Beautiful Budapest!

While in London, UK I was surprised by my daughter and her husband with a trip to Budapest, Hungary. My heritage on my father's side is Hungarian so this was a trip I had always wanted to make and it was made all the more special to make it with my daughter. We all know and hear how gorgeous Paris and many European cities are but Budapest was a delightful surprise as it is so unique and fabulous. The Danube River divides the city in half and years ago one side was Buda and the other Pest. It is now one city with Pest being very flat and Buda being very hilly and the more expensive side of the river to live. My daughter had also arrange for a cooking class while we were there to cook some of my grandmother's favorite recipes and mine as well. Agnes who conducted the classes met us at the large market that has been there for over 100 years and gave us a guided tour of the foods and traditions. We later went to her flat and cooked and had dinner with her and her husband and discussed life in Hungary today. It was a fabulous experience.
The photographs going from the top down are the Parliament Buildings on the Danube on the Pest side, similar in design to the the British Parliament Buildings in London. The Gellert Bath and Spa has outdoor pools and indoor pools feed from underground hot springs. It has been recorded that these waters have exceptional healing powers as early as the 15th century. This violinist was at the Central Market where we went shopping but you will find violinist on many streets playing the Hungarian Rhapsody and much more. Hungary is also know for the making of some of the worlds' finest porcelain like Herend, which is named after the town it is produced in. The last photo is of a church built into the stone on the Buda side of the Danube River.
We came home with lots of Hungarian paprika and a trunk full of memories!
If you are planning to go to Budapest you will find that it is a bargain compared with Paris and other European cities. The cruise ships you see in the photo's go up the Danube to other countries and capital cities. Here is the contact info for Agnes to do a cooking class.....agnes.barath@culinaryhungary.com.

More Halloween!

If you are having a Halloween Party this would be the weekend. Just a few fun ideas to think about in your planning! Be safe and have fun!
That appetizer gives a whole new meaning to finger foods!!!

Cotswold Life!

A trip to London, England really isn't complete unless you visit the amazing, picturesque English countryside. While visiting my daughter in Notting Hill I attended a wedding in the Cotswolds, a beautiful region filled with charming towns, farms, shops and pubs. One day we went to a horse show at Princess Anne's farm while the men went golfing on the oldest golf course in the UK. The interesting thing about that was the course was filled with cows and horses wandering around. One cow ate someone's golf ball!! There are miles and miles of stone fences built centuries ago and the flowers as you can see by a few of these pictures were gorgeous. Life is not hectic here and you can drive from one eye-catching town to another to shop or stop and have lunch in Tetbury like we did at The Snooty Fox Pub!! For more information on this region go to www.cotswold.greatbritishlife.co.uk By the way the top view is the view out of my hotel window!!

Halloween is just around the corner!!!

Halloween is one of those holidays that you are either into or not. But if you are...people seem to be in to it in a big way. Decorating the outside of their home and even inviting trick or treaters into their spooky homes fully decked out.
There are many different patterns and pumpkin carving kits on the market today so have fun with your children making different designs. Ever trying spray painting your pumpkins? They don't have to be orange....try black, purple or even silver.
I am back from my wonderful vacation and once I get organized I will share a few things I saw on my trip that I thought were unique.