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tokyotwosome · 5 years

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England: ”This Earth of Majesty”

7/26/19 - ENGLAND. The mother to the modern world’s business tongue. A country within the United Kingdom within Great Britain and none of us can make any sense of what the heck the difference is. This wondrous place is an island I’d always dreamed of visiting from the first time I picked up The Chronicles of Narnia. Or Pride and Prejudice. Or Harry Potter. The list goes on. From its rich history, its captivating architecture, and the many famous humans that have walked these streets, England is not a country to be missed.

We arrived in London on a Friday evening. The summer in the U.K. is much like Seattle; the sun is fickle and the rain needy. Seeing the countless parks throughout the city, not to mention the luscious greenery throughout the countryside, it’s no wonder it rains so much here. On Saturday morning, we met up with a friend to do a proper tour of the city. For the day, we purchased a “London Pass” which gets you into over 75 attractions as well as access to the Hop on Hop Off bus. We swiftly made our way to the top of the double decker, not caring that the open-roof was a bit damp and paying notice to the “mind your head” signs up the stairs. As we embarked through the city, a man with a microphone prompted us to grab headphones and listen to his countless facts about London.

Did you know that there are actually two Londons? Greater London refers to the American definition of “London”. This is where the Queen hails and is generally what we think of when referring to London. There is also “The City of London”, a square mile within Greater London that can be easily identified by its dragon statues which guard its borders. The City of London is separately governed, collects separate taxes, enforces separate laws, has their own separate flag, and even elects their own Lord Mayor. Queen Elizabeth isn’t even allowed to enter the City of London without permission from the Lord Mayor. It’s all very scratch-head worthy.

There’s a laundry list of sites to see in London. There’s Big Ben (currently under construction), Westminster Abbey (filled with famous and infamous corpses), Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge (much cooler than London Bridge), the Churchill War Rooms, Shakespeare’s Globe, and loads more. One would need to devote an entire week to site seeing just to manage it all in. Needless to say, we didn’t get to see everything, but we managed to get some good ones under our belt.

Our first stop was at the Tower of London, just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Tower Bridge on the north bank of the River Thames (pronounced “Tems”). The Tower of London is less of a tower and more of a series of towers that feel more like medieval grounds from something out of a storybook. Within each tower holds its own treasures and stories. There was original armor, crown jewels, the bloody tower (where two princes were believed to have been killed by their uncle so that he could have the crown for himself), prison cells (where names and images have been carved into walls)...and so much more. You could spend all day at this site alone, but we hurried on off to lunch after building up an appetite..must have been all the murder stories that did it. Speaking of murder - walking across the Tower Bridge, we found the street where many Jack the Ripper scenes were filmed. They even offer evening tours of all his murder spots (a big no thank you from me).

The food in England is a journey in and of itself. If you ask for pie, don’t expect something sweet. A traditional English-style breakfast consists of toast (seemingly the most important food group), beans, mushrooms and/or tomatoes, an over-easy egg, a hash brown, bacon (which is actually more ham-like), and sausage (tastes more like fake meat to me). We can’t tell you how many times we ate the same English-style breakfast, but it really was quite hearty. Brunch will sometimes include all-you-can-drink. And let’s not forget Sunday roast! Tea was also a staple for most, if not all, of our breakfasts - I like mine with two sugars and milk. In terms of stereotype foods, we didn’t see a crumpet in sight.

While London is a must-see when in England, it’s certainly not the highlight of the country. We rented a car and made our way north, with our final destination being Scotland. We’d arranged to have overnight stays in aribnb’s along the way, taking recommendations from our very own Rick Steves. The street signs were comical, seeing ones like “mind the gap” and “queues likely”. Getting used to the different terminology is a journey of its own. First stop was Stow-on-the-Wold; a quaint little market town with sandy-colored buildings, friendly town folk, and shops around every corner. We still aren’t sure what a Stow or a Wold is, but while we passed through, it was clear why it was a place outsiders wanted to visit. After spending a few days in the city, it was refreshing to be in a small town. We managed to only go down the wrong side of the street towards oncoming traffic once, so that’s a bonus!

Shortly following our pit-stop to Stow-on-the-Wold, we found our airbnb in a place known as Derbyshire, arriving promptly at 3:00 PM. A woman answered the door and greeted us by saying, “you’re positively punctual”. She sounded like Mary Poppins and I could’ve swore she was about to break out in song next and a bird would likely land delicately on her finger. That was when I really realized we weren’t in Kansas anymore. She took us upstairs to our room in her large, historical cottage. The backyard view reminded me of something out of a Jane Austen novel. I could imagine Mr. Darcy coming to our door by horseback. We had dinner at a local gastropub, just up the street. The server told us about a place to visit the following day, which we promptly agreed we’d do.

The next morning on our way out of town, we stopped by the recommendation from our server; a nature walk toward an abandoned water mill. During our walk, Rob stopped and asked that I take a picture of him in the grass. At the time, I had no idea why. Turns out he was envisioning a scenic view out of Gladiator and just HAD to reenact it. Making our way down a long drive, we saw a flock of pheasants that we thought were chickens. When we finally did make it to the water mill, we took in the beautiful views and imagined what sorts of things must have taken place throughout history here; a common thought through such a historical place. When we thought there wasn’t a living soul in site, a couple of women on horseback road passed. Such a slow, easy going lifestyle here.

