Category Archives: Photography

A Few Frayed Ends

Our landlord at the Liesel/Pierre gave us lots of great visiting tips that turned out to be indispensable. In regards to sightseeing, he indicated that the old inner city was small and compact enough that we might want to avoid the numerous commercial touring schemes and set out on foot to explore.

This turned out to be great advice, but in terms of picture taking it has lent itself to a lot of this and that. So that’s how we’ll finish up our trip to Budapest, in bits and pieces with a few frayed ends.

Call Home

Call Home

Meaning “satellite” or “companion” in German, the Trabants were produced in East Germany. Originally, you’d pay for the car then be put on a list and wait for as long as 6 to 8 years for delivery. This meant that used Trabants sold for more then new ones. The downside was they ran like crap, were smokey as hell and produced 10 times the pollution of conventional cars. The upside was that they were manufactured, almost entirely, from recycled materials. The Trabant was regarded with derisive affection as a symbol of the extinct former East Germany and the fall of the Eastern bloc.

The Lada

The Trabant

I have absolutely no idea what any of these people are selling.

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Public baths were introduced by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire and are a huge part of popular culture. They are great facilities that have swimming pools (with three different temperatures), saunas, thermals, restaurants, cabins and anything you might need to have a great day. Two of the most popular are the Gellert Baths at the luxurious Hotel Gellert and the Szechenyl Baths at the city park. We spent the day at Szechenyl.

Szechenyl Baths

Szechenyl Baths

Szechenyl Baths - 98.6 F

This pool is 98.6 F. A little like floating in an embryonic sack.

Hotel Gellert

Hotel Gellert

Hotel Gellert

Hotel Gellert

The Great Synagogue or Tabakgasse Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe.

The Great Synagogue

The Great Synagogue

Shoes on the Danube Bank is a bronze sculpture that honors the Jews who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II. It depicts one of the saddest stories in modern Hungarian history.

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Budapest100

Read More.

All the rest.

One World

One World

Football is huge.

Football is huge.

River Boat Ticket Office.

River Boat Ticket Office.

Kaczian Tie Shop

Kaczian Tie Shop

American Style Chicken?

American Style Chicken?

Airplane Engine Museum

Airplane Engine Museum

Airplane Engine Museum

Airplane Engine Museum

Home

Home

Animal Vet

Animal Vet

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The Jester

The Little Princess

The Jester

The Little Princess

Lets top it off.

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That’s all for now. See you in Austria.

 












Riding the Rails

I love public transportation. Perhaps because, at home, we have so little of it and what we do have seems so grossly inefficient, which is something we can probably blame on constant lobbying efforts by the automobile industry, but I digress.

NewMetro

In Budapest, between trains, trams and buses, there isn’t a location you can’t get to within a block of. If you weren’t in the delivery business, I can’t imagine why you would want to deal with a car.

We purchased 7 day passes that allow us to use any trains, trams or buses and cost only about $3 a day, half that if you are a EU citizen. We have used it constantly. This is the best sightseeing buy in town.

The trams are great fun. A little old fashioned, they are all above ground and wind their way through the old city center giving you passing views of all the city’s most fascinating locations. The #2 line, which hugs the Danube from one end of the city to the other and affords great views of monumental government buildings, palaces and bridges, is my favorite.

Line 2

Line 2

Line 2

Line 2

Line 2

Line 2

The Hungarian Parliment from the #2 Line

The Hungarian Parliment from the #2 Line

The Buda Castle from the #2 Line

The Buda Castle from the #2 Line

The Budapest Metro is particularly interesting. It is the oldest electrified underground railway system on the European continent, and the second-oldest in the world, predated only by the 1890 City & South London Railway. Its iconic Line 1, completed in 1896, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002.

Postage

Line 1

The Metro has expanded over the years by renovating and adding new updated lines while preserving and restoring it’s older historic parts.

Line 1 Entrance At Szechenyl Park

Line 1 Entrance At Szechenyl Park

Line 1

Line 1

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Kodaly Korand Stop On The #1 Line

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Circus Poster

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Old School Leather Straps

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The Opera Station

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Old Style Ticket Booth at the Vorosmarty Stop

Lines 2 and 3 are newer but still date from the at least the 60s.

Line3

Line3

Line 3

Line 3

Line 2

Line 2

Stations on the 4 and 5 Lines represent more state of the art.

Line 4

Line 4

Line 4

Line 4

Line 4

Line 4

Line 5

Line 5

Line 5

Line 5

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Hurry the door’s closing.

