Kecskemét

This was the second stop in Hungary and the home town of my host Anikó. We have visited this town for several days, interrupted by one and a half day in Szeged.

20th April

We arrived in Kecskemét after 1 hour and 15 minutes by train from Budapest. Here my host and friend Anikó is living for the moment. The apartment belongs to her mother. Anikó lives here with her mother and her eldest son in a two bedroom apartment. One of the rooms is her mother’s, the other one is hers and the grown up son is sleeping in the living room. He is unemployed, though he has no possibility to have an own apartment. Anikó had planned that we would go further this day to her summer residence, but it was to cold during the night (around Zero degree!). There is no heating in the summer residence. It seems to be a simple building, where it should be done a lot for making it comfortable, but Anikó do not have the resources for that. It was the decision of the 80-year-old mother that we should stay in Kecskemét, because the weather. This woman is still going strong. None would think she already is 80 years of age, if one would not know that.

In the afternoon Anikó had to work an hour. She is an English teacher and also is a private tutor. Afterwards we went to the shopping center “The Mill” – there has been a mill before, the mill stone is still there. It is integrated in a spring water. I have seen some other buildings in Kecskemét, too and made a lot of photographs, of course. I uploaded them to “Dropbox” and shared them with Anikó, who was so delighted! Anikós mother served a Hungarian chicken dish for lunch, that means with hot Pepper powder, and we have got “Wiener Würstchen” (sausage) in the evening.

21st April

I do not remember where the early morning was gone, because I awake early. I took a shower, we had breakfast and went out for more sightseeing, mainly a church in Zopf style and a museum for naive art of Hungarians. This exhibition was very interesting!

At lunch I have got an original Ggoulash soup of Anikós mother. She was so happy, that she had a guest to cook for. The soup was very spicy by ground red pepper (Paprika). Anikó had one more lesson with another girl before we went by train to Szeged.

22nd April

Coming home from Szeged around 6pm, and after a simple evening meal we went to a hospital where the old priest of the Parish Church, which Anikó belongs to, is treated. We arrived there around 8pm after half an hours walk, but the hospital was closed. Therefore we walked back and spent the evening together at her home. We were really tired by walking so much all the day, because we were walking a lot in Szeged, too. Though we fell asleep quite early this evening.

23rd April

After a late morning we went to the theatre looking for tickets for a ballet that evening. There were still tickets left and we could choose the fourth row or the galeria. It was only 7 EUR for the fourth row, though I bought two tickets and invited Anikó. She did pay the entrance fees for the concerts and I was happy, that I could invite her this time.

We continued to the “House of Culture” for an exhibition about patchwork design. It was great. There were so many different items and so many different styles. All of them were great, even some were more!

We became hungry and were fed again by Anikós mother. She was happy that I did take of the chicken dish from two days before one more time. Soon we were off to the Kecskemeti Fürdö (a spa). There were an information at the spa that the water, containing iron, was good for a lot of treatments, also for the skin. I hoped the rush on my left shoulder will be better by this water, though I tried to keep all of me – without my head – under the water most of the time. I also tried the special shower. The water flows so hard, that it works like a massage – and it did help the muscles in my shoulders, but I should use such a spa almost three times a week for a good treatment, of course.

They played a ballet called Carmen at the theatre that night. It was a modern ballet with some of the music pieces of the opera Carmen. It was really funny and I enjoyed it so much! I also was dressed up in my red dress with my white “Dorothy Perkins” cardigan.

24th April

This day was the last one of my trip to Hungary. The most of the time I spent on my travel home. Anikó still treated me like a mother treats her child and sent a lunch pack with me, that means sandwiches and a bottle of water. I gave her mother the most of the Forints I had left – it was not so much money, but I hope anyway a help.

Szia + Köszönöm (Bye and Thank you) my Hungarian friend! I hope we will meet again. Maybe you will come to Malta as long as I am here or we will really do that SPA-trip we where talking about.

I was going by train and bus from Kecskemét by my own. I thought it would have been too much time for Anikó to spend for the trip and also to expensive to her. I made it without problems, because Anikó explained to me exactly how to do.

At the check-in-point of Lufthansa in Budapest there was a little problem, because they could only print the boarding pass for the flight to Frankfurt/Main, Germany. They could not print the boarding pass for their partner Air Malta, even it works the other way around. I was really surprised, because Lufthansa is a much bigger company than Air Malta and therefore they should have better resources and possibilities. Because my bad experiences for my luggage by changing planes, I only had taken hand luggage with me and I was very happy about that in this situation.

It was only transfer for me at the airport in Frankfurt/M. I had around three hours to spend and was disappointed, that there only were vending machines for drinks close to the gate – no coffee shops or snack bars. Furthermore they were separated from the gate by a glass wall and one would have to walk around a quite length to reach them. Though I just consumed the rest of my lunch pack.

I could not get a boarding card before 18.15 for my flight at 19.15, therefore I was nervous not to get a boarding card in time, but all went well and my flight home by Air Malta was a pleasure as far a flight can be. Anyway it was a waste of time to have to take an airplane to Frankfurt/M. to come from Budapest to Malta.

The bus home from the airport on Malta did not have the information line about the stops active and it was getting dark before coming close to the bus stop Qroqq, where I have to leave. I left to early – at the Mater Dei hospital – and had to walk quite a bit. I did not know either if it was possible to pass through the area of the University of Malta, fortunately it was. The gate for the cars were already closed, but there was no restriction for pedestrians. This way also means, that I pass the convenience shop “All in one” and I was entering the shop because I did not have any bread or yogurt at home, of course. Finally i was back at my home on Malta.