Sophie and Mary with their Kadi Mama
Getting there takes about a day's worth of travel taking into account the flights, time between flights, renting a car, driving from Budapest to Kecskemét, the city where Kadi Mama lives. It was the first time flying for the girls and they got the full experience with three different sized planes from Charlottesville to Washington to Frankfurt to Budapest. The girls were able to stay reasonably entertained and were great travelers.
Of course, Kadi Mama loved the girls and they loved her. She lives in a nursing home and the other residents were happy to see the girls as well. Mary loved how all the old people doted on her, Sophie not so much. She was very nice to her great-grandmother though. There was a language barrier, so Peter had to translate a lot. I just know a few words and phrases in Hungarian, and the girls know a few things, like "hello," "I love you," and how to count to ten (which they did a lot).
The ladies at the nursing home made these dolls for the girls!The first full day we were there was rather boring for them, but they rolled with the punches - we made a long trip to the town of Orosháza to take Kadi Mama to visit a family grave site. When we finally returned back to the nursing home, we decided to check out the new mall in Kecskemét for some fun. There was an awesome place there where you could pay by the half hour for your kids to run around and play. It was a well deserved break for the girls. Mary played contently by herself, but Sophie made a friend. They did not speak the same language but played well together.
Sophie and her friend at the mall
After spending time with Kadi Mama in Kecskemét, we spent some time in Budapest to see the sites and visit some more family. We rented a small apartment there, so it felt a little more like home. The girls had their own room. (I think Mary enjoyed the hotel, though. She's commented a few times since we've been back that she wants one big bedroom where we can all sleep together. I think she's on her own with that thought.) The first day we just explored a little and took a tourist bus ride. That evening we visited Ibi, who used to be Peter's stepsister, and her family. They have a seven year old boy and five year old twin girls and live in a beautiful house in the village of Pomáz, not far from Budapest. Again, there was a language barrier, but both sets of twins ended up playing happily together. They also shared a fondness for My Little Pony. We stayed for a Hungarian meal prepared by Ibi and it was a much needed relaxing evening for us.
Our next day in Budapest we took the girls to the Budapest Bábszínház (puppet theatre). This was a professional performance and came highly recommended by travel websites for everyone regardless of language, though the performances are in Hungarian. It was the best puppet show I had ever seen, and the girls loved it. A few cool things about the theatre - the seats had a part that folded up so kids could sit up higher, there was a concession stand with snacks and candy you could buy during intermission, and there were a lot of cool puppets on display. We explored the city a little after that, in an area where there were a lot of tourist shops and a few street performers. We had lunch at the first McDonald's in Budapest. (We ate at McD's a total of three times in Hungary that week. Hey, we have four year olds to feed.)
Mary at Budapest Bábszínház
That afternoon, we visited the Horányi family at Peter's Aunt Marta's place, a big apartment with high ceilings in a really old building in downtown Budapest (actually, most of the buildings there are really old - the architecture is really interesting for someone from a "new" country). Peter's dad had four sisters, and they have kids, the kids have kids - it's a lot of people, and almost the whole family was there. I'm not sure how many people, but it was over 30 and there were 16 kids there including Mary and Sophie. Sophie does not like crowds, so she was really overwhelmed at first but eventually got comfortable. She especially enjoyed spending time with her cousin, Gergely (Marta's son). He got out some colored pencils and let the girls do some drawing. They did play some with the other kids and, of course, with each other. Not everyone spoke English, but we had some interesting conversations about our families and differences between things in Hungary and the US. I was probably most comfortable when holding little baby boy Baldasar, since he didn't speak English or Hungarian, and I could say whatever I wanted to him and he didn't mind!
That's a big family!
Sophie and Gergely - I think they favor each other, don't you?
We all speak the same language.
We all speak the same language.We spent a last day in Kecskemét before we left, taking care of some errands and spending some more time with Kadi Mama. The girls could not talk to her much but gave plenty of hugs and kisses and gave a few performances - singing songs with some impromptu dancing. After we bid her farewell, we returned to Budapest for the night before our early morning departure. I told Peter that since it was our last night, I wanted a nice dinner at a Hungarian restaurant. The girls are not big eaters of Hungarian food and generally don't appreciate fine dining (remember, three trips to McDonald's?). So, after I fed them a dinner of fish sticks, bread and applesauce, we found a place within walking distance and enjoyed a fabulous three-course meal while the girls quietly played games on our smartphones. Now, that's how you use technology!
We left our Budapest apartment around 6:30 AM for the LONG trip home. Once again, the girls were awesome travelers. Once we got back to Washington in the line for customs, some people that were sitting near us on the plane complimented the girls on how well they behaved. (Ahh... proud mom!) When we got back home, we were all completely exhausted. I had important plans for the next day - doing absolutely nothing. Well, I did wash some clothes, but that's it. Other than that, I spent the day lying around on the couch. The girls quickly returned to their routine of going through their dresser and dressing up silly. In hindsight, our time in Hungary could have been more relaxing had we made the trip longer, but the girls were ready to get back home. So, I consider it a success. We all have some great memories.
Here's what the girls were doing on their first day back at home:
