William Penn Life, 2009 (44. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2009-02-01 / 2. szám
Branching Out with Endre Csornán Journey to the Homeland Part 4 of our look back at the WPA-sponsored tour to Hungary Thursday, Sept. 25,2008, will remain a memorable day for the 43 WPA travelers who participated in the wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of Gyula Verhovay. After the official program, we traveled to Mezőhegyes, just a short distance from Battonya. All of the tour participants were treated to a fantastic luncheon compliments of the William Penn Association. After a most enjoyable meal, we sat around enjoying various fine wines produced in Hungary. In mid-afternoon, we departed back to Gyula and the Hotel Corvin. The next morning most of us were packed early and met in the dining room for an early breakfast. After drinking espresso, we were ready to depart for Szeged, the "Sunny City," home of the world-famous Pick salami, piros paprika and halászlé (fish soup), which is not one of my favorite dishes. However, it had been planned that we have lunch at the bank of the Tisza River in a local csárda famous for their fish soup. The bus tom of the city was a memorable one. In the late afternoon, we traveled to Ópusztaszer in the National Historical Memorial Park, the site of the first National Assembly where the Magyar conquering tribes agreed to their first laws 1,100 years ago. We also visited the Feszty Panorama and the Historical Village. From there, we traveled to Kecskemét, the barack (peach) city of Hungary, and lodged at the Hotel Aranyhomok. The next morning, we had a walking tour of the city. We visited the main square which included beautiful historical buildings such as the Hungarian Art Nouveau Municipal Hall, the Kodály Institute, the old church, the Cifra Palace and the former synagogue. Our tour then took us to Kerékegyháza to visit the Varga Tanya horse ranch. Here we enjoyed the trail ride in the Puszta, the horse show, an outdoor party with gypsy music, and, most of all, the fatányéros (wooden platter) that two people had to carry. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to see everything we wanted to see because we were scheduled to go on to Budapest. In Budapest, we had an opportunity to visit all of the famous landmarks that we have heard so much about. Included in our tour were visits to St. Stephen Basilica, Castle Hill, the Castle Museum, St. WPA member Elaine Shappell of Wilmington, N.C., was among a group of fellow members who visited Heroe’s Square in Budapest Matthias Church where the kings of Hungary were crowned and Fishermen's Bastion which was built in memory of the fishermen who defended the fortress against the Turks. It was fun to shop at the Váci-Út and dine at the Mátyás Pince where we listened to the Sándor Lakatos (Jr.) gypsy band. Shopping at St. Endre and riding the subway of Budapest to the National Opera House were also highlights. All in all, we had a wonderful trip. At the conclusion of our tour, we were a group of friends. It took a lot of preparation to arrange the tour. Our Hungarian agent, Andrea, our tour guide, Márta, and our "busz" driver, Sándor, were wonderful. A big thank you to those who came along. Thank you also to my secretary, Dora, and to Vice Chairman of the Board Barbara A. House, who were very much involved in making the trip possible. Last, but not least, many thanks to the William Penn Association and Richard Sarosi, John L. Lovász, Tom House and many others for their kind, helping hands. |wpl| 4 William Penn Life, February 2009