Market Mania

Quick Currency Conversion

Quick Currency Conversion

My wife is flea market crazy. I don’t mean that she likes or is slightly interested in flea markets. Oh no, she’s completely and totally bonkers, nuts, out of her ever lovin’ skull, just can’t get enough of, crazy about flea markets. She has dragged me to the most God awful, disgusting, trashy yard sales, jumble sales, boot sales, garage sales and impromptu street markets in broken down Grange Halls, dilapidated industrial sites, abandoned warehouses, trash strewn vacant lots, very scary dead end streets and deserted parking garages in every city we have ever visited just so I can have the immense pleasure of gazing upon and fondling acres of other people’s useless and discarded junk.

Junk

Budapest has proven to be an exception to this otherwise nightmare scenario. Wendi has coerced me into two flea markets here and, I have to admit, they are terrific. Big, sprawling old school Markets, untouched by the tidal wave of cheap third world tshirts and trinkets. These are Markets were you can still find hidden gems and long forgotten items for a bygone era. Exactly the kind of Markets that made them popular to begin with.

Our first stop was at the Szechenyl Market is the middle of the large city park. The smaller of the two, Szechenyl has a bit of a yard sale feel but was still really interesting.

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Will you hurry up!

Will you hurry up!

Have to get one of these.

Have to get one of these.

Our last visit was at the Ecseri Market and it is the pièce de résistance. Located in the suburbs southwest of Budapest, getting there required two Metro transfers and a 20 minute bus ride, but was well worth the effort. A truly terrific treasure trove.

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Ecseri Market

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Wash Station

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Better hurry, this kind of market is rapidly disappearing.







The Secessionists

Take my word for it, Secessionist Art is really cool. It was one of the Art Nouveau disciplines that was popular between 1890 and 1910 and slightly predates Art Deco and was huge in Budapest. This modernist artist group included the likes of Gustav Klimt and Karoly Lotz,  They were renegades who separated from the support of official academic art and its administrations during this period. 

The Kiss - Gustav Klimt

The Kiss – Gustav Klimt

Woman Bathing - Kaloty

Woman Bathing – Karoly Lotz

Budapest, like both Berlin and Vienna, was a hot bed for this new and exciting art movement. Some of the country’s most famous architects designed buildings in this style. Some of them were inspired by traditional Hungarian decorative designs, Transylvanian traditions, or Far East (Indian or Syrian) styles.

One of our favorites is the Museum of Applied Arts, designed by Odon Lechner and Gyula Partos from 1893 – 1896. It is the third oldest applied arts museum in the world. It is currently showing a very exciting exhibit of Hungarian Posters from the 1920s called Bolder Than Painting.

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AppliedArts12

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AppliedArts10

AppliedArts9AppliedArts8AppliedArts6AppliedArts5AppliedArts4AppliedArts3AppliedArts1More Art Nouveau Architecture


The Cold War

25 years ago this poster would have landed you in prison.

25 years ago this poster would have landed you in prison.

For most Americans, unless of course you happened to work for the CIA or were unfortunate enough to have friends or relatives behind the Iron Curtain, the Cold War always remained a sort of conceptual notion, like the Boogie Man hiding in the closet that could burst forth at any moment and annihilate us all with hundreds of unseen thermonuclear devices, more of a threat then something real and tangible.

Not so for the Hungarians. After the Soviets drove the Nazis out at the end of WWII, the Communists held this place in a grip that was total and absolute and lasted over 40 years. In Hungary the Iron Curtain was not some scary ethereal miasma. Here it was very real, fashioned out of guns, spies, interrogation, propaganda and fear.

Iron Curtain Sculpture

Iron Curtain Sculpture

Capitalism, with all it’s pluses and minuses, is now the system du jour and virtually all signs of Soviet domination have been eradicated with a few notable exceptions. Flea markets, where the sale of Soviet era paraphernalia, i.e. coats, hats, pins, etc., is an ongoing enterprise, and two museums, the House of Terror Museum and Momento Park, stand as constant reminders of life under the Communist boot.

The House of Terror, located at Andrássy útca 60, is a memorial to the victims of the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes who were detained, interrogated, tortured or killed in this building.

The House of Terror

The House of Terror

Pictures of victims stretch the length of the building.

Pictures of victims stretch the length of the building.

 The Nazi’s took possession of this very fashionable location during WWII. When the Soviets and Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross Party took over, they expanded it to include almost the entire block and converted the basement into a labyrinth of cells and interrogation rooms.

Iron Curtain Sculpture

Iron Curtain Sculpture

Memento Park is an open air museum about 20 minutes southeast of Budapest. It is filled with monumental statues from Hungary’s Communist period (1949–1989).

