Thanksgiving Part 2 and Other Random Things

So, Friday began with more pie baking. Dara came over around 2, and we listened to my Christmas mix a few times while she did most of the baking, though I did shape the tofurkey. Billy came over around 6 to make some mashed potatoes. He shared some Zubrowka with us (we deserved it), and we chit chatted. I felt pretty bad for Dara who had to do so much work with very little aid.

Eventually people showed up, including my roommate, close to 7:30. We ate at 8. I met some new Polish friends who were quite lovely. One Polish girl asked us what we thought of Polish men, so I shared my future Polish husband plan.

Sara and Andrew came awfully late after drinking several bottles of wine by themselves. The highlight of the evening was when Andrew fell asleep in the locked bathroom because he'd drank so much. Classic.

So, Saturday and Sunday were pretty good teaching days. On Sunday, I taught my students about AFI top movie quotes in a hope of helping them learn American culture. So, I was explaining how a Streetcar Named Desire ("Stella, Hey! Stella!") was relevant because it's used in Over the Hedge. So then I go back to the apartment, which is blissfully (but also sadly - when I'm watching horror movies by myself) empty, and I turn on the TV only to find the Polish version of Over the Hedge. Win.

Sunday, after teaching, I went to the Christmas markets at the old town. It's pretty cool - they have hot mulled wine and lots of food and gifts. The lights are up all over old town, but I was there during the daylight, so none of the lights were on.

So, after getting myself some new gloves, I ran into Rachel near her apartment. So we talked for a while before I met Billy at Browarmia for lunch. It was delicious, and I had a really good time. Then we went down the street a bit to the Berlin festival and had some mulled wine while listening to Berlin music.

Saturday, after class, I was walking down Lucka street when I saw an army of reenactors (as in, war) walking down the road. It was something else. Trailing at the end, there were a few people dragging a cannon. I guess they were reenacting some major war, but who really knows with Poland and the amount of times its been overrun.

Last Wednesday, I went to go see Twilight with Rachel. The bus was running about 15 minutes late. So I showed up a little late. Luckily, Rachel hadn't left me yet. We got our tickets and headed to the theater. Interesting thing about movie theaters in Poland: You have to pick your seats, and they're assigned. So, Rachel and I moved to the theater, and luckily it hadn't started yet. Unluckily, that was because Polish movies start with over a half hour of advertisements. So, about 3/4 of the way through the movie, the film just stops. So after a little bit of waiting, we're told that we can move to another theater or get our money back. So Rachel and I, of course, think we're just going to move to another theater. No big deal. However, we walk in... and the movie is just beginning. So I watched Twilight twice...

Because everything took so long, I ended up having to take the night bus home for the first time. I figured it out pretty quickly. It wasn't a problem. However, it was super awesome waiting at the Dworzec for the bus to leave. Nearly all the night buses leave from this point, so at 12:30, there was this mass exodus of yellow buses. It was amazing.

You can imagine it a bit from this video. This is what it looks like where most of the buses are waiting to take off. There's a four minute video showing the take off, but it's not a very good one...

Maps

The states I've been to...


Places in Europe I'll have been to by the end of June...

Thanksgiving Part 1 (Walnut Pie?)

So, I love making pecan pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas and my birthday and really any holiday during which I can manage to make pecan pie reasonably or even semi-irrationally. So, it was much to my disappointment to discover that in Poland, there are : no pecans, no karo syrup, and no pie tins. I also believe there is no vanilla extract, but I have been told that this is in fact not true. There is vanilla extract somewhere.

Luckily, Dara W brought over some pie tin alternatives. So I at least had that. And in between cleaning the apartment, I made two walnut pies with some creative substitutions. (Brown sugar here is not the same as brown  sugar back home, and I didn't have molasses, so I added honey!)

My friend John invited me to his house for Thanksgiving. Lola and I were supposed to go, but then she decided she had to go to this conference. A conference she also has to be at during the Thanksgiving we're hosting on Friday at our apartment (today). So, I'm stuck doing all the last minute cleaning, helping Dara do all the cooking, and generally being alone in my hostessing. But that is for another blog post. Instead, I will focus on watching the Green Bay Packers defeat the Detroit Lions, which was a definitely enjoyable moment, even though Suh got kicked out. I love Suh, even though Joel tells me that he's been a real jerk.

