October 2005

Here it is, October, already.
The days are shortening rapidly.
The fall colours are about to burst.

I have been renovating and restoring my country home. It was built around 1871 and is now in need of some upgrading. I have changed most of the windows and actually reduced the size of one. The house already feels warmer. The biggest project was to put in a glass block wall which enhances the western sky. Just finished the sanding and refinishing of the pine plank flooring in the living and hall.

Surgery

After surgery on Tuesday, I am resting at home for several days. Then I start one weeks holiday where my plan is to go to Montreal for another visit.

Montreal

Warren, Stacia, Joe and I just returned from 3 days of fun in Montreal. We visited the Jazz Festival several times during the weekend and also went to a concert at Place De Arts where we saw the Dave Holland Band. The band consisted of 13 members including 9 piece brass, xylophone, bass and drummer. Although I am not a jazz fan, I appreciated the live jazz of the band. We also took in the Montreal Arts Festival where I bought a oil painting called 'Rue LaSalle' by Raymond Savage. I will be publishing some pictures in the near future from this trip.

Warren and Stacia visit in June 2005. We had a great time in the back yard on very warm and breazy day. They pose in front of one of our perennial beds. 

We've got it

Now that we have the satelite dish I would like to say that I am ready to watch many cultures, news, sports, movies etc. From what I have seen so far, it has many European as well as African, Middle East and Asian stations. To my surprise the satelite is actually above USA and is a relay. So far, I have really only spent time watching Euro News, which is a great alternative to western news stations.

Satelite Dish

A satelite dish would be good to watch the news coverage of Europe. I have found an installer for such a satelite here. I think that it would be beneficial to get the news from their prospective and will enable my partner to keep up on his mother tongue (Hungarian).

Another waterway, more typical buildings and some leaning. This city is truly beautiful and charming. It is a must-see.

The Herrongract Canal with many typical buildings. One of the buildings is leaning noticibly in front of a church tower. There are many examples of buildings leaning but still livable in Amsterdam. The city is built on fill below sea level and the water is controlled by dams.

This is our B & B called Sunhead of 1617. The building was built in 1617 in the traditional dutch style. Our room was on the upper level and had a ceiling that extended to top window of the building. The breakfast here was exceptional with fresh fruit, cereal and on one morning scrambled eggs and a fruit parfait.

Sunhead of 1617

Amsterdam

The final leg of our travel in 2004 was a short flight from Budapest to Amsterdam, Netherlands. We spent 3 days in a B & B on the Herongract Canal near Dam's Square. This wasn't my first visit to Amsterdam. I was there in 1990 with Randy, another brother and his wife, Brenda. This city is best viewed with one of the canal boats for hire.

My trip this time was marred by a bout of a flu that I got on my last day in Budapest. However, after a day I recovered to the point that I could at least enjoy 2 days there.

I only took about a dozen photos from Amsterdam and will show you some of the better ones here.

This is one of many houseboats on the Herongract Canal in Amsterdam.

I also pose in front of a Wisteria at the Danube bend.

After hiking up and then down from the castle at the Danube bend, we paused for a bit in front of a very beautiful Wisteria. Zoli, our friend and guide, with Warren and Joe.

The fortress at the Danube bend in Visegrad. The Danube bends to the south at this point. It is an old fortress that has been converted into a musem and partially rebuilt.

A narrow and steep hill to the top of Gül Baba Street. One of the Turks who was well liked in Hungary.

The market in downtown Budapest. This is a very vibrant market on the Pest side. It is well worth visiting. 

This scene is in a section of Budapest that was built during the 1920's. It was built as a housing community that formed a central hub with many spokes radiating from it. The architectural style is similar to Transylvanian. 

This is a close-up view of the Egyptian priest. 

This pond and statues are of religious figures from different cultures. It is in the park behind the Gallert Hill. 

A modern statue in a courtyard in Pecs.