Hungarian Rhapsody

I went back to Budapest last month for a business trip. My previous visit dated back to a time where I was married with young children and the Soviet Empire was beginning to crumble. At that time Budapest was a neutral zone where East Germans and West Germans gathered to share a week-end and perhaps make escape plans.

A vivid memory of a bus load of Russian tourists loudly invading the most sacred church in Budapest, St Stephen's Basilica, is forever stamped in my memory. The men walked boldly in front of the altar to take pictures of their group, were smoking cigarettes and were oblivious to the local worshipers stunned by the intrusion. It was a disturbing snapshot but it also predicted that a change would come. The languages that were prevalent were Hungarian, Russian and German. I spoke limited German but it did not matter because Hungarian people are helpful and most patient. It was obvious that trade was slow. Shops that were meticulously maintained had few products to sell. Restaurants which had 20 pages of menu, could only serve goulash soup and chicken paprika. The city of Pest was surrounded by a cloud of smug due to leaded gasoline propelling cars made in the Eastern Bloc. It was a beautiful trip because even tarnished the glory of the city could not be denied.

I had no expectations and maybe it explains my delight in discovering what free enterprise had accomplished in a few years. The immaculate VW Passat taxi which picked me up from the airport was driven by a man wearing an immaculate white shirt and accepting credit card payment, nice when you are exhausted and have not exchange your money into the local currency which is Forint not Euro. My hotel was the same Hilton located in the Castle district but there was a definite service improvement, it was upscale and friendly with an executive lounge serving free food and beverages including wine all day, along with the use of computers with free internet access.

I had to attend meetings outside of Budapest for a few days which also gave me the opportunity to visit a wine cellar which was a new business venture that a young couple had started. We were treated to a wine tasting along with specialty dishes. We stayed in a lovely hotel in the country which was haunted but nothing unpleasant happened, a few whispers, shuffling sounds and cold spots were experienced but no one was possessed.

To get to Pest from the historic Castle district of Buda, we walked across the Danube on the historic Chain Bridge built in 1842 and partly destroyed during WWII by the Germans. It is a great place to take pictures and view both cities. The bus system is extensive and I would have liked to try it but my companion wanted to walk and as it is the best way to see a city, we did, for ten hours! It was a full day of exploration and observation and we found that everything was the same but everything had changed.

English was spoken instead of Russian, businesses and shops displayed their wares with pride. Buildings were renovated, restaurants offered variety of dishes and if you chose to sit outside on their terraces, as we did, all offered warm blankets to cut the September chill. It was cozy to eat lunch overlooking the pedestrian traffic going in and out of St Stephen's Basilica which was again treated with reverence and respect. It was a liberating trip, I found myself succumbing to the charm of Hungary all over again as I did many years ago in a previous life, ghosts can be friendly but they are only a pale reflection of what you can experience if you choose to stay in the present.

Gate to the ARTS Museum

Elections Quebec Style

I received a note from Zannie, one of my sisters that simply said, “for us it is all done.”

I was intrigued and called her immediately. I had to know what did she meant?

In my family we are not to comfortable with transitions, we jump right into the core of the matter. “What is all done?” I asked her.

She said, “Our elections! What else? We have re-elected Harper. It took less than two months, no bombardments of political ads, no robot phone calls and it was relatively painless and inexpensive.”

I said, “I know, I read in the Montreal Gazette that again Quebec distinguished itself by voting for anyone except the major parties.”

“Bien oui, she said. We love to have a minority government, it prevents abuse. Besides we in Quebec do not trust a strong Federal government lead by Anglophones to understand our culture.”

“Well, Mom did vote for Harper in the first election and he is from Alberta, you could not get more Anglophone!”

“True, she conceded, but you must remember that soon after we took her in to see if she was beginning to show signs of Alzheimer?”

“Yes, that is true, we both laughed, and the doctor said that she was sharper than most people.”

“Harper wanted to change many of our rights, and here in Quebec, we are socialists and proud of it. Why else would we vote for the Bloc Québéquois, a party who can not win in the Federal elections since it only represents Québec”

“Let me guess, you voted for them?”

“Yes, I did and so did Denis and Francine, Catherine, Nathalie, François. Pierre and Sylvie probably went with NPD as did Mom and Valerie. Pat and Martine, I am not sure maybe they went Green?”

I said with envy, “so many choices.”

“So is Obama going to win, she finally asked me,”

“No doubt, he will win the popular vote, I said. But not sure about the electoral college.”

“What’s wrong with Americans? Why are they still using this archaic process? I really don’t get it. This is the age of information, it should be based on each vote”

“Maybe this a way to keep the capitalists in power legally?” I replied.


Maybe that is the true reason to keep that process, it worked in 2000. We rolled over like lambs and accepted a legal decision which has now been challenged by hidden facts such as dumping ballots and voter intimidation as well as eliminating perfectly valid ballots.

I do hope that this time, justice will prevail and that the winner will be the deserving.

Beer Drinking

One of the greatest pleasures of summer in la Belle Province of Québec is to discover small neighborly places to eat and drink with friends and families in a casual atmosphere. My brother Pierre and his girlfriend Sylvie introduced me to a small micro brewery in the south shore community of Chambly about twelve miles from Montreal.

