I'm really trying hard NOT to complain, but...
When we left Hungary ten years ago, peanut butter was readily available in Tesco. Fast forward ten years and I can't find the stuff anywhere. We found one lonely small jar of peanut butter in the foreign foods section of Cora, but after that...nincs, nada, zilch, zero, none.
It never fails the one thing you can't have WILL BE the one thing that you crave beyond all reason and sanity. This is definitely relatable to the rest of my life. It's probably, although not certainly, a human universal. If no one else has coined it, it is now and forever to be known as Dan's First Law of the Human Condition.
I have spent every weekend for that last month prowling Tescos and Coras and Auchans with a single minded determination to find peanut butter. I literally drove for six hours last Saturday looking for peanut butter in Tescos and Coras and Auchans all over Budapest and the eastern suburbs. Alas, it was to no avail. I have been defeated in my quest to purchase more peanut butter. I have given up.
However, I have discovered that I can find peanuts. Using the Internet and a submersible blender I managed to cobble together a reasonably tasty alternative. Thank you Alton Brown. The first attempt was admittedly a bit messy. Half ground peanut flakes exploded out of the container I was using showering me and the counter and most of the kitchen in chopped peanuts. But after a little inventive engineering (thank God for plastic wrap), I managed to make a reasonably peanut butter-like spread.
It is definitely not creamy peanut butter. It is chunky and a bit grainy, but it will spread on bread and it isn't Nutella. Now if I can just find a reasonably priced heavy duty food processor, I will be in business.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Forced landing...twice.
You would think that a trip to Hungary that my wife's company is picking up the dime for would be an automatic fabulous thing. Unfortunately every gift horse must be examined carefully as the Greeks proved long ago. I had two of the most exciting plane rides I've ever had and they book-ended a perfectly boring and useless trip.
Let me tell you first, plane rides should always always be boring. Travel by plane is supposed to be the safest form of travel per person, per mile of any mechanical form. Figures lie and liars figure...everyone I know spends far more time in a car than in a plane. Also, if your car wrecks you might die but you probably will just get banged around a bit. When you are sitting on top of more fuel than a gas station has in it's underground tank and it falls forty thousand feet...you probably ain't just getting banged about a bit.
On the way to Hungary, the captain came on the intercom to announce that we would be stopping in Limerick, Ireland to disembark a passenger. I wasn't aware that flights had become like sharing a taxi across town, "No just let me off in Ireland thanks." We landed in Limerick so that the Garda could get on board to escort a man off the flight.
Apparently he had had a psychotic episode (hallucinations and delusions) while crammed into the back of the plane with two hundred other people. His behavior had made the flight attendants nervous enough that they had sat a man on either side of this man with the problem that were roughly the size of bulls.
After the Garda removed the man from the flight the two very large men got to move up to business/first class and were given several bottles of wine each. I thought this was a nice gesture. One really wouldn't want a person not in their right frame of mind deciding they really just had to go out side...at forty thousand feet. A couple bottles of wine and a bigger seat are fine recompense for babysitting.
We got under way again after the Garda conducted interviews for three hours of the passengers who observed the man during the flight. I and several other passengers of course missed our connecting flights. Austrian airways though had agents on the ground meeting the flight and helping get people sorted unto other flights. It was an amazing job in my opinion. It shocked me to see airline personnel who realize that travel can be stressful and then go about their jobs in such a way that makes it less so where possible.
I eventually made it to Budapest. I was lucky enough to be able to email Rachel before she left for the airport to let her know my flight was delayed and emailed her again in Vienna and let her know what flight I would be on.
Rachel was already in Hungary for about a week on business and would be staying another week and a half after I left to finish up. I was expecting that she would be actually accompanying me as we looked at houses. I was only somewhat correct.
Rachel took half a day and with the help of a nice young woman that works in HR at the factory we looked at three houses in Jaszbereny. The other three houses I saw that week were about an hour away in two other towns closer to Budapest. Due to the drive and the road conditions, I didn't think that these houses would really be suitable. It was about an hour on a nice late summer day with light traffic. During the winter and in heavy traffic Rachel would probably have had to pack a bag to stay the week in Jaszarokszallas every Monday.
Rachel was unable to take the day to go up to see the houses that the relocation company had set up for us because of other commitments at the factory. She was also unable to go with me to see the gym in Budapest that had a boys gymnastics team that might have been suitable for our son, again due to work commitments. Who schedules their budget planning and their house hunting trip for the same week?
