William Penn Life, 1981 (16. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
1981-01-01 / 1. szám
Our Trip To Hungary As it snows and the chilly weather of winter depresses your spirit, it 's a good time to think of future events. How about a trip to Hungary? Here is a beautiful description of a woman taking this trip and her experience in a far away country. I had always dreamed of visiting Hungary because my parents and grandparents have told us many times how beautiful their Homeland is. But I wanted to see for myself. You cannot do justice to the country by describing Hungary, you, too, must see for yourself the farmlands, the mountains, and the beautiful cities. You have to experience first-hand the warmth and friendliness of the people and the wonderful hospitality that is extended to all. Our trip began in Budapest. There we took a tour of the City. There is much interest, both scenic and historic, here. The City is divided in two by the Danube River. Buda, on the western side of the Danube is the hilly part of the city; Pest is the flat land. We were taken to Buda Castle, where the former kings of Hungary lived. We visited Mathias Church, which is sometimes called Coronation Church because the Kings of Hungary were crowned King there. We then went on to see Fisherman’s Bastian. You must see this beautiful edifice to appreciate it. The best point to see Budapest is from Ciliért Hill which is 770 feet high. From there we viewed, with awe, Budapest in all its glory. The beauty of the land is undescribable. There are also many small Inns and Cafes in the Buda area, where excellent wines are served to the tunes of gypsy music. They really lend a romantic atmosphere to the city. We saw the eight bridges that span the Danube River in our travels, and also the Parliament Building which made a beautiful sight as we viewed it across the Danube. We were then taken to Hero’s Square where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located. There, in a semi-circle surrounding this monument, are statues of many great Hungarian Heros. One of the highlights of our tour of Budapest was the viewing of the Royal Crown of Hungary. Words cannot describe the beauty of these crown jewels. It is breath-taking to see them. The Cape of St. Stephen was also on display. It was of gold cloth. The Cape did not appear as striking in appearance as the jewels because the cloth was tarnished and not shiny like the jewels. It’s no wonder—it is over 900 years old. Budapest is the greatest Spa City in the world. We were told from the time of the early Roman Empire to the present, this area is famous for its hot springs. Today, as throughout history, the natural mineral springs are valued for therapy and for pleasure. There are many things that impressed us in Budapest. The streets are kept very clean. Could it be because they have women street cleaners? We were fascinated by them and their home-made bundle of twigs that they used for brooms. We found the Hungarian people to be very friendly and helpful. The children are exceptionally beautiful in Hungary and they are so soft-spoken and so well mannered. The food is ambrosia—more than delicious! We had two options of the land tour of Hungary. We chose the 9-day tour. Our guides, Peppi and her assistant Julie, were excellent. Their first thought was for the comfort and enjoyment of the tour members. I do not understand the Hungarian language and since Peppi spoke only Hungarian, she was thoughtful enough to ask Bill Kohut, William Penn Board Member, who was sitting in the bus seat ahead of us, to translate into English what she was saying. I’m sure there were others in our group who appreciated Bill’s translations as much as 1 did. It added much to our trip. Our bus tour took us to Eger, a little town in the Bukk Mountains. Of interest there were the ruins of the old fort. Signs of the past were everywhere. From Kossuth Lajos Street we viewed the numerous baroque buildings, including the 18th century County Hall with its majestic wrought iron gates, and a palace which houses the county library. The visit to Eger’s wine cellar was a tourist’s delight and very enjoyable. Our meals were always at the best hotels and restaurants. They were excellent. Our group complained many times because they were over-feeding us. Gypsy music always accompanied our meals and was always lively and entertaining. Many evenings we danced the csárdás and had wonderful times. We next visited Miskolc, the second largest city of Hungary. There we found Miskolc to be the largest ironproducer of the country. We were told Miskolc is often called the Pittsburgh of Hungary. There is much industry and much farmland. We saw mile after mile of fields of sunflowers and wheat, and were surprised to see how many women and children were working in the fields. At Szilvasvarda we visited the Horse Museum, and learned about the Lippeczaner Horses. That afternoon we visited the Home for Retired People of Hungary. The building was luxuriouslooking and appeared to have many occupants. We saw typical family dwellings in the city, and in contrast saw the strawthatched huts in the villages where we saw farmers with their rickety wooden wagons on unpaved streets. We continued our tour to Sárospatak, by way of Szerencs where we stopped at the chocolate factory Outlet Store. Our tour members were allowed to get off the bus and purchase whatever they wanted. At Sárospatak, we also visited Rákóczi Castle. Our bus rides were very enjoyable. The entire group was friendly and very easy to get along with. Sometimes we would sing Hungarian or American songs as we rode along. One time, one of our members taped the gypsy music from the evening before and played it for us as we rode along. Everyone enjoyed that. We visited the Hortobágy, the famous Hungarian Horse Show and saw the Hungarian Cowboys. Some of our tour members were invited to ride the horses. The rest of us were content to ride in the carts or buggies. The hospitality of these people is something I will never forget. Even at the Hortabagy we were offered hot, Hungarian, crackling biscuits with wine or soda. 1 can remember my grandmother making these biscuits many times when I was a child. I haven’t had them since I was a little girl. These were hot, just freshly baked and DELICIOUS. 4
