A Flushing Dilemma

I have been perplexed at times, while traveling in Europe, about a task I consider here at home to be pretty straightforward - flushing the toilet.  I remember when I was a child, entering a public restroom in Europe was often a mystery.  What sort of medieval plumbing contraption was I required to push, pull, turn, yank or crank to finish the job I came to do?

Take, for example, the lavatory below, frequently encountered in many European countries:

If you haven't chanced upon a pull chain device such as this before, certainly you might search all around the commode looking for a button or lever to flush.  If you are a young child, you undoubtedly wouldn't think to look up to do the job.  And if and when you finally do, there's the likelihood - as in this photo, that you possibly cannot even reach it.

Europeans have gone green, way more than we have here in the U.S., and although we are starting to see dual flush toilets here, the different varieties of mechanisms will cause you pause each and every time.

And, of course, you know I have to bring up everyone's favorite foreign commode:  the squat toilet, also known as the Natural Position toilet (yeah, right, natural for men maybe).  Are these still found in civilized countries?  Yes!  The photos below were taken by my friend recently in Italy.  I've encountered them as well in Greece, Hungary, and even France.

If you have a young daughter, do not let her attempt to use a squat toilet without your help.  I never managed these latrines as a child without tinkling all over my pants and shoes.  And let's just say the germs your child might come into contact with if you're not there to avert a slip or a fall would probably warrant a tetanus booster.

Sometimes in a foreign restroom you will read a sign, occasionally in legible English, asking you not to place toilet paper in the trash receptacle.  You may wonder why the need to elucidate such an obviously nonsensical idea.  That is because there are some countries with poor or no plumbing where you WILL be asked to deposit your toilet paper in the trash receptacle because flushing it will clog the toilet.

Men, like always in these matters, have little difficulty finding a place to go in Europe.  Public urinals are an accessory to many historical buildings in Europe, such as this ancient looking urinol adjacent to the Castle of São Jorge in Lisbon (below) and another near the historic center of Gouda, in the Netherlands (also below).

Public urinal in Lisbon.

Urinal in Gouda, the Netherlands.

And always remember to have a bit of spare change on you when entering a WC in Europe because you never know when you might be caught by surprise by a Klofrau wanting to wipe down the seat for you!

Sylvester in Switzerland

Fireworks over Adelboden valley in Switzerland last year.

New Year's Eve is called Sylvester in the German speaking countries of Europe (as well as in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to Wikipedia) in honor of the saint and Pope Sylvester I whose feast day is December 31st.  

Europeans generally purchase fireworks to celebrate at midnight, and last year on New Year's Eve we were in Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland.

Fireworks for sale in Adelboden.

We went out to dinner at a Pizzeria Trattoria Alfredo that evening and then returned to Our Chalet for some festivities.

There was dancing:

And games:

 And food:

And Glühwein by a snow campfire.

Good times.

I Am Thankful

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the wonderful, diverse people we have met, learned from, or merely encountered on our travels in Europe:

Antonio, our gondola driver in Venice.

Anna from Finland who taught us to build an igloo in Switzerland.

The wooden shoe carver in Gouda.

The violin player in Budapest.

Beefeater in London.

Woman on her way to a wedding in Seville.

A lonely matador in Madrid.

A precious toddler in Bavaria, Germany.

Our waiter in Seville.

Beautiful little girl in Tarifa, Spain.

H A P P Y   T H A N K S G I V I N G ! !

Photo Friday: Matthias Church in Budapest

The Matthias Church in Budapest is a glorious conglomerate of Gothic, Renaissance, and Ottoman architectural styles thanks to centuries of repairs, remodels, and restorations.  Also known as The Church  of Our Lady, construction began in the mid-13th century but most of the Gothic exterior was fashioned in 1896.  The landmark's most notable feature is its multi-colored, diamond-patterned roof tiles, similar to St. Stephen's in Vienna.  

