My Old Man and the Hungarian Sea

Location: Balaton Lake
June 20, 2010
Adventure #21

It wasn't a typical summer visit to Balaton Lake. We didn't eat any langos (Hungary's special festival food that's like a savory funnel cake), we didn't attempt to get in the chilly water, and we didn't get a sun tan. However, what we did get was one heck of a beautiful sunset, which made the quick trip worth it.

Fondly referred to as the Hungarian Sea, Lake Balaton is Central Europe's largest lake and the country's most popular summer holiday spot. Mike and I decided to stop there last weekend, because it was on our train route home from Zagreb, and I desperately wanted some beach time. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not on our side, so it never got warm enough to actually swim in the lake, but we spent a lovely Saturday afternoon and evening sitting by the water and enjoying the view. We also ventured into the Lilliputian city center of Balatonlelle and ate pizza at a Mediterranean grill which could have been taken straight out of a Croatian seaside town. On Sunday morning, we awoke to pouring rain and an overcast sky, so we caught the first train back to Budapest. I plan to go back on a nicer weekend, although my unplanned weekends are becoming very numbered before I head back to the USA!

A Bout with an Acoustic Ninja

Location: Budapest
June 11, 2010
Adventure #20

It is such a joy to meet extremely talented artists who are down to earth and truly gracious towards their fan base. Colorado acoustic guitarist Trace Bundy is one of these people.

Reverentially known as "The Acoustic Ninja" by his fans, Bundy performs alone on stage with just his acoustic guitar and a fleet of colored capos in lieu of a pick. Describing his performance style is extremely difficult, so I encourage people to check out a video here. In the meantime, I'll be a lazy reporter and swipe his succinct Wikipedia description: "His playing style features him playing with both hands on the fretboard and intricate finger-picking arpeggios." To fully embrace his impassioned performances, I think people should see him live.

When I used to live in Boulder, I saw him perform with Jonah Werner and Newcomer's Home - all folk artists I adore. His performance was so impressive and genuine that I even chose to use his version of "Pachebel's Canon" as my wedding processional. So, when my friend Jennifer, a devout Bundy fan, told me he was coming to Budapest - to a venue a five-minute walk from my flat no less - I was thrilled.

When Mike and I arrived at the show last Friday, he was sitting at the ticket desk with his lovely wife, and we instantly struck up a conversation about our Colorado connections. It turns out his brother is another Budapest expat who was marrying a Hungarian that week, so Bundy and his family were in town for the wedding. We got to meet the whole friendly bunch from Buena Vista, Colorado. It was so nice to get a taste - and an earful - of Colorado and get to chat with Bundy, who was so kind that he even let me take that low-lit goulish picture with him.

Worldy World Cup Viewing

Location: Budapest/South Africa
June 12, 2010
Adventure #19

On the evening of the great athletic showdown where America took on the Redcoats, not only did tensions run high about which team is more deserving of a World Cup win, but equally controversial was the debate about whether we were watching a soccer game or a football match - thus deciding who speaks the more superior version of English. Clearly, the answer is America, so this blog will, in fact, be about soccer.

For the duration of the World Cup, the city of Budapest has set up a giant outdoor projection screen at Freedom Square (Szabadság tér), so anyone can watch the game for free. Thousands of people reclined on blankets and perched on picnic tables to watch last night's event. Initially, I thought there would be more British fans in attendance and my table of vocal USA supporters may have to face off against some football hooligans, but the crowd cheered even louder for the States' goal than for the Brit's early shot. Coming into the game, I knew little about the American team, but now I am a bona fide jersey chaser for Howard the keeper. It amazed me how he took a slide tackle to the chest and still managed to maintain his moxie and expertly protect our goal. Although the event ended it a draw, it was still a strong statement that, although we might be the worst regular international spectators of the sport, American can hold its own at footie.

As the sun set during the game, it struck me as how amazing my attendance at the event was. To rally the whole world around its most popular sport and unite so many disparate people is something magical, especially at our particular setting. Szabadság tér is flanked on one side by the colossal American embassy (which I've written about here) and hosts one of the only remaining Soviet monuments, erected in honor of the Communists after they freed the Magyars from Nazi clutches. The viewing screen was set up just in front of the statue, so the only portion we could see was the gilded Soviet star peeking out behind the screen like a Christmas tree topper. This screen cast a glow over the packed crowd on the ground that resembled a Muslim prayer site. But, at this event, the Dogma was purely athletic.

Next week we'll watch the next game, USA vs. Slovenia, in Croatia. Since Croatians have a virulent rivalry with Slovenia, I am certain all the local crowds will be on our side.

Getting Down on It

Location: Budapest
June 4-5, 2010
Adventure #18

It only takes one.

As Mike so aptly described after our sojourn into the '70s music scene this weekend, a band can still call itself by its original name so long as it retains at least one original member.

Thanks to a thoughtful perk from my editor, I received press accreditation for Budapest’s Stargarden Festival, a three-stage outdoor classic rock showcase that hosted headliners Deep Purple and Kool & the Gang, along with a plethora of other aging groovers. Expectedly, Mike and I were towards the younger end of the crowd's age spectrum, but what threw us was how spiffy the setting was. Rather than what I would expect for a rock crowd (meaning lots of Budweiser tents), this festival was an upscale fete where there were more wineries and palinka vendors than breweries, and fancy meat and cheese stands were opened next to the fried food ones. We stuck to the beer, but we did enjoy some mangalica cuts along with our greasy pizza for dinner. Another surprise was how few people rushed the stage – at any set we could saunter up to the front and even shake the lead singers’ hands if we so desired. Better yet, we could even sit down on the fringes of the lawn and have unobstructed views of the stage.

On Friday, I caught a set by myself - Eric Burdon and the Animals. As with the rest of the weekend’s line up, I knew the bands’ major hits, even if I couldn’t recognize the group by its name alone. Mr. Burdon’s voice is still powerful, and I rather enjoyed hearing him belt “Oh Lord, Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “We've Gotta Get Out of This Place.”

The next day, Mike and I set out to see Blood, Sweat and Tears. Originally, I thought we were seeing Earth, Wind & Fire, but I just latched on to serial band names from the same era. (Sorry to any fervent fans of either group who I may have just insulted by my mix up.) Since BS&T’s major hit “Spinning Wheel” was released in 1970, obviously the band is a bit past a rock god’s ideal age bracket. Thus, the original lead singer took a backup role, spending as little time as possible on stage and was replaced by a Nashville native who I’m convinced spent some time as an Elvis impersonator. After we heard their major hit ¾ of the way through the show, our rapt attention diminished, so we devoted our time to other location-sensitive endeavors, like counting the number of rat tails, full denim ensembles, and men in cutoff shirts whose back hair poked out.

It wasn't long before we saw an overworked fog machine begin to perspire on the stage, so we knew we were in for a treat with the final act: Kool & the Gang - who resurrected all the '70s "cherished" kitsch just as we hoped. Like its opener, only three of the large ensemble's members were original, but thankfully Kool was still rocking towards the back of the stage - donning the preferred costume of leather, snakeskin pants and sequined collared shirts. The lead singers now look like Boys II Men dropouts, but they could dance with the swaying, finger snapping finesse of the Jackson 5 and get all the women (or men who didn't speak English) to squeal each time they gyrated and simply whispered "ladies." After playing some younger hits from their 30+ album repertoire, the group time traveled back to the disco age and gave us all what we were waiting for: some “Jungle Boogie,” “Celebration” and “Get Down on It.” We certainly weren’t in Hollywood, but that didn’t deter anyone from Swinging into a full Saturday Night fever.