John was a real sweetheart, and we had a very legitimate dinner. My walnut pie turned out really well, surprisingly. So hopefully the two I have for Fulbright Thanksgiving will be delicious as well.

The best part of John's party was that we watched football on the AFN  - Armed Forces Network. They have the most ridiculous advertisements you've ever seen in your life.

This is just one of the most ridiculous ads, but there were so many ads that were definitely targeted towards people who don't have common sense. Even the military men at the Thanksgiving were mocking it.

Best Photograph Ever

Our Rulers of Bulgaria Shirts. Photo shoot. Fulbright style.

Budapest Part 3

Saturday was another late day. I was hanging with Tyler, and he is not a morning person. Either that or he was exhausted because of other things. Like the fact that he'd been really busy ever since we got back from Sofia, and Sofia wasn't exactly full of sleeping. It's hard to when you have FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). It's easier to stay up with people instead of going to sleep...

So, we met at the train station. I waited because Tyler was late. I was early. I met some homeless guys, and I started talking to them in Polish when they wouldn't leave me alone. This worked, and they left. Then they went and got their extra homeless friend, who speaks Italian. We didn't communicate. Then they finally left me alone. Then I hid upstairs for a while before meeting Tyler downstairs again.

We went to Szentendre. Szentendre is a small town near Budapest that caters to the Budapest tourist. It has a large open-air museum that we did not go to, and it has lots of souvenir shops that are overpriced and selling everything from kitschy to homemade (and sometimes both at the same time).

We went to lunch, and I had totally Hungarian food. Goulash - which, for those of you who aren't in the know, is not at all like Goulash we make at home. It's a soup with lots of paprika. Because they LOVE paprika in Hungary. Paprika is to Hungary as Dill is to Poland.

They had a really narrow alleyway, just like the one I saw in Stockholm. I'm tempted to figure out which one is narrower. But I really don't care.

That evening, we got back to Budapest. I read at Starbucks while Tyler prepared for his classes. Then we went to a Scottish pub for dinner. You know it's legit because, as we neared the establishment, a man in a kilt left the bar. We stayed there until midnight, and I had absolutely delicious stout from Bellhaven Brewery (Mom and Dad - you should see if Bricks has this. And/or require that they order it in. Yummy!).

The next day was my last day in Budapest. I left the hostel and made my way to Momento Park. Momento Park required that I take a metro and two buses. However, it was totally worth it.

In the Uprising of 1956, they cut off the Stalin statue at his boots. So these are Stalin's boots that remained.

This one is really cool because it's full of metaphor. Like, evidently, in Hungarian literature, a lamppost means the gallows. And the left side is the shiny Hapsburgs. I forget the rest of it, but you should trust me that the significance is actually cool when its finally logical.

This is my favorite and probably one of the most famous statues in the park. It's of a man running forward, waving a communist flag. However, because the thermal baths are so well known in Budapest, they came to call it "Hey, Wait! You forgot your towel." Or something along those lines. Winner.

After that, I had to catch my plane. I lost one red glove somewhere between Budapest and Warsaw, which is a bit of a bummer. But I guess that's a reason to go shopping again! So, that'll be on my to-do list.

Bupadest Part 2

So, I started my Friday a bit slowly. I moseyed over to Parliament, and I managed to still get tickets for the early tour, even though Rick Steves said that they sell out awfully quick. Parliament is gorgeous! However, the 45 minute tour was a tad disappointing for the hefty ticket cost.

I saw both the crown jewels:

And there was the deliberation chamber, which featured the Polish eagle in memory of the Jagiellonian dynasty which once controlled Budapest.

 Next, I went to the House of Terror, which is this really cool, modern museum about the Nazi/Soviet occupations of Budapest. I couldn't take photos inside, sadly, because there was some really nifty stuff. However, I did get a shot of the outside. Yes, in another example of Poland following me everywhere, the House of Terror was featuring a movie schedule that included showing of Katyn.

Next, I moseyed on down to Heroes Square. Rick Steves kind of left me in a lurch on this one, but basically there are a bunch of important people here.

It's also close to the official monument commemorating the Uprising of 1956. You can see that it begins with a few, short posts, and solidifies into a group effort powerful enough to break concrete. It was pretty basic symbolism, but it's a cool monument nevertheless.

