Summer Vacation 2010: Mountain Hike

Since we arrived in Austria the weather has been very strange, shifting from cold and rainy to sunny and warm every few days. So when a sunny day finally came around again we knew we had to make the most of it. We decided to spend an afternoon hiking up one of the surrounding mountains, the Zwölferhorn.

View of St. Gilgen at the start of our hike

Lake Wolfgang

At this point I had to stop and record the wonderful sounds around us. We had recently passed a farm house where someone had just started playing accordion. Meanwhile the cows grazed in the pasture beside us.

At the edge of the pasture stood a water trough fed by fresh mountain water. It was so picturesque we decided to have our picnic lunch right there.

We were close to the top, but we decided to start our descent back into town.

So close!

One thing we have learned about mountain climate is that it changes very quickly. So when we looked up and saw dark clouds moving in, we decided not to risk getting caught in the storm.

pretty purple mountain flower

Thankfully we arrived back in St. Gilgen safe, sound, tired, and dry.

Summer Vacation 2010: Lake Wolfgang, Austria

The Basil-Hungry Caterpillar

I found this little green guy while harvesting basil for some pesto.

Some of our basil plants are enjoying a second summer out on our balcony. The heat in our apartment was so high all winter (We actually opened windows during the day because we couldn't turn it down!) that a few of the plants survived.

We saved and planted seeds from the old plants and now have more than enough basil to treat ourselves to some homemade pesto.

When are we going to Pécs?

About six months ago, my principal asked me if I would like to go on a trip to Pécs (sounds like "paych") in June.

"It's a teacher's outing. We'll go for two days. Transportation and accommodation are free."

"That sounds great!"

"Did you know that Pécs is the cultural capital of the European Union this year?"

"Oh, that's right! Sounds like the perfect time to go. Can Jon come too?"

"Of course! Just talk to Nelli and let her know you are both interested."

Jon had never been to Pécs and I had only spent a few minutes there with a student group from Kalocsa last spring (We literally only stopped there for the McDonald's). I was looking forward to seeing more of the city this time. So I signed us up and we wrote it down in our planners.

I didn't think much about the trip again until my friend Sandy started to plan her visit to Hungary. Her flight was to arrive the second day of the outing, so Jon and I figured we would go for the first day with the group, then leave early the second day and take a train from Pécs to Budapest so we could meet Sandy at the airport.

As the trip grew closer I confirmed my plan with my colleague Nelli and even some other colleagues.

"Is it alright if I leave Pécs early? Jon and I need to meet our friend who is arriving in Budapest on the 30th. Is that okay?"

"Sure! No problem."

"So we will go with the group by bus to Pécs and stay the night, but we will not go back to Kecskemét by bus. We will take a train to Budapest from Pécs."

"That will be fine."

I arrived home after a week at summer camp the night before our trip to Pécs. I was exhausted and ready for a nice getaway in a beautiful city with Jon and some colleagues. We packed light and boarded the bus at 7:30 am the next morning.

"So what's the program for today?" I asked Gábor, one of my colleagues.

"Well, first we are going to Paks to see the nuclear power plant," he replied.

"Oh. That's interesting," I said.

I figured it was about halfway between Kecskemét and Pécs, so it sort of made sense to break up the trip. Besides, I'd never been inside a nuclear power plant before. So we went to the nuclear power plant, put on some hard hats and... well, after a few hours I really started to wonder, When are we going to Pécs?

We finished our tour around 1pm, and I was getting really hungry. There was a café in the plant, but it only sold coffee and ice cream. We didn't pack much food for the trip, but thankfully I had a bag of peanuts in my bag on the bus.

After a few group shots in front of the plant, we all piled back onto the bus. I started chowing down on some peanuts, figuring we were finally headed for Pécs, and the woman who was organizing our trip (not a teacher from my school) started asking who wanted to go hiking and who wanted to go swimming.

Wait a minute... hiking? swimming? When are we going to Pécs?!

