Spring Break 2014: Spain

April 18-26, 2014

FIRST STOP: MUNICH, GERMANY

Our flight was from Kiev to Malaga with an overnight layover in Munich.  We arrived at the Munich airport and took the train to the downtown location where we had booked a hotel near a well-known beer garden, the Hofbrau Haus.  We had been to the American version of the Hofbrau House in Pittsburgh, but this was the "real deal".  Even though it was Good Friday, the restaurant was open and the place was packed.  However, in observance of the religious holiday, there was no German Oompah Band playing that evening.

Taken from the train as we passed by-another sign of my European ancestry

 The Outside of the Hofbrauhaus

The Inside







It was so crowded that we had to walk around for a while watching and waiting for a spot at one of the many large tables where strangers from all over the world became friends before the meal was over.

Here we are with our new friend, Nickoli from Switzerland.
It's uncanny how much he looks like our friend Nick in Myrtle Beach!

The waitresses walked around selling these huge yummy pretzels.
One was enough to share!

 Our Hotel

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but it was very nice on the inside, and they had an excellent breakfast buffet in the dining room on Saturday morning.

Saturday

After breakfast, we took the train back to the airport to wait for our friends Keith and Marybeth who were coming from the USA.  From Munich we would all fly together to Spain that afternoon.

 DESTINATION: MALAGA, SPAIN

When we arrived in Malaga around 5pm it was sunny and warm.  The resort where we stayed was south of Malaga along Costa del Sol, actually closer to Marbella than Malaga.  The next two days would not be as beautiful weather-wise.  Of course that didn't stop us from having fun.



Our resort- Miraflores

Our Spanish hacienda for the week

The resort is built on the steep, rocky coastline

A view of the Mediterranean from our bedroom window

Easter Sunday

We may have been in Spain, but we had a Ukrainian Easter morning.  I brought chocolate eggs and a traditional Easter cake called "Paska".  It reminded me of raisin bread, so we sliced it, toasted it, and ate it for breakfast while Keith read the resurrection story from the Bible.  We had good intentions of finding a church, but jet lag and not knowing our surroundings yet, kept us from venturing out until later in the day.



 Around noon, we walked down the hill and crossed the highway over to the beach.  Here we found "Antonio's", a small restaurant which happened to be open.  It was cool and rainy, so we ate Easter dinner inside.  We would return later in the week for another meal.  It was that good!

Antonio's

The coastline

 Monday

Our plan for Monday was to take the train to downtown Malaga and take a tour of the city on bicycles.  Unfortunately it was another rainy day (downpour rainy!)  We took the train there anyway, a long 45 minute ride, and only ever got as far as a sidewalk café right outside of the train stop.  Thank goodness it was tented.  We ordered lunch, and waited for the rain to stop.  We ordered cappuccinos, and waited.  We ordered wine, and waited.  After almost 3 hours we got back on the train and returned to our condo!  We never  saw Malaga again until we went to the airport the following Saturday.

Monday evening the rain stopped and we enjoyed tapas and wine for dinner on our backyard patio.

                                                                                 

Tuesday

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and left early for our guided tour to the mountain village of Ronda, home of the oldest bull fighting ring in the world.  We joined a bus full of other tourists for an hour ride up into the mountains.  It was one of those hairpin, hair raising road trips as we drove almost 2400 feet above sea level.  If you were brave enough to look out of the bus window, the view was breathtaking (literally), but beautiful.

Future matadors?

The gorge between Old Ronda and New Ronda

We had lunch on this terrace

We visited this Spanish winery

Wine spigots built in the wall...I love it!

Mary Beth found her own barrel of wine

 The following pictures show the colors, architecture, and sights of Old Spain:

Wednesday

On Wednesday we went to a little seaside village one bus stop away from our resort.  It was market day.  After purchasing a few souvenirs at the market we walked around the streets and down to the beach.  It was a bit breezy and chilly, but we got our feet wet in the Med, if only for a few seconds.

This village was also home to a restaurant that was supposed to have the best paella in Malaga.  We intended to go there for lunch but it didn't open until 4pm.  Jay and I were the first (and only) guests when they opened the doors.  In fact, we had the place to ourselves for most of the time we were there.

Private dining for two

Paella for one

This was the view on our walk back up to the condo



Thursday

On Thursday we took another guided tour.  This time we took a ferry across the Straits of Gibraltar to Tangier, Morocco. 

One of the gates into the Kasbah

The doorway to a sacred burial site

A hamsa on the door for protection

 Some expected events...

 a snake charmer...

 lunch at a Moroccan restaurant...

 and a Moroccan carpet dealership.

