Our day began with breakfast at the High School, and then we met the Bishop and got a tour of the school, as well as the Unitarian Church. Because Unitarianism came out of the Protestant reform movement, the churches, especially in this part of the world, tend to be very white and bright with little ornamentation. What they do have is beautiful, solid color embroidery decorating everything. Apparently, if you are familiar with the styles, you can identify the embroidery by region. The church in Kolosvar had red embroidery, the church in Okland used blue.
We also saw the stone where Francis David stood and preached a sermon that converted the entire town to Unitarianism. (There has since been some backsliding.) We also toured St. Michael’s church which is the large Catholic church in the main square.
Then: swimming. I was thrilled as it was very hot and sticky and I like nothing more than to be in the water on such a day. We took the bus to the pool which was huge–they had one big pool and two or three smaller ones. There was topless sunbathing (which everyone handled most maturely) but the thing that was the most interesting to me was that the pools had no filter. They were very large cement rectangles with no outlet for all the detritus that comes along with public pools. So while swimming I brushed against all sorts of things.
Post swimming we broke up into smaller groups. Dana and I found a post office, which was thrilling as I had been trying to mail my postcards for days, and then wandered down to look at the Orthodox church, where these two women were chatting. I wonder how old they are? They could, conceivably, be in their early 60s as old people there tend to look older than their age would suggest.
On this day, Sara, was kind enough to drive me to Leesburg to visit my childhood friend. That’s us there, myself, Becky and her son, Thompson. As you may guess from the picture, Thompson is about to have a new brother. It was a lovely visit, I hadn’t seen Becky since her wedding in 2000. I also really like this picture. Double thanks, Sara. Becky gave us directions to lunch which we found quite easily once I realized that we weren’t lost at all, I was just reading the Mapquest directions incorrectly. I liked that the Hunter’s Head advertised Beef Liver & Onions right on their sign. As if that is something people often look for in a restaurant.
After lunch (I had Colcannon) we stopped to take a picture of this lovely church.
We drove to Oatlands, but were not super inclined to take the tour. We wandered the grounds but were not allowed past this point without tickets. So this is my picture of the house. You can see the actual house on the link.
Returning home, I got to go to Costco with Sara and Shawn. It was pretty interesting. They introduced me to the “spot the diplomat corps car” game, and the parking lot was one you had to pay to park, unless you got your parking stub validated. I’ve never seen that in conjunction with a Costco. Costco itself is always a bit overwhelming to me–all that large quantity of food–so that was a tourist attraction in and of itself.
What took the cake (took the chocolate slab?) was the large, solid chocolates molded in the form of the Pentagon. They had them in the shape of the US Capitol and the White House, which I get, but would you want a solid chocolate form of the Pentagon? That place where wars are planned and executed? It’s a little odd.
After Costco, the three of us attended Away We Go. Our ticket seller was perhaps part snail; he was the slowest clerk I’ve encountered in a long time.
Today was a very long day of travel across the Hungarian plain. We said goodbye to our host families in the morning, and climbed on the bus. The bus turned out to not really have air conditioning, and it was a very hot and long day.
Our first stop was at the Hortobagyi Pasztormuzeum. This is a small museum, but one of my favorites on the trip. Until the communist era, the area around the museum was a great range where different kinds of animals were raised by herdsmen. They have traditional costumes on display–including the very cool coats they used to wear. I am having trouble finding a picture of the coats, but have discovered what we had for lunch. It was delicious, and one of my favorite meals of the trip. I also learned at this museum, that there was a hierarchy of herdsmen depending on what kind of animal you took care of. I believe geese were at the low end of the scale and I think horses were at the top. Traditionally, the herdsmen were also great horsemen and they are famous for riding around and cracking their whips to get things moving. Ted, one of the youth really liked the whips and bought one, though everyone else who tried, seemed to be better at cracking the whip then he was.
We drove though the plain, crossing over into Romania. Our destination was Kolishvar, which is the Hungarian name for the city that is now known as Cluj-Napoca. On the way, we passed the gypsy houses with the fancy tin roofs. They are huge houses, four and five stories tall, with the most elaborate roofs. This group of Gypsies are known for their metal work and so they build their houses big, so as to maximize the roof area. The houses themselves are most often shells, with no windows, unfinished walls, open rooms. The family usually lives in a smaller house in the back.
Eventually we got to Kolishvar. Because I was traveling with ethic Hungarians, I will be using the Hungarian names for things. In Romania most cities/villages/towns have two, or sometimes three names. (Hungarian, Romanian and sometimes Saxon) Kolishvar was a major city in the Hungarian Kingdom, and today is the fourth largest city in Romania.