Our next destination was what is known as the lake district; more specifically, a town called Keswick (pronounced Ke-sick). Keswick was by far our favorite stopping point. It had a German feel with British flavor. Lots of nature, lots of shops, and lots of kind people. This is a popular spot to visit in the summertime for Brits throughout the country. While rain was to be expected, we lucked out for the day we spent there and enjoyed a pleasant nature hike.

The day following our trip to Keswick, the weather took a turn for the worse. We were so fortunate to have such a beautiful day for our one day spent there. After our time in the lake district, our next stop was Scotland. Truly, Scotland is deserving of its own blog, so stay tuned for that next! Instead, I’m going to fast forward to when we trained back to London.

We’ve gone full circle and made it back to the city. Our train arrived at Kings Cross Station - so naturally we visited platform 9 3/4. After taking our obligatory Harry Potter photo, we decided to try to squeeze in any last minute sightseeing we may have missed. That’s how we ended up at the Churchill War Rooms. The underground tour is the original housing spot for Churchill and his men during WWII. They have kept the rooms in mostly the same condition with a full audio tour to really envision what it must have been like during the war. Trying to imagine being trapped down there while bombs continued to go off upstairs was a very humbling experience. For me, having been to the war museums in both Pearl Harbor and Okinawa, seeing the war through the British lens was a new perspective. On one of the original maps in the discussion room, you could even see a drawing of Hitler someone had done. A really remarkable site and I would highly recommend to anyone who visits London. Speaking of sights in London, did you know that all museums are free in the UK? That led us to the Natural History Museum! Among other things.

On 8/3/19, our 5-year wedding anniversary, we decided to treat ourselves to high tea. We had reservations at a delightful little spot in the city. The theme was Peter Rabbit and ohhhh was it good! We had mini-sandwiches, biscuits, jams, and treats to the max. Everything you see was edible, including the flower pots. I don’t think I stopped smiling once. When we had finished, we were stuffed beyond belief. Then the server comes over with a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY dessert. We couldn’t NOT eat it...so we stuffed our little bunny bellies. Another successful wedding anniversary outside of the states - once an accident, now a tradition. <3

If you’re considering a trip to the UK, I’d say go Nike and just do it! Some of our expectations were met and others were shattered, but that’s the joy of travelling. A place is never how you think it’s going to be, but seeking the different is what is exciting. Stay tuned for the next blog where we’ll share our adventures in Scotland - my new crush. Thanks for sticking it out and reading along!��

#united kingdom #uk #travel #tea #explore #england

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cecilspeaks · 7 years

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117 - eGemony, part 1: “Canadian Club”

The suffocation of the ego. The eternal silence of the void. Faceless, yet screaming. And now serving orange wine on tap.

Welcome to Night Vale.

Listeners, we have a new sponsor! Our show is brought to you by – money. When purchasing items, please consider using money. It’s exchanged universally in place of transactions with actual value. Money is available in handy ones, fives, sixes, eights, and now twenties. [very fast] Money may be habit forming, symptoms may include (avarice) [0:03:21], lack of introspection and, frequent substitution of the phase “intelligent” for “wealthy”. Please ask your doctor if money is right for you and nod with considerable vigor when your doctor asks if you think money will complete you.

We have a visitor who I’m just now learning about. I’ve been handed a note by my new intern Gustav. Gustav says Station Management has ordered him to bring this guest immediately to the studio. Gustav, are you missing an eye? Uh, Gustav is nodding. OK. Uh, let’s see. The note says, it says to please welcome... Oh. What?! Wow! I mean, WOW! Gustav, is this real? OK, it is my honor and my privilege to welcome to the show – Hugh Jackman.

Hugh: Hi!

Cecil: Wait you’re not the Hugh Jackman, right?

Hugh: I like to think I am.

Cecil: Yeah, you’re not.

Hugh: But my children think I’m the real Hugh Jackman, so..

Cecil: Your children are wrong. But go on Mr Hugh Jackman.

Hugh: My name is Hugh Jackman, and-

Cecil: [muttering] Hmm but not the Hugh Jackman.

Hugh: Here’s my card.

Cecil: Oh. Hugh’s business card is a hologram he’s projected straight into my fingers. Says he’s the senior vice president in charge of “dreamfluencing” at.. ee-Gemini?

Hugh: It’s pronounced “ee-Gemonee”.

Cecil: Oh so it sounds just like he-

Hugh: I’m here to solve a funny little mystery. I just need to uh, open my briefcase here. Take a look at this.

Cecil: Oh, well that’s a Playboy magazine.

Hugh: Yes! December 1969. It had the pictorial on Bond girls in case you don’t remember.

Cecil: Oh I can see that. Ooh and there’s also a feature on architect Mies van der Rohe.

Hugh: I’ll take your word for it, Mr Palmer. I only read Playboy for the advertisements like this one: the one for Canadian Club.

