Friday, July 31, 2015

Florida

Ok, so the Florida trip.

It was very interesting. We left Friday afternoon and drove all the way through stopping only for gas and other necessary things and got to Daytona Beach by Saturday morning. The drive was pretty fast and we even stopped for a snooze break in Georgia because we didn't want to get there too early. Interestingly, the weather was perfect all the way down. Never hit any rain there was only sunshine during the day, naturally.

We stayed in a friend's house who were a very nice family. They were extremely hospitable and through them we had the chance to meet some other nice people.

Daytona Beach is a very nice Oceanside town. It has some beautiful resorts and many, many gorgeous houses. To me the interesting thing about Daytona is that it is permitted to drive out to the beach right on the sand. Years ago it was free but now they charge a fee for the privilege.

Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to go into the water because we were so busy but we walked on it and were able to stuck our feet in it.

Sunday we had to finalize the Bat Mitzvah arrangements, visited family, and friends and just ran around like crazies.

Monday was the big day. Early morning, at 9, we met with the rabbi because the service started at ten. I admit I was pretty nervous but the rabbi put us all to ease. He is an imposing gentleman and I really feel sorry for him that he is losing his job and congregation.

The service went on without a hitch. Abigail performed flawlessly as well as all the family members me included. My Hebrew knowledge is zero but that was no problem because everything that we were supposed to read was also written down phonetically.

When the rabbi found out that I never had a bar mitzvah he threw that in as an extra for no charge. So now I was also bar mitzvahed. Meaning, that now I am a man and I can marry.

After the service we had a small Kiddush at the synagogue that turned out to be great success. The service lasted about an hour and a half, the Kiddush an hour and then it was all over.

We made a few more family visits then in the early evening set off to New York. The trip home went very easy and we got to our place in Queens by Tuesday afternoon about three o'clock.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Wednesday

The United States Declaration of Independence states that ...all men are created equal....

Now this is a beautiful statement by the founding fathers of this country. The problem with this statement is that some people are more equal than others, meaning that there is gigantic inequalities in this country.

If one has money he rules the road or he is the king of the road.

Now that I used the lead in word to today's subject I'll get on it.

Today is Wednesday and yesterday Tuesday afternoon we arrived back home from our weekend Florida trip. The trip went fine, everything was good including the weather. But I will write about that later. Now I want to discuss the equality factor.

We were traveling on Interstate 95 from New York to Florida and back. That was about 1,100 miles each way. Went through nine states and met with different types of traffic. We left Friday afternoon and on our way South we met with different types of traffic. Until we cleared the Northeast traffic was pretty dense but once we got into the Southern states it was open road with good sailing.

There are tolls between New York and Baltimore but after that everything is free. The cheap bastards in the North are fleecing the motorists left and right.

Now here is the equality issue.

We are crawling South in Delaware on I95 when we noticed a sign indicating that there is an express lane ready to be used. The portion of the road we were on was free of tolls at the time. At the entrance of the express lane there was a sign indicating that if one wanted to use that road one had to have an EZ Pass because there was a charge for the road usage (cash was not accepted).

To add insult to injury while the speed limit on I(% was 55 mph at that location the express lane speed limit was 65 mph. We kept on crawling on the free portion of the road because I forgot to bring along my EZ Pass and saw the moneyed people whizz by on the inside road.

Later we saw this phenomenon also in Maryland.

Now how is that for equality? If you have money whizz by if you don't rot in traffic. Good country America!

Friday, July 24, 2015

Thursday

Today is Thursday and we are getting ready to embark on our next (my second) trip down to the Sunshine State. We spent the day to do chores around the neighborhood, did some shopping and started to get our act together for the trip.

Our schedule calls for an "early" start tomorrow.

The definition of early in this household is very vague. But the plan is that we are to leave during the morning hours and just keep driving until we get there. We think we will get to Florida by midday Saturday, loaf around Sunday and have Abigail's Bat Mitzvah Monday morning.

