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Life

Unpacked & Planted

April 27, 2010
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I know I know I know I was supposed to tell you about the rest of our trip to Italy.  Like, last week.  The thing is, I got distracted with all types of work and home projects, and then, then, two guys showed up with tens of Ikea boxes that would eventually become a storage [...]

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SnapShots of National Drinks: Unicum & Palinka

February 23, 2010
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Note:  This is one of those nebulous topics where I generalize for entire countries—and sometimes continents.  My views on the history and usage of certain drinks are also up for debate.  Your outraged comments and e-mails are gladly welcomed!
Remember when I said I would introduce you to Hungary’s museums and palinka?  Well, it seems that [...]

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Fasching

February 18, 2010
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On Tuesday, I showed up at home in a bit of a state.  There was powdered sugar on my tights and confetti in my hair.  I had spent the day chasing dancing women and dodging witches.  It was not Mardi Gras, not Carnevale, but Fasching time in Munich (plus Austria, the rest of Bavaria, and [...]

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City and See

February 12, 2010
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I have two longish but thankfully shrinking “to do” lists.  One is called Budapest, and the other Munich.  One is all about connecting:  schedule move-in date, translate driver’s license, learn German, set up bank account, etc.  There are also a lot of implied question marks on this one:  How do I choose a cell phone [...]

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Brand Poland

December 22, 2009
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If the financial crisis could be broken down into a single facial expression, I like to imagine that the Polish reaction was a big, collective yawn. Really guys?  You call this a crisis?  As an outsider, I am somewhat reluctant to comment, but my vantage point has been interesting.  I’ve seen time and again (without [...]

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Japan Took the … Out of Me

December 8, 2009
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So, here I am, trying to look at cultural and ethnic differences openly but with the utmost sensitivity.  Then Lisa Fineberg Cook’s Japan Took the J.A.P. Out of Me crosses my inbox.  To be honest, just typing that less-than-politically-correct acronym makes me squirm – in fact it freaks the C.R.A.P. out of me.  And yet… [...]

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Tokaj Essence

November 21, 2009
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I tasted my first Tokaji aszú wine somewhere over the Atlantic, appropriately, on my first flight to Budapest.  I remember only that the honey-colored nectar was as sweet as it looked and that I was grateful for the side of blue cheese.  Not one for dessert wines, I haven’t really touched it since, though it is [...]

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Hungary for Golf

November 14, 2009
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It occurred to me recently that I’ve never played golf in Hungary.  Not even once in almost two years.  And the more I think about it, the more I think that this fact is even more tragic than my handicap.  Even in New York I made it to Chelsea Piers a few times a year.  [...]

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Some Funky Fruit

October 25, 2009
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We stumbled upon these strange little creatures in the park near Gresham Palace this weekend.  A crowd had actually gathered to stare at the fluorescent green bulbs littering the lawn.  Some people were poking them curiously.  Others were kicking them around in confusion.  I thought we had found something truly unique and interesting, so I [...]

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Footloose: A Running Tour of Budapest

October 19, 2009
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I ran a 10K race on Sunday.  Why?  Because I think running is the best way to really see a place.  It’s faster than walking and you’re necessarily aware of everything:  that tram to the left, the way the stones around the Parliament curve inward, the rush of the wind over the bridge.  By the [...]

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