Update on the Past Week

Friday, September 28

Today we went to Budapest. We loaded the van bright and early for the 2 hour ride. Tom had a doctor's appointment for his visa requirements. It went very smoothly, all is in order, and the packet is ready for our embassy appointment on Tuesday.

After business was taken care of, we had a free afternoon to enjoy the sights.

We walked down Vaci Street, ate lunch, and made our way to St. Stephen's Basilica. 

Similar to our hometown of Fargo-Moorhead, which has 2 cities (and states) divided by the Red River, Budapest also is 2 cities divided by the Danube River, Buda on one side, Pest on the other. While Tom's doctor's appointment this morning was in Buda, we spent the afternoon walking around in Pest. 

We made our way to the Hungarian Parliament Building (which helps me remember Parliament Building is in Pest). It was closed. We will have to return next week when we finalize everything because there just is not enough time to do it all anyways.

(The sun was bright in their eyes)

We walked back to our meeting point along the Danube River, walking under - what I now call - The Bridge Will Smith Danced On. (I wanted to bust out a "Keke, do you love me?" but I managed to hold it together.)

We also walked by the Shoes on the Danube Bank. I had read about this site in a tourist book, but never imagined it would touch me so much. The shoes are incredibly life-like. It is very moving to see and imagine what tragedy happened on these very banks.

We then met our faithful driver at the meeting spot and headed back to Balatonfeyves.

Thursday, September 27 
Wednesday, September 26

The boys and I played all morning and afternoon so that Angel could work. We made forts, blew bubbles, played with balloons, ran around outside, and did sidewalk chalk. Since we took 2 morning trips on Monday and Tuesday and will travel to Budapest on Friday, the boys and I enjoyed a slower pace these 2 days.

Tuesday, September 25

Today we rode the train (about 1 hour) to Siofok, the largest town on Lake Balaton. We walked around for an hour or 2 and went up the city tower to enjoy the beautiful views.

Monday, September 24

The train ride to Fonyod was about 8 minutes. We walked around and the boys played on the playground. The wind was intense. We saw several people wind surfing. It was a quick morning trip over and back to get us out of the house for a bit.

There and Back Again...(A Carrete's Tale)

Sunday, September 23

The change in seasons is noticeable. Not only has the temperature dropped quite a bit, but the town has also grown quiet. When we first arrived on September 3, the houses to our left and right were bustling with visitors. To our right, a German family, then a group of Hungarian ladies enjoyed a week's vacation. On our left, a mother and daughter enjoyed a weekend trip followed by a couple who did a lot of biking. The buildings around us are now empty, even on the weekends.

The kind lady from the visitor center had suggested taking the Balatonfeyves GV train not really to go anywhere but to just enjoy the ride. This was our Sunday morning adventure.

The train snaked quietly and slowly through the countryside. We saw deer, horses, and different types of birds. It connects our town to several smaller villages, about 10 riders hopped on and off during the trip. We rode the train there (to the end of the line) and back again. It was very peaceful.

Walking back we found a new playground for the boys to enjoy.

A quick update on Addy - She is doing well. We talk to her daily and miss her dearly. Next weekend my sister, along with 2 of her children, will take over the care duties since my mom and grandmother have to return to Florida on October 1. Addy is adjusting to school and has even made a good friend whom she mentions often. Our family feels so incomplete without her. We miss her dearly and look forward to being reunited in less than 2 weeks!

The Train to Keszthely

Friday, September 21

With our map of Lake Balaton, too few Hungarian phrases, and plenty of snacks, we headed to the train station. Our small town of Balatonfenyves has a population of less than 2,000 so, naturally, the station had very little activity when we arrived. We thought it was closed.

After checking several buildings, walking around the tracks, and checking train times, we decided to walk across the street to the tourist information center for some help.

A very kind lady, who spoke English 😊, seemed very surprised when we told her the ticket booth was closed. She offered to help us. She brought out her keys, locked the tourist center, walked with us across the street to the train station, showed us to the ticket booth (which was in fact, open), showed us the sign (they are open every day from 3AM to 11PM), then helped us buy our tickets. Talk about going above and beyond! This was especially helpful because at one of the stops on the way to Keszthely, the train separates - the front several cars go to one city, and the back 2 (where we needed to be) would head on to Keszthely. Without this kind lady, there is no way we would have understood what we needed to do. It worked out wonderfully.

We do not know if Tomas has ever been on a train, but by the level of his excitement I would guess he probably has not.

Both Tomas and Caleb are great travelers. This being our first real outing with the boys by ourselves, I was a bit nervous. By the end of the day I was convinced they needed this adventure as much as we did. Everything went so well.

While the slow pace of our little village is nice. We really enjoyed the life in this bigger town. While walking to the city center, we stopped by a bakery.

Two of the eight persons in line offered to help us order. One lady translated all of the items for us and invited us to an English group they have in the city. She told us there are quite a few British retirees who now live in Keszthely and was very interested in why we were in the area. Another kind individual who crossed our path.

We walked through the beautiful main street passing many shops and restaurants. There was a concert and many bikers, so much activity.

We arrived at the breath-taking Festetics Palace. We walked through the beautiful gardens, visited the bird habitat, toured the inside of the palace, and visited the carriage museum.

After a good meal, we headed back. Caleb even told Angel, "That was fun. We should do it again." 

A successful - and much needed - Friday Adventure!

Saturday, September 22

Today we are recovering. The weather has changed. This morning was very windy (reminded me of tropical storm type gusts) and the temperature has dropped quite a bit.

The boys took a long nap this afternoon and are playing "stick fight" in the yard with Angel. We are about to walk for some langos and to the store to buy milk.

We have plans to make a bonfire in the evening.

Since most shops and activities are closed on Sunday we are planning to take a nature train ride tomorrow morning. Hopefully it will be just as successful as our Keszthely Adventure. 😊

Update: While walking to our evening activities, we saw this tree. The winds did do some damage.

The langos were delicious! Again, Angel's German has come in very handy.

The bonfire - more like bonitofire - was enjoyed only by the parental unit. We started it a bit too late for the boys, maybe another night.

The Past 2 Weeks - Plenty of Pictures!

Thursday, September 6 - Thursday, September 20

I have been playing catch-up on the last 2 posts. Hopefully we will be up-to-date moving forward.

On Wednesday after we dropped Angel and Addy off at the airport, we headed back to Lake Balaton. During the car ride, Caleb got sick.

When we made our Grand Arrival into Budapest back in August, Addy was also (car)sick on the drive to Kaposvar, so I thought Caleb was probably experiencing the same. Turns out I was wrong.

His sickness lasted another day or 2, then Tomas had a touch of it as well. My first day(s) without Angel and my big helper Addy and both boys were sick. 

Thankfully we made it through with medicine and plenty of fluids. 

Here are some pictures from our last 2 weeks in Balatonfenyves.

We have...

Played in the Sandbox

Played with Balloons

Played with Play-Dough

Fed the Ducks

Climbed Trees

Swung from the Trees

Swum in the Lake

Walked to the Grocery Store

Buried Ourselves in Sand

Picked Mommy flowers

Gone on Walks

Played Musical Instruments (Sticks)

 Swung on the Swings

 Jumped on the Trampoline

 Visited the Arcade

Watched Ants in the Sand

 Played with Water Balloons

Helped Mommy Shop

 and... Waded in the Water

We are planning to take a train to a bigger city tomorrow. Now that Angel is with us, we can be a bit more adventurous. 😁