It’s Almost Time to Go Home…

When I began writing this entry, we had two weeks left of our time in Croatia.  Now we only have a week!  We realize there are many parts of Croatia that we haven’t seen; and they are all worth our time, or anyone’s time.  But…we’re tired and know we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the history and beauty of these sites and cities.  The trips would involve too many hours in the car and we just don’t feel inspired to complete any more long road trips.  Living in Pula on the Istrian peninsula means driving further to get to the rest of Croatia and the first two hours of these trips involve one lane highways due to construction.  Those first two hours should only take 45 minutes!  So, we’re staying in Pula and visiting more historic sites here and getting in some beach time.  Oh, and Steve is still working!  He’s proof reading the galley pages for the next edition of one of his books.

For those who are interested, the tourist regions of Croatia are generally divided into: Istria with Pula and Brijuni Islands and Pazin and Poreč; Kvarner with Rijeka and Opatija and several islands like Pag and Krk; Lika - Karlovac with Gospić and Karlovac and Plitvice Lakes National Park; Dalmatia with Zadar, Šibenik, Split, Hvar Island, many other islands, and the Krka Waterfalls National Park; Central Croatia with Zagreb and other locations; and Slavonia with several cities also.  It would have been nice to see more of the Dalmatia and Slavonia regions but time, energy and other personal resources were getting low!!!   And don’t forget the islands of Croatia.  I think the tourist books for Croatia should include a separate entry for the islands of Croatia – 1,244 of them!  Many of these islands have lighthouses on them with units to rent.  Now that would be a unique vacation!

Meanwhile, staying in Pula we visited some sites new to us and returned to some favorite places too. 

Naval Cemetery.  The Naval Cemetery, dating from 1866, is the site where 150,000 soldiers from the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (until 1918) were buried. This cemetery holds the remains of soldiers from before World War I through World War II and even those who died after World War II.  We saw several monuments that marked the burial site for women in this cemetery too.  And many have photos attached to the monuments that I found fascinating...

Tunnels/Underground Shelters in Pula.  One short section of the extensive tunnel system opens in mid-June every year.  Construction of the tunnels began just prior to World War I and was completed during the war.  After the Great War, the Italian rulers expanded the network.  The tunnels and shelters were dug under all the hills in the inner city.  Rooms were built for ammunition storage and storage of other military equipment, men’s quarters, and a prison to hold captured soldiers.  After World War II, the tunnels were designated as shelters for the civilian population and as emergency hospitals.  Pula’s tunnels and underground shelters can hold 50,000 people! 

Church and Monastery of St. Francis of Assisi.  This monastic complex was built in the 14th century at the site of a previous cultic edifice. The Franciscan community was first recorded in Pula in the 13th century. The church was built in 1314 in the late Romanesque style with Gothic ornaments, as a firm and simple building of the preaching Franciscan order.  The columns on the first floor of the cloister are identical but each column on the second story is a different shape.

Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This is usually referred to as “the Cathedral” and was built at the site where Christians gathered in the time of their persecution (until the 4th century).  Inside the church you can still see fragments of the floor mosaic from the 5^th – 6^th centuries with memorial inscriptions of worshippers who paid for the decoration.  From the notes I read about this church, I think it was destroyed three different times, once by fire, and always rebuilt!

Communal Palace.  This was the seat of the municipal government since Roman rule and is located in what was once the Forum.  During Venetian rule it was the seat of the duke.  Municipal government offices are once again located in this building.  The building includes several architectural styles:  Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque. 

Chapel of St. Maria Formosa.  It is one of the two chapels built in the 6th century as part of a large Benedictine abbey demolished in the 16th century. The floor and walls were decorated with mosaics, some of which are now in the Archaeological Museum of Istria.   (Remember those photos of mosaics I took awhile ago when in the Museum?)

Floor Mosaic, The Punishment of Dirce.  I tried to find this but gave up – it got too hot!  But it’s an interesting story, and here it is:  “After the bombing of World War II remains of Roman houses with mosaics were found under the block of houses around the Chapel of St. Maria Formosa. The most impressive one is surely the floor mosaic with the central field presenting the mythological scene of the “Punishment of Dirce” (Amphion and Zethus are tying Dirce to an enraged bull, since out of envy Dirce had been cruel to their mother, Antiope.) This figural scene presents the central field of a large floor mosaic composition (12 m x 6 m). The entire mosaic composition is divided into two equal sections with altogether 40 decorated areas dominated by geometrical patterns with animal details (fish and bird). The mosaic covered the floor of a central room of a Roman house, probably from the 3rd century. It has been preserved at the site where it was found, so that the level of house floors in the Roman times, which is 2 m below today’s level, is clearly visible.”

