See ya and Ahoy

One of my biggest objections to so many American travelers is when I listen to tourists enter a shop and immediately say things like: “How much does this cost,” or variations on questions that they might have…there is no attempt to acknowledge the fact that they are in a foreign country and that not everybody may speak English….I learned many decades ago that a simple “hello,” or “Thank you,” in the local language goes a long way…I will follow that up with: “Do you speak English,” and depending upon the answer I will proceed in the manner necessitated by that answer. So, In Budapest, to say Hello in Hungarian is pronounced: “see ya,” and it was strange to walk into a shop or a hotel and say a goodbye in English that was a Hello in Hungarian…the “Thank you” was a 5-6 syllable word (I never could count them) and I finally gave up trying and just smiled and nodded. Here in Slovakia to say “hello” is “Ahoy,” although I’m sure it isn’t spelled that way, and I have to resist adding “Matey,” to the Ahoy. Thank you in Slovak sounds very much like Requiem only with a “D” instead of the “R.”…again, I’m always pleased with the smiles I get when I use the local language for such simple gestures of courtesy. We got our rental car and headed out of Budapest on our way to our next stop, Bratislava. The road was excellent which was a good thing since we’re going to have several days of rain and I didn’t want/need to be fighting the prospect of poor roads along the way. I was once more quickly acquainted with European driving habits which seems to pour out of Germany into neighboring countries….simply stated it’s, pedal to the metal. The freeway speed limit is 120 kph, which translates to 75 MPH. However the only vehicles doing that or under are the long string of long haul trucks which from their license plates come from points south, Turkey, Rumania and Bulgaria since we were headed north. If you dare be in the fast lane and another car is coming, find a place to hide because they will come screaming up behind you at full tilt with lights flashing, stating simply; “Get the hell out of my way.” I was cursed very harshly even though the windows were rolled up when I refused to budge before I had passed a line of trucks where there wasn’t any room to get out of harm’s way. Just a good primer to things to come and to be aware of. I will try the back roads ,which is my first choice anyway, as often as possible, but for the heavy rain, I merely was going from point A to point B. Bratislava is much more compact than Budapest at just under half a million it’s only 1/3 the size and hence things are much more concentrated…the old city is small but very much what I have appreciated about the maintenance of historical centers of Europe. It has come into its own now that it has broken away from what was Czechoslovakia and formed its own independent nation. The Czech Republic is the other half of what once was.

Finding the hotel was a fun proposition…one way streets, road projects, and very heavy traffic resulted in the fact that we could see the hotel, but how do we get there, sort of thing…..eventually, we hit upon it quite by accident…going around and around, clockwise then counter clockwise, followed by north/south and then east/west, we finally looked up and there it was right in front of us…traffic is a real pain…from our hotel window on the 5th floor, we can see fully gridlocked traffic heading up the main thoroughfare at all times of the day…we’re scouting out our escape route for Saturday when we head to Prague. My disappointment in not seeing Swan Lake in Budapest was alleviated by the opportunity to see Turandot here in Bratislava. However, the experience was quite different…instead of the old style opera house with the boxes lining the three sides as is traditional, this was a modern performing arts center. Very classy, but definitely not old school. The red velvet seats shone brightly against the white interior walls and the seats were just the orchestra seats and one sloping balcony instead of the steep jump from one level to another of the traditional houses. However, the performance was first rate and was an interesting mix of old and new…set designs were very modernistic while costuming was traditional Chinese. All in all it was a great musical experience.

Fall color is just beginning to hit and the changes are subtle so far. I don’t expect a New England type of experience, but I do love Autumn and am hopeful that in the coming weeks it will treat us to an array of color which will be a unique experience. One surprise, and I must admit to disappointment, was the amount of graffiti displayed on any blank wall around the city…It looked like the New York subway trains in a stationary condition. I guess I’m just not in touch with how much this “art” form has taken over many parts of the world. I just thought it was a blight on our land…I don’t mind true art displayed in creative ways, but much of this was just “tagging,” and it did take away some of my enjoyment of the visual aspects, particularly in the old city…Maybe I’m just too old to “get” it.

Meals continue to be a delight as they are everywhere we travel, but old world European dishes are hearty and delicious. Goulash soup is still a favorite and we have it whenever possible and never cease to be amazed at how different it can be…Slovakian Goulash is not as spicy as Hungarian, but certainly delicious. At one dinner we talked with a young Slovakian man at the next table and as he got up to leave, he said simply: “Go, Bernie Saunders.” Certainly surprising but it also served as a reminder of how much more aware of our politics people around the world are compared to American’s knowledge of other places and peoples. But that’s another stoy.