Budapest, Hungary

Today we entered Hungary, where part of my heritage is from. We sailed half the day, I actually slept in this am and missed breakfast!! I have to say the meals have been very good and I'm getting used to eating 3 full meals a day...and my waistline is showing it!!
Harry, on the other hand, is doing awesome and getting up at 5:30am, going to the top deck and working out. He has some exercise bungees that he uses as well as walking the deck. Tonight I joined him for some laps and I got a blister on my foot...not good.

I hope it doesn't bother me tomorrow...we have a full day in Budapest and I am thrilled! My Mom and I were there about 12 years ago and I never thought I'd return. We loved it then and I'm sure I'll feel the same again. It will be wonderful to see how it has changed, since we were there not long after the communists left.

Today was Kalocsa, a small rural town. We didn't arrive until the afternoon. We went on a Puszta Excursion to see their horse farm. It was wonderful to watch the cowboys, in their native dress ride their horses. There were teams of horses, from 2 to 4 to 6 to 8, racing around the arena. They wore wonderful costumes with their regional hats. Their were white oxen with long horns also pulling a 100 yr. old wagon. The highlight was the young man who had a team of 8 horses and he was standing on the last 2 and galloping them around the arena. It's something you may seen on the National Geographic station or magazine..very ancient and amazing. A pictures will certainly be a thousand words and it will make more sense seeing it.

At most of our excursions, they either feed us or give us cold drinks or wine. Today, since we were in Paprika country, they had homemade bread with paprika sprinkled on it along with their regional wine. I was able to buy some paprika to bring home. I did that the last time I was here and it was very good.

We then went to the town and were treated to a pipe organ concert at their huge Catholic Church!!!! It was terrific. When the organ played you could feel it to your soul!

This followed a quick stop at a restored, typical peasant's home. I just tried to imagine what my great grandparent's home looked like when they lived in this part of the world. I wish I had known them and also had asked my grandma and relatives more about what they had heard about the "old country" as they would call it.
So,I'll try to enter info tomorrow night, but we don't leave the city until after 9pm...so we'll see.