Pictures from bottom to top: Wayne,Jen,Mayor & Erzsi; Wayne presenting Key to City to Mayor; Lunch at Erzsebet's; Erzsebet's-back of house & barn; Erzsebet's-grape arbor; Erzsebet's house; Josef & Isabella Szabo; Wayne, Timi, Kitty, Sandor, & Andi; Herend; Lake Balaton; Wine cellar; Paprika House; Stork; School Children; Eating BBQ-Anett Takacs in front.
Hi Everyone! I'm sorry I haven't posted in several days. We have been super busy! We are having a wonderful time with my family!!! They are so sweet and hospitable! They also have a wonderful sense of humor. I don't know when we have laughed so much. On Monday, Erszi (pronounced Air Zhee), Sandor (pronounced Shandor), Sandor's wife, Kriszta, his daughter, Kitty, and the neighbor who is interpreting for us, Timi, (a wonderful, young lady!) met us at our hotel in Gyor. After Erszi and I had a good cry, we walked for a while in a beautiful pedestrian neighborhood, stopped for coffee, then left for Rabapatona. We got to Erszi's home, which is lovely, and unloaded our luggage from the car, then we all went to Erszebet's, Erszi's mother's, home. This is the home of my grandmother, but newer parts have been added. Everyone's homes and yards are VERY neat and clean!! Beautiful flowers in everyone”s yards. Everyone has a beautiful vegetable garden. Flowers are in the vegetable gardens also. Fruit trees are everywhere. Cherries are ripe and delicious! If you sit on their patio, they put clean beautiful tablecloth, fresh flowers, fresh cushions on the chairs, and ALWAYS bring out the wine (several kinds), peach, pear, etc,schnaaps (sp?), cola (coke), lemon-lime cola, bread, sausages, cheeses, cookies, etc. and this is right after a meal!!! We are constantly eating! (and drinking)! All seem to have chickens and other animals, except Erzsi. Most of the houses are 2 stories. None have A/C, but have such thick walls (brick with stucco on the outside and about 12”(sometimes up to 3 ft.) thick) that they are very cool on the inside. They look new, but most are very old. They are very well-maintained inside and out, and are very nicely decorated. Erszebet (Mrs. Nagy) had a wonderful meal prepared for us when we arrived: Fried chicken(delicious!!), Hungarian noodles, chicken soup, tomato/Hungarian peppers/onions and cucumber salad and a delicious cake, and of course, Hungarian Wine! They take a large drumstick, split the meat down one side, and open it so it is flat. Sometimes the bone is left in the middle and sometimes it is removed. The chicken is covered with flour, dipped in a mixture of water, egg and flour, then covered with plain bread crumbs before frying. Yummy!! She and I had a couple of good cries! She is so sweet and precious. I took tons of pictures!
From Erszebet's home, we went to Erzsi's. Anett Takacs (a young lady...one of the first from Rabapatona that communicated with me via email)and her parents met us there. They took us back to Gyor to see an art exhibit of a Hungarian, Mukascy(Sp.?) who went to America, began painting, then came back to Hungary. We walked to look at a cathedral (called a basilica in Hungary) and stopped to get delicious ice cream!
We arrived back at Erszi's, and people began arriving to meet us. About 20 people came, and all brought gifts! Chocolates, wine, paprika, wine, traditional Hungarian items, wine...!!!. Small village...everyone knows the Americans have arrived!! We sat on the upstairs patio, and the women started to bring out the food! All kinds of breads, salami, sausage, cheeses, cookies, cake from Erszebet's. Wayne and I couldn't believe it! After a while I asked Timi where Kriszta was, and she said, “She is preparing the pancakes.” OMG!! She came out with a platter stacked high with Hungarian Pancakes...they are like crepes and are stuffed with different fillings. I went for the chocolate filled, of course! There were others stuffed with different cheeses, cabbage, apricot jam, etc. Erszi gave us gifts, also. Beautiful Hungarian embroidered tablecloth, a wonderful book of Hungary that is in English & Hungarian, a cookbook in both languages, fresh ground paprika, etc.. She also had gifts for our family at home...Brody, Allie, Kate, Mechelle & Scott, Matt, Mitch, and Rebekah. After everyone stuffed themselves again, I brought out the gifts we had brought for them, my pictures, genealogy documents, etc. We brought New Orleans T-Shirts for Erzsi's sons, and Tibor, a pretty large guy, happened to get the one that had “The Big Easy” on it. After that first night, everyone called him “Big Easy”. He also would point to himself and say things like “G I Joe” and “Don Carleone”. He is always joking...a very funny guy who made everyone laugh when he was around. He got along great with Wayne!! Erzsi's younger son, Zoltan, is precious. He has a baby face, is kind of quiet, but smiles all of the time. He looks and acts so much like my nephew, Ellis, (Kenny's son) who lives in Canada! It was a very fun night with lots of laughing and just enjoying being together. Timi was EXHAUSTED by the end of the night from translating both directions for so many people. She is such a sweetheart! She lives next door to Erzsi, and says that Erszi is like a second Mother to her. We noticed trees with colorful ribbons tied all over them, in the front of many houses, and asked about them. It is a May Day tradition that boys do this in the yard of the girl they love, on May 1st. They stay up for 2 weeks and then are taken down. Some of these trees are 30 feet tall! Some also have an envelope, with a note for the girl inside, tied to the top of the tree. She can read it when the 2 weeks is over.