We didn't buy a carpet, but we did pick up a lantern for our back porch in Myrtle Beach and a tagine for baking my own Moroccan chicken and couscous.

Friday

We decided to spend Friday at the resort enjoying each others' company and the amenities on the property.

Great Friends and a Great Vacation

Another meal at Antonio's

Springtime in Kiev

Forget Paris!  Kiev offers a beautiful spring landscape.  We were very fortunate to have such a mild winter here this year, plus the early arrival of many flowering plants.  Most of these pictures were taken on our way to and from school.

On April 17 the lilacs were just getting ready to bloom.

One week later the entire sidewalk was lined with these beautiful, fragrant blossoms.



Taken in early April.  It is much greener now.



According to my dad, our forsythias opened  before his opened in Pennsylvania.

This next picture was taken on the soccer field behind our school.  It makes me laugh for two reasons: One, he's driving a John Deere; and two, the field is Astro Turf!  The only thing missing was the smell of fresh-cut grass.  I'm sure there's a spray for that out there somewhere.

I think I've taken a picture of this view from our apartment window for each season.

 The following picture was also taken from our apartment window.  This older couple sits on the same bench every evening when the weather is nice.  Sometimes they appear to be sharing a snack; sometimes they're just visiting.  I zoomed in for a close up.  I'm not a creep or a stalker; I just think it's cute.




A bouquet of Lily of the Valley purchased from a babushka in the metro (subway).
They scented our entire apartment!



 



We've heard that the Botanical Gardens in Kiev are worth a visit.  We have a long weekend coming up for Ukrainian Victory Day (how ironic).  It's actually the day to remember victory over the Nazi regime.  Hopefully, they will be able to add "victory over the Putin regime" to commemorate the day as well.  And hopefully, that will happen sooner than later!

Speaking of celebrations, we celebrated Jay's birthday this week by going out to dinner and to a jazz band concert at the Caribbean Club in downtown Kiev.  It was a great evening and of course, Jay was in his element.  It wasn't the same as a Maynard Ferguson concert, but the band was very good.  It seems the language of jazz is understood wherever you go in the world!



So I'm sure that it is apparent, in spite of what is happening elsewhere in Ukraine, life in Kiev goes on as usual.  At least for now.  The election coming up on May 25 should determine the direction of Ukraine's future.

Invasion: Budapest, Hungary

     While the Ukrainian territory of Crimea was (allegedly) being invaded by Russia last weekend (February 28-March 2) we were carrying out our own invasion on Budapest, Hungary. 

    I'm sure that many of our readers have been wondering what's really going on in Ukraine and whether or not we are being invaded by Russia.  Believe me when I tell you, the only way we know what's going on here is what we see on the TV news (cable English stations) just like everyone else.  Unfortunately, and as usual, these news stations tend to sensationalize the truth, and the more we watch the news, the more we feel like we should be worried or afraid; but the truth is we're not.  Most of the Ukrainians we know are not worried either.  Interested and a bit concerned maybe, but not afraid or worried.  Perhaps they believe that their global allies will have their back if necessary.  Let's hope they won't have to find out.

  All that being said, I will admit that last weekend while we were in Budapest, we seemed to watch the news more often than we do when we're in Kiev.  But of course we spent more time exploring the beautiful capital of Hungary than we spent watching TV, you can be sure of that!  Perhaps, secretly, we were thinking that maybe we would not be able to get back into Ukraine and we would be stuck soaking in hot mineral bath houses and eating goulash for many more days.  Would that really be so bad????  Read on and see what YOU think...

 

Friday Afternoon

Our first stop, after getting checked into our hotel, was The Great Market Hall in this beautiful historic building.  Inside there were lots and lots of vendors.  Most of the booths downstairs are visited on a daily basis by local customers who are buying fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy, baked goods,and other essential food items.  Upstairs was a bit of a "tourist trap" where you could buy every Hungarian souvenir imaginable and every booth looked just like the others.

 

As usual, our visits to new countries become a culinary adventure for me.  Fifth grade teacher, Steve Wagner from the U.S. (not my cousin) who is married to a Hungarian, recommended several foods we just had to try while while we were in Budapest.  In the picture above I am holding "langos", a deep fried flat bread made from a potato-based dough.  There were many toppings to choose from, but I went with one of the more popular choices: sour cream and grated cheddar cheese.  It was so yummy and filling!  Thank goodness we did a lot of walking over the next two days!

 

I wish we had markets like this close by our apartment in Kiev and our home in Myrtle Beach!

 

 

Where do you think all of that paprika comes from?!

 

A cafe we passed along the way. I took the picture for my mom, Dorthea, and my sister-in-law, Dorothea.

