Susan's Stories

 I was the first of our group at breakfast.  Consuming two cups of cappuccino, roasted potatoes, Caesar salad, and fresh fruit, J was joined by Agi, and Jean, and Tom. We discussed cars versus public transportation and solar panels.   Vladan arrived, and we ride by small price coach to the Modern Art Museum. We were guided by our presenter Sunday at the Museum of Cubism. A professor of architecture and designshowed us paintings, sculptues, and photos from 1918-1938 and acquired from many museums in the country. They represented Czech, German, and French artists created in the former Czechoslovakia. Paintings of landscapes, still life, daily life. and portraits portrayed the styles of the times, old and new as well as emotions. In our free time I visited the floor with styles of architecture, from block houses to current structures, something completely different.   We returned to the hotel, and I joined a couple friends for lunch in the huge food court for salad...

 At breakfast another group member and I agreed to visit the Old Town together and remain there until the 6 PM concert. These buffet breakfasts are feasts; one can eat sufficient and a wide variety to cover the entire day.   We met Vladan for his presentation on life under Communism. He began by differentiating Capitalism and Socialism and Communism concluding no country has ever had Communism according to Marx. He shared examples from his family's experiences in Serbia and mentioned often greed and fear as means of a government's control of the people.  We asked lots of questions.    Vladan and Agi traveled with us on the Metro across the river into the city center. Vladan exited the Metro with Juanita and me to make sure we knew how to change from the yellow line to the green. How thoughtful.  The escalators move rapidly and some are very long.    Our destination was the National Museum, a formidable presence at the terminus of a long and rising...

The day began quite dark and cold with rain threatened.  Prepared, we were driven by private coach up the hill to the Castle Area. Vladan lead us around,  walking. We saw the Czech president walking to work. This is a huge complex of several palaces. History and architecture were presented by him emphasizing the role they played from before the Middle Ages.   St. Vitus Cathedral is an imposing Gothic structure built over many years. The altar is in the center. Various tombs of important persons in the country's history as well as statues adorn the active worship space. Already there were several groups of tourists with guides Aldo visiting the cathedral.    We visited also the Lobkowicz Palace which contains the private collection of this family which a remarkable history of nobility as well as plundering by the Nazis as well as the Communists, and most of it has been returned. Paintings, furniture, table settings show the positive results of the legal batt...

 Breakfast before a very full day was abundant.  Miso soup and salad pickles plus other Asian and salad fixings accompanied  the usual breakfast offerings. Several types of bread as well as many muesli choices were available. It was indeed a complete breakfast.    We joined Vladan for a walk to the nearby tram stop with instructions for validating the ticket and a warning to hold on to a pole to prevent a fall when the tram moves. That we did fine. We rode into the center of the city to the town hall square and began our walk around the area. Different architectural styles were pointed out to us, along with the history. Theybrought to life what we were given in print at our orientation. We visited the Museum of Czech Cubism and received a lecture presented by a professor of architecture and design on the history of architecture in the western world. It was a very good review of the semester course I received in college. We then had time to visit the two floors o...

  We departed in our Czechbus and with our Czech driver at 8 AM. Agi pointed out to us the sites we had visited and those not visited, sharing their part in the history of the country. I could tell that she lives her city very much and wants to share her love and pride.   We were soon in the countryside.  Fields, barren trees accompanied the light rain and dropping temperature. We napped or read until we reached our first restroom stop. It was chilly.     During the drive to lunch in the Czech Republic we drove through Slovakia without being stopped for passport control. From. The four lane divided highway we could see a bit of Bratislava, the capitol city and a bit of the castle with red-topped towers. Agi gave us a 10 point written quiz about Hungary which we all passed. It prompted discussion.   The border to the Czech Republic was likewise unstaffed. HURRAH for the EU and Shengren Agreement. We ate at a rural hotel and restaurant in Ledice, located...

  The day began early with our conversations about our Thursday evening experiences: DA Rgeubgold at the opera, the organ recital in St, Steven's basilica, and the Roma music concert. Last evening we learned that one of our group had adopted a Roma child. Hearing her story was enlightening.    We attended a lecture on Life In Hungary today presented by an economics professor at the University of WesternHungary. Dr. Zoltan Pogatsa spoke about daily life, health care, education,  pensions, politics, the EU,  Oamong other topics in a casual manner. Questions and interruptions were welcome.  One positive result of the Soviet regieme was government support of the arts, museums in particular. The time sped by.   We met Agnes for a walk in the Jewish Quarter. After a short Metro ride we walked to the opera house for a brief look into the entrance foyer; it is ornate. The next two hours we walked in the neighborhood settled mainly by Jewish persons. We learned...