 Of course, I managed to find the most American thing in the park, a statue of George Washington, before continuing on to this old building that was built for a national fair a while back. But the Hungarians liked it so much that they decided to rebuild it as a permanent structure. It now houses a few museums, including the museum of agriculture, which I decided to skip.

Finally, I ended my afternoon explorations at the thermal baths where I watched chubby, old Hungarian women feel that it is perfectly acceptable to wear bikinis. Eventually, I wandered to the subway where I caught a train back to my hostel for a nap before meeting Tyler for the evening. We went to a ruin pub, which is a pub in an abandoned building, frequently old apartment buildings with court yards. This one had a bar and a DJ in the court yard, and all the rooms off the courtyard were filled with thrift store furniture and beer pong tables for the social crowd.

Budapest Part 1

At the Warsaw airport, I made friends with John the Baptist from Jordan. I didn't mean to make friends with him, but I knew where the smoking room was. John the Baptist definitely wanted to smoke. So, then he talked up Jordan and recommended that I use a travel agent to book my flight there.

So, I arrived in Budapest incredibly early. My hostel owner berated me for not dressing warm enough. After dropping my bag off at my hostel, I decided to take a tour of the city. Of course, before I even whip out my tour guidebook, I find this gem: a statue of Reagan. Boo yeah America. I think I may have a bit of excessive love for America now that I live elsewhere.

Next, I headed over to Parliament, where the Rick Steves walking tour begins. Unfortunately, they didn't have tours available because Parliament was actually meeting or something lame like that. The area around Parliament was full of awesome statues, though. My favorites are the following two. The first one is a memorial to the Uprising of 1956. This was a big deal in Hungary in fighting the Communist powers. Of course, as with all good things, it started in Poland. I think it was a much bigger deal in Hungary. But I'm still proud of the student protests in Poznan for beginning a revolution elsewhere. Kind of like Solidarity. Awesomeness beginning in the land of Poles.

The second is a flag with the center cut out. They used to do this to protest communism because there would be communist insignia in the middle of the flag.

I continued the walking tour with few amazing sights until I came to this park right outside the US embassy. (My hostel host told me that the US Embassy was nearby. I told him that was good in case I get in trouble. I was thinking "I cause trouble." He thought Americans were just really negative. I convinced him that it was because I lived with Poles.) There were at least five dog owners with their dogs. Including this adorable dog in front of the best photo I took all weekend.

On the walking tour, I eventually made it to this GIANT Catholic Church. The best part of this church is that it houses a shriveled up, dead hand from some saint. The best ever.

The next stop on my tour was the Postal museum. The museum was not among the list of amazing things to see in Budapest. But I just love a good postal museum. Because I love the post office. The best part of this post office was the awesome mannequins. Representing who knows what, there were real winners.

I then saw the Opera House. I wanted to go on the tour, but they only have a few tours. Which is sad, because opera houses always make me think of Phantom of the Opera. I love that book and movie and play.

I wandered across to Chain Bridge. It's super famous and named after someone famous. (This memory of mine is a steel trap, as you can see.)

There were a few other statues that Rick Steves recommended I visit, including "The Princess," a whimsical statue without any real purpose.

I walked these ways to the Great Hall - a really giant market place. One of the best parts of the Great Hall was that it featured some really wonderful displays about mushrooms. Mushroom picking and the different regions you can go to in order to pick mushrooms. The top floor was entirely souvenirs, and I picked up some real winners.

There was also a Langos stand. Langos is basically fried dough, but they make savory and sweet langos. I had a cinnamon sugar version. I wish I would've tried the savory kinds too, but I enjoyed what I had.

Next I went to this really awesome, nearby museum. I only went because it was nearby and on a metro line, but it ended up being an awesome decision. It had some really amazing old stuff about the entire history of Hungary. The history of Hungary seemed so much more advanced than I expected. Primarily because it was once the Roman empire. Then it was the Austria-Hungary empire. Everything was evolved.

After dinner with Tyler, we went to castle hill on the Buda side, and we talked and took photos of the pretty lights on the other side of the Danube.

Bulgaria

Despite my habit of breaking posts up into days of travel, I don't have enough time before I leave for Budapest to really delve into Bulgaria. So here are the highlights:

A really pretty church from our sight seeing tour. The inside was even more amazing, but, of course, photos weren't allowed.