After the service we plan to have a little family gathering then the two of us set off for the drive home.

We naturally plan to see the family at other times too but after the service will be the last time we will see them until September.

I am excited about the upcoming trip, I am excited about the fact that for the next five weeks we will be alone together, I am excited about the upcoming Bat Mitzvah.

So, there is a lot to be excited about.

Because of my extensive programs for the next few days I will not be able to write until I'll get back home. That might be Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

Until then, happy palm trees!

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Wednesday

It is Wednesday and we have been working almost non-stop from the early morning hours.

Early morning is actually a misnomer because our day started at around 12:30 pm. But since that was when we got up it was morning until about four in the afternoon.

The work we were doing included cleaning the entire apartment from top to bottom and doing laundry.

Laundry is another one of the mysteries of life. There is the three of us: two adults and one 13 year old. We are not spending any time in the stables or in the fields or climbing mountains. Yet, we do laundry twice a week because the stuff just keeps collecting. It is amazing how much launderable items come together in the duration of just a few days.

Tonight, after visiting my friend we went out to dinner. Since we live in a democratic society the majority rules apply. And, the majority wanted Buffalo wild wings.

Who am I to argue? There is a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant nearby and we went there. Bottom line, the place is a dive, service was lousy and I didn't like the boneless chicken wings at all. They were spicy and just not my cup of tea.

But when you have a kid sometimes one has to go their way, right?

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Tuesday

Today is Tuesday and thankfully the day is over. Thankfully not because it was a difficult day but thankfully because it was a busy day.

Actually we did achieve some success in our search for the right dress. We bought it!

The final tally is that we bought a beautiful dress for our wedding and returned one that didn't fit into anything. So now once we find the right shoes so she wouldn't have to go barefoot we will be all set.

Something else.

I was amazed by a "high tech" thing we had in our Budapest apartment. You all know that when you miss closing the toilet seat and it falls out of one's hand it makes a loud and embarrassing noise.

The toilet seats we had in the apartment were self closing. We closed it about a 1/4 way and it lowered itself very smoothly and quietly. I really liked them and I have never ever saw anything like these.

I searched on the internet and found them for about $240. That is a little steep for a toilet seat, no? No wonder Bed, Bath and Beyond do not sell them. Not at those prices.

You can imagine my great surprise when sometime last week we visited a possibly available apartment and found that their toilets had the same type of covers. As far as I was concerned that apartment could have been rented immediately by us.


Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Monday

Today is Monday and I or rather we did have a very busy day (for a change). First we lingered horizontally until about ten in the morning. Once we decided to start the day it commenced with taking Abigail to her friends for a day with the girls.

After that we started our still ongoing hunt for wedding and other nice dresses. During the day we visited four department stores where my fiancé was able to find three dresses in each that she liked. I told her to buy whichever she liked and we would return the ones she didn't want.

The final result for today is one dress bought and two earlier bought ones returned.

Tomorrow the hunt goes on with possible more purchases and definitely some returns.

I really have no problem going to department stores and I was also told that I do have the patience of a lamb. Maybe tomorrow I will burst, but I don't think so.

Today was extremely hot. At one point the car's thermometer showed 102 Fahrenheit and that is very hot.

Our air conditioners are going full time trying to make our existence easier. I love the fact that Con Edison, the local power company is asking people to reduce the use of air conditioners and that way save energy.

When are we supposed to use our a/cs, in the winter? If we reduce their use what's the point having them? Maybe the power company should increase production to compensate for the demand.

Monday, July 20, 2015

Sunday

Today is Sunday and it was the hottest day of the year. The pavement probably melted from the heat or one could have cooked an egg on it.

Our original program for today was to be outdoors but because of the heat we decided on an indoor "activity". The indoor activity included a very long visit at Macy's. Hey, it was air conditioned!

A very interesting thing was observed. My fiancé fell in love with a particular dress she plans to wear at our upcoming nuptials.

The dress was designed by somebody called Dana Buchman. We bought it in a department store but from day one she wanted to exchange it to another size. That was not a successful attempt.

