Toilet!!!

Those of you who know me know that I love toilet/poop jokes, so I thought I'd share a picture of my toilet flusher.

 

When you go to flush the toilet, you push and HOLD DOWN on this lever.  Niagra Falls comes out of the toilet, and although you can't see it in this picture, the TOILET has its own WATER METER that looks like it's spinning to its death as the toilet flushes.  I swear, if American environmentalists could get even a small glimpse of this toilet, they would instantly have a hippie heart attack and die of stroke right there.  

I was also told that, because this toilet is from the Soviet Era, it is highly dependable yet very inefficient due to its simplistic design. That means that it will ALWAYS flush as long as you use a TON of water. So I basically let loose the whole of Angel Falls every time I want to flush.  I wonder what my water bill, just for the toilet, will be...

Locked out

I came home from work today only to discover that my lock wouldn't turn.  It had been giving me problems for weeks now, almost since the very beginning when I first arrived, but today it just decided to stop turning.  After teaching 8 lessons back-to-back and looking forward to returning home, I was quite distressed to be unable to enter my house...I had to drag my giant bag with computer and work stuff BACK to school to find my contact teacher, who was really busy invigilating exams and doing all the administrative paperwork associated with it.  He was really cool about it when I said that I couldn't get inside though, and he walked back with me and was able to forcibly turn the lock--something that I'm just not strong enough to do.  I think he's gonna get the locks changed.  It wasn't all bad though--the weather was warm and sunny, and the air smelled like falling leaves.  Even though I was locked out for an hour and a half, it was a beautiful day after all.  :)

Lake Balaton and Tihany

On Saturday we went to Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe.  At its widest, it's about 50 miles long and 8-9 miles wide.  What's interesting, though, is its average depth is only about 10 feet, reaching a maximum of 40 feet in places.  That tells me that it must be a pretty warm lake in summer when everyone comes to swim in it.  Apparently the water is so clean that you can drink from it, and this is something that Hungarians are very proud of.  Also, it used to be THE tourist spot for East Germans during WWII because it was the only place they could really go (since going West was off-limits).

Balaton aside, what we really went to see was Tihany (pronounced Ti-Hoin kind of). Tihany is a little town on a north-to-south facing peninsula in Lake Balaton.  Map here:

It was about a 200km drive, and it took nearly 4 hours due to the traffic, the 50km speed limit through small towns and villages, slow Sunday drivers, etc.  However the Fall weather could NOT have been better, and I mean COULD NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER!!

Amazing view of the Hungarian Plain.

These next 3 picture were actually taken on the way back, but I figured they fit in with the "perfect weather" theme.

Once we got there, we saw the abbey on top of the hill overlooking Lake Balaton.  The abbey was founded in 1055, and the founding charter of this abbey is the first existing record of the Hungarian language.  It was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1754, and even though much of the old seems to be lost, it still has that ancient feeling when you walk up to it and look down the lake from the base of its walls.

Off the side of the abbey, we looked down the hillside towards the water.  I was told that Tihany is famous for its echo, which was written about by several famous Hungarian poets since the 1700s.  These days, there is no echo anymore because of the noise created by civilization and the changed landscape due to development, but the legacy remains. 

The shore in the background over there is where you used to be able to echo.

Me at the Abbey and Echo Spot overlooking the lake.

Walking along the edge of the hillside with the lake on the right and the abbey to the back.

Crucifix statues.

It was so amazingly beautiful, like something you might see in a magazine about travel to the Mediterranean or something.  That's when I discovered that Tihany has the highest housing prices in all of Hungary and that the people who live there are of the highest income bracket.  I mean, how can they NOT be when they live in places like this?

These homes have a view of the smaller interior lake by Lake Balaton

Chili Pepper House--The entire thing was covered in dried chilis

AMAZING little restaurant pathway.  I want to eat there no matter how much it costs!

The most PERFECT restaurant ever.

Roof made from plants found in the lake.  Such roofs were everywhere there.

After seeing the town on top of the hill, we went down and got some food.  I got my favorite food, Lángos.  It's like fried dough with garlic oil, sour cream, and cheese put on top, and I have to tell you, it's so good that I feel like I almost died from happiness the first time I ate it.  I've since eaten it every weekend since I've been here, and my thighs are paying the price.  It's a HUGE, unhealthy meal but it lasts you all day, and for 500 forint (about $2.50) I can't complain.  It's the best food I've ever eaten.

My recent Lángos purchase.

I took a few pictures of the lake since we were there, and I got a picture of the ferry boats that take cars and people across.  They run all the time and they run FAST.