For more photos go to:

https://picasaweb.google.com/100390625521976559356/WalkingAroundPulaPart402

And now I’m off to the beach.  Only a few days left to enjoy the beautiful, blue, crystal clear Adriatic Sea.

Impressions

One of the funniest comments we heard on this trip was from a couple from Calgary, Canada.  We met them at Eagle’s Nest in Germany and we were exchanging stories about the good and the not so good of traveling.  Before continuing I must apologize to Italians and Italy even though the comment has some truth in it.  The subject of Italy came up and the man said, “Italy has millions of visitors every year and only 4 public toilets!”  He’s not too far from the truth, and be sure you have coins with you because you have to pay for the privilege of using one of these toilets.  And to make matters worse, the women’s toilets are often stand up toilets or regular toilets with no seats!  Tricky business in Italy for women…To be fair, many countries in Europe require payment to use their toilets but you usually get a seat with it!  And yes, you must use the word toilet or WC (water closet), not “bathroom.”

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While in Skradin on the Krka River in Croatia we had an enlightening conversation with the owner of a souvenir shop.  He owned 2 shops and when we were walking back to the boat at 11 PM, he was just closing up!  He mentioned he has a mechanical engineering degree but when he graduated, “nobody cared.”  In other words, there were no jobs available so he’s made his own way to succeed here in Croatia.  He also told us that over 50% of the population receives a pension, including those who fought in the war in the 1990’s.  That explains the crowded café bars.  Many of these people are still young enough to work but choose not to.  And unemployment in Croatia is rather high, almost 20%.   This was one smart young man.  He went on to tell us about this region of Croatia.  This area was an important outpost for the Roman Empire with the Krka River and easy access to the Adriatic.  He’s very proud of his country and wants to see things improve here.  And we also hope with him that the job situation and economy also improves here in Croatia.

                     Souvenirs for 5 Kuna each (approx. 1 USD)

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The previous paragraph mentioned the crowded café bars here in Croatia.  You can see lots of people enjoying beer, wine or some type of coffee as early as 8AM.  Yes, beer and wine at 8 AM!  What an unusual site for this small town girl from Oklahoma.   

The coffee comes in a small cup and that’s all you get, no refills here or anywhere in Europe.  So, we’ve been wondering what these people talk about that they stay in the café for a couple of hours as it only takes about 5 minutes to drink the coffee.  We’re still not sure but we’ve been told that more work gets done here drinking coffee than anyplace else.  Guess that means “networking” is big here!  When trying to get something done here, who to call and who not to call is complicated!   Oh, and did I mention that smoking is all the rage here too; lots of coffee and lots of cigarette smoking in these café bars.

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Now, on to the food.  I do love the Green Market in the City Center.  The produce is so fresh.  The grocery stores have fruits and veggies too but they’re not as fresh or as varied as at the outdoor market.  I think there are no GMOs here – genetically modified organisms, unless they are labeled as such (same for EU countries).   Wish the US would require labeling for GMOs!  I’ve been able to eat all kinds of vegetables without any problems, which is not the case back in the US.  That’s why I think there are no GMOs here.  My system must not like GMOs which, unfortunately, are hard to avoid in the US.

                              One of the fruit stands at the Green Market, Pula, Croatia

                              Mostly veggies in this aisle of the Green Market

 There is also a huge fish and meat market next to the Green Grocer’s Market.  The fish is fresh every morning and they will fillet the fish for you.  Can’t ask for more than that, unless it’s to have someone cook it for you too!  And Istrian beef is really, really good; always tender.  Cheese vendors are also in the meat market.

 Okay, now for the olive oil, cheese, honey, and wine.  All excellent here too!  Venders at the Green Market sell a variety of olive oil and honey.  You can sample these to decide which ones you want.  Yes, it’s just like wine tasting!  This part of Croatia is also famous for its wine, both red and white.  Although some insist it’s only the Istrian white wines that are famous.

                   Lots of different kinds of honey for sale at the Green Market.

Summer Vacation, Week 2

Still in Hungary, Still Enjoying!