Main Entrance

Main Entrance

Cubist monument of Marx and Engels.

Cubist monument of Marx and Engels.

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Onward Comrades

Memento14

Hungarian-Soviet Friendship Memorial

Memento22

Together we will dominate the world.

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Monument to the Martyrs of the Counter-Revolution

Memento15

Break Free of Imperialist Tyranny.

Memento20

The Republic of Councils Monument

Memento24

The Republic of Councils Monument

Memento25

The Hungarian Fighters in the Spanish International Brigades Memorial.

Memento13

Red Army Soldier

Memento17

Lenin Relief

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Soviet Heroic Memorial

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Soviet Heroic Memorial

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Most notably absent are any statues of Stalin. Apparently all of them were destroyed after the Soviets fled in 1989. All that remains are Papa Joe’s boots.

Stalin's Boots

Stalin’s Boots

And finally, just for scale.

Wendi is unintimidated.

Wendi is unintimidated.






Budapest – Our First Look Around

Budapest is a great big, busy and exciting city. It’s the capital and largest city in Hungary, and one of the largest cities in the European Union, with a metropolitan population of 3.3 million.

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View of Pest from the Dome on the National Gallery.

Budapest is a very beautiful place that is ranked as the most liveable Central and Eastern European city on EIU‘s quality of life index, “the world’s second best city” by Condé Nast Traveler, “Europe’s 7th most idyllic place to live” by Forbes, and the 9th most beautiful city in the world by UCityGuides.

View of Pest from the Dome on the National Gallery.

View of Pest from the Dome on the National Gallery.

The Chain Bridge

The Chain Bridge

We’ve rented a great little apartment, Liesel/Pierre, in a historic building at Szervita ter 5 in the center of downtown Budapest.

Szervita ter 5

Szervita ter 5

Through here.

Through here.

Across the courtyard.

Across the courtyard.

We're on the top floor.

We’re on the top floor.

Top floor.

Top floor.

And we're there.

And we’re there.

Come In To The  Liesel/Pierre.

Now a walk around the neighborhood.

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Parizsi Utca

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Egyetemi Templom

Szervita ter

Szervita ter 9

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Szerb Utca

Budapest79

Vaci Utca

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Veres Palne Utca

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Eizsebet ter

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Karpatia at Ferenciek tere 3-5

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Deák Ferenc tér

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Piarista Koz

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Petofi Sandor Utca

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Chocolate Shop

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Fat Mo’s Speakeasy

The Central Market is one of Budapest’s great institutions. It’s cavernous and bustling and filled with food, clothes, gifts, wine, a great lunch and all things Hungarian.

The Central Market

The Central Market

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Budapest87

Budapest86 Budapest84 Budapest85

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Budapest59

 


The Wendi Files – Spanish Edition

Everyone seems to enjoy peeking in on what Wendi’s up to and I guess that includes me, seeing I’m her resident stalker and personal paparazzi. So here’s the Spanish Edition, not quite as quirky as Holland and certainly not as inebriated as Ireland, but wacky nonetheless.

Benicassim Train Station

Benicassim Train Station

This way

Right this way to Morella Castle.

Madrid.

Madrid.

At the Mercado Gin & Bar in Benicassim.

At the Mercado Gin & Bar in Benicassim.

Nice tomatoes.

Nice tomatoes.

At the Puerta Sol in Madrid.

At the Puerta Sol in Madrid.

Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar

With the Giants in Morella.

With the Giants in Morella.

The Alhambra

The Alhambra

Got to have those salt & vinegar chips.

Got to have those salt & vinegar chips.

Moving fast in Cordoba

Moving fast in Cordoba

Hey down here.

Hey, down here.

At the winery in El Ceigo

At the winery in El Ceigo

Posing at the Monastery.

Posing at the Monastery.

There's wine on the way in Valencia.

There’s wine on the way in Valencia.

Making new friends at the Parade.

Making new friends at the Parade.

 Waiting for me at IVAM.

Waiting for me at IVAM.

Her favorite house in Monstrol.

Her favorite house in Monstrol.

Bargain hunting at the Market.

Bargain hunting at the Market.

Hard at work at the Rondo in Valencia.

Hard at work at the Rondo in Valencia.

Dress shop window.

Dress shop window.

See the blisters

See the blisters

Lunch at the Alhambra.

Lunch at the Alhambra.

Our Spanish adventure is done. We’re off to Budapest tomorrow. See you there.



