climbed onto Peter's lap and then said he wanted to hear a story.

Peter opened the book and slowly started to read. Jake settled further into father's chest. Peter told more of the story and you could see how tired Jake was. "Are you ready for bed now?"asked Papa. "Not yet", said Jake. The reading continued,

Suddenly, Peter put his hand into the puppet Mr Punch. In a high voice Mr Punch said, "Hello Jake, you are tired now, aren't you?" Putting his other hand into the puppet Mrs Judy, Peter then started a dialogue with Jake using the puppets.

Jake talked to the puppets all the time and seemed not to notice that Papa was doing all the voices. Finally after lots of persuasion from Punch and Judy, Jake said he was tired and ready for bed. Papa picked him up and gently took him to bed.

I saw the same fatherhood skills in the other sons with Jake and George, who is Paul's son. I talked to Alan and Lynne about where they had picked up such skills. We agreed that a man has such an ability or not. We decided on nature and biology as the source.

Cas-Vegas

The old Roman town of Castleford is affectionately known as 'Cas Vegas' by the 'Bateson Lads and Lasses'. After helping my family to demolish the pork pies, I left next morning for said town. Alan and Lynne and families were waiting for me.

I got there on time and parked my car. There were lots of things to organise before we all got into three cars and headed out. Destination was Scarborough on the east coast of England. Why?

A good question. The three 'Bateson Lads' Daniel, Peter and Paul were in town from Australia and New Zealand. A long way! Yes, indeed but they were there for a special purpose. And prey tell us what that was!

They were all in England to attend the wedding of Paul to Rebecca in Gloucester in early July. Jan and Arancha were also there but I was not. I was booked to fly to Budapest. Daniel had the idea to have some 'special family time' in Scarborough because that was where they spent holiday when they were boys.

I was invited because I was in England at that time, I was their godfather and I would not be at the wedding. Sharing such a special time was more than a treat for me. Thanks Daniel for the great idea and driving me there.

We booked into our hotel just behind the huge Grand Hotel which dominates the seafront. Next stop was the most famous Fish 'n Chips restaurant in town. There I slipped slithers of tasty Atlantic Cod down my throat, in addition to thick cut chips sprinkled with traditional brown vinegar. Mmmmh..can taste it all again!

Wonderful memories of a very special time and with very special people. Here are a few photos to share with you.

Over the tops

With the smell of freshly baked pork pies filling the car, I drove 'over the tops' to Silsden. 

You can go  this way over the hills or take the valley road there. I had almost forgotten what it was like so I took the adventurous route. 

Lots of up and down hills then I came to Kildwick. It is a tiny farming village dominated by Kildwick Hall. I had forgotten how nice it looks on a sunny day, but then most things look nice on a sunny day! 

Here is a shot of the old house. I have no idea who lives there now. Probably one of the new rich robber bankers who invested his bonus here. 

As I drove over the hills and slowly descended into Silsden, I took a few more shots of the valley. Some of you still ask where I am from and what it is like.  Here you can see for yourself. 

I escaped when I was 16. I was one of the lucky ones! Most people say how pretty or attractive it is. Well, er...yes ... er...but not when you are 16 and your 'sap is rising'. Time to explore bigger places!

Missed Food

I did not drive straight to Silden from Cambriadge. I went to Skipton in search of pork pies and books. I always go to a bookshop which sells surplus stock. I got a shock. It was closed as were four other shops nearby!  I rushed to the butchers and found it was open.

I ordered some pork pies for they were still in the oven. With Fish'n Chips, these pork pies from the family butchers' in Skipton are the only two foods I dream about when at home in Berlin - and can't buy them! I miss nothing else about England.

On my return they were waiting for me. I bought a number to share with my family in Silsden. I did as usual. I walked over the road to the churchyard with seats offering a view over the main (market) street.

 So I sat there and sank my teeth into the crispy pie crust and into the still warm pork meat cooked in spices and chewed it further to savor the taste again....and again! Mmmmmh!

Here is a pic of some pork pies and one of me eating battered cod and chips in Scarborough where I later went. Just seeing the photos makes me want to taste them again!

Cambridge

Waving goodbye to Brighton I headed north then east then north again. Took me around London until I  found the road to Cambridge. I had already booked a small 'Pension' in the suburb of Cherry Hinton in the east of the city.

There lives my sister Pauline. I called her from my hotel and we agreed to meet at a pub-restaurant at the end of the road where she lives. I knew she was still recovering from a bad fall which included a broken wrist. She always was prone to falls and accidents. Nothing has changed!

She duly arrived and after greetings we settled down at a table for a meal - and a drink! We exchanged news, details of her family members, and their latest cruise. How strange that two couples in my family started going on cruises when the hit sixty. I wonder why I am not attracted to that kind of holiday?

Due to her falls/accidents she cannot get around as she used to and that is something else we talked about. I added the subject of communication via new(ish) technology such as the internet and e-mails, which they have,  rather that getting into the car and driving somewhere. I got a lukewarm response!

And so a pleasant evening ended and I headed back to my hotel. After a very 'hearty' (deftiges) breakfast, which was also the best I ate during that holiday, I jumped into the car and headed north via the A1. I missed the connection road but picked it up later and duly arrived back in Silsden :-)

Brighton

I drove to Brighton from Hook through small winding roads flanked by trees, fields and the green of early summer in the south of England. I only got lost once so I was clearly making progress!

My target was Mike (see left photo) and Sylvia's large Georgian terrace house near to 7 Dials. Here is a pic with my little car outside the entrance.

I used to live in a flat opposite this house. The reason was to celebrate a number of people being together in London/Brighton for the first time in years.

We all met at Sussex University, graduated and went our separate ways but we always maintained contact. The internet and e-mails later made it easier to do so. Ian was over from Australia (photo above - right), Trish from Turkey und ich aus Deutschland!

We had a great reunion which started in a restaurant and ended at 2:00 am in the house. There was a lot of talking and a range of empty bottles next morning to testify to the splendid time had by all :-)

Next day I put Trish into the car and we paid an unplanned visit to the university. After that I took her to a village near Lewes and knocked on a door. Neil and Barbara got the nice surprise of seeing Trish for the first time in years. The beaming faces show it all!

Baby Girl

I hired a small black Vauxhall in Liverpool for my recent stay in England. Kissing the Audi goodbye, I drove  over the hills and far away only getting lost six times. I finally arrived in Silsden to stay with family.

A welcome plate of Fish'n Chips greeted me. Thanks Geoff! Having consumed that and a good nights sleep I drove to my bank to clarify a number of things. I also picked up some 'Dosh' to see me through the holiday.

Then I hit the road south. It was a long journey made bearable by music from BBC Radio 3. They were celebrating Wagner's 200 year anniversary, so Brünnhilde und Siegfried came down the M1 with me! My destination was Hook.

My nephew and family live there and I wanted to cuddle Bethany, the new addition to the family. I found the house after only getting lost three times. That was not bad given I had only been there once before, and that was two years ago.

It is always a pleasure to walk into their home for it is full of children and warmth. I got my cuddle wish as soon as I arrived. She just smiled at me and said nothing. More big smiles and my heart melted! Here is a photo of the 'Three Treasures'.

A very welcome meal washed down with a tasty glass of red ended an interesting day. Next morning I went with mum and baby to a farm shop where we had coffee before I set off on my travels again.