“Bedondaine et Bedons Ronds” has a unique style with its collection of beer memorabilia and its shelves of beer bottles lining its walls. It is also a beer museum which offers tasty and original brews.

But what appealed to me is that it is the story of a small Quebec entrepreneur, Nicolas Bourgault who matched his interests and passion for beer with a lot of hard work to start a business which became a success. It took a lot of planning with business and advanced brew master courses and also the much appreciated help of family members and friends as well as grants from the Quebec government.

The old garage was converted into a brewery which is part bistro and part pub and is located in the historic district not too far from the hiking trails and bicycle paths that bring in patrons in quest of refreshments.

Their signature beer is called L’Ensorceleuse but there are so many choices with unusual names that it is impossible to only try one. How can one resist “L’Amère Veilleuse”, ie. The Marvelous, “ La Dernière Brosse” ie, The Last Bender or " Sème Ta Graine” ie. Sow your Wild Oats.

All of these beers are created by Nicolas and his employees to bring joy to the palate of the most demanding beer drinker. My brother Pierre fits the description having sampled micro brews for many years, he has adopted Bedondaine as his favorite brasserie in a province where beer is serious business.

Disruption in Strongsville OH

I noticed in my small Parma Heights community that political signs are landscaping a few yards but overall the participation has been minimal for such a disputed race.

Not so in Republican rallies where an herd mentality ignited by an agent provocateur successfully raised its ugly ignorant head last week in Strongsville. The crowd waiting to see McCain was being “interviewed” and the comments were far from respectful to Senator Obama’s run for the Presidency.

Shame on people who feel that the best way to increase their blog traffic is to provoke and antagonize crowds of McCain –Palin supporters. I really can’t see the advantage in cultivating discord and hate.

I am an Obama supporter, I feel that he is the candidate who can energize our economy, unite our nation and be trusted to bring the best people in his administration in the pursuit of excellence. After so many years of an administration that feared independent thinking and progressive ideas, which resulted in one of the most mediocre government in the story of this nation, Senator Obama’s ability to obtain support from the best and the brightest is uplifting. I finally have hope that we may have an opportunity to create a strong integrated society where citizens will be respected on their merits and social contribution such as dedicating themselves to their families, taking charge of their communities, taking pride in doing the best work that they can do and pursuing knowledge and happiness in even strides.

Money spent on war outsourcing

This week-end I watched "Grace is gone", a movie that touched my heart. I have to admit that I cried and felt a lot of anger watching this under-rated beautiful film about a father who does not know how to explain to his young daughters that their mother was killed serving in Iraq.

It was a beautiful film but received little acclaim in spite of John Cusack's stellar performance. Probably this film was too subtle for a typical anti-war movie, there are no flashback to a heroic death in Iraq just a great sense of loss.

In "War Inc" the new John Cusack's movie, there are no such subtleties, the message is apparently clear enough to invite Bill O'Reilly's spin zone to call the film nothing but propaganda, interesting words from the King of slime at Fox network.

War Inc is available on DVD if you can't wait to see it in Cleveland.

Poetry in Tremont

I know that Steve has become possessed by the power of words. He is so passionate about poetry that sometimes I wonder if he is a reincarnation of those long gone "Beat generation poets."

I think that I will attend tomorrow's event at the Lit, I don't do poetry very well but I am dying to see Steve with his French beret , read his work with total sincerity.

My poems are sad and frankly not very good but sometimes being whimsical allows a gap to be breach and something extraordinary will be.

So tomorrow night, see you at the Lit!

Poême pour Lui

Someone told me that you still talk about me
How is that possible
Have you forgotten what was meant to be
You gave me the Moon and the Sun but I was too young
I chose a falling Star and never made it very far

Someone told me that you still talk about me
How is that possible
I see your eyes and I forget how many lies
You said about me

Do you feel sorry sometimes, do you have regrets
Or do you just like to talk about me
And deep in your soul hope to forget
That I left because you never talked to me.

Small Changes and micro-economics

I have had to cut my expenses because like everyone else, I noticed that between my gas bill and grocery trips my money just doesn't stretch as far as I need it. One of the first casualty has been my book budget, I no longer buy books and instead go to the library. I know that it is saving me about $100.00 per month but I sure miss the new books that I must now wait to read. I also cut way back on my TV cable offerings, I only kept my internet connection and basic cable and I hardly notice the switch, it was painless.

I limited my selection of plants and flowers for my landscaping projects this year and I think that by being more selective, I chose better. I'm actually enjoying adding plants a little at a time and waiting for what I want until the price is right. The planning and anticipation is enticing and the final selection definitely satisfying.

All my meals are home made except for an occasional stepping out which is usually shared with friends and becomes a festive occasion rather than a scheduled non-event. I have decided to keep my six year old car as long as possible, it makes me feel "green" and it is paid for so even more valuable to me than Kelley Blue Book estimates.

I still drink great wine, I can't compromise on that subject, so these days I'm drinking Oregon's Pinot Noir and I find the quality excellent. I also won't compromise on my hair, I still spend too much money on my stylist but she is a professional and in Rocky River, one must pay for talent.

This week-end I am planning to clean up years of photo albums, I am planning to send all those memories to my sons who live out of states after all it is time for them to carry their own past.

Meanwhile I am adapting and change is so good for one's brains once you stop hitting your head against the wall and realize that it was all self inflicted pain.