Today when we were at Macy's we saw the exact same dress. And when I say exact I do mean exact. Stich by stich, ruffle by ruffle it was the same dress but it had a Calvin Klein label on it. And they had the size she desired so we bought that one, too.

The first one will be returned on Monday.

The interesting thing to me is that how two garments of the exact same design, material can be sold under different names. I just can't see how companies can get away with things like this.

Anyway, thanks to Mr. Klein our problem was solved and now she has the dress she wanted to have.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Saturday

This morning, at the crack of dawn about 8:30 we woke to a humongous thunder and lightning show. Naturally very heavy rain accompanied this storm. My almost immediate reaction was that it would take down the TV/Internet service.

Our cable supplier is Time Warner and they are very sensitive to these storm. Every time there is thunder and lightning their service stops. They claim to be a very high tech company yet, each time they suffer or I should say we suffer service interruption.

This time was no exception. Service immediately went kaput. It is very disturbing to be without television, internet service and telephone. We are kind of forced to talk to each other. But we heroically weathered this through.

Actually we went out around noon and did not return until about nine in the evening. But service was still out.

It came on without much ado around 10:30 pm.

I wonder if they will give us a credit in next month's bill for lack of service.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Friday

Today was Friday. Compared to yesterday it was almost a no-day. Nothing was planned, nothing was done. We "lingered" in bed until the coffee maker really stopped and the remaining coffee was cold(the coffee maker stops at 9 am).

After getting up and making a few phone calls we slowly started to get ready to go to the beach. It was planned and today turned out to be a beautiful day.

So, at the "wee hours of the morning" (for us) around 12:30 pm we left the garage and headed to Jones Beach. Having no real traffic we got there in a comfortable time. Got our stuff together and went down to a close proximity of the water.

The water was comfortable. That means not too cold but not too warm either. Abigail and I had a great time in the waves. And boy, did they come. We got dunked byn the waves several times but it was fun. Then the tree of us played ball and we just had a great time.

I'm sure we all got bitten by the sun but I am a great believer of a good suntan. To me having any kind of tan is better than not having any at all. Naturally this has to be done in a sensible way. I know I got some tan because I can feel it in my back.

We were there for about three hours then headed back home. Everybody was tired and worn out by the exposure to all that fresh and salty air but at the end it was good family time without any electronics present.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Thursday

It is Thursday, actually it is already Friday morning 12:30 am that I am writing this. We just got home from a very nice time on the town. We went to see a Broadway show after which we had dinner then a little walk around Times Square then home. Thus the early morning writing.

During the day we did a few chores then in the afternoon we drove into Manhattan. The show started at seven and because of the traffic we were five minutes late.

I drove into Manhattan a million times in my time but never ever saw such a traffic. Cars just didn't move . There was such a humanity on the streets that when the lights changed to green cars were just not able to cross.

Anyway, we eventually found a nice parking space and practically ran to the theater. The show was On the Town. This was a Leonard Bernstein musical that in my opinion was a little lukewarm. In 1949 it was a movie with Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly that I saw a few times.

The theater was far from full. There were many empty seats that doesn't say much about the play while many other plays go on before full houses. But still, we enjoyed it as much as it was possible.

After the show we went to Ellen's Stardust Diner for something to eat. This is a diner type restaurant where the waiters and waitresses sing from Broadway shows.

The place is always full and very entertaining. Been there several times but always enjoy it.

When we finished eating we took a little stroll through Times Square. This late at night the mass of humanity is staggering. Tourists, kids, locals, all kinds of people. It is very colorful and really interesting. Every store is open and one wouldn't think it is almost midnight.

After this we finally drove home and soon we will say good bye to a very nice and long day.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Wednesday

I is 11:15 pm and we have just about finished our day. It is unbelievable how much stuff we try to do in one day and eventually do not succeed.