We were staying at Janos Zsigmond Unitarius Kollegium (which we called the Unitarian High School) in the dorms where the students live during the year. All of the girls on the trip were able to stay in one room. That is eight girls in one room, with room for four more. I could not imagine living an entire school year in one room with 11 roommates. Our rooms were on the top floor and they had skylights. At this point in the evening, we are all taking pictures of the Kolishvar skyline and each other.
Man, keeping today to five photos is brutal. Brutal! But I did it.
Today was the switchover day; I moved from Jenna’s place to Sara and Shawn’s place. (You might know them from their very cool blog Pike Schemes) Before I left Jenna’s place, I wandered down to the C & O Canal. That canal is pretty small. I’ve always felt that the canal got the short shift in transportation history. It seemed like by the time they got them built, we had moved on to a better method of transport.
At any rate, walking down to the canal gave me more chances to take pictures of Georgetown houses. I loved this group of houses, because each house had different ornamentation. Each of these doors was very different from its neighbor.
Gaslights! These were an unexpected find.
Today was the day of our personal tour of the Library of Congress. This was incredible, and something I will never forget. Sara had an “in” with Tori, who has worked at the Library of Congress for 31 years. She took us all over the Library, places that normal tourists aren’t allowed to go. I was thrilled to see things I’d heard about when I was growing up. I love libraries, and getting to go behind the scenes at the A-1 library in the US was indescribable.
The dome in the main reading room.
Tori explains something to Sara and Shawn. She was incredibly enthusiastic about her building. She showed us where her first desk in her first job was, and told us how, during the great renovation, the librarians would wait until the construction workers left for the day, and then at 3:01 they would run down to see what had been uncovered. Most of the library, when she first started working there, was horrible 60s drop ceilings and linoleum floors.
At some point in my past, I watched a filmstrip or an educational film about the Library of Congress. I can clearly recall seeing footage of their “modern” book moving system. It isn’t so modern any more, but I was thrilled to see it in person, then to get to go downstairs and see it from below. Other things we saw: the stacks, the old card catalogs and all four galleries, even the ones that aren’t open to the public.
Have I mentioned that this was the coolest day ever? If you want more pictures, you can see Sara’s post about the day. She didn’t limit herself to five pictures, and she is a good photographer.
After the Library of Congress, we took the secret tunnel into the Capitol Visitors Center where we wandered around looking at the exhibits. Then dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill.
The Open Air Museum! I loved this place. I could have spent three days here. What is an open air museum? We wondered that too. Eventually the appropriate translation was made. “Sort of like Colonial Williamsburg” was the consensus. Indeed. This museum recreated several regions of Hungary. And by “Hungary” they mean “the vast Hungarian Empire which we would like to have back, but which has been carved into many pieces leaving us with little of our original land.” Long memories, there. Not that I blame them.
So you can wander through all different kinds of villages in the style of, oh say, “Upper Market Town,” “Great Plains,” “Southern Transdaunbia,” etc. In each village is a church and few houses and barns, etc. They have people demonstrating how to make traditional food and do other traditional things. You can ride in a horse and buggy, which I loved, let me tell you. Each area tells you a little about the kind of family which might live in a particular style house and what might be going on. I looked in on one house of a grape grower and they were preparing for a baby christening, and had all the christening finery out on display.
They also have traditional Hungarian livestock. Above is a picture of the Hungarian Grey Cow. “White” one of us would usually correct upon seeing it. “No, Grey” we were told. Okay, they are sort of grey.
I include this picture not only so you can see the Hungarian Grey Cow yourself, but also because of Dana’s great picture of it. Later, after this day was over, on a day with a very long bus ride, Dana and I were looking at the pictures we had taken to pass the time. Not having laptops along with us, we were viewing our pictures on our cameras, which doesn’t necessarily make for the best viewing, the screens being so small and all. As we scrolled though her pictures of the Open Air Museum I wondered aloud if she had gotten a photo of the Grey Cow. “I did!” she said proudly. But when she scrolled to it, we both broke out into laughter because her picture of the gray cow only included the feet. How she managed to take that picture and not notice she was missing three-quarters of the cow I’m not sure, but it inspired much mirth on a very long, hot bus ride.
Also on our list of things to do today. A visit to Visegrad Fortress (which hadn’t changed much since I saw it in 2005. Click on that Visegrad link. It’s pretty cool.) A visit to Szentendre, where I bought a lovely painting of Fishermen’s Bastion, a boat ride down the Danube River to Budapest and a delicious dinner at a Greek restaurant where Barnabas and his mother noticed a famous TV actress sitting behind us.