Well after some voting and discussion it was decided that whoever wanted to go hiking would get dropped off in "NotPécs" (I don't remember the exact name) and the rest of the group would continue to "AlsonotPécs" where we would all meet up and then go swimming together.

I asked Gábor for clarification.

"Where is the other group meeting us?"

"In 'AlsonotPécs.'"

"What's in 'AlsonotPécs?'"

"Hold on. I'll ask"

(He asks the guide and comes back.)

"That's where we are staying tonight."

"Wait. What?! When are we going to Pécs?!"

"I don't know. Tomorrow?"

I just couldn't believe it. The "trip to Pécs" was turning out to have nothing to do with Pécs. I was wearing a skirt and sandals and hadn't packed anything appropriate for a hike through the woods, but it was hot on the bus and I did have bug spray and sunscreen. So we decided to go on the hike.

The bus stopped in "NotPécs" and about half of the group got off. One by one my colleagues looked at how I was dressed and commented that I was not appropriately dressed, to which I shrugged my shoulders and responded, "I thought we were going to Pécs."

The hike was lead by the woman who organized our trip. She said it was to be a two hour hike through the woods. There were about 16 of us altogether. The mosquitoes were bad, but I had my spray and it was actually a nice, relaxing walk in nature... for the first hour and a half.

We started our hike at 2pm and around 3:30pm we came to a clearing with multiple trails continuing in different directions back into the woods. Jon and I had just finished our thermos of water. There was a map and a few signs pointing to different towns, but our guide wasn't sure which way to go. She didn't have a trail map or a "plan B." At this point it was clear her "plan A" wasn't so solid either.

Somehow we started following this woman down a "not trail." It was literally just erosion down the side of the ravine. It was steep, muddy, and a terrible idea. Six of my colleagues refused to follow the guide. Jon and I stood for a while between the group that wasn't coming and the group that was disappearing down the ravine before we just decided to keep going.

Eventually we got to the bottom of the ravine, and it was clear to everyone we weren't on, or near, a trail. We climbed up a softer slope until we could see a logging access road of some sort and headed in that direction. We followed that path until we came to a stream, which was just too big to jump across without getting your feet wet - at least it was refreshing!

Soon we heard thunder in the distance. It was so ominous because all we could see above us was blue sky and sunshine. We never did get rained on, but we did see a rainbow later on. By this point we had found a paved road to somewhere and we walked and walked and walked.

Throughout this ordeal, Jon was doing a great job of seeing the upside. We were lost, we were out of food and water, yet he continued to get excited when he spotted interesting insects and fungi. The best part was when he spotted wild strawberries. Maybe it was partly because I was really hungry, but those tiny little strawberries were the most flavorful, amazing berries I've ever tasted!

Finally, around 6:30pm we could hear traffic noises and followed them to a trail head just off a highway. Our guide called the bus and they picked us up. We were greeted by the other teachers with cheers, hugs, and water. Now we just had to find the other six teachers we left behind.

Even though the driver had a GPS, it was the man in the pink tank top with the gold earring, who we literally picked up at a pub, who guided us to our missing colleagues. On our way into the forest a man on a bicycle waved the bus down and told the driver there were six lost women in the forest. We knew we were on the right path.

At 7:45 the last of my colleagues got on the bus. Tired, hungry, but glad to all be safe and sound, we headed to "AlsonotPécs."

We arrived in "AlsonotPécs" around 8:30pm and pulled up to our accommodation - a summer camp. After a week at summer camp it was just about the last place I wanted to sleep after a long, confusing day. But there we stood, pondering our situation when our guide came back to inform us that we had missed dining hall hours and there would be no dinner.

By this time Jon and I started to worry about the train we needed to catch from Pécs the following morning. We were assured that we would go to Pécs after breakfast the next day in time for our train.

After we figured out our sleeping arrangements and dropped our stuff in our rooms, we piled back on the bus to find food. It was just after 9pm when we found a little pizza place that said they could make 15 pizzas, but it would take about an hour. So our guide put in our order and we headed to Tesco (the UK's version of Super Wal-Mart). It was the first chance we had all day to buy food. Everyone bought enough food for at least two days.

