A Sunday Picnic

It was the perfect day for a picnic at the Szeged Botanical Gardens. Together with our friends, Andras, Erzsi, Anna, and Balazs, we enjoyed walking the trails, finding turtles and lizards, and taking pictures of pretty flowers. These are some of my favorite pictures from our outing.

The Latest Treasure

Whenever we travel, whether two hours away, or to the next country, we visit grocery stores. Part of it is the fun of seeing something new, but we partly go to see if they have any products that we can't get here in Szeged. I have a running list in my head. The most looked for goodies include: frozen blueberries, cheddar cheese, vanilla, brown sugar, tortillas, and peanut butter.
While in Gyula last weekend, we hit the jackpot! Interspar was selling TWO kinds of frozen blueberries (afonya) and THREE kinds of cheddar cheese!! Gyula is a very small town compared to Szeged, so I must admit I was surprised to find such delicious treasures.
This morning we enjoyed Baked Blueberry Oatmeal! Thank you, Interspar! Thank you, Gyula! Thank you, Rob, for going grocery shopping with me on our weekend getaway!!

My New Favorite, Little Town: Gyula

Here we are in a great "cukraszda" - pastry shop - where we had exquisite pastry for under $2!

This is the 600 year old castle of Gyula, where they fought the Turks centuries ago.

Downtown Gyula walking street, all renovated with brick and fountains.

A city canal that runs thru downtown.

Another section of pretty walking street area.

Going over walking bridge.

Join the Line

By all means, get in line!! One of the things I've learned while living in Hungary is that if you see a line, it's almost always a good idea to get in it! Most of the lines I'm talking about involve food--langos (fried pastry topped with sour cream, garlic, and cheese), fornetti (pastry stuffed with a variety of yummy things--fruit, cheese, mushrooms), ice-cream. Or in this case--HAMBURGERS!
Rob and I went to a small town for a weekend birthday celebration. Every time we passed this little window stand, there was a line. There was a line at 6pm, 9am, 11am, 3pm. So, on Saturday, we got in it! And we were very happy we did! We enjoyed the best hamburgers we've ever eaten in this country. And the french fries were better than McDonald's.
Not to be outdone by the citizens of Gyula, we decided to be FIRST in line on Sunday--which meant eating lunch at 11am. It was just as delicious the second time around!

"American Style" House in Szeged!

Just this month, our Szeged friends Boldi and Zsuzsi completed their American-style (wood-framed house) in a nearby suburb. This is a big deal here. First, they built a house, which very rarely happens (about 90% of city-based Hungarians live in apartments). Secondly, they chose not to use the big European block to build the house, mostly because it is much more expensive. They invited us out to see the almost finished product and have pizza dinner with them. We were honored to be one of the first families to visit.







Sarah enjoyed playing games ( their favorite is Hungarian version of Monopoly - "Get Rich Wisely") with Panni, and Hannah and Lili love to play "Ponies" together. Yes, My Little Pony toys are here in Hungary too!

The Easter Egg Hunt

The hole in our backyard fence to next apartment complex



Waiting for the hunt to begin

The George family neighbor Easter Egg hunt finally happened on Friday. It was a beautiful spring day and everyone was happy to be outside. Sarah and Hannah helped stuff 86 plastic eggs with stickers, chocolates, balloons, and candies. They were excited to be helpers--hiding the eggs and then assisting the preschoolers with the FIND. This was the first "hunt" for Manna, Laci, Matte, Marci, and Petra--all neighbors of ours.

Not only did we hide eggs in our backyard, but thanks to a large opening in the fence, we hid in the next door neighbors' yard as well. Kids (and parents) can now travel freely back and forth. This makes it easier to find someone to play with in the afternoons.

The HUNT didn't last too long, but what fun it to see the kids enjoying themselves so much. Opening the eggs and discovering the surprises inside brought squeals of delight. Chocolate was quickly eaten--and balloons blown up (and popped!). The adults had fun conversation and hung out for several hours. Our family really enjoys these times of building relationships with our Hungarian neighbors. We feel blessed to have such friendly ones.

Szöreg Outreach Event

We had a special Zion Church Outreach event this weekend, across the river in Szeged in the suburb of Szöreg. The hosts were the Mihalecz family - Béla, Bea, Regina, with Béla's sister Ibolya - and what an exciting thing to see so many of the Zion Church family participate. Picture at left is Bea and Béla in front of the community center we rented.

The church band was the biggest ever, and they did a great job leading us. Several new, younger church members are serving, which is fun to see.



The biggest joy was Béla and Ibolya's other sister, Edit, making a commitment to Jesus at the end of the event. We have been praying for Edit for a long time, and it was a great celebration when she asked Pastor Botond to pray with her, then she announced her commitment to everyone. Amen! She needs further encouragement and prayer as she raises 2 young sons alone. We hope she will be able to join one of the church small groups and build more relationships. Picture is of Mom, Edit and Ibolya. Below are also short videos (20, 30, 60 seconds) from the event.