Our original plan was to go to the beach and spend a nice day out there. But Mother Nature sabotaged this plan with providing us with a pretty crappy day. We lounged in and out of bed until almost noon trying to decide what to do with the day. Eventually around 2pm we went out of the house and "started" the day with lunch.

It was too late for breakfast so we started with lunch. After that we drove out to Long Island and went shopping.

We shopped for me, we shopped for my fiancée and we shopped for Abigail. Now it is never easy to shop for one female but for two it is doubly hard.

My shopping was done in about twenty minutes but the rest of the day was taken up choosing items for the ladies.

We were shopping for the upcoming bat mitzvah and then for our planned wedding in Las Vegas.

Life is good! I have a beautiful black pin striped suit that I love. I tried the pants on this morning and "wonder of wonders" it did not fit. Fortunately there is enough material in the back that it can be let out so tomorrow it is going down to the cleaners.

Anyway, after we finished with the shopping we dropped in on my elderly friend for a short visit after which we finally headed home.

The nice thing about this is that the entire day we were together and this family togetherness made me feel very good.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Tuesday

Now I will do a little politicking. It has nothing to do with my life, it has nothing to do with the apartment search. It has something to do with an article I read in a Hungarian daily paper.

The paper I bought on June 16 at the Budapest Airport but I only had the chance to read it recently and that prompted tis subject.

In this country the news outlets were full of the US government's action against Russia when the Ukrainian crisis started. The American government created all kinds of economical sanctions against Russia and the news outlets were full of these things. From the White House down they were convinced that these actions were the wisest things under the circumstances and these will force Russia on its economical knees.

I also think the US convinced the European Union to follow in their blockades.

What I don't ever remember reading anywhere that last August Russia instituted an import embargo against the members of the European Union. This embargo hurts primarily the agricultural importers.

Spain, Germany and Poland are the big losers. They are losing billions of Euros because they are not able to send their merchandise to Russia and their domestic markets can not absorb this surplus.

Nobody ever wrote about this. So what is the difference between the old fashioned communist censorship and the current "free press"? They still only want us to hear what they want us to hear!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Monday

Today is Monday and I am so busy that I have no time for anything. We have been going non stop since the morning hours. This apartment search is a very time consuming exercise.

Called up some agents in response to their ads and some called back some didn't. It is very interesting that some ad shows up on Craig's List two hours before, I call the given number and they tell me it was gone already.

I think real estate agents are in the same category as used car salesmen except that they have some kind of state license or certificate.

Anyway we set our minds on finding a suitable apartment and we certainly will.

Today we saw one apartment that was bordering on the pathetic. Yet, they have the nerve to ask whatever they were asking for it. I can not understand how can they design a large apartment with a kitchen that is not big enough to cook for two people much less for three or four. They make the kitchen ridiculously small and they make storage cabinets even smaller.

Some of these apartments give me the impression that when they were designed they forgot let's say the kitchen and at the end they just added it on to some small corner.

And just like an ugly, fat woman will likely find her mate these apartments will also find their tenants.

Monday, July 13, 2015

Sunday

Today is Sunday. We had a good day, all of us together. We kind of did nothing at home until noon then drove to Manhattan Beach and had a very nice walk on the local beach. The sun and the people were out. It was hot and since I was dressed appropriately I was able to sample the ocean waters. They were very pleasant. I'm sure we all did get some sun.

Something else.

Now that we decided to become one nice family we realized that both her and my current apartments are not suitable for all of us. Each only has one bedroom which means that Abigail would have to spend the rest of her young life sleeping on a sofa.

So now we are looking for a larger apartment, preferably in this area. It is very interesting that the real estate company ads, Craig's List and other listings are full of two or three bedroom apartments but when we call the given telephone number we are told that the particular apartment or apartments are no longer available. It is now at the point where it is becoming extremely annoying.

Wherever we drive we keep our eyes open and keep writing down telephone numbers about rentals.

Yesterday I received three calls from the same person who wanted $2,000 for just showing me an apartment. He stuttered and didn't know what he was talking about. The mystery was how did he find out my number and how did he know what I was looking for.