 We rode by coach to the rural town of Ocsa, pronounced Oska. In this small town of 9000 residents are two noteworthy sites - the 13th century Protestant chuch and outdoor museum of life in Hungary centuries ago. The double walls of stone filled with lime attest to its longevity. The simplicity if the interior with fading frescoes educated the commonly non-reading residents of Bible stories.  The small outdoor museum  displayed daily life in wealthy and vommon homes as well as a meat smoker and animal stalls as well, as a display if costumes/clothing. Married women wore head scarves and aprons. This visual education surpassed a book or lecture on the topic of rural life.  Our coach returned us to the City Park. We crossed the street and visited Heroes Square. This huge area contains tall pillar and statues of 14 heroes, all male. We had Bern informed about several of them the past two days. The statue of the Hapsburg queen, Maria Teresa, and of four other Hapsburg ru...

  Agi was at breakfast early, ready to hear our stories from yesterday evening and ready to answer questions and guidance regarding plans for our free time this afternoon and evening. Preparing for the day I observed that this tablet was not charging, I left the room with it plugged in to charge, aware no charge would be noted upon return.    We rode by taxi up to Castle Hill on the Buda side of the city. Agnes led us on a walking tour around the narrow streets where we saw large former historic  buildings from the Middle Ages and now buildings of the government. On the hill is the expansive Royal Palace in which no royalty has lived. Also on the hill is the Museum of Music History. There we had a thorough introduction by a musician and musicologist the string and keyboard instruments on display as well as the times - history and composers. Paintings on the walls were used to embellish the historical and musical stories of the instruments. Additionally, a local music...

 The buffet breakfast was abundant. Hungarian and German sausages, crispy potatoes, baked beans,  small Brötchen, yogurt with fruit, and wide choice of coffee preparations.   Tomorrow the choices will be fewer and the tummy happier.   From 8-9 we met with Agi and Agnes for suggestions for shaping our free time. They were most helpful.  Four of us purchased tickets for an organ recital at the Franz Liszt Academy Concert Hall. Three of us purchased tickets for a jazz concert and supper tomorrow, Wednesday.  Thursday we will attend a solo vocal concert by a Roma singer in the city park, equivalent to NYC Central Park.  We have yet to purchase tickets - all on line.  Then another participant and J walked to a nearby hotel with a bank ATM in order to obtain Hungarian Forints. In one US dollar there are 350-370. I obtained several thousand Forints. We met Peter, our Budapest coach driver, and rode around central Pest, the flat part of the city with...

   Although the flight was smooth the landing in Frankfurt was bumpy, very bumpy. After learning the gate number for the next flight I headed toward the gate. I had a brief stop in passport control, and walked, grateful to be walking almost 5 thousand steps. With a half hour to spare I WhatsApp'd my daughters three. To board this local area 70 minute flight we were ushered to the ground level and taken by long buses on what seemed like a ten minute ride to the awaiting plane.  As with the earlier flight, this was full.  At the Budapest airport there was no passport control. Thank you, EU. My suitcase was one of the first arriving on the carousel. I went to the "meeting area" and waited a few minutes.  Agnes our Budapest guide, welcomed me and bought a taxi ticket and placed me in a taxi for the ride to the hotel, located on the Pest side of the Danube River.  By the way there were representatives of river cruise companies meetings passengers at the airport,...

 The day began unusually.  Karin picked up me, my suitcase, backpack, and bag with good walking shoes. She brought me to All Saints Church for our choir 8:30 am call. We warmed up and rehearsed pieces from each if the seven movements of the Franz von Suppe requiem. When we broke to vest I took a long and final look at photos on our Offrenda of very special friends who have died.  I hoped that after I die my choir photo would join the Offrenda along with Donna, my alto buddy, who left us this year. I felt a tear filled with mixed emotions as I looked at her image, remembered that I would need to leave this very special service and behind an adventure to Budapest and Prague. The church was full as we sang the Requiem and Kyrie. After the sermon I left the choir loft, having sung only four of the seven movements and not having taken communion.    Nevertheless I did as we had planned and met Karin outside on the steps.  The feels were still very mixed. We talke...