With groceries in hand, we got back on the bus, picked up our pizza and headed back to camp. Since it was after hours, the dining hall was locked and we had to eat outside in the dark. And since it was a summer camp, we actually had a teacher come out in her robe and ask us to be quiet because the kids were asleep. She had a point, it was 10:30pm.

We did, in fact, make it to Pécs the next day after breakfast. I had told the guide we needed to be at the train station by 10:30am. After driving all around town looking for the train station, we finally arrived there around 10am. The bus stopped and the guide looked at her watch.

"Hey! It's only 10 o'clock. Do you want us to drive you to the city center so you can see Pécs?"

"NO! Thank you! Goodbye!"

Our train wasn't actually leaving until 11:25, but we weren't taking any chances. We went straight into the station and bought our tickets.

We did have a little time to kill, so we walked into town, had a coffee, then caught our train for Budapest.

I would still like to see Pécs someday, but I'm happy to pay for my own transportation and accommodation next time.

Fat Danube

Heavy rains flooded a number of cities in northern and eastern Hungary this spring. Here are some pictures I took of the Danube while Jon and I were in Budapest.

Makin' Bagels

I know Jon is usually the one who posts about food, but here are a few snapshots from our first batch of homemade bagels. Our friends Emily and Tomi invited us to their place in Szolnok for a little tutorial. They were so delicious we made another batch the next day in Kecskemét.

The more I learn how to make things from scratch, the more possible everything in the kitchen seems. Since I've been living in Hungary, I've learned how to make homemade pasta, pita, crackers, jam, mayonnaise, hollandaise, limoncello, mozzarella, ricotta, meringues, mousse, panna cotta, pickles, and most recently: bagels, not to mention the arsenal of soups and side dishes I now have at my disposal. It's true, Jon does most of the cooking around here, but he's a great teacher and we enjoy working in the kitchen together almost as much as we love eating our latest tasty creations.

Stories from Europe

One feature of the Hungarian school system that I have found particularly interesting is the abundance of competitions. In one school year, top students may compete in upwards of 40 different competitions, often in different cities across the country. Last year, one of my seventh graders finished the year with 43!

My first encounter with competitions here in Hungary was marking absences as "excused" for students away at competitions. Eventually I chaperoned, judged, and even helped create materials for various competitions. Once acquainted with the custom, I didn't give it much thought until I attended the "Stories from Europe" competition in Kecskemét. It was one of the most inspiring educational events I've ever attended.

"Stories from Europe" banner above the stage

It is a co-sponsorship between the Alternative English School (the private language school where I work half-time) and the Kecskemét public library. To qualify for the competition, students (in teams of 5) had to first successfully complete a number of tasks online, mostly pertaining to English language competency and online researching skills to find answers. The top scores were chosen and each qualifying group was assigned a European country.

Groups in the 5th-6th grade category had to choose a folk tale from their given country to adapt for the stage and perform in English; 7th-8th grade teams had to present an important historical event.

promo poster for "The Wall Must Fall Down," a 7th-8th grade finalist

The next assignment was to submit their promotional posters. Teams had to create a poster to advertise their performance, and again only the top scores advanced. Finally, the performances were seen at semi-final competitions held in two different cities. The top three performances in each age group from each location moved on to the finals in Kecskemét.

scene from "The Bird Who Knew Everything," a 5th-6th grade finalist

I attended the finals and was captivated. It was not so much because the students performed well, which they did, but what the competition as a whole really represented. So many different disciplines and skill sets were showcased: culture, drama, history, English, etc. And nearly every group ended their performance with a folk dance from the country they researched.

folk dance from the Czech Republic

I am still in awe of what I saw and what a rich experience it was to simply observe. This was not a typical English competition where students are corralled into rooms and handed a multiple choice test while teachers and parents sit and wait. No, this was a snazzy event, and the entrance fee was speaking English.