To summarize= Lake Balaton and Tihany are amazing and I really  hope I can go back in the spring when all the flowers are out.  I mean, with all the fall colors and summer-like weather, I couldn't have asked for more, but I still want to go back.  It was the most amazing place I've been so far here.

The perils of wet hair

So I made the mistake of going to work with my hair wet today. The janitor promptly saw it, explained how sick I was gonna get, and marched me to the bathroom where she proceeded to dry my hair with several towels that she just produced from somewhere. Then she braided my hair and I went to class. Just a normal day, eh?

LOVE IT though.  NOWHERE else would anyone give a crap about me like they do here.  My school has been so good to me. I really hope there is nothing seething under the surface...although I am trying to make myself doubt that fear.

Trip to Hollókő village

I had a great day today!  My colleague took me to Hollókő village, a UNESCO world heritage site.  It's famous for its original AND traditional Hungarian houses.  It's also well-known for its pottery, which I couldn't pass up (pictures of the money I spent are forthcoming). There is also a castle there that we got to go see, which first appears in written history in 1310.  Here's a Wikipedia description of the town, which I found quite interesting:

In the middle of the 13th century, in the aftermath of the Mongol invasion, construction of Hollókő castle first began as a means to protect the area against future attacks. At this time, the area around Hollókő was held by the Kacsics noble clan. The castle was first mentioned in records in 1310.  The original village was built just below the castle walls. The Ottomans captured the castle in 1552 and for the next 150 years, control alternated between Ottoman and Hungarian forces. At the end of the Ottoman occupation (1683) the castle and the village were finally abandoned and the present village grew up below.  Many of the existing houses were first built around this time. The houses, which consist wood in their structure, have had to be rebuilt many times throughout the years due to periodic fires, the last being in 1909. In 1987, the village, castle ruins, and surrounding area were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holl%C3%B3k%C5%91 

Here is the location of the village on this handy-dandy map.

 Now for some pictures of the trip!

Beautiful countryside on the way...It really was outstanding and amazing.

 We drove for about an hour to get there.  It was like 4 Celsius (39 F), and I'm forever grateful that my wonderful mom sent me my trusty winter jacket.  I probably would have died without it!  

When we arrived, we were greeted with sights such as these:

 

Traditional houses with cobblestone street.  The street is sinking on the right/left edges.  It's hard to tell by this picture but there was probably a 6-9-inch elevation change between the edges of the streets and the center line.

Church with a black, burned-looking top.

Church again, with a Y-shaped crossroads.

Upon further exploration, we saw...

Walking through the forest to the castle.

Hollókő castle up top!

The only thing that could have made this view better was the lack of chainsaw sounds.

 

After some walking through the woods, we arrived at the top of the hill to the castle.  It had just opened and we were there right when it opened, so we got to go inside before ANYONE else was there.  It was awesome to be the only ones at such an old and frequented place.

Portrayal of a 13th century "Scene" in mannequins.

Mini-model of what the castle is supposed to look like (without broken walls, etc.)

Exterior castle wall.  I estimate that it's over 7 feet thick.

On the way back from the castle, there was an open air theater that they use in the summer. The setting couldn't have been more awesome.

Back in town, all the shops were now open.  The weather had warmed up and I could finally move around without feeling like my nose and fingers were gonna freeze off.

Obviously the church isn't a shop, but it looked cool in this picture so I put it up.

We spent several hours in the town, but on the way back, I felt compelled to take a picture of their "sign" that advertises the town.  It is a raven on top of a rock, because the town's name means "Raven Stone".  Pretty cool sign, I thought!

The Raven Stone of Hollókő

My souvenirs from this town are amazing.  Because they are known for their pottery, which is made in the town and not somewhere like Taiwan or something, I just HAD to buy something.  After much debating because they were pretty expensive, I ended up with these two things:

They're both made from pottery clay in the same building where I bought them.  Obviously one is a mug, but it is unique AND it's a legit piece of pottery.  I love the mug because it's slightly bigger than a standard coffee mug, so I can make tea with more water than a mug would let me.  The second thing is a bottle for the traditional Hungarian fruit liquor, Pálinka.  Pálinka has been explained to me as a type of brandy that is made from fruits, especially plums, peaches, and apricots, although there's lots of different types of it.  This bottle is what a Hungarian would use to store his/her Pálinka.  It's tall and thin so you can take it with you, like a flask.  I don't need the liquor because I just wanted the bottle--It's a real piece of tradition and culture, so I felt it was worth the $16 bucks I had to spend on it.  It's got some writing on the back but I have no idea what it says.

Overall, it was an amazing trip.  I can't believe tomorrow is Monday again already.......