So I set my parents up to babysit for a week and I flew several thousand miles from Indiana to Hungary to look for houses with my wife. We looked at three together and I looked at another three by myself. I looked at one gym that was too far away to be useful and talked to a coach who was thinking of setting up his own gymnastics program in the town that we would probably be living in for our son. And I spent an inordinate amount of time in the public bathes attached to the hotel waiting on my wife to get back from work. Not exactly what I would call a particularly useful house hunting trip.
The return flight was more exciting than the first flight. We were weather delayed on the way to Cologne from Budapest because of the weather at our destination. After an hour of sitting in the plane, we took off for Cologne. We landed safely at Cologne, but it looked as though I had missed my connecting flight to O'Hare.
Fortunately my flight out was also delayed. I had to be re-ticketed at the gate, as due to the delay Lufthansa had a removed me from the flight. That was sorted out quickly and I boarded the flight, only to wait another hour for more bad weather to clear.
Our pilot eventually was cleared to take off and away we flew. Take off is often a little bumpy, but this one was one of the worst I'd risen through. We flew through some rain and then what sounded like mad dwarves with hammers beating on the outside of the plane.
Before we had leveled off the distinct smell of an electrical fire wafted through the plane followed by an announcement from our captain that we would be landing in Frankfurt. Smelling smoke on a plane is scary, but when the pilot comes on shortly afterward and says we are landing now and adds not to worry about the fire trucks that's just because we have so much fuel, one is justified to be a bit white knuckled.
We landed fine, but were chased down the runway by several airport fire trucks. We were told that we would disembark and transfer to another plane as the current one had a broken windshield and was out of service temporarily. The impression you are left with is that this is all no more unusual than a flat tire, but I don't usually have fire trucks follow me home if I have a flat tire.
Five hours later we were reembarked on a new plane, but they had to do our tickets and seat assignments by hand. Nine hours later, we arrived in Chicago, at O'hare. Had I only had to contend with the original delays, I could have made the last flight to Indianapolis from Chicago. Unfortunately, by the time my flight landed in O'hare, the airport was trying to close. The ticket counters were shutting down and of course we all had to be processed through customs and collect our baggage. I went to the united desk after finding my way through what is probably one of America's most poorly marked airports.
I was told that there were no flights until the next morning. I was booked on the next out bound flight and told by the ticketing agent that United had no more responsibility towards me, but that I could go check with Lufthansa. Now these are supposed to be partner airlines, one would think that they could go ahead and issue a voucher for each other just to save everyone a bit of time and trouble, but that would be wrong. I took my baggage and walked down to the Lufthansa desk being accosted on the way by a con man trying to get money for the train so that he could locate his car that was towed.
The United airlines people had primed me to expect a fight when asking the Lufthansa people to take responsibility for the delay and put me up for a night. The Lufthansa people either saw me coming and decided to practice their judo or are always polite, apologetic and understanding of what weary travelers need. The first desk clerk asked me what she could help me with in a charming German accent and handed me off smoothly to her co-worker with assurances that they would send me to a hotel close by and provide a meal voucher for dinner and breakfast. The young man filling out the paperwork apologized for the delay again and assured me with very clear directions where i needed to go to catch the hotel shuttle.
After showering and catching about four hours of sleep I was ready to go at five in the morning. I caught the shuttle back to the airport and checked in for my flight to Indianapolis. A few hours later I was home with my kids. And that was the inauspicious beginning of my second adventure in expat living.
Let me tell you first, plane rides should always always be boring. Travel by plane is supposed to be the safest form of travel per person, per mile of any mechanical form. Figures lie and liars figure...everyone I know spends far more time in a car than in a plane. Also, if your car wrecks you might die but you probably will just get banged around a bit. When you are sitting on top of more fuel than a gas station has in it's underground tank and it falls forty thousand feet...you probably ain't just getting banged about a bit.
On the way to Hungary, the captain came on the intercom to announce that we would be stopping in Limerick, Ireland to disembark a passenger. I wasn't aware that flights had become like sharing a taxi across town, "No just let me off in Ireland thanks." We landed in Limerick so that the Garda could get on board to escort a man off the flight.
Apparently he had had a psychotic episode (hallucinations and delusions) while crammed into the back of the plane with two hundred other people. His behavior had made the flight attendants nervous enough that they had sat a man on either side of this man with the problem that were roughly the size of bulls.
After the Garda removed the man from the flight the two very large men got to move up to business/first class and were given several bottles of wine each. I thought this was a nice gesture. One really wouldn't want a person not in their right frame of mind deciding they really just had to go out side...at forty thousand feet. A couple bottles of wine and a bigger seat are fine recompense for babysitting.