In Rabapatona, they still have things delivered to their houses like bread, milk, vegetables, gas and ice cream. All of these small delivery trucks have a special chime or music, so that people will hear it, know what is being delivered, and can go out to buy what they need. The bread truck has all kinds of fresh baked breads, cookies and cakes. The gas truck has small cylinders like we use for our crawfish pots. Their stoves/ovens run off this gas. Everyone has a cellar and a huge attic. Most have wine, fruits and vegetables stored in the cellar, and the attic is used for storage. The houses are heated with coal and/or wood furnaces in the cellar. A few use gas or electricity for heating. Many people walk or ride bicycles. But most, if not all, have small cars, also. We have seen very few SUVs and pick-up trucks.
It is hard to believe the meals here! Each is 4 courses! Breakfast consists of espresso, cold sausages (several kinds), large pieces of smoked bacon (about 3” square. They don't fry...it looks raw!), soft boiled eggs, and several kinds of bread in big “chunks”. Then comes several kinds of sweet rolls..cinnamon, fruit-filled, and kiflis. Next comes yogurt (which is thinner consistency than ours), and fresh fruit...cherries, apples, oranges, bananas, etc. For lunch and supper they first serve soup (which is a meal in itself). Then a salad is served, usually tomatoes, onions and cucumbers or pickles (kind of like our bread & butter pickles) with a vinegar-type dressing, but slightly sweet. Next comes sausages, various cheeses, various breads, goose liver pate', etc. Now we are getting to the entree...a meat (usually several kinds), rice, always potatoes (krumpli), fried mushrooms, etc. For dessert, you may be served one very rich or several not quite so rich items with coffee, espresso or capachino. Most drink carbonated water (they say, “with gas”) and/or wine with their meal. Mostly the men drink schnapps chased with a beer, unless they are driving. Some drink wine. The first several meals, we thought we were having soup for our dinner, and couldn't believe the food just kept coming. The soup would be like a meal for us...meat, potatoes, vegetables, dumplings!! I thought surely I would gain 10 pounds while in Hungary, but I have LOST weight!! (All the walking, I guess).
It would take pages to tell you about the people of Rabapatona. Families are very close and family members love each other very much. They also are very close to their neighbors. Everyone shares what they have, grow, make etc. Most Hungarians love to talk! They are somewhat like the Italian families we know in America. The women love to cook!! You don't hear of much divorce, at least in Rabapatona. We were told several times that the Hungarian wife is the “boss” of the family, but she lets the husband feel that he is!!(He knows who's boss, though!)Ha! They remind me of Wayne and me. Always joking around. Hungarians show their feelings a lot. Very emotional people. Brothers hug each other when they come home in the evening. Even the sons of Erzsi (in their early 20's)cried when we arrived and when we left. The men who are related to me, cried when we would meet. And hug, and hug, and hug. Everyone in the town visits in each others homes. In an afternoon, 2,3, or 4 families will stop by, sit on the patio and visit, have a glass of wine or a beer, stay for an hour or so, then leave. I thought it might be because we were there, which it was for some, but this is not an unusual custom.
Erzsi's 2 sons, are wonderful young men. They are very sweet to their Mother! She doesn't ask them to do anything, but they anticipate what needs to be done, from the smallest to the largest chore, and do it. We met several very sweet young people, who seem to be the same way.
I am going to close this for now. I will write more about day-to-day itinerary ASAP. I am sitting on the floor on the train from Sopron (pronounced Sho-pron) to Venice, as I write this. The Griswolds are back! Will explain later!!
From Erszebet's home, we went to Erzsi's. Anett Takacs (a young lady...one of the first from Rabapatona that communicated with me via email)and her parents met us there. They took us back to Gyor to see an art exhibit of a Hungarian, Mukascy(Sp.?) who went to America, began painting, then came back to Hungary. We walked to look at a cathedral (called a basilica in Hungary) and stopped to get delicious ice cream!
