A stroll in town

Typically we go on a stroll a couple of times every day and always pass interesting things to see. This a high school in town with about 800 students. It belongs to the Fransiscan order and specializes in languages (German, English, Spanish, Latin and Italian).

You can come across a puppet show any time. Puppet shows here are never really just puppet shows but involve real characters and actors, clowns and musicians as well. They make children think in an abstract way and interpret stories in several dimensions. They are ususally very entertaining and suprisingly sophisticated. I am definitely a fan.

I used to tell Chris Shepherd that carrying a water bottle in cities in Europe is a definite sign of being a tourist and most of the time a foreigner. There are drinking fountains in different parts of the cities and they are at least as decorative as useful. This particular fountain was built around the turn of the century (not the 21st) and is made from world famous Zsolnay ceramics.

Barbed wire gone

Hungary celebrates the 20th anniversary of destroying the iron curtain. Twenty years of freedom. Check out the link.
www.newhorizonebooks.com/DLB11FallOfTheWall.pdf

Hungarian Dance House

Magyar táncház, Hungarian Dance house with the Transylavanian Üsztürü band. Hungarian friends, who knows what üsztürü means? Ask me, if you want to know.

Kamilla was the first one to go out. It took the Hungarian men some time to join all the ladies. Anyhow, Hungarian women obviously know how to entertain themselves. If you want to know more info about Hungarian dance houses, check my previous posting on 6/11.

Jazz lovers, attention

Three jazz concerts in three days. Awesome jazz in POTE. The best jazz musicians in Hungary playing with the Pécs symphonic orchestra. Here are the names: Szakcsi Lakatos Béla, (piano) Szakcsi Jr., (piano)Babos Gyula, (guitar) Barcza Horvath Jozsef, (double base) Balazs Elemer, (drums) Berki Tamas, (voice) and my favorite, Lantos Zoltán ( violin).

This formation is "Six For You". All of them are my friends. I used to sing with some of them. Miss that time. But I have to admit, that their singer is really good. Congrats!

Sunday brunch

Just a note to my friends in Rabun county: If you come visit me next summer in Hungary, this is the place, I will take you out for a Sunday brunch. I hope it will be at least as good as "Kountry Vittles". Fabulous food , great live music, and the interior.... (You can see Kamilla and my dad in the right corner of the picture.)

Night at the Museum 3

Kamilla is learning how to make money in the History of the Town museum. She managed to get several replicas of Celtic coins.

This is the Zsolnay Museum, where you can see the world famous porcelain made by a special technology invented by a Hungarian family (Zsolnay family). Finally I was able to purchase a ceramics medal made by this family. It is absolutely gorgeous.

Agnus Dei. This is the title of the fantastic transcendental event that took place beneath the cathedral in the crypt. It was inspired to celebrate the Year of Religious Culture (2009) and the milenium of the foundation of the Pecs Bishopric. It was a multimedia ( laser, video ,music) show . The audience gets in the middle of a changing light environment and becomes part of it. The picture world of the show is based on the symbols of Christianity. The forms of ancient Christian frescos and icons show through the thin cotton material that is hung around the walls. The musical montage of Gregorian melodies, Hungarian folk songs, and pieces of Liszt and Bach add to the special space that provides an unforgettable and undescribable worship experience. Ross, you would have loved it. By the way, your aura came up here during my worship.

Midsummer night in Hungary turns into a night at the museums. Between 6pm and 2am you can visit all the museums in town for 4 dollars and see special events, concerts or just walk around the museums and museum gardens. These were some of the highlights of our midsummer night.

The Mosque/ The Inner City Parish Church

above: Kamilla's baptism six years ago in the mosque (held by my brother, Kamilla's godfather). below: our wedding in the mosque exactly ten years ago.

The cupola in the Inner City Parish Church (Turkish Mosque)

Today the church serves three puposes. It is a working catholic church, a preserved muslim church and a tourist downtown attraction. As you can see it in the picture the alter is in the middle of the circular shaped church and the minister depending on which direction he turns, can address the congregation in a Christian setting or a muslim setting. Our wedding ceremony was in the muslim part and Kamilla's baptism was in the Christian half.

This is the main square in Pecs with the mosque in the background.

Perfect weather, zero humidity

I know I have not written for a while but we are out and about until late every night. I need this VERVE. I hope these pictures represent some of the pulsing atmosphere that characterizes Pécs. These photos were taken at 11pm. Food, drink and entertainment and of course people are everywhere.

Ashley, how is Pizza?

Hayden, how do you like our lawn mower?

A hike to Tettye

Tettye is peak in the Mecsek hills in Pecs. We can actually see it from our window. Bishop Szatmari built a renaissance palace there, today you can only see the ruins. It is actually a site for an open air theatre today. We are going to see a concert there ina couple of weeks, then I'll write more about it. I just realized that they had "Aida" ( the musical) play here a week before I arrived. That means that I missed it here and I will miss it in Franklin in July. Shoot!

It only takes a nice 20 minute walk up here from our home, I power walk or jog there most nights. Here are some of the views.