We got under way again after the Garda conducted interviews for three hours of the passengers who observed the man during the flight. I and several other passengers of course missed our connecting flights. Austrian airways though had agents on the ground meeting the flight and helping get people sorted unto other flights. It was an amazing job in my opinion. It shocked me to see airline personnel who realize that travel can be stressful and then go about their jobs in such a way that makes it less so where possible.
I eventually made it to Budapest. I was lucky enough to be able to email Rachel before she left for the airport to let her know my flight was delayed and emailed her again in Vienna and let her know what flight I would be on.
Rachel was already in Hungary for about a week on business and would be staying another week and a half after I left to finish up. I was expecting that she would be actually accompanying me as we looked at houses. I was only somewhat correct.
Rachel took half a day and with the help of a nice young woman that works in HR at the factory we looked at three houses in Jaszbereny. The other three houses I saw that week were about an hour away in two other towns closer to Budapest. Due to the drive and the road conditions, I didn't think that these houses would really be suitable. It was about an hour on a nice late summer day with light traffic. During the winter and in heavy traffic Rachel would probably have had to pack a bag to stay the week in Jaszarokszallas every Monday.
Rachel was unable to take the day to go up to see the houses that the relocation company had set up for us because of other commitments at the factory. She was also unable to go with me to see the gym in Budapest that had a boys gymnastics team that might have been suitable for our son, again due to work commitments. Who schedules their budget planning and their house hunting trip for the same week?
So I set my parents up to babysit for a week and I flew several thousand miles from Indiana to Hungary to look for houses with my wife. We looked at three together and I looked at another three by myself. I looked at one gym that was too far away to be useful and talked to a coach who was thinking of setting up his own gymnastics program in the town that we would probably be living in for our son. And I spent an inordinate amount of time in the public bathes attached to the hotel waiting on my wife to get back from work. Not exactly what I would call a particularly useful house hunting trip.
The return flight was more exciting than the first flight. We were weather delayed on the way to Cologne from Budapest because of the weather at our destination. After an hour of sitting in the plane, we took off for Cologne. We landed safely at Cologne, but it looked as though I had missed my connecting flight to O'Hare.
Fortunately my flight out was also delayed. I had to be re-ticketed at the gate, as due to the delay Lufthansa had a removed me from the flight. That was sorted out quickly and I boarded the flight, only to wait another hour for more bad weather to clear.
Our pilot eventually was cleared to take off and away we flew. Take off is often a little bumpy, but this one was one of the worst I'd risen through. We flew through some rain and then what sounded like mad dwarves with hammers beating on the outside of the plane.
Before we had leveled off the distinct smell of an electrical fire wafted through the plane followed by an announcement from our captain that we would be landing in Frankfurt. Smelling smoke on a plane is scary, but when the pilot comes on shortly afterward and says we are landing now and adds not to worry about the fire trucks that's just because we have so much fuel, one is justified to be a bit white knuckled.
We landed fine, but were chased down the runway by several airport fire trucks. We were told that we would disembark and transfer to another plane as the current one had a broken windshield and was out of service temporarily. The impression you are left with is that this is all no more unusual than a flat tire, but I don't usually have fire trucks follow me home if I have a flat tire.
Five hours later we were reembarked on a new plane, but they had to do our tickets and seat assignments by hand. Nine hours later, we arrived in Chicago, at O'hare. Had I only had to contend with the original delays, I could have made the last flight to Indianapolis from Chicago. Unfortunately, by the time my flight landed in O'hare, the airport was trying to close. The ticket counters were shutting down and of course we all had to be processed through customs and collect our baggage. I went to the united desk after finding my way through what is probably one of America's most poorly marked airports.
I was told that there were no flights until the next morning. I was booked on the next out bound flight and told by the ticketing agent that United had no more responsibility towards me, but that I could go check with Lufthansa. Now these are supposed to be partner airlines, one would think that they could go ahead and issue a voucher for each other just to save everyone a bit of time and trouble, but that would be wrong. I took my baggage and walked down to the Lufthansa desk being accosted on the way by a con man trying to get money for the train so that he could locate his car that was towed.
The United airlines people had primed me to expect a fight when asking the Lufthansa people to take responsibility for the delay and put me up for a night. The Lufthansa people either saw me coming and decided to practice their judo or are always polite, apologetic and understanding of what weary travelers need. The first desk clerk asked me what she could help me with in a charming German accent and handed me off smoothly to her co-worker with assurances that they would send me to a hotel close by and provide a meal voucher for dinner and breakfast. The young man filling out the paperwork apologized for the delay again and assured me with very clear directions where i needed to go to catch the hotel shuttle.