Cecil: OK uh listeners, Mr Jackman is showing me a full page ad that features six people hiking in dense-looking woods, and two of them are carrying a sling of some sort and in the sling is-

Hugh: A case of Canadian Club whiskey!

Cecil: Uh huh. Um the headline reads, “On October 13, 1969, we hid a case of Canadian Club deep in the Amazon jungle. Here’s how you can find it.” Oh let’s see! Well this is actually quite entertaining, there are clues and maps and, is that an acrostic?

Hugh: It is an acrostic, very good Mr Palmer! It’s a clue to where the case was buried. Now from 1967 to 1973, Hiram Walker Distilled Spirits TBA Canadian Club ran a contest where they hid 21 cases of Canadian Club whiskey throughout the world, from the densest alleys of Jakarta to the skyscrapers of Manhattan, the cable car tracks in San Francisco, on cobblestoned streets in London, under 30 feet of water on the Great Barrier Reef. They ran ads with clues about how to find them, and find them the people of the world did! Every single case was recovered.

Cecil: That’s remarkable.

Hugh: Mr Palmer. We hid a case under the ice caps of the North Pole, and people found it. we dropped one on Mount Everest..

Cecil: [clears throat, mutters] Mountains. So why do you think people wanted to find them so badly?

Hugh: As far as we can tell, it has to do with people’s desire to have alcohol. Ironically, it sank the contest. People weren’t buying Canadian Club. They figured that it was way cheaper and more fun to get a yacht and sail to the Cayman Islands and snorkel under the security fences of the International Monetary Fund and then you know like, remove a case from the International Monetary Fund’s Mom’s poolside refrigerator, and that’s exactly what happened to case number 17. So sales plummeted, but later, Hiram Walker merged with (--) [0:07:21], which was acquired by Bacardi Constellation brands, which is now an acquisition of our little tech startup, eGemony!

Cecil: Now excuse me but what does eGemony do?

Hugh: We dreamfluence!

Cecil: [long beat] …Got it.

Hugh: It turns out there’s one further case of Canadian Club. It’s been hidden for over 40 years. Right here in Night Vale! Here’s the ad. This is the November 1973 issue of Playboy. Go on, read it.

Cecil: Um, “on August 30, we hid a case of Canadian Club in Night Vale. Here’s how to find it.” But, Mr Jackman, the rest of the ad is blank.

Hugh: We at eGemony after some internal discussion, believe that might be why the case was never found. There seems to have been some kind of event at the printers that month. Fran Lebowitz’s interview with progressive rock band Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman is perfectly fine for its first 37 pages, but then devolves into a series of umlauts. Little Annie Fanny, generally a lighthearted and [chuckling] adorably misogynistic comic strip, was just panel after panel of…

Cecil: ..umlauts.

Hugh: And Mr Palmer, look at the pictoral on men’s golf pants.

Cecil: Aaaagh…

Hugh. Yeah.

Cecil: Ooooooooh.

Hugh: I know, we’re not really sure what happened there. Further, you’ll see that every cartoon has the same punchline.

Cecil: Oh yeah. Uh, here’s a bride on her wedding day and her mother is telling her… “It’s under Cecil’s desk”?

Hugh: Same punchline is on page 33 with the desert island, and page 74 here with the cowboys at the saloon.

Both in unison: “It’s under Cecil’s desk”!

Cecil: That is so odd! So Mr Jackman, why does eGemony want to find his case of liquor?

Hugh: We thought it would be.. fun. Can I look under your desk?

Cecil: Why?

Hugh: The case is under your desk.

Cecil: Yeah, but this desk wasn’t even here in 1973.

Hugh: So you’re telling us - me - no?

Cecil: Well I’m telling you to ask Station Management.

Hugh: Oh, I will!

Cecil: I-I-I mean they’ll make you fill out a form, and they can also create fire with their minds. Also they’ve eaten people before for way less. Hey Gustav? Gustav, come in here and show Hugh what Station Management did to your eye.

Hugh: Oh my!

Cecil: Oh God..

Hugh: That is disgusting.

Cecil: Ugh, it’s getting wor- [gags] OK, that’s enough Gustav.

Hugh: Oh. I am prepared. [ahem] I’m familiar with your Station and Management and not afraid of them. Eunice, Lily, Agatha, DeMarcus and Chad, old friends of mine.

Cecil: Who?

Hugh: Have you never learned the names of your supervisors, Mr Palmer? You need a team building retreat. I’ll be back. You haven’t seen the last of me.

Cecil: Yeah well you aren’t even the real Hugh Jackman!

I don’t trust that man. I need to figure out what to do next. We’ll be back after this.

[serene voice] Life is meaningless. There are no guiding principles, nor rewards, nor punishments for how to live. Just flashes of pain or joy, which are only neurotic messages, not actual experiences. Even pondering why we exist is a rudderless journey. So consciousness is a means to no end. The Sheriff’s Secret Police would like to acknowledge that hearing this will ruin your day.