Your admission ticket into the church includes entrance to the Museum of Ecclesiastical Art, which begins in Matthias Church's crypt and contains sacred relics, medieval stone carvings, and replicas of the Hungarian Royal Crown and coronation jewels.  Organ concerts are held every other Friday evening in July and August at 8:00 p.m.

Matthias Church is located on Castle Hill on the Buda side of the Danube River.  A funicular is available to ride from the river up the hill.

The richly intricate Holy Trinity Column in front of Matthias Church.
It was commissioned in 1712 as a safeguard against the plague.

Related post:  Buda and Pest

This post is part of DeliciousBaby.com Photo Friday.

Buda and Pest

View of Budapest.

Budapest has survived Mongol invasions, Ottoman rule, Turkish occupation, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, two world wars, several revolutions, and a communist regime, each leaving its mark on this indestructible city.  The river Danube, crossed by eight expansive bridges including the famously beautiful Chain Bridge, divides the metropolis of Budapest into its west bank, Buda, and its east bank, Pest, each with a number of tourist attractions, museums, and historical sights.  It's been a long time since I visited Budapest, Hungary, but the city still enchants me.  I would love to take my children now in this post-Soviet era.

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge

Pest

The most imposing structure in Budapest is without a doubt the enormous neo-Gothic parliament building, stretching 880 feet along the Pest embankment of the Danube.

One of the oldest legislative buildings in Europe, this architectural jewel is ornamented with turrets, arches, and statues of Hungarian monarchs and military figures and can be toured inside.  Guided tours in English are offered every day at 10:00, 12:00, and 2:00 p.m.

Heroes' Square is one of the most visited sights in Hungary's capital and is surrounded by City Park, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Palace of Art.  The Millennium Memorial in Heroes' Square is impressive with its tall column and seven mounted figures, two matched colonnades, and numerous statues of statesmen, angels and chariots.

Heroes' Square

The base of the column in Heroes' Square

Also of possible interest to kids (of all ages!) on the Pest side of the river are the Vajdahunyad Castle, which looks Count Draculan, and the mummified fist of St. Stephen I of Hungary in the basilica named after him.  At 315 feet, St. Stephen's Basilica is one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest, and if you like climbing steeples like my family, 364 steps will get you to the top of the dome where you will enjoy a 360° view of Budapest.  (An elevator will also take you there, if you'd rather.)

Buda

Ride up to medieval Castle Hill on the funicular (catch it on the Buda side of the Chain Bridge) and spend some time at my favorite sight, Fisherman's Bastion.  Really just a lookout terrace with amazing views across the river to Pest, the white-stoned, fairy-tale structure with turrets, parapets, and climbing stairways is a beautiful place to stroll, picnic, and take photographs.  There are seven white cone-top towers, each one symbolizing one of the seven Magyar tribes that came to Hungary in 896.

Patron saint St. Stephen astride his horse at Fisherman's Bastion.

Views from Fisherman's Bastion.

Don't miss the Royal Palace, also known as Buda Castle, on the southern tip of Castle Hill and all the medieval, baroque and 19th century houses, churches, and public buildings around it in the Várnegyed District.  The Mattias Church is also a famous landmark here.

Matthias Church in Budapest (in 1987)

I won't be making any personal hotel recommendations in Budapest.  I traveled there when the country was still behind the Iron Curtain and we were "assigned" to our overnight accommodations by a government official as soon as we arrived at the train station in Budapest.  As budget travelers, we were directed to a residence in an old, unmaintained apartment building.  The residence belonged to a middle-aged woman, who evidently lived alone there, and had a spare bedroom she either agreed to let out or perhaps - I don't know - was required to let out.  She served us a meager breakfast every morning in her kitchen.  (I wonder how much, if any, of the money we paid actually went to her, since we gave the money for the room to the government official who assigned us.)  The day we left her apartment in Budapest she pleaded with us to buy some of her hand-embroidered doilies and asked for American dollars, if we had them.  This experience, as well as a trip through East Germany, are the extent of my brush with Soviet Communism.

Photo Friday: Budapest and the Danube

The Danube River and city of Budapest, as seen from the terrace of Fisherman's Bastion atop Castle Hill.

Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts across the web.

Photo Friday: Serenade in Budapest

This cute little violinist and his band at Mátyás Pince Restaurant in Budapest made our dinner there so memorable!  He smiled so sweetly the whole time and serenaded us at our table.  Besides having great food, Mátyás Pince, near the Danube, has been entertaining guests with enchanting gypsy music for over 40 years!

This is a Photo Friday entry for DeliciousBaby.com
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This Spa's For You

It’s Valentine’s Day.  I hope you all get a lovely, romantic gift of flowers, chocolate, jewelry, or dinner at a restaurant.  Some of you lucky ladies will maybe get a spa treatment, so I thought I’d write a few words about spas today.

The word “spa” comes from a town in Belgium actually named Spa.  The city of Spa has been famous in Europe for its healing hot mineral springs since the early 14th century.  There are many spa towns in Europe with natural water sources believed to have health benefits.  In fact, just about every European country has several hotspots of geothermal activity.

The town of Spa, Belgium

You may be surprised to know that one of Europe’s most famous spa towns is in Hungary.  Heviz, in western Hungary, is home to Europe’s largest natural thermal lake and the main spa facility there was built over 100 years ago.  Bulgaria, surprisingly, has over 500 mineral springs, including the hottest spring in the Balkans at 217° F!  Serbia is known for its many spa cities, too.

You’re probably familiar with the steam bathing and ritual cleansing of Turkish baths - Istanbul is brimming with these luxurious saunas.  And maybe you know that Iceland is richer in natural hot springs than any other country in the world, many of them with dramatically spouting geysers.

It’s obvious by the name there’s some sort of water source in Bath, England, in Somerset county.  In fact, the hot springs in Bath are the only ones naturally occurring in the UK.  Bath was first established as a restorative spa resort by the Romans in AD 43, when they built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills.

Roman bath in Bath, England

If you’ve ever been to Germany, you might have wondered why so many cities there are “Bad.”  Bad Kissingen, Bad Homburg, Baden-Baden are a few.  This is because Bad means bath in German, and there are many, many spa towns in Germany.  With typical German authoritarianism, Bad as the prefix of a city is an official designation and requires governmental authorization (which may also be suspended if a town fails to maintain the required standards).

Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall in England

And, since this is a blog for families with children, you might be interested to know that Forbes.com lists Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall in Durham, England, as the Top for Teens.  Thirteen to 16 year olds may receive various treatments here when accompanied by an adult, and everyone can enjoy the gym, pools, outdoor hot tubs, steam rooms, and roof garden.

Many Europeans are firm believers in the enriching physical and spiritual health benefits of hot thermal baths, and often their week-long stays at such resorts are covered by their health insurance.  But their wonderful wellness hotels, day spas and destination resorts are open to all vacationers coming to heal and rejuvenate.

Family Vacation

5 Places in Europe to Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving

Are you going to be overseas for Thanksgiving?  Doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a traditional turkey feast with all the trimmings!  Here are five European cities serving up delicious Thanksgiving dinners this year:

•      Barcelona:  The American Society of Barcelona holds an annual Thanksgiving buffet dinner.  This year the buffet, which includes all the traditional dishes and then some, will be held at Hotel Arts Barcelona.

•      Brussels:  One of the American Club of Brussels’ most popular social events
every year is their Thanksgiving dinner, consisting of roast turkey, all the trimmings, and an assortment of real American pies.  This year it’s at the Sheraton Hotel, Brussels.

•      Berlin:  A Thanksgiving dinner buffet will be served at the Berlin Marriot and will feature live music.

•      London:  JW Steakhouse will be serving
up a festive Thanksgiving feast this year.  Other Thanksgiving dinners in the U.K.
can be found here.  St. Paul’s Cathedral in London also hosts an annual Thanksgiving Day service, attended by thousands of American residents and visitors.

•      Budapest:  The American Chamber of Commerce in Hungary offers a fully prepared holiday dinner that will be conveniently delivered to your doorsteps.  This turkey and goose delivery is available through December 31st.