After showering and catching about four hours of sleep I was ready to go at five in the morning. I caught the shuttle back to the airport and checked in for my flight to Indianapolis. A few hours later I was home with my kids. And that was the inauspicious beginning of my second adventure in expat living.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
An Email To All My Friends In Indiana.
I sent this the other day to Melanie and maybe to a few other people(i just dont remember). At the end I decided that I would simply cut and paste it into a post and leave it at that.
Oh, I solved the computer problem by flipping a switch in the back of the computer and getting new cords. Works great and no converter needed.
Melanie,
I need to update things more often. Things are going pretty good. We moved into our house, but haven't gotten most of our furniture from the states yet and won't until the end of October or the beginning of November. It's kind of like camping. We have beds for everyone, but not much else. I haven't gotten the right converter yet so I can hook up our desktop computers which has made it impossible to put pictures on Facebook or my blog. I haven't figured out how to do it from my iPad. This weekend I'm going back to Budapest to look for the right kind of converter (I need one that can stay plugged in all the time without heating up).
We spent the first two weeks in a hotel in the northern part of Hungary. Very nice, very luxurious spa hotel. I took the kids and the dog hiking in the hills each morning and swimming each afternoon. I managed to loose weight (judging by my pants) while eating three buffet meals a day...go figure.
The third week we moved to a much less nice panzio in the town we are living in. The kids started school. Abby is at a bilingual day care/preschool as they don't have kindergarten here like they do in the states. Jake is at a catholic school that is only Hungarian although they have English classes three times a week. We are doing a lot of homeschool type stuff in the afternoons because they only have school from 8 to 1230. Kids can stay longer, but that is all the actual classes that they have. We briefly considered pulling Jakob out and just homeschooling him, but HE said he'd rather stay in the school. He's home sick today (bronchitis), but otherwise is doing great.
I'm getting into the swing of things. I haven't got a car here yet as I can't buy or register one legally until I get my residence permit, so I walk A LOT. We have a driver that helps get the kids to and from school, but the rest of the day I walk. At a fast walk it takes 10-15 minutes to get to the shopping area from our house, so it's maybe a mile...one way. Anything that I can't carry that far I either pay a delivery fee or get in the evening with Rachel's company car.
We've been to Budapest and Eger and to a few other places sight seeing in Hungary. Things are okay. I miss everyone and was honestly a bit disappointed at the timing of this move, but I'm okay. I hope to be able to start working out again next week. There is a gym about four blocks from the house that I've been meaning to check out, but haven't been able to because I've been busy with the kids and getting some things for the house etc.
I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to copy and paste this to my blog and maybe folks can check it out there. If not feel free to pass it around.
Miss y'all,
Oh, I solved the computer problem by flipping a switch in the back of the computer and getting new cords. Works great and no converter needed.
Melanie,
I need to update things more often. Things are going pretty good. We moved into our house, but haven't gotten most of our furniture from the states yet and won't until the end of October or the beginning of November. It's kind of like camping. We have beds for everyone, but not much else. I haven't gotten the right converter yet so I can hook up our desktop computers which has made it impossible to put pictures on Facebook or my blog. I haven't figured out how to do it from my iPad. This weekend I'm going back to Budapest to look for the right kind of converter (I need one that can stay plugged in all the time without heating up).
We spent the first two weeks in a hotel in the northern part of Hungary. Very nice, very luxurious spa hotel. I took the kids and the dog hiking in the hills each morning and swimming each afternoon. I managed to loose weight (judging by my pants) while eating three buffet meals a day...go figure.
The third week we moved to a much less nice panzio in the town we are living in. The kids started school. Abby is at a bilingual day care/preschool as they don't have kindergarten here like they do in the states. Jake is at a catholic school that is only Hungarian although they have English classes three times a week. We are doing a lot of homeschool type stuff in the afternoons because they only have school from 8 to 1230. Kids can stay longer, but that is all the actual classes that they have. We briefly considered pulling Jakob out and just homeschooling him, but HE said he'd rather stay in the school. He's home sick today (bronchitis), but otherwise is doing great.
I'm getting into the swing of things. I haven't got a car here yet as I can't buy or register one legally until I get my residence permit, so I walk A LOT. We have a driver that helps get the kids to and from school, but the rest of the day I walk. At a fast walk it takes 10-15 minutes to get to the shopping area from our house, so it's maybe a mile...one way. Anything that I can't carry that far I either pay a delivery fee or get in the evening with Rachel's company car.
