It is supposed to be Halloween today...

...somewhere over the rainbow, and maybe in other parts of the world as well -but not here in Hungary.
I know that public opinion is strongly divided into two sides regarding the judgment of Halloween. Some of you like it, some of you don't. Probably you all loved it when you were children, but you grew out of this loving as soon as you became an adult. Now, I'm supposed to be an adult, but I still like Halloween. Then, how is this?!
Well, given that I've been liking both chocolate and spooky things from the earliest years of my existence, and Halloween is obviously the combination of these two, I have very good childhood memories in connection with this 'holiday'. Furthermore, I never ever experienced Halloween in my adult life. Probably this 'non-encounter' with Halloween allowed me to still look at this day with the eye of a child. Maybe, if I met this 'celebration' today, with an adult's mind, I could more or less move myself away from childhood memories and could observe it with an adult's eye that could possibly change opinions and viewpoints in me.
Maybe I wouldn't like it any more.
Maybe I still would.
However, I shall continue to love it as a child, who doesn't yet see its wrong side, only perceives the good. That is the reason I might never meet Halloween in my adult life face to face (though I wanted to...). To keep my childhood memories nice and pure.
Due to this philosophy, my adult side says it is not that bad that we don't have Halloween in Hungary. Though my childish self cries for pumpkins, chocolate and sweets, 'trick or treat'-s, spooky things...
Time to grow up. Or not. ;)
'Happy' Halloween!

P.S. Strictly to kids under 10 (mainly Caleb):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI1Qr0Tuvqg

Preparing myself for Halloween...

I wanted to write about some of my new experiences and upload beautiful autumn pictures taken in the woods, but a few happenings intervened and inhibited me from doing that.
No. 1 happening: there must be some problem with my computer because last time when I wanted to download pictures from my SD card, it deleted ALL the pictures...and I nearly went crazy. They were really GREAT pictures. :( Since that moment I do not dare to use the SD card downloader part of the laptop.
No. 2 happening: the weather is cooler nowadays, so my outgoings -and thus my photo-taking acts- significantly dicreased compared to earlier and hotter periods of the year...and even when I went out to take autumn pictures, these photos ceased to exist (see No 1. happening).
No. 3 happening: a few days ago I had an operation so I really did not have the time and/or energy to write. No worry, it was not a big one, it only lasted approximately for half an hour. During the operation an atheroma was taken out of...yeah, of my head (though only affecting the surface area of it, fortunately not my precious brain:)). I don't want to shock you with all the details. Neither verbally with detailed descriptions, nor virtually with disgusting pictures. Okay, to tell the truth, I would love to shock you but I'm afraid then you would not come here any more....and...by the way...Mom told me NOT to even attempt to upload any of these kind of photos at this time (though I have taken a few...). Okay, I obey, no photos this time. Maybe next time;) Pssssssst;)

And why the title 'Preparing myself for Halloween' ? Well, imagine how I look like at the moment. Two days ago some hair was shaved off my head. Horroristic. Then, after the take-out of this small, ball-like atheroma, a bleeding hole was left in my headskin which was succesfully sewed together but to promote healing, a big white antiseptic gauze was also sewed on it. Even more horroristic. This thing soon became a little bit bloody. And it is still so and still there. It is becoming one of my bodyparts. The most horroristic.
Therefore, now I usually wear a little cap so when I go out or meet other people, I don't scare them to death with my Frankenstein appearance. (Though Frankenstein would say: "this is not scary enough". But who cares about his opinion?!).
So this is how I succeeded to literally prepare myself to this year's Halloween.
Very unconscious. Very natural.Very scary. And thus very effective.
At least, would be effective -in the States. To my greatest despair, here in Hungary I cannot harness these 'Halloween virtues' such as fearsome, bloody appearance.
Poor me. But lucky Hungarians!

'Summer stories' series: In and Around Budapest

Besides being on longer tours (as seen in the previous posts) we also enjoyed going on smaller excursions in and around the city.