Pecs National Ballet Company

There is a stage during the festival season right in front of the Pecs Cathedral. (New Romanesque style, built between the 3rd and 16th centuries.) Will include more indoor pictures at a later post) Anyway, the atmosphere is phenomenal, the location always makes the productions even more uplifting. Today we saw a ballet performance. It was called The Black Box and it was about human relationships, a play in the mind, a game in our imagination. Whether it was a real story, a memory or a whole life, we could all identify ourselves with the story or at least parts of it. The prologue was the following: " ...they all play a game, and I know it but if I let them know that I know it is only a game, I get punished, so I rather just play, too...."

We loved it, Kamilla and I danced a lot after it. It is good that Dr. Kadar did not see us, who just did a minor surgery on my back two days ago and restricted me from any exercise for three weeks. Sorry, Dr. Kadar, it is not going to work, but you did a great job, my stitches are really holding together.

By the way, I added a picture of Palya Bea, see earlier posting. Timi, I got go to a Palya Bea concert again, ( i wish you could have been there) now otdoors. She had the "search for a rose game ", such a sophisticated rythm language in an ezoteric music setting. Goose bumps....

Kürtös kalács that is rolled up sweet dough

This is a Transylvanian Hungarian delicacy, a rolled up sweet yeast dough with sugar, cinnamon, chocolate powder and other yummy stuff. Give it a try, will you?

Puppet show

I love downtown Pecs. Every afternoon at 4 there is a puppet show by a different theatre group. Here are some pictures of one of them. Kamilla is somewhere among the children. I am so inspired. Want to direct a puppet show when I go back. I had already done one in the Montessori school a couple of years ago. These plays are so interesting with several layers and dimensions, entertaining for both children and adults. Let me know if you are interested in participating.

Dance house

Look at the chemistry between this beautiful accordion player and the clarinet player. Oh......my!

The David Klezmer Quintet under a tent during the rain.

Dance house is typical Hungarian event when a live band plays music and people get together and dance usually in a circle or ocassionally in other formations, lines or pairs. There is one or several dance insrtuctors, so if you do not know the dance you can still pick it up. In spite of it being called a dance house, many times it happens outdoors, especially in the summer. The dance house movement started in the 16th century and it was typically Hungarian but in the past century other nationalities living in Hungary or around Hungary joined in the beautiful tradition. In my hometown every Wednesday night there is a dance house with different ethnic groups. Last night I went to a Jewish dance house. Wonderful Klezmer music played by the David Klezmer Quintet and joyful, elegant dance performed even throughout the rain.

Here are some published private messages: (Students, why is it an oxymoron and why is it an alliteration?)

1.To all: I get a lot of messages that I do not publish because there are some private matters in them, but sometimes it is hard to tell. If you feel strongly about one way or another, please let me know if I should publish it or not.

2. To my friends in Atlanta: I know I could not be there at the Kozso concert last Saturday and I missed a great party. However I ended up on the same flight to Budapest with Kozso and had a nice conversation. He invited me to a private party in Budapest and even wants to sing with me. Or was I just dreaming? Sorry Kozso, I was half asleep. Anyhow, all of you, do not be jealous, I carefully pick who I sing with.

3. Ashley, keep writing about Pizza. We really miss our pussy cat and want to hear all the details.

Palya Bea. Wow! I can't believe that after sleeping for 13 hours and eating 4 Turo Rudis, on my first night in Hungary I got to go to a Palya Bea concert. Palya Bea is a Hungarian Roma (Roma is the PC expression for gypsy) singer who mostly does world music. World music happens when at least two or more different cultures blend in the melody, rythm, language or feeling of a particular music. Unbelievably satisfying for my cosmopolitan ego. So, she did a mix of Hungarian, Romanian, Roma and Jewish, Spanish, Greek, and different other eastern blends. She created an intimitaly powerful atmosphere. Beautiful voice and an empowered woman singing barefoot about lives of women from how to get the unattainable man, through how to make babies, and how to give birth to babies to how to raise a strong woman. She has some recordings on youtube, if you are interested.

'At 3.30 pm on Sunday the 7th of June, 2009, I will take off from Atlanta and fly away on my own wings. Please forgive me. I loved you all.'

As you can all see I just started reading Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. ( see chapter 1)
All my international students, let's read it together and discuss it. Please ask me any questions.

I just realized it last night that this is the first year when I am looking forward to coming back to Rabun county. Life is taking me seriously and I am taking life seriously. What other suprises are waiting for me? What is it going to be like to connect with my roots in 3 days? Awesome? Yeh, I think soooo. Ross, you are right. I need my Hungarian space.

In 4 days I will be standing by the skylight in my Pecs home's attic and take in the view.

5 days until I can eat a Turo Rudi. ( chocolate covered cheese sticks) How come that's the first Hungarian food that comes into my mind and it was only invented when I was 18 years old? Who would have thought that people can still invent food that impresses people that much? Well, you really have to try Turo Rudi, when you are in Hungary to figure...

Hungary! ...in 6 days. Theatres, museums, puppet shows, concerts, dances, yoga retreat and sooooo much more! My first trip: June 8th Budapest-Pecs on an intercity train. Pecs will be our base.