We've been to Budapest and Eger and to a few other places sight seeing in Hungary. Things are okay. I miss everyone and was honestly a bit disappointed at the timing of this move, but I'm okay. I hope to be able to start working out again next week. There is a gym about four blocks from the house that I've been meaning to check out, but haven't been able to because I've been busy with the kids and getting some things for the house etc.
I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to copy and paste this to my blog and maybe folks can check it out there. If not feel free to pass it around.
Miss y'all,
Monday, October 24, 2011
Returning to Hungary.
Things have changed so much since the last time we were in this country. We've got two kids now that we didn't haves the last time we came here. We've been married a lot longer. It seems to be more of a move toward something than away from something.
That last is probably the most surprising part. The last time we came to Hungary in many ways we were running from the U.S., from our families, from our small town lives. Now we are running toward something. We are moving toward a future with more possibilities, toward a higher position in the company for Rachel, toward new experiences for our kids, toward a restarted career for me. These are all positive things, but also in many ways more scary. I think sometimes it's easier to run away from bad things than to chase down good things.
I don't just think it is easier to run away from bad than to run toward good, I know it. I think we all see people every day doing just that: People that can't accept themselves and be comfortable in their own skin use all kinds of devices to run away. It takes a good deal more courage to run towards the unknown than to run away from anything. I think in many ways it is even easier to stand still than to run towards the unknown, and if success is unfamiliar it's hard to move towards it even when it is knocking on your door.
I have been disappointed in many ways by the hit or miss nature of support from Rachel's company and the Cartus team that is supposed to be helping us adjust to living as expats again, but in some ways it's good. It's good to stand on your own skills and trust your own judgment and make mistakes and have success, but really own both. We aren't done with this journey yet. Really it's only just begun, but I think ultimately we are going to be okay.
That last is probably the most surprising part. The last time we came to Hungary in many ways we were running from the U.S., from our families, from our small town lives. Now we are running toward something. We are moving toward a future with more possibilities, toward a higher position in the company for Rachel, toward new experiences for our kids, toward a restarted career for me. These are all positive things, but also in many ways more scary. I think sometimes it's easier to run away from bad things than to chase down good things.
I don't just think it is easier to run away from bad than to run toward good, I know it. I think we all see people every day doing just that: People that can't accept themselves and be comfortable in their own skin use all kinds of devices to run away. It takes a good deal more courage to run towards the unknown than to run away from anything. I think in many ways it is even easier to stand still than to run towards the unknown, and if success is unfamiliar it's hard to move towards it even when it is knocking on your door.
I have been disappointed in many ways by the hit or miss nature of support from Rachel's company and the Cartus team that is supposed to be helping us adjust to living as expats again, but in some ways it's good. It's good to stand on your own skills and trust your own judgment and make mistakes and have success, but really own both. We aren't done with this journey yet. Really it's only just begun, but I think ultimately we are going to be okay.
Pool and spa at Hotel Ozon
Sorry for the out of order adding. This wasn't quite done when I really felt the need to get my thoughts about the kids starting school down. On with the discription of the absolutely fabulous (I loved that show) hotel.
Below the lobby level (nothing is really below ground as the hotel is built into the hill) is the pool area. Coming down either the elevator or a graceful flight of stairs you are greeted by the staff of the spa area. As with most of the staff they speak English and/or German as well as Hungarian. At the spa reception you can arrange massages, manicures, pedicures, hair cuts, or simply ask for a towel and pass into the pool area over a wooden bridged still reflecting pool. Also to the right of the spa desk is a well equipped small gym area with two treadmills, an ellipse machine, a stair step machine, a rowing machine, an assortment of dumb bells with a bench and a universal weight machine.
The pool area is gorgeous. You come in on the lower level of the pool area. There is a large pool with several smaller areas. There is a donut shaped area that has jets that push the water in a circle. There is an area where you can recline over a a jet of bubbles and another that has large bore (think fire hose) faucets that pummel you.
On the same level of the pool area is the children's pool which is quite warm and has toys for the kids to play with. It goes from about ankle deep to about knee deep so it's perfect for kids to play in. I saw kids less than a year old happily splashing in the water, and my kids loved it as a chance to warm up from the cooler water of the big pool. Also on the first level of the pool area is a door to the outside. They have another pool, a bar (closed during the cooler weather), and a panoramic Swedish sauna with a view of the valley and the hills across the valley which were forested in a spectacular blanket of gold, green, red, a brown with the coming of fall.