However, they are further authorized to announce that nothing we have heard about nature describes a process that occurs without purpose. We can point to a fish’s fin and understand what function it serves. A monkey’s fur, a starfish’s many arms. The acorns in your uncle Simon’s branchy beard that explode outward as stabbing bristles whenever uncle Simon experiences fear. They all serve a purpose. So it’s possible that consciousness developed for a reason larger than consciousness itself can conceive of. The function of your mind is literally beyond comprehension. Which means that awareness, pursued to its limits, only makes you aware of your helpess ness. You are without power in this life. Except when you purchase items by using – money. This has been brought to you by – moneyyy.

We are back and – I’m in a jam. I mean I don’t trust this “Hugh Jackman” nor his company. I mean after what StrexCorp did to our town, I’m a bit wary of any business conglomerate. Although eGemony does seem different, friendlier. But what is this thing with looking under my desk? I’m not sure I should even look under my desk, I mean what if I find it? what if I don’t find it?

Every time I’v ehidden under my desk, I’ve closed my eyes and for good reason! I’m so distracted I lost my notes and now I don’t even know what the news was supposed to be! And Gustav went to go by some cotton balls and anti-bacterial spray for his missing eye. Um.. [rustles papers] Well, I mean honestly I’ve never really looked at any of these magazines before. I mean, Playboy was for other boys and girls. Uh, interesting. Listeners, did you know that Playboy magazine has a bunch of pictures of women across various careers with in-depth profiles on their lives? I did not know this. yeah there’s a whole pictoral on this issue of all the women who have ever played James Bond, in full costumes! Oh my god, look at these smart tuxes and pistols and one of them’s on a motorcycle!

In the middle of a magazine, there’s even a foldout photo of a woman in coveralls and a hard hat, leading a volunteer construction crew who’s building houses in a hurricane-ravaged Nova Scotia. Oh, and on the other side of the foldout, there’s a Playmate questionnaire. Let’s see, her turnoffs include “impatient people and tick bites”. You know, I agree with that. And her turn-ons include “groovy people, good food, overwhelming feelings of dread, chanting, and all hail the Glow Cloud”. All hail the Glow Cloud! Yes! Uh, the playmate’s name is Missy Wilks. Missy Wilks?! Could that be the Missy Wilks who lives over on Kestrel Street here in Night Vale? I mean, they do have similar eyes and tendrils. I wonder if it’s possible that she knows where the case of Canadian Club is? Well let’s see. [dials] M-I-S-S-Y-W-I-L-K-S.

[phone signal]

Missy: Hello?

Cecil: Hello, is this Missy Wilks? This is Cecil Palmer from the radio station. It’s a little hard to explain why I’m calling but-

Missy: Have you looked under your desk?

Cecil: Oh, not yet. Should I? I mean I kind of don’t want to.

Missy: Cecil. I’ve been waiting for this phonecall for over 40 years. You must look under your desk. The future of Night Vale depends on it.

Cecil: Have you been doing anything else?

Missy: Pardon?

Cecil: 40 years.

Missy: Well, no not really. Raised a family. Shot a guy once. But you’re stalling, Cecil.

Cecil: I’m not stalling! Bu-but you know, we really should get to today’s weather.

["Lost Everything" by Mary Epworth]

Cecil: And we’re back.

Missy: Have you looked under the de-

Cecil: No, I’ve not looked under my desk!

Missy: Come – on -, Cecil!

Cecil: Wait, why does Mr Jackman want this so badly?

Missy: Ugh! It’s why they put cases everywhere on the planet! They knew that leaving an item in place long enough allows it to absorb the spirit of the area. That case is now infused with the soul of Night Vale. No one actually recovered those other cases. eGemony recovered them after they bought all the other parent companies of Canadian Club. They’re going to send out one of their corporate prize contestant sweepstakes buzz marketing street teams to dreamfluence anyone who stands in their way. If eGemony finds it before you do, they will drink Night Vale’s soul, the same way they’ve drunk the soul of all the other cities!

Cecil: Wait, that makes no sense! They’ve recovered a bunch of these across the world. Are you saying that Manhattan, San Francisco, London, the Great Barrier Reef and the Cayman Island don’t have souls anymore?

Missy: Cecil.

Cecil: Oh my god, you’re right. OK then, alright, I’m going to look. I am looking under my desk. And I am findiiing.. nothing. I, there’s nothing under here!

Missy: Mm?

Cecil: Wait, wait wait wait wait wait wait oh, oh, oh, oh, oh wait put – a pushpin! A red one! And it-it’s holding an envelope to the underside of the desk!

Missy: Is it manila?

Cecil: Yes! And it’s addressed to me. There’s a letter inside. It’s written on papyrus and you can tell it’s very old because it’s written in cursive. It says: “Dear Cecil how are you? We are fine. We’re sorry we didn’t write earlier, but we were unlearning our destinies. We had to unlearn so many things. Small steps, then larger ones, then larger until we were almost flying, but not quite flying because we had to unlearn our expectations and then unlearn our limitations, so we gave up on flying. Because that turns out not to work regardless of your expectations and no matter what you unlearn. So we relearned what we needed to. we’ve relearned so many essential things, Cecil, about work and love and complaining about work and love and – oh! And we took the case of booze! If you wanna find us, you’ll know us by our sign.” And then it’s signed with a smear of foam. No wait, this isn’t just any foam it’s – hold on! [sniffs] [tastes] Cappuccino!

