November Rainbow

One afternoon in November this lovely rainbow was spotted by my students during a lesson. It only lasted a few minutes and for an even shorter time you could see a second rainbow above it.

This was the view of it from my classroom window.

Fall Break 2008: Salzburg, Austria (Oct 26 - Oct 31)

I lived and studied in Salzburg in the fall of 2004 during my undergraduate studies. This was my first visit back since then and the city is as beautiful as ever. As soon as our bus arrived back in Budapest from Romania, Jon and I hopped on a metro to the train station and began our journey to Austria. It was quite early when we arrived so we first explored the city as the sun was still rising.

a chilly morning view from the Mönchsberg

the Salzach River

Mozartsteg Bridge

We stayed with my former host family, Annette and her two children, Sophia and Christian. Monday night we visited Hellbrunn Palace. It is situated just outside the city and surrounded by beautiful gardens.

Christian leading the way to Hellbrunn Palace

gardens at Hellbrunn

We took a guided tour of the Wasserspiele ("Water Games"). Built in the 17th century under Archbishop Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, these trick fountains and water-powered toy theatre was a fun stop.

a fountain in the Wasserspiele

I think visiting Salzburg after Transylvania added an additional layer of appreciation to our time there. At times during our travels through Romania our rooms were heated with wood stoves were advised to never drink the water. I remember Salzburg feeling luxurious in 2004, but this was even better. In addition to physical comfort, it was such a joy to reconnect with Annette and the kids.

Annette, Christian, Sophia, Kyung Woo (a schoolmate of Christian's)

For Jon, cooking was the favorite luxury in Salzburg. To thank Annette for her hospitality, we insisted on making the family dinner one night. The meal (handmade orecchiette with vodka sauce) was such a success, Jon was welcomed into the kitchen to make food as often as he liked. I think it was after he made cannellini bean soup that Christian asked Annette if they could adopt Jon into their family.

Sophia learns how to make orecchiette

Other trip highlights include: spending all our Euros at the chocolate factory in Grödig, an afternoon at the art museum with Annette, Christian's adorable attempts at card tricks, picnic lunches in the city, and coffee in Austrian coffeehouses. I can't wait to go back.

view of the city at dusk

from Mozartsteg Bridge at night

Fall Break 2008: Kalotaszentkirály, Romania (Oct 25)

Csipkebogyó Lekvár (Rose Hip Jam) Festival in Kalotaszentkirály

A rose hip branch adorned the entrance to the village hall

Our last night in Romania was spent in Kalotaszentkirály. The evening

began with a large dinner together, then on to a wonderful evening of music and dancing. The guest of honor at the celebration was rose hip jam. The village hall was decorated with rose hip branches above the doorways and on the walls. The whole village turned out for the event, which began with the announcement of the winner of the rose hip jam competition. Prizes were awarded for the top five entries. Next came the folk dancing show. Different age level groups showcased their fancy steps and traditional clothing.

The first dancers were the older and more accomplished ones in the group. In the background you could see the faces of younger dancers peeking through the curtains and watching in amazement.

a short clip from the opening dance

Eventually the younger children danced too and before long the show was over and it was time for everyone to put on their dancing shoes.

curtain call for the performers


The musicians spread out across the stage and anyone interested moved towards the front of the hall for a crash course in some basic steps. The music and dancing went on well into the morning hours.

the musicians

Throughout the evening dancers would show off their steps for the crowd. This boy in particular loved the spotlight.

Fall Break 2008: Békás Szoros, Romania (Oct 24)

Our fourth day ended in the Békás mountains. We first stopped at the top to take a few snapshots before heading into the canyon.

We got off the bus and walked part of the canyon pass to take in the scenery on foot. It was a cold and rainy day, but it was beautiful.

Our next stop was Gyilkostó (Lacu Roşu) "Killer Lake" or "Red Lake." It has a particularly eerie look, settled in between the mountains with dead tree stumps sticking out of the water. Heavy rains in 1837 washed away part of the mountain. Due to the particular minerals in the lake, it preserved the trees that still stick out as stumps from the water. Occasionally the minerals and silt turn the lake a red color.

There is no shortage of legends to accompany this strange place. One legend attributes the red color to the blood of the shepherds who were buried alive in the landslide. Another is a love story: Two lovers' parents forbid them to see each other, so they met in secret in the mountains. One day they prayed for God to move the mountains and they were swept away with the side of the mountain into the lake.




Last stop: Delicious Kürtőskalács

Kürtőskalács is a traditional Transylvanian wedding pastry also known as "chimney cake." Strips of dough are wrapped around a wooden cylinder that twirls over open coals.

Once the dough is golden brown and the sugar caramelizes the dough is slid off the wooden spit and toppings like cinnamon, nuts, coconut, etc. are added. They are very popular and not just for weddings.

Fall Break 2008: Korond, Romania (Oct 24)

Korond (Corund) is a small town famous throughout Romania and Hungary for their traditional Transylvanian pottery.

During our stop, we were given a short tour of the factory where pieces are made and painted by hand. It was a small, intimate tour that felt more like peeking into someone's garage workshop than a "factory tour."





one of the large brick kilns

some finished pieces in the front shop

Fall Break 2008: Gymesközéplok, Romania (Oct 23)

We made two stops in Gymesközéplok, a collection of traditional Csángó villages tucked in the valleys of the Gyimes mountains. In the 1700's these villages were settled by Székely people and have changed little over the past 300 years.



As we drove into the little village, we passed many horse-drawn carts with people curious about our brightly-colored van in their neighborhood. My favorite "lottery shot" from the bus was of a man and his bike on top of a cart full of hey.







We stopped at a small home where we got a peak inside a typical Gyimesi Csángó house. The grandmother greeted us at the entrance and her family graciously let us step inside their one-room living space heated by a wood stove.





Upon arriving at our second stop, we were greeted with traditional music performed by people in traditional costumes. After some pálinka, wine and appetizers we walked to the old Hungarian-Romanian border just down the road. Along the old border stood some ruins of an old fortress.

railroad tracks at the old border


view from the fortress ruins


We returned to where we had our snack and gathered outside to watch some traditional folk dancing.

Hajni, our program director, translated the lyrics from Hungarian to English for the songs with words.



After the demonstrations, we were all invited to join in. We were taught a few basic steps and also learned a group dance. At the end anyone who wanted to joined in and danced to the live music.

After the dancing we ate dinner and the musicians serenaded us inside as well. It was a wonderful day of music and culture.