Between the two indoor pools is a stair case leading up to the second level of the pool area. The pool area is entirely open with large windows showcasing the aforementioned valley with it's multicolored carpet of trees. The second level has a bar next to a hot tub big enough for about 15-20 people to sit and look out over the valley while enjoying their drinks. Also on the second level of the pool area are the saunas and steam rooms. They have a variety of saunas and a steam room ranging from 35 degrees C to 90 degrees C, and the required cold plunge and showers. A door leads out onto the roof of the lower level to an area set up for patrons to sun themselves.
I took advantage of the pool every day with the kids. We loved it. They keep the entire area very clean so that inspite of two weeks of swimming everyday no one ended up with any athletes foot issues or any other weird fungi. I watched the workers once a week scrub the stairs with bleach (you could smell it) and they we're constantly cleaning the floors.
I also availed myself of the massage services and got Jakob a hair cut. Neither the masseur nor the hair stylist spoke English, but the staff that made the appointment were able to help with what needed to be said. The 60 minute massage was about 30 US dollars/6000 HUF. The hair cut for Jakob was about 12 US dollars/2400 HUF. Both were very nice.
All around it was probably about the best two weeks I think we've ever spent in Hungary. If you are thinking of a trip that's a bit off the beaten track I highly recommend the Hotel Ozon. (I am not a paid representative of the hotel and did not identify myself as a blogger or writer to the staff. I have not been compensated by the hotel Ozon or anyone else for this recommendation.)
Below the lobby level (nothing is really below ground as the hotel is built into the hill) is the pool area. Coming down either the elevator or a graceful flight of stairs you are greeted by the staff of the spa area. As with most of the staff they speak English and/or German as well as Hungarian. At the spa reception you can arrange massages, manicures, pedicures, hair cuts, or simply ask for a towel and pass into the pool area over a wooden bridged still reflecting pool. Also to the right of the spa desk is a well equipped small gym area with two treadmills, an ellipse machine, a stair step machine, a rowing machine, an assortment of dumb bells with a bench and a universal weight machine.
The pool area is gorgeous. You come in on the lower level of the pool area. There is a large pool with several smaller areas. There is a donut shaped area that has jets that push the water in a circle. There is an area where you can recline over a a jet of bubbles and another that has large bore (think fire hose) faucets that pummel you.
On the same level of the pool area is the children's pool which is quite warm and has toys for the kids to play with. It goes from about ankle deep to about knee deep so it's perfect for kids to play in. I saw kids less than a year old happily splashing in the water, and my kids loved it as a chance to warm up from the cooler water of the big pool. Also on the first level of the pool area is a door to the outside. They have another pool, a bar (closed during the cooler weather), and a panoramic Swedish sauna with a view of the valley and the hills across the valley which were forested in a spectacular blanket of gold, green, red, a brown with the coming of fall.
Between the two indoor pools is a stair case leading up to the second level of the pool area. The pool area is entirely open with large windows showcasing the aforementioned valley with it's multicolored carpet of trees. The second level has a bar next to a hot tub big enough for about 15-20 people to sit and look out over the valley while enjoying their drinks. Also on the second level of the pool area are the saunas and steam rooms. They have a variety of saunas and a steam room ranging from 35 degrees C to 90 degrees C, and the required cold plunge and showers. A door leads out onto the roof of the lower level to an area set up for patrons to sun themselves.
I took advantage of the pool every day with the kids. We loved it. They keep the entire area very clean so that inspite of two weeks of swimming everyday no one ended up with any athletes foot issues or any other weird fungi. I watched the workers once a week scrub the stairs with bleach (you could smell it) and they we're constantly cleaning the floors.
I also availed myself of the massage services and got Jakob a hair cut. Neither the masseur nor the hair stylist spoke English, but the staff that made the appointment were able to help with what needed to be said. The 60 minute massage was about 30 US dollars/6000 HUF. The hair cut for Jakob was about 12 US dollars/2400 HUF. Both were very nice.
All around it was probably about the best two weeks I think we've ever spent in Hungary. If you are thinking of a trip that's a bit off the beaten track I highly recommend the Hotel Ozon. (I am not a paid representative of the hotel and did not identify myself as a blogger or writer to the staff. I have not been compensated by the hotel Ozon or anyone else for this recommendation.)
Monday, October 10, 2011
The kids started school today. Rough morning. Abby had an accident in bed and had to be cleaned up this morning. Jakob was still tired and sounding like he's got a cold. And it was the first day of school in Hungary.