If Prague is the city of a thousand spires, then Debrecen is the city of a thousand fountains.  Well, we didn’t really find 1,000 fountains but we did see at least 12.  It was fun to watch the kids enjoying all of them.  I’m sure there were more, we just didn’t get to every street in Debrecen!  We did find two large shopping centers with food courts and had a delicious gyros meal at one of the little restaurants.  Sadly, we didn’t find any clothes to buy…the shops all catered to young people with expensive tastes…and so many shoe stores; we didn’t need any new shoes!

Debrecen is the second largest city in Hungary with about 250,000 people.  The main museum I wanted to spend some time in, the Deri, was closed.  And will be closed until September.  I have a feeling I won’t be the only disappointed visitor to Debrecen!  The Deri museum includes items about the history of Hungary as well as Hungarian art.  So, we went to the Ferenc Medgyessy Memorial Museum, a famous Hungarian sculptor and were somewhat disappointed with that too.  The actual sculptures are all over the city and in other cities in Hungary.  The museum contained the sketches and models of the sculptures and a woman from the museum followed us into every room and watched our every move.  Very unpleasant.  But it was very pleasant to come upon these sculptures when walking around the city!

Don't know if it's my computer or me or the Picasa web site, but I am unable to include photos in this post.  The photos can be found at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/100390625521976559356/HungaryDebrecenAndThePuszta

and

https://picasaweb.google.com/100390625521976559356/HungaryBudapest2011

Our trip to the Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta was a success.  Driving around the Hungarian plains reminded us of driving through Kansas, only not as dry.  I’ve never seen such huge fields full of hay bales and other huge fields of corn.  We went to the Mata Stud Farm for a horse drawn wagon ride to see some of what the Hungarian cowboys and herdsmen do.  These are the Nonius horses, the traditional Hungarian horse breed.  The horse show is quite spectacular.  The horses are trained from a very young age to not move at the sound of gunfire (imitated by the special whips they swing around above the men’s heads).  A few of the highlights:  the horses lay down gently unseating their rider and remain motionless when the whip is cracked; the cowboys stand on the backs to 2 horses and “ride” around with 5 horses attached to each other, 3 horses in front and 2 in the back with the rider standing on the backs of the 2 horses.

The pigs were fun to watch as they all came running up from the reeds and creek covered in mud to eat.  These pigs are a special cross-breed from Serbian and Hungarian pigs that produce low cholesterol meat and bacon.  This cross-bred pig is an endangered species so don’t expect to find it in your grocery store any time soon! 

Photos can be found at: https://picasaweb.google.com/100390625521976559356/HungaryDebrecenAndThePuszta

Our next stop was Budapest.  We’d been there in the early 1980’s and were curious to see what it was like after Mr. Gorbachev tore down the wall.  Our hotel was near Buda Castle and we decided that was a good place to be.  We walked all over this area for 2 days and had enough of the crowds by then.  Although by 5:00 PM the crowds disappeared and it was possible to stroll around with unimpeded views then.  So many statues within the walls of Buda Castle and all with a story to tell!   

A few of the unconventional sights within Buda Castle to visit are the Labyrinth and the Hospital in the Rock with a bunker system for the medical staff.  The Labryinth is a system of tunnels under the castle that were built in the Middle Ages.  Very dimly lit and interesting.  I’m always amazed that things like this were built so long ago and are still standing.  How long will things last that are being built today?

Posters all over the streets within Buda Castle announce the Hospital in the Rock…so we just had to check it out.  Well, there were no directions on how to get to this hospital and we almost gave up several times.  We knew it was in the castle wall somewhere.  We eventually asked 4 different people and got 4 different answers on where it was.  But finally we found it and just in time for the tour.  This hospital was used in World War II, in the 1956 revolution, and in the 1960’s when the bunkers/nuclear fall-out shelters were equipped.  The bunkers are still filled with first aid kits and the hospital areas are still set up with an operating room, X-ray machine, beds, etc.  Kind of bizarre and very cold for a hospital but lives were saved here and that’s what counts.

One of the men we asked for directions to the Hospital in the Rock inquired what else we’d seen.  We were able to mention several places and he seemed pleased that we took such an interest in the historic sites.  Then he told us about the remains of a church we’d just seen.  He was very emotional when talking about this church.  The church managed to survive destruction during World War II but the Russians destroyed it when they took over Hungary after the war.  They only left part of the Mary Magdalene tower standing…and did not touch the German church at all.   It reminded us that life had been very hard here for a long time and how fortunate we are to be Americans.

