A Building has Two Faces

About a week ago I was walking down a street (lost again), and found a building with two different faces placed at the top of every other window arch.  At first I thought they were two different people, but then upon closer examination - I think they're the same guy.  One happy face and one angry face - I wonder if this guy was the owner, builder, architect or someone else?  Time to do a little research...

What do you think?

Music Lovers Everywhere

Hungarians are known for their love of music and musicians.  In one of the city squares near the Opera House sits this wonderful sculpture of Franz Joseph Liszt.  I love the expression of his hands, his hair and and tapping foot.  Not sure why he's sitting instead of standing, but...

As I sit here in my bedroom I hear the faint strains of an aria from Madame Butterfly wafting through the open window.  What a perfect Sunday afternoon!  Oh, Katherine - you'd love it here - opera season begins in September!!!

Missing My Pup...

Its probably because I'm missing my pup, Zoli - but I'm noticing dogs everywhere.  Dogs here seem to be better behaved than many I've seen back home.  In general, less hyper and content to be with their owners.  Hungary has a long history of noble hunting dogs - the Hungarian Vizsla.  Here are a few sculptures from a fountain up at the Castle - beautifully done!

A New Doo...

It was eight years to the day that I arrived in Budapest to teach school in Eger.  What an adventure it turned out to be - one that I will never forget.  Today I conquered one of my biggest fears - the Hungarian hairdresser.  Some of you may recall my account of seeing my bike helmet reflection in a window after my last encounter with a hairstylist in Hungary.

My experience today was totally different.  I went to a proper shop and took a picture and used as many hand motions as possible to explain what I didn't want.  I think it worked this time and here are the before and after photos to prove it.

Last night we went to the Fisherman's Walk on Castle Hill to watch the fireworks on the Danube.  It was quite breezy, but we had sweet seats and saw all three synchronized displays from the boats on the river below us.

Here's another gentleman offering me a cake on the side of the road today after my new makeover!

Trevor, Oh Trevor!

The Folk Festival was a feast in more ways than one - for the eyes, the stomach, the mind and spirit.  Months ago my amazingly creative nephew, Trevor Harding, told me that he had been watching a few YouTube videos by a master shoemaker in Hungary.  I had no idea.  SO, dear Trevor, I found your shoe guy and his lovely shoes.  Wish you and Mariel were here to see them in person!

A Few More Felted Fancies!

So much from yesterday's folk festival - I just have to share a few more pics...

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Wish Deb Were Here!

Late yesterday afternoon we took a trek up to Buda Castle for the annual Folk Festival.  I had no idea what a treat was in store.  Over and over again I thought of my sweet friend, Deb Potter.  She would have been in hog heaven to be by my side - fiber artists everywhere.  Most of the artists were from Transylvania, a part of Romania that is full of Hungarians.  These folks work with wool, leather, wood, clay, and all types of fiber.  We saw shoemakers, dancers, musicians, and artists of ages and types.  Felted arts were abundant.  Here's a few shots of the amazing things we saw...

This is a man's coat and is made of felt.  I've never seen one in black and white - the ones I've seen prior to this have been extremely colorful.  Love it in the black & white!

A gray felted hat and blouse with traditional Hungarian motifs.  Again, I've never seen this pattern in gray - fantastic!

And now a bit of handmade lace - boggles the mind that anyone can keep track of what goes where. Makes you realize that we have such potential to create!

The Best Flea Ever!

Yesterday we went to the Ecseri Flea Market, on the southern side of Budapest.  Folks, I've got to say - I've been to a lot of flea markets and yard sales in my time -- and this is the most interesting stuff I've ever seen.  Tons of old paintings and furniture, dishes, pass books from communist days, bottles, tin toys, SS looking leather jackets, wallpaper.  They also had a langos stand.  For those of you who are familiar with Hungarian culture, langos is fried bread (great for the arteries).  Traditionally it has garlic, butter, sour cream and cheese on top.  The bread is spread out like a pizza and then deep fried.  Its really yummy, but feels like a lead balloon once its in your stomach.  :)

Here are a few treasures we found...this one is perfect for my living room!

Love this alligator suitcase!

And now for a little limonade!

Coffee Shop Surprise!

A few nights ago, we wandered into a Barnes & Noble looking bookstore to take a quick gander.  The shop had an extra tall escalator in the center that seemed to take up more room than the books.  After riding it to the top, we stepped up another five stairs and entered this...

I'm thinking the bookstore MAY be the afterthought in this case!