Originally we had planned on having nearly a month of Hungarian lessons for the kids and I before starting them in school. Now that wouldn't have made them fluent, but it would certainly have made them more ready to be with Hungarians speaking Hungarian and having a base level awareness of what is going on. Again, as I'm coming to expect, Rachel's company dropped the ball. Really it's the Cartus and ARC people that flubbed this as they are in charge of the relocation.
Regardless of who's at fault, we managed to get through the first two weeks in Hungary at a luxury spa/hotel in the Matra hills with only the daily pimsleur Hungarian lessons that I had on my iPad and practicing on the staff at the hotel. The staff seemed to like it and were very helpful, but having your 7 and 5 year old (nearly 8 and 6) being able to order beer and wine is not as helpful as having them able to ask where the bathroom is. Live and learn. Rachel keeps reminding me that she is the only American in Europe for her company so that must be a good thing right?
When we took Jakob to his classroom, he was approached by the other kids. They seemed very friendly to him. They showed him where to put his jacket and his book bag. His teacher showed up a few minutes after we got there and immediately sat with him and began trying to reassure him. Honestly, he looked ok. I wish someone would have been reassuring me.
When Jakob started preschool in Memphis, I had a really hard time letting him go. He didn't have any problem at all. He walked in the room and headed over to the train to get it out and start playing with it.
That evening I was talking to Rachel about it. I complained about how bad it felt when he didn't even turn around. I opined about how it was going to be worse when Abby went to school. Jakob crawled up in my lap and said, "Don't worry Daddy, we'll get you a babysitter. She'll keep you company.". At the time I thought this might be a good idea as the kids' sitter was a twenty year old gymnast/cheerleader with a big smile and blond hair.
Abby started out thinking I should hang around longer, but decided that I could go when Candy, the English speaking teacher, showed up. Somehow I was less worried about Abby. She seems pretty excited about the whole thing and her school is taught in English as well as Hungarian. She'll probably know what's going on better than some of the Hungarian kids as this will be her third school in such a short period of time.
We'll see what the kids look like at pick up time. Wish me luck.
Originally we had planned on having nearly a month of Hungarian lessons for the kids and I before starting them in school. Now that wouldn't have made them fluent, but it would certainly have made them more ready to be with Hungarians speaking Hungarian and having a base level awareness of what is going on. Again, as I'm coming to expect, Rachel's company dropped the ball. Really it's the Cartus and ARC people that flubbed this as they are in charge of the relocation.
Regardless of who's at fault, we managed to get through the first two weeks in Hungary at a luxury spa/hotel in the Matra hills with only the daily pimsleur Hungarian lessons that I had on my iPad and practicing on the staff at the hotel. The staff seemed to like it and were very helpful, but having your 7 and 5 year old (nearly 8 and 6) being able to order beer and wine is not as helpful as having them able to ask where the bathroom is. Live and learn. Rachel keeps reminding me that she is the only American in Europe for her company so that must be a good thing right?
When we took Jakob to his classroom, he was approached by the other kids. They seemed very friendly to him. They showed him where to put his jacket and his book bag. His teacher showed up a few minutes after we got there and immediately sat with him and began trying to reassure him. Honestly, he looked ok. I wish someone would have been reassuring me.
When Jakob started preschool in Memphis, I had a really hard time letting him go. He didn't have any problem at all. He walked in the room and headed over to the train to get it out and start playing with it.
That evening I was talking to Rachel about it. I complained about how bad it felt when he didn't even turn around. I opined about how it was going to be worse when Abby went to school. Jakob crawled up in my lap and said, "Don't worry Daddy, we'll get you a babysitter. She'll keep you company.". At the time I thought this might be a good idea as the kids' sitter was a twenty year old gymnast/cheerleader with a big smile and blond hair.
Abby started out thinking I should hang around longer, but decided that I could go when Candy, the English speaking teacher, showed up. Somehow I was less worried about Abby. She seems pretty excited about the whole thing and her school is taught in English as well as Hungarian. She'll probably know what's going on better than some of the Hungarian kids as this will be her third school in such a short period of time.
We'll see what the kids look like at pick up time. Wish me luck.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Good surprises.
Sometimes it is nice to get pleasant surprises. After spending eight hours on a plane in the bulkhead row near the bathrooms, we arrived in Hungary. We were dirty and tired and we stank. I hadn't slept in about twenty-six hours and my patience was about as short as a mouse's...shortest leg.
We were met by a pleasant young man who would drive our luggage up to the hotel for us. We agreed to meet him down the hill once we had rented our car. Rachel went to get our car while I helped squish our luggage into a taxi van that Rachel's company had arranged to help get us to the hotel.