Oh my goodness, I have to tell Ms Wilks that..

Missy: I’m still here.

Cecil: Oh! Miss Wilks! I know where the case of Canadian Club is!

Missy: Where?

Cecil: It’s in the cave lands outside of town. It’s been taken by the baristas!

Missy: Cecil! This is the worst possible news! The baristas are no match for buzz marketing street teams. The baristas are gentle people, soft of spirit and jolly of countenance, whose dreams are only influenced by the purest of the loves, not crowd sourced manipulations. The baristas are rosy-cheeked and innocent! They gamble like lambs, Cecil! You’ve got to warn them!

Cecil: OK, I will, I will. Thank you, Miss Wilks! Listeners, this is terrible, I-I-I don’t know what to do! I don’t like warning people about things, I mean warnings lead to consequences and we all know how much I avoid consequences. In fact, there’s only one way to be thoroughly insulated from consequence and – that’s to accumulate enough money. But I don’t have any money. As Station Management recently switched their payroll protocol from cash to Twitter followers and Groupons for local spas, so I’m kinda screwed.

Think, Cecil, think. Think think think think think.

Stay tuned next to the sounds of chewing amplified to the threshold of pain.

Good night, Night Vale, Good night!

Today’s proverb: People always say “before I die”, as if they haven’t already begun the process.

#welcome to night vale #wtnv #welcome to night vale transcripts #episode 117 #egemony #egemony part 1 #canadian club

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seetheworldwithmeblog · 5 years

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Alright, sorry for the bad pun but it had to be done. This weekend, Ryan and I spent 3 jam-packed days in Budapest and, around walking just over a marathon, we ate our body weight in delicious Hungarian cuisine.

The weekend started, like most do, with an early morning ride to the airport. We boarded our Lufthansa flight at 9:15, feeling like kings when we sat next to each other, got free coffee and water, and even a snack! (It’s the little things, friends) We landed in Budapest a bit before 11:00, hopped on a bus downtown and showed up at our Pest apartment shortly after noon. We checked in quickly to the studio apartment and then turned straight around to start the culinary adventure at Tüköry Étterem, a Hungarian eatery about a mile from our Airbnb.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we started big. We sat down at the tiny sidewalk table and dove into the Hortobágyi palacsinta (Hungarian pancake), Gulyásleves (goulash soup), Cigánypecsenye steak burgonyáva (gypsy steak with Hungarian Bacon), and fried Camembert cheese because there didn’t seem to be enough fat in our meal. The goulash, unlike those our midwestern mothers made us, had hearty chunks of beef, big pieces of potato and carrot, and a paprika broth that dyed our fingers red. The gypsy roast had a ring of Hungarian bacon on top, which is essentially bacon flavored fat, grilled up to make it crispy. We washed this all down with a smooth Hungarian red wine, which we hadn’t expected to love quite so much. Our arteries clogged and moving a bit slower, we pushed away from the table and headed in the direction of our next destination.

Possibly a poor decision after so much fat, we boarded a tram that took us outside the city center to Széchenyi Thermal Bath, one of the many thermal baths Budapest is famous for. We had pre-bought tickets so after being led to our cabin, we changed quickly and then headed out to the crowded deck to join the fellow sun-and-water worshippers. Hailed as the “most authentic” of the baths by guidebooks, we were a bit surprised to see the place crawling with fellow tourists. Can’t blame them for wanting to do the same thing we do, but we were disappointed that we never saw the chess-playing Hungarian thinkers we had hoped to find. Instead, we waded through the waters surrounded by countless bachelorette and bachelor parties, trying to guess all the languages we were hearing.

After an hour in the glorious sun, we followed a guide up to a quick, peaceful massage. It was one of those that had me drooling and wondering if I had been there for even 10 minutes when they said it was at an end. Feeling significantly more relaxed, we made our way back to the pool to bop around in the thermal pool. The water, which bubbles up from the earth’s core at around 72 degrees Celsius (161 F) is mixed with cooler water to bring it down to a balmy 100, perfect for hanging out for an hour or a day and releasing the stress of being cooped up on a flight. We hung around for another hour or so before drying off and making our way out of the spa, leaving plenty of partiers behind us.

The Bath is located in the middle of Budapest’s City Park, a great expanse of green that was built for the millennium celebration of the city’s founding. In 896, the Magyars came from Central Asia and decided this part of the Carpathian basin would be the new home of their people. So in 1896, the Magyars (the Hungarian way to say Hungarian) threw a massive party and nearly all the city owes something to that fest. Within the park, there is a replica of a Transylvanian castle, an area which used to be part of Hungary. Although it was originally built out of paper, the locals loved it so much that it was rebuilt out of stone.

All around this park, there were tents full of food, stalls selling toys, and carnival rides. As we found out later, there was a children’s festival this weekend and, lucky for us, that meant lots of locals enjoying their favorite Hungarian treats right beside us. We did a quick stroll through the options before getting a kolbasz (sausage) and Lángos, a delicious fried flatbread topped with garlic, sour cream, and cheese. I’m telling you, the funnel cake has a savory run for its money! After feasting on that, we did another lap around the park to make some more room before finishing our meal with a Chimney Cake, a deliciously toasted pastry, flavored with cinnamon. We sat beside a little lake and peeled apart the cake over half an hour before we finally made our way back to the city center.