Valencia

Valencia23

Plaza del Ayuntamiento

Valencia is a great city. It’s very old, founded as a Roman colony in 138 BC, Valencia has grown into Spain’s third largest city with a metropolitan area population of around 2.3 million.

Although it doesn’t feel like a huge place. The historic center has a very small city vibe with wide boulevards linked together by small streets and pedestrian passageways filled with traditional cafes, tabernas and specialty shops. A lot of the sidewalks in the city center are marble and, boy howdy, they feel good under foot.

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City Hall and Plaza del Ayuntamiento

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City Hall

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Plaza de la Riena and the Miguelete, the Cathedral Bell Tower.

Tower

Santa Catalina

Street Band

Street Band

Balconies

Even the underside of the balconies are tiled.

Valencia14 ValenciaSq Valencia22 Valencia21HorchateriaAt the end of the 15th century the Silk Exchange (Llotja de la Seda) or La Lonja was erected as the city became a commercial emporium that attracted merchants from all over Europe.

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La Lonja

LaLonja2

La Lonja’s vaulted ceiling.

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La Lonja’s guilded ceiling.

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La Lonja’s gothic windows.

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La Lonja

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La Lonja’s courtyard

Estacion del Norte is the city’s main train station. Fast, easy and filled with some great tile work.

Estacion del Norte

Estacion del Norte

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Estacion del Norte

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Estacion del Norte

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Estacion del Norte

Plaza Redonda is a lovely circular market traditionally used to sell lace, fabric and millinery goods.

Plaza Redonda

Plaza Redonda

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Plaza Redonda

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Plaza Redonda

Just a few loose ends.

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This translates to “particular pitch”?

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Filiberto Leon’s Watches

PO_Slots

Main Post Office Mail Slots

Valencia21Valencia8 Valencia3And finally, this is Manolo Montoliu standing proudly outside the Plaza de Toros, Valencia’s Bullring.

Manolo Montoliu

Manolo Montoliu

Manolo was a bullfighter and flagman who was killed on May 1, 1992 by the bull Cabatisto in the bullring of the Royal Cavalry of Seville. You know what they say about messing with the bull… See for yourself.

Bullfighting is still very popular in Spain and people line up here to purchase tickets for upcoming spectacles.

 

 

Graffiti – Valencian Style

We Only Fight For The Future

We Only Fight For The Future

Graffiti is pretty much everywhere here. The highways and railway lines are completely covered with “tagging”. That’s when someone paints their name or “handstyle” everywhere they can find an open space. This type of graffiti clings to underpasses, bridges, abandon buildings, old silos and crumbling walls. Anywhere the author can work unmolested for a sufficient length of time.

Tom

Tom

El Puig

El Puig

Sent Blacky

Sent Blacky

There seems to be some loose rules around these things. For example, writing over someone else’s tag is a sign of disrespect and could ignite a whole “tagging war” or too closely copying someone else’s style would be considered déclassé. I tend to think of this style as vandalism and the province of unemployed youth. Although, they are certainly ambitious in their scope, application and placement. We have seen some that was 80’ off the ground on the side of a 10 story building. To me, this cartoonish three dimensional block type all seems to be a variation on the same theme.

Sagunt

Sagunt

I’m intrigued by the more illustrative style, primarily for it’s cleverness and artistic acumen. Although, I suppose that depends on whether or not it’s your building they’re painting on.

Benny

Benny

Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood

Swing

Swing

Winky

Winky

I See You

I See You

Clown Cones

Clown Cones

No Bullfighting

No Bullfighting

Eyeball

Eyeball

Vertigo

Vertigo

Open Door Here

Open Door Here

I have no idea!

I have no idea!

 

Tossa de Mar

CB16

My good friend and spiritual advisor Big Dog Beller has been telling me for years to go to the Costa Brava and stay in Tossa de Mar. We finally made it and he was right, of all the coastal resort towns we have seen, it is the most charming. A little remote, not too crowded, nice shopping district, some quaint family run restaurants, two small beaches and a terrific walled old town. The place has kind of an old South Beach feel, but with history. We even stayed at the Hotel Florida.

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The road winds northeast up the coast for about 30 km, hugging the shore and offering fabulous views of coves and inlets with the clearest water you have ever seen.

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CB17Tossa de Mar’s additional claim to fame is as the location of the 1951 hit movie “Pandora & the Flying Dutchman” starring Ava Gardner and James Mason. There are pictures all over town of Ava cavorting with the locals while Frank Sinatra, her husband at the time, maintains a somewhat jealous vigil on the activities. They have even erected a statue of her on the ramparts overlooking the town.

Poster