WHENEVER Richard Cory went down town, We people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown, Clean favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed, And he was always human when he talked; But still he fluttered pulses when he said, “Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich—yes, richer than a king, And admirably schooled in every grace: In fine, we thought that he was everything To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light, And went without the meat, and cursed the bread; And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head.
I first encountered this poem in yet another English anthology textbook. As a teenager, I responded to the “things aren’t always what they seem” aspect. As an adult, I still like that, and I also enjoy the first two lines of the last stanza, which succinctly encompass the passing of years in the workaday world.
Memorizing this wasn’t too hard, the difficult part was figuring out where to put the inflections when reciting it. The first line of the third stanza in particular caused me great pains. Delivering that line without sounding overly theatrical took a lot of experimentation. So this month, I discover that this project doesn’t just involve me putting words in my head in a certain order, but also figuring out the best way to get them out of my mouth.
Those of a certain age, or who spend the time Googling “Richard Cory” know that Simon and Garfunkel have a song by the same name. I had assumed, because Simon and Garfunkel are incredible nerds*, that the song was this poem set to music. In fact, I stayed away from the song because I didn’t want how they sang the song influence how I said the poem. Listening to the song just now, I learn that the song is actually quite different, though clearly inspired by, the poem. It is from the perspective of one of Richard Cory’s factory workers. You can have a listen yourself.
*Seriously, incredible nerds. I mean, they have a song titled, “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright.” How nerdy is that? Who writes a song to an architect except a tremendous nerd? And the chorus? “Architects may come and Architects may go/and never change your point of view/When I run dry/I stop awhile and think of you.” Nerd-y! There’s even a flute solo, which as Will Farrell pointed out in Anchorman, is perhaps the nerdiest instrument.
And even, “You Can Call Me Al” with Chevy Chase? Great song, great funny video, incredibly nerdy. I like Simon and Garfunkel, don’t get me wrong, but they are uber-nerds.
I’m a pretty active person. I live in a city and am car free, so I run, I walk, I bike to work. Every time I have to go to the store, I’m usually on foot. I like to walk. But touring around Washington DC, man that was a lot of walking. I knew it, of course, and brought sensible (yet cute) shoes. But I wasn’t prepared for the blisters. My little toe, at the start of day four was all blister. I couldn’t help but think of the many Americans whose major daily exercise is walking 100 feet from their car to their office each day. When they come to Washington DC, how do they fare? I took the Metro to the Union Station stop and walked to the Supreme Court. The trains were crowded, and I was enjoying my book, so I made the decision not to fight my way onto the train I was supposed to be on. This meant that I missed the Supreme Court Tour, which was disappointing, but I did wander though the self-guided tour. I then visited the Folger Shakespeare Library and had a great egg salad sandwich at Pete’s Diner. Outside the Supreme Court were a group of people protesting the death penalty. As I waited for the bus, I listened to this protester discuss the death penalty with a passerby. It was an interesting conversation. She had some questions about the death penalty, and also some questions about the protesters. I learned that many of them are on a hunger strike, though not this gentleman. I took the 96 bus across town to get to the National Cathedral. I love taking buses in cities. You get to see so many things you wouldn’t see in a car or subway. The bus was pretty empty, as evidenced by this picture, but the passenger you can see was also a bus driver, so I gathered from his conversation with the bus driver. He discussed all sorts of things, including his glee in motorists who pass him illegally and then get pulled over by the police. Jenna and I had reservations for the Tea and Tour of the National Cathedral, and I was early, so I sat in the Bishop’s Garden and finished my book, while ignoring the leaf blower sounds. Our tour, lead by tour guide Myrna, was fabulous and Myrna was a kick. I have many lovely pictures of the cathedral because there are so many lovely things in the cathedral. This part of the cathedral inspired the most glee. Every aspect of the building was sponsored by someone. And they all had their names carved elegantly in stone to recognize them. After tea, Jenna and I walked on Wisconsin Avenue through Georgetown where we had a bit of dinner. Back at her home we rested for a bit, before heading out to see the Monuments at Night.