Even the manhole covers on the street were beautiful!

Friday Night

Our hotel was next to the Danube River which divides the Buda side of the city from the Pest side of the city.  It was a perfect location for walking to everything we wanted to do and see.  Budapest is known for its many bridges that cross the Danube.  In fact, looking up and down the river, it reminded me a lot of Pittsburgh!  Friday evening we crossed the Chain Bridge and walked to a traditional Hungarian restaurant to meet our friends Jessica and Tim, who teach with us, and their Hungarian friends, Milan and Audri.

Chain Bridge

The food at the restaurant was very good and according to the Hungarians eating with us, it was authentic.  I had the "chicken paprikash", a dish that I have already made since we returned to Kiev with the Hungarian paprika I bought at the Great Market.

Milan, Audri, Jay, Jessica, Tim



Saturday

It was like spring!  The temperature was warm enough for sweaters only, and I think the grass turned green in just one day!  We took advantage of the weather by spending the entire day outside walking from our hotel to Parliament, across the river (again) and up the hill to Buda Castle, to St. Mathias Cathedral, and lots of cobblestone streets and quaint buildings in between!

Abundant sunshine!

Walking up the hill and through the park to Buda Castle

 

It was so nice, we even ate lunch outside at a cafe in the park next to St. Mathias Cathedral.  The sign suggested it, so that's what we ordered!  It looks expensive but 600 forint is about $3 USD, and my goulash was about $5.  I was pleasantly surprised when it showed up in a bread bowl!

A view from the top.  Doesn't it look like a fairytale city?

I found a warm, sunny spot and soaked up some vitamin D!

 

 Saturday-late afternoon

Around 4:00 we headed underground (54 steps to be exact), deep into the caverns below the Dominican Cloister, in the Buda Castle area.  There we entered the Faust Wine Cellar tasting room, where a young couple runs a Hungarian wine-tasting business.  It was a 2.5 hour experience.  We learned about the local wine regions and sampled 9 different Hungarian wines.  To help our bellies absorb some of the wine, we were also served "pogacsa", traditional Hungarian biscuits topped with cheese.  Believe it or not, we only purchased one bottle of wine on our way out.

 

 

 

Saturday Night

A boat ride on the Danube was a great way to see the city lights.  We met up with Jessica and Tim to go "cruising".

"Cheers!" to a great weekend



Parliament lit up

Mathias Cathedral at night

After the boat ride we "cruised" to the British pub across the street from our hotel for burgers and fries.

Sunday Morning

On Sunday we (Jay and I) went back to Parliament for a tour.  We were given a brief history lesson and were able to view the Crown Jewels of Hungary: the Holy Crown, the sceptre, the orb, and the sword.  We were surprised to find out that these items went missing during WWII.   They showed up in the USA and were returned to Hungary by President Jimmy Carter.

A Hungarian guard outside the visitor entrance

The Hungarian flag hanging from a Parliament balcony

 

 Sunday Afternoon

Budapest is also known for its many bath houses.  There are 123 medicinal springs under its territory, supplying 70 million litres of warm and hot therapeutic water rich in minerals and other elements (Hungary Tour Info., hungary.com)  We spent Sunday afternoon at the Gellert Bath House soaking in hot pools of water both inside and outside.   It was a unique experience.

The Gellert Bath House



Just chillin'

 

 After our afternoon spa, we stopped to wait in line for some "kurtoskalacs" or "chimney cake", another Hungarian street or fair food.  The dough is wrapped on a skewer and baked in a rotisserie oven.  When it comes out of the oven, it is coated with a sugary topping and served in a paper bag.  Super yummy!!!!

 

I chose the "magic topping": sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate, and nuts!

Sunday Night

Jessica and Tim met Milan and Audri years ago in Slovakia.  While Jessica and Tim were teaching there, Jessica sang in a Bluegrass Band with Milan.  The band continues to perform in Budapest where Audri is from, and they just happened to be performing while we were there!  It was kind of funny listening to live American music (sung in English) in a country so far away from USA.  We found out, however, Bluegrass is fairly popular in Europe and the interest is growing.  The band was very good.

A little Hungarian dancer, dancing to American Bluegrass music.  Her daddy is in the band.

The band called Jessica up on stage to sing a few numbers for old times' sake.

After the concert, Jay and I stopped by another cafe for one more Hungarian meal.  This time Jay had the goulash and I had stuffed cabbage rolls.  Another excellent meal!

We flew back to Kiev on Monday morning.  Snow flurries were in the air when we landed, but we were still filled with the warm feelings of hospitality and weather from Budapest, Hungary.