P.S. Since we started our summer vacation in the middle of August, these excursions were elongated to warmer September and October days...and they would still last if the weather would be good enough for that...but it isn't. Imagine, in only 5 days the temperature fell from 28 Celsius degrees to 4-5 degrees. And that's a HUGE difference.

So all kinds of excursions from now on will be postponed to whoknowswhen.

And if we don't want to become froze-bitten, we'll rather have to stay inside in the company of a big mug of tea or hot chocolate.
At least until the temperature rises a bit.

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Our 2009 'Hungarian vacation' started on the 6th of August, when we went to Szentendre to celebrate Mom's birthday

These flowers are the survivors of the cooler autumn temperature, still, they are beautiful





In September, we went to see the free (the emphasis is on this:)), so called Face Poster exhibition at Felvonulási tér (it is somewhere between the Heroes Square and the City Park). It is held annually, always having different themes. This year we saw pictures and photos in connection with the World Economic Crisis and advertisements about the importance of pure water. It wasn't bad altogether, though last year I liked it a little more...

Still, I collected a few of my favourites to share with you.

We also spent days with Budapest sightseeing (walking) tours...(what we often do anyway, but taking photos in and about Budapest never becomes boring)

One day we even became children and went to Hűvösvölgy by the children's railway (the name mainly comes from an old tradition, according to which not adults, but children work on these trains as ticket inspectors).

And recently we went to Robert Capa war photographer's exhibition to the Művészetek Palotája (if you didn't know: he had Hungarian origins and was born as Friedmann Endre).

The information heard of his life and his displayed photos were very interesting, and the building itself was wondrous!

More info on him: http://www.photo-seminars.com/Fame/capa.htm

And that's it. This was our 2009 Summer in pictures.

NOW you may ask what we will do NOW, that the summer is over. Well, NOW we are waiting for some global warming to be able to go outside again and continue...no, not our summer, but rather our autumn vacation...global warming, please, be so kind and COME! :)

'Summer stories' series: The Proposal

I still owe you the description of the 18th of August happenings. Since, you might remember, this was the very day of my proposal. Here comes the story.
It was somewhere between 5.30 and 6.00- no, not evening time, but early-early morning, at dawn. We decided the previous evening to wake up at 5 a.m. and go out to Badacsony harbour to see the sunrise (Usually I do not manage to do it as I am not an early riser. To tell the truth, it was a somewhat difficult mission this time either).
Not the slightest misgivings, no foreknowledge on my behalf. Nothing, just the wish to finally see the sunrise at Lake Balaton, which is so beautiful, and there are only a few days per year when the opportunity is given to me to see it here. And yeah, a little drowsiness accompanied our walk out there.
So, while sleepily perceiving the wonderful, colourful and altogether brilliant rise of the day, all of a sudden he went on his knees and in the midst of this truly romantic scenery asked the so romantic 'Will you marry me' question holding out one of his clenched hands (the one that hid the white gold ring-see it later-which was again romantic). Knowing me, not so surprising that my first reply was a not so romantic 'Are you joking?!' answer. Of course, after a few seconds of surprise (remember I had not the slightest misgivings about his plan) I finally whispered a little bit more romantic yes, of course (but without all those jumpings and screamings that may be seen in some stupid movies that are usually regarded to be romantic, but for me, these are rather funny or sometimes even miserable, artificial reactions). Still, it took minutes, what I say, hours and even days till I really compassed the happenings, and the fact that from now on I am a bride, loyal to my name: a Barb 'ara'. And then was the moment when all became truly ROMANTIC.

P.S. To show there ARE some romantic feelings in my ironical and often unromantic human mind (that's just the surface, though), let me express what the word romantic means to me. Romance is not simply words and spectacular, physical manifestations towards others but rather a feeling of a special moment when you are touched and inspired by something (such as memories, music, a piece of writing or art, etc.) in your own little single soul. So first it is experienced inside and then may it be expressed towards others as well. For me, this 'something' is mostly natural landscape, and therefore is my love for photography. Photos capture and represent the concept of romance. To me. Now dare you say I am not romantic. :)