After a few bobbles involving me having to go to the hidden and badly signed car rental desk, we got on the road. Let me tell you, driving in Europe on the expressway when you are severely sleep deprived is not a good idea. We made it to the hotel without any major mishaps, and only a few close calls. Getting out of the parking lot was a bit difficult because I was having trouble figuring out how to shift the stick shift into reverse. Otherwise we were okay.
Before I describe the hotel, you should know that there are angels working at my wife's factory. Rita and Szilvia in particular have made this move so much easier than I had any right to expect. Rita found us a hotel...no, a hotel doesn't really cover it. She found us a refuge that is allowing us a slow, pleasant re-entry into Hungarian culture.
The hotel is situated on a hill in the Matra hills about an hour outside of Budapest and an hour from Rachel's factory. It's a bit off by itself being roughly halfway between Matrafured and Matrahasza. It's accessible by car, bus from Matrafured, and for the fit and adventuresome by hiking the nearly six kilometers up the hill from Matrafured.
When you arrive the hotel looks like a glass and steel ship growing out of the side of the the hill. Inside the lobby is beautiful with the glass atrium opening to the top of the building allowing for internal balconies for each floor. In the back corner of the entry there is a bar with patio seating that overlooks the Matra hills.
The staff greeted us in Hungarian, but quickly switched to English as our sleep deprived brains weren't able to cope with much translation yet. As it was still only about 11:00 am local time, our room wasn't yet ready, but they allowed us to store our luggage so that we could drive over to Gyongyos to the Tesco. We had a little shopping that we needed to do.
By the time we got back our room was ready. While not quite a suite (the suites all have hot tub in the room) our room was very nice. We have a bedroom and a separate living room (where the kids sleep) and a bathroom. There is a credenza with a well stocked mini fridge underneath. The bedroom and living room each have there own balconies.
Our room looks out over the parking lot, which is much prettier than you probably imagine. Because of the terrain, the parking area is broken into several small parking lots at various elevations with landscaped paths in between. Surrounding the parking area, the forest and hills are and ever present reminder that you are out a ways from town.
In my next post I'll describe the spa, pools, and hiking around our hotel.
Viszlat!
We were met by a pleasant young man who would drive our luggage up to the hotel for us. We agreed to meet him down the hill once we had rented our car. Rachel went to get our car while I helped squish our luggage into a taxi van that Rachel's company had arranged to help get us to the hotel.
After a few bobbles involving me having to go to the hidden and badly signed car rental desk, we got on the road. Let me tell you, driving in Europe on the expressway when you are severely sleep deprived is not a good idea. We made it to the hotel without any major mishaps, and only a few close calls. Getting out of the parking lot was a bit difficult because I was having trouble figuring out how to shift the stick shift into reverse. Otherwise we were okay.
Before I describe the hotel, you should know that there are angels working at my wife's factory. Rita and Szilvia in particular have made this move so much easier than I had any right to expect. Rita found us a hotel...no, a hotel doesn't really cover it. She found us a refuge that is allowing us a slow, pleasant re-entry into Hungarian culture.
The hotel is situated on a hill in the Matra hills about an hour outside of Budapest and an hour from Rachel's factory. It's a bit off by itself being roughly halfway between Matrafured and Matrahasza. It's accessible by car, bus from Matrafured, and for the fit and adventuresome by hiking the nearly six kilometers up the hill from Matrafured.
When you arrive the hotel looks like a glass and steel ship growing out of the side of the the hill. Inside the lobby is beautiful with the glass atrium opening to the top of the building allowing for internal balconies for each floor. In the back corner of the entry there is a bar with patio seating that overlooks the Matra hills.
The staff greeted us in Hungarian, but quickly switched to English as our sleep deprived brains weren't able to cope with much translation yet. As it was still only about 11:00 am local time, our room wasn't yet ready, but they allowed us to store our luggage so that we could drive over to Gyongyos to the Tesco. We had a little shopping that we needed to do.
By the time we got back our room was ready. While not quite a suite (the suites all have hot tub in the room) our room was very nice. We have a bedroom and a separate living room (where the kids sleep) and a bathroom. There is a credenza with a well stocked mini fridge underneath. The bedroom and living room each have there own balconies.
Our room looks out over the parking lot, which is much prettier than you probably imagine. Because of the terrain, the parking area is broken into several small parking lots at various elevations with landscaped paths in between. Surrounding the parking area, the forest and hills are and ever present reminder that you are out a ways from town.
In my next post I'll describe the spa, pools, and hiking around our hotel.
Viszlat!
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