By this point, the sun was starting to go down. We stopped by our little apartment to drop off our wet towels and suits before heading back into the city for some final sightseeing that day. We took a quick (5 mile) stroll along the Danube, trying like everyone else to get the perfect picture of the Parliament building. We stopped by the memorial shoes along the river, in memory of the victims of WWII that were shot there and left to float down the river. After looking at everything lit up by night, we ended the night in the best way possible – sipping some Hungarian red wines in the shadow of St. Stephen’s Basilica at a famous little wine bar called Di Vino. By this point (11:30!) my feet and I were a bit worn out so we took our walk home and fell fast asleep.

We woke up without an alarm the next day although, with transparent curtains, that was still fairly early. We had a quick cup of coffee, accompanied by some Hungarian cartoons and then some British TV. Then we started a full day of sightseeing. We started by crossing from Pest over to Buda by way of the Chain Bridge. Budapest was actually the two cities of Buda and Pest (pronounced pesht) until the 1873 century. The two cities could only be reached by boats crossing or by walking across on the frozen river, leaving crossers at risk of being stuck on the wrong side of the river. One such man was Count Széchenyi, who was stuck on the wrong side of the river when his father was dying. After missing his father’s funeral, he vowed to build a permanent bridge so that no one would be in the same situation. He held to his word and the bridge was built in 1849, the first time the two cities were connected.

Now people cross with regularity and we joined the wave of people crossing over to Buda from Pest. Our goal was the top of the hill, where we started Rick Steves castle hill walk under the Turul statue. We read about this historic symbol of the Magyar people before walking beside the Royal Palace, a recreation of the seat of Hungarian power since the Turul allegedly dropped the Magyar sword here. We decided not to go inside but enjoyed the panoramic view before going through a courtyard to admire a statue of King Matthias, one of the only Hungarian-born Hungarian rulers.

After that, we walked beside the President’s Palace before reaching the former Court theater. It has since been converted into the home of the Prime Minister, Viktor Orban. Needless to say, some people didn’t take his actions very well but just goes to show no matter how powerful you become, people will always be jealous of what they don’t have. From the palace, we went down to see the Matthias church before joining the crowds to crawl over Fisherman’s Bastion. We walked around the outlook until we found a somewhat-secluded corner to sit down and enjoy a picnic lunch of paprika salami, cheese, and apples. After half an hour there overlooking the Parliament building, we got a Starbucks cold brew (I know, #basic but it was so warm!) before starting the walk down Castle Hill toward the city center.

There, we met up with Regina, a local woman who was to be our guide for a 3-hour walking tour. We were joined by Francoise, a French 50-year old woman on her first trip to Hungary. The tour started with a walk through the streets, Regina introducing herself and her little sister who wanted to learn more English. We headed towards the river where, after seeing the famous Little Princess statue, Regina pointed out Gellért Hill with a tall bronze statue on top. Known as the Liberation Monument, Regina explained that it was given to them by the Russians, who were their liberators (occupiers?) after they sided with the Germans in WWII. Our next stop was beside the Hungarian University of Science, where we were introduced to the various Hungarian inventions, including the rubrics cube, Microsoft word and excel, and the vitamin C supplement, extracted from peppers.

After this history lesson, we were taken to the Chain bridge and were told one of the most famous stories in Hungary. The short version is, a man was commissioned to make the lion statues for the bridge. He was so enthusiastic that he went to the zoo every day to study the lions and, when he unveiled them, he said: “if anyone can find a flaw in my perfect lions, I will jump off the chain bridge and kill myself.” As the story goes, there was a little boy walking with his mom who asked: “Mom, where are the lions’ tongues?” Distraught that the little boy had found a flaw, the man did, in fact, jump off the bridge.

“It’s not true,” Regina assured us, “the sculptor lived for another 20 years and the lions do have tongues. But it is very Hungarian.”

After the bridge, we headed away from the river towards St. Stephen’s Basilica. On the way, we stopped by “Uncle Charlie”, the statue of a jolly police officer who was always happy to let anyone rub his big belly for good luck. He seemed to have had plenty of luck himself because, legend has it, that he had hundreds of lovers throughout his life. Anyone still looking for luck can rub his belly or, If they want more luck in their love life, they can rub his mustache as well. After snapping a picture on his right side (the left side is saved for “professional ladies”), we finished our walk down to the Basilica.

Here, Regina told us more about the religion of the country – 60% Christian, 30% not religious after the Soviets and then the largest population of Jews in Europe. St. Stephan turned the country Christian at a time when it was beneficial to be aligned with the church. 40 years after his death, they decided to canonize him and, after digging him up, they found his hand mummified so they chopped that off and saved it in a golden case. Besides the hand, the church also holds the “right leg” of Hungary. As part of the 1953 Hungarian soccer team, Ferenc Puskas led the team in one of their most successful seasons, including beating the unbeaten England team by 6-3 (which is still used in place of “cheers” in Hungarians bars.) (Our guide also used the term “in brackets” in place of “by the way” when speaking, making me realize how much I do put things in brackets.)