We did see a few apartments already but none was that perfect place we were looking for. One had minimal closet place one had minimal kitchen cabinets one had a third room that would have served well for solitary confinement.

But just like the Eveready bunny we don't give up and just keep on going.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Saturday

Today is Saturday and yesterday was Friday. Friday was not a good day for me. I was overwhelmed by problematic events. My head is wollen to twice its size with the problems I have to handle.

Problem number one.

This should be titled Capitalism vs. God.

We are trying to arrange Abigail's bat mitzvah for sometimes in August in Florida. She has been taking Hebrew lessons in preparation for months now. The lessons were being taken through Skype with a lady teacher from Florida. A week ago the lady abruptly told Abigail that she would no longer offer the lessons.

No explanation, no offer for a substitute teacher, nothing. We couldn't understand what happened, but waited for a week. This morning I called the temple and inquired. I was told to talk to the rabbi which I did.

Actually I called the rabbi to ask to change the date for the bat mitzvah because first week of September would be a lot more convenient for us.

That was when the rabbi gave me today's first bad news. He told me that the temple didn't renew his and the lady teacher's contract for next year therefore, by the end of this month they were both out of their jobs. Very sad, now we have to find a solution for her bat mitzvah.

I guess at this time capitalism won over God.

Problem number two.

We had a date with a friend of mine to meet today at a neighborhood Sizzler Restaurant for lunch. We liked the place because we were able to sit there and talk for at least three hours without being disturbed. You can imagine our surprise when we found out that the restaurant permanently closed its doors. It was curious that when we drove into the parking lot there were no cars there but we didn't make the connection.

At the end it was ok because we went to a diner where we sat from lunch almost to dinner. But we all had a good conversation.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Friday

Yesterday, Thursday I had that funny feeling that we were cut away from this world of ours. Last night we realized that the Internet was down. In my house that meant no TV, no computer and no telephone. It is interesting to see how we are lost when the Internet/cable go down. We so much depend on it that it is unbelievable.

Fortunately this morning when we woke up everything was back in order. I think there was a big storm around here and that something to do wit the loss of the service.

Anyway, that was why I couldn't write my daily input yesterday.

That storm was on Thursday. I saw on the internet that there was a huge storm in Budapest and surrounding areas on Wednesday. Killed one person and created millions of dollars damage.

Isn't interesting? Maybe the end of the world is coming. These storm are now popping up everywhere. In Europe and in here, too. Very scary.

Something else.

Attached I am showing the rings I bought for my fiancée. One is the engagement ring and the other is the wedding ring. They are both very beautiful and look great on her hands.


I hope she will wear them and be very happy. I know that I love her very much and want nothing but what is best for her and me and for the both of us to be happy.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Thursday

Due to an Internet outage there was no way I could write my daily blog on Thursday night.

I'll make up the omission tonight.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Wednesday

Today is Wednesday and one good thing that happened was that I received my Social Security today. It is being paid every second Wednesday of the month and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that today was that day. I don't care what the rules are , money is always welcome in this house.

Yesterday, Tuesday we didn't do too much. I had a dentist appointment for my semi-annual checkup. Actually it was a thorough cleaning by the dental hygienist and a look see by the dentist. A while back the dentist used to do the cleaning and it always hurt. The hygienist did a very good job and it didn't hurt at all. Still this not one of my favorite procedures.

This dentist is a great guy. I have been going to him for years now. He accepts my insurance and never bills me for anything over what the insurance company reimburses him for.

Come on, money talks and the caravan stalls or something like it.

After the dentist we visited my friend again and stayed in his place for a while. I the afternoon we picked up Abigail who spent her day with her girl friends and went home. Nice dinner, after that a nice long walk in the neighborhood. The walk usually eases my conscience but if not at least I am tired.