We arrived back at Erszi's, and people began arriving to meet us. About 20 people came, and all brought gifts! Chocolates, wine, paprika, wine, traditional Hungarian items, wine...!!!. Small village...everyone knows the Americans have arrived!! We sat on the upstairs patio, and the women started to bring out the food! All kinds of breads, salami, sausage, cheeses, cookies, cake from Erszebet's. Wayne and I couldn't believe it! After a while I asked Timi where Kriszta was, and she said, “She is preparing the pancakes.” OMG!! She came out with a platter stacked high with Hungarian Pancakes...they are like crepes and are stuffed with different fillings. I went for the chocolate filled, of course! There were others stuffed with different cheeses, cabbage, apricot jam, etc. Erszi gave us gifts, also. Beautiful Hungarian embroidered tablecloth, a wonderful book of Hungary that is in English & Hungarian, a cookbook in both languages, fresh ground paprika, etc.. She also had gifts for our family at home...Brody, Allie, Kate, Mechelle & Scott, Matt, Mitch, and Rebekah. After everyone stuffed themselves again, I brought out the gifts we had brought for them, my pictures, genealogy documents, etc. We brought New Orleans T-Shirts for Erzsi's sons, and Tibor, a pretty large guy, happened to get the one that had “The Big Easy” on it. After that first night, everyone called him “Big Easy”. He also would point to himself and say things like “G I Joe” and “Don Carleone”. He is always joking...a very funny guy who made everyone laugh when he was around. He got along great with Wayne!! Erzsi's younger son, Zoltan, is precious. He has a baby face, is kind of quiet, but smiles all of the time. He looks and acts so much like my nephew, Ellis, (Kenny's son) who lives in Canada! It was a very fun night with lots of laughing and just enjoying being together. Timi was EXHAUSTED by the end of the night from translating both directions for so many people. She is such a sweetheart! She lives next door to Erzsi, and says that Erszi is like a second Mother to her. We noticed trees with colorful ribbons tied all over them, in the front of many houses, and asked about them. It is a May Day tradition that boys do this in the yard of the girl they love, on May 1st. They stay up for 2 weeks and then are taken down. Some of these trees are 30 feet tall! Some also have an envelope, with a note for the girl inside, tied to the top of the tree. She can read it when the 2 weeks is over.
In Rabapatona, they still have things delivered to their houses like bread, milk, vegetables, gas and ice cream. All of these small delivery trucks have a special chime or music, so that people will hear it, know what is being delivered, and can go out to buy what they need. The bread truck has all kinds of fresh baked breads, cookies and cakes. The gas truck has small cylinders like we use for our crawfish pots. Their stoves/ovens run off this gas. Everyone has a cellar and a huge attic. Most have wine, fruits and vegetables stored in the cellar, and the attic is used for storage. The houses are heated with coal and/or wood furnaces in the cellar. A few use gas or electricity for heating. Many people walk or ride bicycles. But most, if not all, have small cars, also. We have seen very few SUVs and pick-up trucks.
It is hard to believe the meals here! Each is 4 courses! Breakfast consists of espresso, cold sausages (several kinds), large pieces of smoked bacon (about 3” square. They don't fry...it looks raw!), soft boiled eggs, and several kinds of bread in big “chunks”. Then comes several kinds of sweet rolls..cinnamon, fruit-filled, and kiflis. Next comes yogurt (which is thinner consistency than ours), and fresh fruit...cherries, apples, oranges, bananas, etc. For lunch and supper they first serve soup (which is a meal in itself). Then a salad is served, usually tomatoes, onions and cucumbers or pickles (kind of like our bread & butter pickles) with a vinegar-type dressing, but slightly sweet. Next comes sausages, various cheeses, various breads, goose liver pate', etc. Now we are getting to the entree...a meat (usually several kinds), rice, always potatoes (krumpli), fried mushrooms, etc. For dessert, you may be served one very rich or several not quite so rich items with coffee, espresso or capachino. Most drink carbonated water (they say, “with gas”) and/or wine with their meal. Mostly the men drink schnapps chased with a beer, unless they are driving. Some drink wine. The first several meals, we thought we were having soup for our dinner, and couldn't believe the food just kept coming. The soup would be like a meal for us...meat, potatoes, vegetables, dumplings!! I thought surely I would gain 10 pounds while in Hungary, but I have LOST weight!! (All the walking, I guess).
It would take pages to tell you about the people of Rabapatona. Families are very close and family members love each other very much. They also are very close to their neighbors. Everyone shares what they have, grow, make etc. Most Hungarians love to talk! They are somewhat like the Italian families we know in America. The women love to cook!! You don't hear of much divorce, at least in Rabapatona. We were told several times that the Hungarian wife is the “boss” of the family, but she lets the husband feel that he is!!(He knows who's boss, though!)Ha! They remind me of Wayne and me. Always joking around. Hungarians show their feelings a lot. Very emotional people. Brothers hug each other when they come home in the evening. Even the sons of Erzsi (in their early 20's)cried when we arrived and when we left. The men who are related to me, cried when we would meet. And hug, and hug, and hug. Everyone in the town visits in each others homes. In an afternoon, 2,3, or 4 families will stop by, sit on the patio and visit, have a glass of wine or a beer, stay for an hour or so, then leave. I thought it might be because we were there, which it was for some, but this is not an unusual custom.
Erzsi's 2 sons, are wonderful young men. They are very sweet to their Mother! She doesn't ask them to do anything, but they anticipate what needs to be done, from the smallest to the largest chore, and do it. We met several very sweet young people, who seem to be the same way.
I am going to close this for now. I will write more about day-to-day itinerary ASAP. I am sitting on the floor on the train from Sopron (pronounced Sho-pron) to Venice, as I write this. The Griswolds are back! Will explain later!!
Jen,
ReplyDeleteI know that you are having the time of your life on this trip. What a precious gift it is to have this opportunity to meet your mother's family members! From reading the blog, it is evident that your family has the same type of loving and caring personality that both Wayne and you have. Take care and have a safe trip back home. Love JoEllen