After this stop, we made a trip to the world’s first metro, built in 1896 for the fair. Originally pulled by horses, the metro still uses the same tram cars but there have been a few upgrades, most notably electricity. The tram took us out to Heroes Square, an expansive space that was dominated by an obelisk with the Angel Gabrielle on top. Below him were the 7 chieftains of the Magyar tribes and behind that, 14 of the greatest kings in Hungary’s history. We got a brief history of each as we walked into the park.

The history of this little country is full of tension and oppression. As Regina told us, the Hungarians have only won one revolution ever. “There was a war over if chimney cakes were Hungarian or a Romanian. It ended a few months ago, saying they are Hungarian. That is the only revolution we ever won.” Between the Ottomans, the Austrians, the Germans, and the Russians, the Hungarian people have been in charge of their own country for a shockingly short time throughout history. She pointed out a little pond that is used for ice skating and where they sell chimney cakes and mulled wine in the winter. We walked through the park and saw the castle and the festivities again. We heard about the world famous zoos and the Hungarian People’s love of the thermal baths. Turns out, all you need is a doctor’s note to get into the Thermal Baths for free! Anyone a doctor?

After the park, we took the metro back to the city center and walked through the Jewish Quarter. After walking through some trendy restaurants and a flea market filling a secret little alley, Regina showed us the Grand Synagogue, which is the largest Synagogue in Europe. There is a moving memorial garden behind the synagogue, paying respect to the victims of the Holocaust. After gazing at the second largest Synagogue in the world (only a smaller capacity than one in New York City) we made a beeline for our last stop of the day, the Parliament building. We sat outside the iconic building, which is 96 meters tall, matched only by St. Stephan’s Basilica. The symbolism of this height is two-fold. Not only is it to commemorate the 1896 millennium celebration (as is nearly everything else in the city) but also to symbolize that the church and the state are equals.

At this point, we said goodbye to our guide and, armed with a dinner recommendation, we started out for another walk around. Starting at Di Vino for a rejuvenating charcuterie board and glasses of wine, we watched a performance on the street and finished our final game plan. It started with a walk back to the Jewish Quarter for a dinner at Regina’s favorite, called Bob. After settling in on the sidewalk seating, we ordered one Hungarian 3 course meal (goulash, Chicken Paprikas, and a chocolate dumpling) and stuffed cabbage (a surprising favorite) and of course, more Hungarian wine. I spent the dinner trying not to get distracted by the English safari-themed bachelorette party behind Ryan. It was a bit hard to do between the shouting, the bags of Cheetos and chips they pulled out of their purses, the bride dry-heaving at the table and then proceeding to put her feet up on the table. When we had mentioned the 20 or so bachelor/ette parties we had seen, Regina had given a bit of an eye roll.

“The locals don’t really like it. It is cheap here compared to the rest of Europe so they come and get really crazy and make a big mess.” But when asked about how the locals felt about other tourists, Regina was more upbeat. “It is so different from when I started 5 years ago. There is one music festival that brings in 500,000 people in one week (the city itself is only 1.9 million) but we like that people are seeing our city and they are spread out enough so it is okay.”

As another, German-speaking bachelorette party joined the restaurant and a bachelor party got turned away for not having enough room, we were wondering at the number of people making Budapest their holiday destination. Although I have to say, it was definitely growing on us. Ryan ranked it as one of only 5 cities he wished he had a 4th day in, next to cities like London and Paris. Leaving a lot of things undone, we ended our last full day by going back to St. Stephans and enjoying a Rose-shaped gelato caramel butter pecan and white chocolate lavender cone from Gelarto Rosa.

The last day came and, with quite a few things left on our list, we decided to end it our favorite way – with food. We started out with a last walk by the Danube and the Parliament building. After saying goodbye, we headed down Vaci Utca, which was once the envy of the Soviet Union. After running under “goulash communism” (a term that meant they still allowed some Hungarian Free enterprise) the city was the first to allow the western evils, including the first McDonalds behind the Iron Curtain. I’ve been McD’s free since 2007 but I decided to break my steak in this historic restaurant, where people once waited an hour in line for a taste of freedom.

After a cheap breakfast, we finished our walk down the street, ending at the Central Market. Here, we walked along rows of produce, meat, cheese, and of course, paprika. We saw all the kitschy tourist souvenirs, including a few communist era t-shirts. (Personal favorite was a “Tzar Wars” shirt with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin)

Saying no to all of that, we did decide to get a carved chess board and spent half an hour circling for options. We finally settled on a glossy brown-and-white board, sold by a sweet old woman. After buying the board and thanking her, we made our way to a corner for our last Chicken paprikas and stuffed cabbage, washed down with two Hungarian specialties – Unicum and Palinka. While Palinka was familiar (it’s just like schnapps) the unicum was an herbal drink that sent a shimmy down your spine. The Hungarians say it is just like medicine because it just kills everything on the inside. It certainly felt like it but Ryan finished it happily anyway.