Dinner at a Bulgarian BBQ place. Chillin' with my ND peep. Other remarkable dinners included a Moroccan place and an Irish place. And more Bulgarian places, of course.

This is one of the traditional Bulgarian restaurants. Yes, I was selected to dance. Because I'm a hottie.

This is the lady of Sofia. She's dressed rather skankily, but she's a monument of the city.

Some ruins. Now all their ruins are intermixed with their subway system. If in doubt, blame communism.

Our tour guide at the Boyana Church and Tyler. Our Tour Guide's name was Mr. White White. He said things like "Oh, I could talk all night, but how time flies!" He was adorable. The inside of the church was amazing. It's a UNESCO world heritage site. But no photos allowed!

Our hostel. Was freezing cold. The guy who checked us in may or may not have been high. He didn't turn the water heater on...

The symbol of Bulgaria is the lion. The Leva. Also the name of its currency.

The best bar we went to any night. The apartment. It is just like an apartment. With booze. And sexy Jazz music.

Stockholm. Day Two.

Day two started off slowly. I initially planned to go to Vasa at 10, then mosey over to Hell at 11, then move onto Skansen before everything shut down at 3. Well, I was having a hard time getting motivated in the morning, so I reversed everything.

I arrived at Skansen shortly before 11. At first, I thought that things were just shut down because they hadn't opened yet. Then I realized that this (the world's first open air museum) was actually just in off season. I hope I paid less than they do during the real season. It made me a bit cranky, so I determined that I would get the best out of the experience.

I ate a pastry from the building that resembled an old school bakery. I talked to the cute man in the old school dry goods store. I watched some girls in modern clothing blow glass. I explored the town.

Then I toured the rest of Skansen, seeing cute little Scandinavian critters like these. 

(Reindeer, also known as "dinner" in Swedish)

Skansen was OK. It was disappointing coming from a location with an amazing zoo. It was even more disappointing coming from someone who's been to Silver Dollar City more than once. I've already seen folks dressed up old school style trying to sell me things.

There were some old rune stones which were fairly cool. I definitely appreciated that aspect. I think those elements of culture were far more fascinating than just the old buildings that could've existed in America. There was one building in which two women talked about the different herbal/natural remedies for things. There was one called "Devil's Poo" that was well known for curing insanity...

Next, I ate a quick lunch while still reading Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. While the book interested me, I still found it disappointing. I can't wait to watch the (Swedish) movie adaptations. I'm boycotting the American versions for the time being. I don't get why some people just can't man up and read subtitles.

I then wandered over to this museum that had a special exhibit called "Hell." I would never normally go to this museum, but the exhibit was SO COOL. It had a bunch of Jenny Holzer work.

There were videos from Australia and China. The one from Australia was a montage of disaster footage both real and from classic movies. So it was really interesting. There was a huge set - as in the set of a play - as in the whole stage - from a play about the devil. Then they had the play itself on a TV in the corner. There was so much going on, and it was so cool. I almost bought the exhibit catalog.

Next, I wandered over the Vasa Museum to check out a really old Viking ship. I didn't think this would be very cool, but Aunt Beth and Aunt Barb convinced me that it was worth my time. I'm really glad they did. It was a surprisingly awesome museum. I watched the video about the sinking and salvaging of the ship. The boat itself is neat. The museum smells awesome, and I think it's the scent of the old wood.

My favorite part, in typical me fashion, was the reference to Poland (The museum refers to it as "the war with Poland." I prefer to think of it as "Sweden's aggressive attack on innocent Poland.") Did the ship sink because of Poland's malice?

Next I wandered over to the ice bar. This was way too much walking for one person, and my body was dying by the end of it. But I think it was totally worth it. I paid far too much for twenty minutes in a bar with one drink. However, the bar was made of ice. And I think it was the first ice bar in Europe or something like that. So it was legit.

Thus ended my second day. I got some dinner and finished the book until a headache overcame me, and I went to bed nice and early. When I woke up the next morning, the headache was still excruciating, so I didn't get to go to the Swedish Money Museum - which probably has a more appropriate name. But all in all, I think I did a pretty good job of seeing the best of Stockholm.