We found the people in Hungary to be friendly and very helpful, especially when Steve would begin by speaking Hungarian.  He could follow what they said to him but had a little difficulty sometimes coming up with the Hungarian words he wanted to say in response to their questions.  All in all, not bad for someone who hasn’t spoken the language in several decades!

Photos at: 

https://picasaweb.google.com/100390625521976559356/HungaryBudapest2011

Summer Vacation in Hungary

And loving it!

For those who are wondering why Hungary…Steve’s mother and her family arrived in the US in the 1920’s and there was still lots of Hungarian spoken around the house when he was a little boy.  He’s been curious about his Hungarian language skills.  Many years ago we were in Budapest and enjoyed the city.  So, we thought we’d see other parts of the country this time.  Turns out he understands a lot more than he can say but he’s picking up more and more vocabulary every day.

However, our banking skills leave a little to be desired…We needed more Euros so went to an ATM.  We requested 100 Euros and out came 100,000 – Wow!  Didn’t know we had that much money!!!  We’re rich, we’re rich!!!  Uh-oh, those aren’t Euros.  What are they?  How about some Hungarian Forints?  Didn’t have a clue how much these were worth; had to go back to the hotel and get online and check with a currency converter.  OK, we’re finally ready to spend a little money… In our defense, in Germany the ATMs give you Euros not German Marks so we thought it worked the same way in Hungary because they are both EU countries.  Turns out we needed the Forints anyway because many places don’t take credit cards or Euros in Siofok!  

                    Reliving the 1950's at Lake Balaton

Lake Balaton is lovely.  Sandy bottom, shallow water for almost a quarter mile out from the shore, peaceful, sailboats, swans, ducks, uncrowded, water not too cold.  How could you not want to spend a few days here relaxing and unwinding after a busy and sometimes stressful semester.  That was our first two days here.  Our hotel is a 10 minute walk to the lake, a 10 minute walk to the City Center, and a 10 minute walk to McDonald’s.  We love it when a plan comes together!

                      Windy Day at Lake Balaton

Oh, before I forget – we only needed one GPS to get here and arrived without any dramas.  Happy travelers are we!

After two sunny days in Siofok, we had to ask ourselves, “What to do for two rainy, cold, very windy summer days at Lake Balaton?”  We went to the Egg Museum!  Yes, that’s right, the Egg Museum:  a small place with beautifully decorated eggs in the Eastern European tradition, along with replicas of several Fabergé eggs.  In addition to the painted eggs, there were also eggs with carved patterns in the shells.  We have no idea how this is done as English was not spoken here.  

Back to the hotel for the umbrella so we could continue to explore.  Hooray!  We found the boardwalk, or promenade!!!  It’s made with paving stones here, not wood, with lots of shops, restaurants, and video arcades; a fun way to spend a rainy, windy, and cold afternoon.  

Next day, Herend Porcelain.  Herend is about an hour from Siofok and we spent a very pleasant day there.  The museum has so many beautiful pieces from its 185 years of making porcelain.  And on the tour we learned why Herend Porcelain is so expensive:  it is a very labor intensive production process.  They have a 3 year training program for their 1700 employees.  Of these 1700, over 600 are painters.  If you buy a set of dishes or a set of something else, and you want to replace broken pieces, if the original painter is still working for Herend, they will use that same painter for your replacement pieces!!!   It can take up to 8 hours to paint one plate, depending on the pattern.  And some of the large vases or figurines can take a month to paint.  And that’s not counting the time it takes to produce the vase or figurine and prepare it for painting!  

160 years ago, Queen Victoria ordered a set of dishes with butterflies and peonies.  This is now one of Herend’s signature patterns and comes in many variations and color combinations.  A new, modern style of this pattern has also been created and a set was given to William and Kate as a wedding gift. 

Another signature pattern of Herend is the scaled design, or fishnet design, on the VH figurines and ornaments.  This began in the 19^th century and continues to be a big seller for them.  The Herend porcelain zoo now contains over 400 pieces.  And every year it becomes more colorful using gold, platinum, and blended colors.

We enjoyed seeing how they made the porcelain pieces and how they are put together and prepared for painting.  And to watch the painters is to watch pure talent!   

                          Say “Hello” to my little friend!

          

                    Good Night, and Good Bye Lake Balaton.

Click on the link below to see my photos of Lake Balaton, Siofok, and Herend Porcelain.

https://picasaweb.google.com/100390625521976559356/Hungary2011