It is not easy for a thirteen year old girl to be home all day. We do things that do not involve her thus she spends the better part of her day on her tablet or cell phone. A few times she goes over to a friend's house where they do the exact same things. When we want to go out she only agrees to come with us if there is something good in it for her.

Very shrewd operator.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Tuesday

Yesterday was Monday and it turned out to be a very nice day. In the morning we got rid of the kid so we had the better part of the day for ourselves. Getting rid meant that she went over to a friend of hers and spent the day there.

We took advantage of this and went out to the beach. It promised to be a very nice day but later the sun decided to take the day off and did not shine. But still, the water was great and we still managed to get a sizable sunburn. My fiancée has very white skin meaning that she is suffering more than I do. I am darker skinned. I guess the forty years of wandering in the desert helped some.

In the afternoon we visited our elderly friend who is getting lonelier by the minute. Nobody calls him, nobody shows any interest in his well being. It's pretty sad to see how people who used to call themselves friends can abandon their friends once they become a little needier, lonelier and older.

Anyway, yesterday was a nice healthy day for us.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Monday

Today is Monday and I can't say that the weekend was very uneventful. As I noted earlier we took Abigail to see a Broadway show. The show was Aladdin. It was a surprise and it worked very well. She didn't know why were we going into Manhattan and why did she have to put a dress on.

But when she saw the theater her jaw dropped. I have to admit that I had qualms about the show being a fairytale story but I really liked it. The acting was good, the music catchy and the special effects great for a stage production.

No need to say that the theater was full with no empty seats. All of us enjoyed the production and since Abigail loved it I was very happy.

Another thing.

I have a very bad habit that when I think about buying something and tell myself let just go and get informed about the product, I always wind up buying at the first place. If it is a car and I go just to check out the latest model I wind up getting the car right there and then.

Yesterday was no different. We decided to go and see some rings now that we are engaged.

So what happened?

Bought an engagement ring to my fiancée and two closely matching wedding rings. I am a sucker for beautiful things and for the woman I love.

So you see, the weekend was anything but uneventful.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Saturday, July 4th

Today is Saturday, July 4th. Our plans changed a little bit. Originally we were supposed to be at our weekend hide away but since bad weather was forecasted we decided to stay home for today and go out there tomorrow after the theater and stay until Monday morning.

What's the difference, we can do the same thing tomorrow as we planned to do today. As I always said when one is retired one day is much the same as the other. And now that the school year is over and Abigail is home different days really don't have much meaning to us.

But, I can't say that yesterday was like any other day. Yesterday was Friday, July 2 and my love and I were having lunch in a small local kosher eatery. Exactly at 1:30 I popped THE QUESTION and she said YES!

From that moment on I am elated and looking forward to a happy new life. We are so attuned to each other that getting that piece of paper seems like just a formality.

If all goes as planned we might just do a little more in Las Vegas than just enjoy the sights, like getting married.

It is the third one for both of us and they say three is a lucky number.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Friday

Today is Friday, July 3 and the prelude to the July fourth holiday. This year that day falls on Saturday so there is no special long weekend or anything else. But still, we had to be out early (like 8:45) in the morning and the roads were like on a Sunday. It seems a lot of people took the weekend off to get a real start of Summer.

We plan to have a quiet weekend. Tonight we will go out to Manhattan Beach and stay there until Saturday night. I understand there is nice fireworks on the fourth so we may see it. Then we come back to Queens later in the evening on Saturday and Sunday we have a surprise thing for Abigail.

A while back we bought tickets to Aladdin and that is what we plan to see on Sunday. She doesn't know about it and I hope she will be surprised and she will like it.

As long tickets are the subject we bought tickets to the Met's next season. We will see three operas so this is like a season ticket. Boy, all this culture is making my head swell.

I'm not at the point where I just listen to the music and don't care about the story, I also read the teleprompter about how many times they profess their love to each other.

If tomorrow will be a very busy day I might just skip writing that day. But I will make it up on Sunday. We'll see.

Friday, July 3, 2015

Thursday

There is a persistent natural or unnatural phenomena that I find very interesting.