This was a great day with three distinct, equally wonderful parts, and it is very hard to choose a picture. So it may be a surprise that this blurry thing is my choice. But it is, and for a reason. This was taken in the library at PannonhalmaArchabbey . We pilgrims and our hosts traveled to this thousand year old monastery and had a tour of the grounds. The Abbey lost a lot of land during the communist period, but was able to survive because the monks ran a school. Today, the site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We toured the grounds (beautiful) and the Chapel (breathtaking) and waved at the old-folks in the windows of the old-folks home section (friendly.) Then we were led into an incredible library, which is open to the public. It was filled with books, and light and art and beautiful woodwork. The group wandered about a bit, taking in the space and the light. Then some of us began to stand on the edge of a circle in the marble floors. More and more of our group joined, both Hungarians and Americans, until we filled every spot at the edge of the circle. Brittany came last, and was dismayed to find all the spaces were taken. “You can be in the center,” someone suggested helpfully. She took her place, and slowly began to spin around. For a few moments, we were all joined in that circle in that beautiful library, overlooking the Hungarian Plain, smiling and laughing. The moment ended, and we wandered to different corners.
Traveling with groups can be a challenge. So many different needs from so many different people can be a strain. But when you are traveling alone or with only one other person, you rarely get to experience becoming part of a whole.
After lunch at Pannonhalma, we swam in Lake Balaton, which was just what the doctor ordered, as far as I was concerned, and then went to a feast in Kornye, where we ate incredible food cooked by members of the church. It was one of the most memorable dinners of my lifetime, and included much wine, and then a moonlit tour of the wine cellar. My travel journal for the day says the following about the dinner: “There were appetizers and salads and I think I ate three kinds of meat. Then a dessert tray. There was also house wine and much chatting and talking.” The day’s recollections end with this observation: “Today is a day I am in love with the world.”
My day started with an aborted attempt to visit my Aunt Merle via car (Jenna’s.) The combination of “not my car,” “not my city,” “rush hour traffic” overwhelmed me and I returned home about 30 minutes after I set out. I’d gone maybe a quarter of a mile. After recovering from that event, I shifted to a “From the White House to Foggy Bottom” walk.
My first stop was the DAR Museum. They have these awesome period rooms which were incredibly fun and which I have no picture of because I’m on a picture budget, here. I had a great docent, and I loved the whole concept of each state decorating a room–it reminded me of the suites at Cottey.
I was starving after the tour, and I asked the volunteer in the gift shop if there was anywhere to eat, as sometimes in tourist areas the choices are really expensive pretzels, pizza and ice cream bars, or a hideously overpriced restaurant with bland food. The volunteer directed me across the street to the Red Cross headquarters where I ate in their employee cafeteria. The food was cheap and delicious and I was thrilled I asked. I then went looking for the Zero Milestone. I was almost as excited to see it as I was to see the period rooms. But it seems that people think that the zero milestone is there to place things as they take pictures of the White House. This amused and annoyed me, simultaneously. I wandered through the Renwick Gallery, and the other side of the White House, where I loved Larry’s Fuente’sGame Fish, mostly because the fins were made out of the exact same comb I’ve been using since childhood. There was a fabulous piece that was a carved cabinet, which they don’t mention on their website, but I loved.
After the Renwick, I wandered past the other side of the White House and into the visitor’s center, before walking down to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I broke my rule of only going to places I hadn’t been before, but I justified this visit because they have just done a huge renovation, and so it was new to me.
I saw some good exhibits, “Within These Walls” was very interesting, and I loved visiting Julia Child’s kitchen. In a past boring job, with ample time on my hands, I read the entire Julie/Julia project blog and I love Julia Child’s enthusiasm. My favorite part of this exhibit was the TV they had playing with snippets of Julia Child’s cooking shows. People would just sit and watch her for the longest time. Young people, old people. It was a testament to her charisma. On my way home, I ducked into this place for dinner. I had the best Greek salad I’ve ever eaten and the owner was nice to chat with too. Also, a blue Lamborghini parked on the street near where I was sitting and it caused a bit of commotion: Random guy walking down the street talking on his cell phone, “and so I…Hey! It’s a Lamborghini! A blue one!” He took pictures, other passersby took pictures. It was an event. But the DC cafe? The best Greek Salad I’ve ever had. Remember that. The trains were not running up to speed for most of my visit. They were still dealing with the aftermath from the big crash in June and so trains were late, or absent. Here is my photo montage of my choice to wait for the next train.
On this day we attended church, where Dana gave a short sermon/talk, and we sat through all the Hungarian, (which was interesting, don’t get me wrong) then had a very delicious lunch at the church which included handmade donuts! Afterward, the group split up, some going to the Terrorhaza (museum of the secret police) with their hosts, while I went with the Beres family to an OMSI-like museum.
The two groups met at the church, and all of us from Oregon went on one of those sightseeing tour buses. This was great fun, as we had headphones and could scroll through the various languages, however, my camera died right after I took this picture from the castle grounds.
After our tour, we rejoined our host families and for dinner we had Italian food in the garden. It was lovely.