Spare Key

Tonight we (the other artists in the residency and our director) went to Potkulcs, an unmarked music club just off Andrassy Street in Budapest. The translation of potkulcs is "spare key."  It felt like we were walking into a hidden speak easy in the 1920's.  We slipped down the street and into a garden doorway that took us down some steep stairs and into a courtyard.  It was fabulous - not fancy - but tables all around with a few large trees giving us shelter.  Shortly after we settled into our seats a string band made up of two fiddles and a bass started warming up.  THEY were fabulous.  I tried to do a nice recording of them, but the lighting was too dark.  The only pictures I managed to get were ones of the bathroom doors - a little raw, but very entertaining!

Paprika!

Peppers, peppers everywhere.  Farmers markets and fresh produce stands are abundant here in the city.  Hungarians put peppers in soup, in sandwiches, in salads, in sauces, in pasta dishes and in toothpaste (not really), so of course they come in all shapes, colors, and sizes.  I'm really enjoying recording a few of them on these little watercolor postcards - here's a few from today.

The Bent Tree

A few days ago I caught the #61 tram to go uptown to Castle Hill.  My instuctions were to take the tram all the way to the bottom of Castle Hill and then take a bus to the top.  Half way between the residency and the hill, the tram stopped short and EVERYONE got off.  Puzzled, I jumped off and asked a fellow passenger why we were required to jump out.  He just smiled and pointed up the road to the long sheaths of metal track.  They were replacing old track and I was plopped out in the middle of a part of town I'd never been.  As I looked around, I saw the castle and figured I could just walk.  For once I was right and enjoyed a great tour of a lovely park and lots and lots of stairs.  I spotted a graceful bent tree and thought I'd make a nice little color pencil sketch of it.  Hope you enjoy...

A Fresh Morning!

Well, it seems the heatwave has broken.  We went to bed last night in 91 degrees and have woken up to 72 degrees.  That's quite a drop in eight hours!  In a few minutes we're off to the farmer's market and then to a fun flea market.  I went to a different flea market last Saturday and it was better than expected.  I can't wait to find some small goodies to show you.

Its been a busy week, but I got a few paintings and drawings started.  Here's my first oil painting while here.  I'm trying to remember to take a picture of them in each stage, but I've missed a few - hopefully this will become a smoother process as I continue.

Oil Painting #1

Day One: Meet and Greet

Well, the first day (and night) of the residency is complete and I'm greeted this morning by my favorite Hungarian pastry - the chocolate snail.  The first time I tried one of these beauties, my taste buds were expecting  cinnamon and I was quite disappointed when it turned out to be chocolate.  But now, its my breakfast of choice along with my latte,  journal and morning reading - what a perfect start!

Just outside the back balcony of the residency is this lovely structure - a hunting lodge built in the World War II era.  Can you see a little German influence?  Our home is high in the Buda hills (on the left side of the Danube when looking at a map).  This is the area that folks from the city (Pest) would escape to on the weekends.  Our place was built in 1936 and its basement was a stopping point for those hiding from the authorities (German and Russian).  Its about 5 degrees cooler up here in the hills (which makes a nice difference when we're expecting 102 degrees on Thursday).

A few of my fellow artists have arrived for the residency and we are expecting one more today.  They're lovely and our hostess, Beata Szechy, has made great plans for us in the coming days.  Last night we came down the hill to a lovely outdoor diner where a fabulous Hungarian singer was singing Frank Sinatra type songs.  Then we walked the streets and I met quite a nice gentleman...I hope we see more of each other!

We ended the evening in front of St. Stephen's Basilica. St. Istvan (Stephan) was the first king of Hungary.  Inside they have his mummified hand in a glass box.  The church wasn't opened, but I can't wait to go for a peak!

Just About TIme...

Tomorrow is the beginning of my residency and it looks like I'm about ready.  Really looking forward to it!  For the past week I've been resting, gathering materials, resting, eating, resting, walking, resting, figuring out the public transportation system, resting, reading, resting, drawing, and trying to stay cool.  We're STILL in a heat wave, but it looks like we'll get some rain on Friday.

A week ago today, I visited Danube International Church and low and behold - a few Greenvillians were there!  Tad and Maureen Mallory decided to move to Budapest for a year with their three children, Jon, Abby, and Zach. We've spent lots of time together this week - sightseeing, laughing and checking out unusual hungarian delicacies.  It's been really fun and they've been so gracious to let me tag along.

Also, a local missionary with Operation Mobilization, Attila Kopocs, was extra kind to taxi me around to various art supply and home improvement stores.  He even set me up with a local carpenter to provide enough stretcher strips for the paintings I intend to create.  I can't express how much kindness I've been given through the lives of others this week!

Here's my first stretched canvas (made with fabric found on the streets of Budapest)!  Come back in a few days and see what becomes of this beauty!

Most things are smaller here...

but the mosquitos aren't!