The prelude to that is that there is a Hungarian bon-bon (rumos meggy that is liqueur filled chocolate covered cherry. They fill these up with different type of liqueurs and believe me they taste phenomenal. This is not something one can get drunk on but rather something that makes chocolate eating a lots of fun.

Even though I do not like chocolate but I do love this delicacy. They sell similarly described things here but they just don't even come near the real thing. I think that is because the American laws control the alcohol contents in desserts.

Anyway, every time I visit Hungary I buy a box and slowly eat my way through that box by the end of the trip. The same thing was done during this time. I bought a box of liqueur filled chocolate covered cherry and when ever I had the chance I took one and ate it. It didn't make me sick, it didn't make me drunk, it didn't elevate my sugar.

It was just decadently good.

I bought a box to bring it home on the plain hoping for a good outcome.

Now here is the phenomena.

Every trip I purchased a box of these chocolates whenever I unpacked and opened their boxes the alcohol was gone. It just plainly disappeared and looked like it was just sucked out.

As far as I know nobody was lucky enough to bring such candy home. The smart ones said it was sucked out in the plain at the high altitude while the luggage was in the belly of the plane.

I was hoping that technology might have changed but no such luck. When we opened the candy box the stuff in it was dry and disgusting looking.

Now if anybody has a smart idea about bringing such thing on a plane and getting it here without damage I would love to hear about it.

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Wednesday

Yesterday was great day for me. I finally had the opportunity to immerse myself into the Atlantic Ocean. It was a beautiful day and after doing a few important chores we went out to the beach.

Got there a little after three pm and stayed until almost six o'clock. The sun was up, the water was very pleasant and being a weekday and afternoon there were no crowds.

I am a big chicken when it comes to cold or cool water. I am known to stand in the water for an enormous long time without immersion because it's just the way I am. But yesterday I went straight in. Well, almost. Not right there but waited only a few minutes.

We went to Jones Beach which is on the South shore of Long Island and the beach is onto the open ocean. That means there is a continuous supply of waves. Some big some small but they are all waves. One doesn't have the chance to linger in the waves too long because they either knock you over or just splash you from head to toe. That was the main reason I went in pretty fast.

Abigail didn't want to go in because didn't want her hair to get wet. That lasted about six minutes. She started her version of body surfing and at the end it was very hard to get her out of the water she liked it so much, hair getting wet long forgotten.

Today, this morning we noticed that we all got bitten a little by the sun. But that's fine. Next time we will take sun lotions and do some serious tanning time.

I guess Summer is here now.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Monday

To continue my story of our Hungarian trip here is another thought.

Yesterday I noted that big name restaurant do not necessarily provide the best of whatever they provide. They probably are glitzy, they require reservation, they are probably crowded because people think those are the places where one has to be seen. They have vast menus but when it comes to quality it is not a certain thing that these are the places where the best food can be found.

This rule also applies to pastry shops. Budapest has more pastry shops than New York has pizza parlors. And believe me New York has a lot of pizza parlors.

There are some big name pastry shops like Gerbeaud, Ruszwurm, New York Pastry Shop and a few more I'm sure. But none of these has real quality merchandise. They cater to the tourist industry who wouldn't know what they are eating. The really good pastry shops are known to the locals and they don't want the wide public to know about them.

But we were lucky enough to discover a few and we took full advantage of this find.

We visited the Duna Park Cukraszda several times because we liked their product, the place and the friendliness of the staff. And also the wide selection of their pastries.

We were also lucky enough to find Daubner Cukraszda in Obuda, in the first district. This is a family owned pastry shop where people who know about them come from all corners of the city. Their pastries are superb, fresh and they have a very large selection.

There are also countless neighborhood pastry shops who would go out of business if their products would not live up to their clients' expectations. These stores also take pride in their products.

The big stores should learn from these smaller operators that their fancy designs are not necessarily cover good products.

Anyway it was a lot of fun to taste our way through the city, cholesterol not withstanding.