While we ate our last meal, we wondered at the sweet old woman who had sold us the chess board. Not only did we wonder about the average annual income for Hungarians (€650/month after taxes) but we also talked about her life in particular. If she was in her early 80’s, like we thought, she would have been in grade school during the German Occupation, walking along the Danube at 5 years old at the same time men, women, and children were shot into the river by militiamen. She would have been a young girl when the country was “liberated” by the Soviets and she would have spent over half her life living under communist Russia. Only in the last few decades would she have been able to vote, to see the western world, and to embark in free enterprise. She would have been in her 60’s when Hungary got their independence and in her 70’s when the country joined the EU. All those things you read about in history books that seem like they can’t be real – those would have been her whole life.

That is the thought that I carry with me as we end this trip. After buying some paprika at the market, we boarded a bus to the airport. On reflection, the city and the people aren’t what you would expect when you think of a former Soviet country. The buildings are colorful, the people are friendly, the opportunities are plentiful, and the city is bustling with art and music and food and wine. It was an exhausting weekend (28 miles will do that) but one that left us wishing for a few more days to really get our fill of all things Magyar.

It was Buda-ful Alright, sorry for the bad pun but it had to be done. This weekend, Ryan and I spent 3 jam-packed days in Budapest and, around walking just over a marathon, we ate our body weight in delicious Hungarian cuisine.

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nldradio · 7 years

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Prez @prez784music - "Rick Flair"

Born Akene Keizer to Kemmie Scott Joshua and Leon Carmichael Keizer in Kingstown St. Vincent in the summer of 1982. Prez, as he is now popularly known migrated to the United States of America at the tender age of three and it was during his teen years there that he discovered his love for rap music. Battling boys three times his age, it wasn’t long before every villager of Crown Heights, Brooklyn where he was raised and schooled uncovered the talent this young lad possessed. He free styled his way to gaining the respect of opponents and admirers alike and it was during one of those free style sessions that he was discovered by nineties sex symbol “Little Kim” and Rapper Maino’s engineer Ka Money. Prez, short for president, a name adopted from his father’s nickname soon spent a lot of his time being mentored by little Kim who not only acknowledged the star that she had just discovered but given free rein to record at the Fully Focused Studio. What is a lasting memory in young Prez’s mind is being around such stars and having his work praised by said artist. Soon after members of Prez family would disassociate him from music in a whole where he would lose contact with Kim.

Prez was then affiliated with the popular record label Murder Inc and was well on his way to stardom. This would come about while meeting a nephew of Murder Inc. A & R Hollywood by the name of T..O.F of Harlem. TOF would introduce Prez to battling though he was a better writer. For some reason Prez was a natural at the battling prompting T.O.F to call uncle Hollywood to seen this young 19 yr. Old prodigy. Upon hearing the rapper, meetings were held to sign the young artist. Under the watchful eyes of Hollywood and friend T.O.F would record 5 songs before a tragic break in his music. Prez was indicted and charged with a two felony’s for possession and sales of crack cocaine. Sentenced to do 5 years no signings were made and the rapper went to serve his time and vowed to give up on music. Being released early on good behaviour and entry into the shock program the rapper would focus more on work and family.

Not too long after Prez would come back to his native home of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to reside with family members. To rescue himself from what he described as culture shock Prez began writing again and recording hip hop music. This time with breath-taking speed Prez became popular and relevant in a soca and dancehall country for his witty lines, flawless writing and genius concepts. In less than 6 months he became known by all major producers and artists in SVG and Jamaica by dazzling crowds and ripping shows packed with local stars who would tip their hats at the amazing skills of the rapper. Upon meeting fellow rappers Fross and Lil Pain who introduced him to producers Mark Cyrus and Alex Barnwell Prez began recording major tracks and even dropping a mix tape entitled Dreams Come Thru. He auditioned for Island Def Jam VP Max Goose and World renowned Ivan Berry at Buccament Bay Resort in SVG. He signed on with Island Soul Management on a two year contract and is currently working now with Mark Cyrus on a series of moves and deals. In Prez’s own words “Mark and fellow singer/songwriter Kandy has given him the motivation and drive to do what he loves”. “Working with Mark is a breath of fresh air.” Most recently Prez has been signed to Tarakon Records, his signing party took place on March 31st 2017 and Prez has made history by being the first Hip Hop artist hailing from St Vincent to sign a major deal. Tarakon Records was founded by Kevin and Jacqueline Lyttle in 2007. The label was initially created to represent international star, Kevin Lyttle. Mr. Lyttle is renowned for producing exemplary music by fusing Soca, Reggae R&B and other sounds, which has formed the current modern music template. Prez is a great addition to the Tarakon Records artist roster and this very significant signing will aid in propelling Prez to greater heights.

As the journey continues and C2W in the fold for me the sky is the limit or maybe I’m living without limits but I’m destined for greatness and the top. My ambition is to be mentioned among the all time Greats.

instagram: @prez784music

https://twitter.com/Prez784music

http://ift.tt/2odqXCa

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxm3Tx86_P0

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +1 (784) 454-2394

Hashtags: #rick flr #blessed #realhiphop #Brooklyn #prez #goodvibes #hotnewrapper

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