Budapest, Hungary (part 2)...

Being I am a fast walker, I was able to do the one day guide into half a day...which opens up a half a day for me to explore Buda more.

The Holocaust Memorial Center is somewhat off the touristy side in Pest and situated in a more residential area.  The exhibit focus on the struggle of the Hungarian Jews during the Nazi invasion.  It was a moving experience...

Once crossing the Danube river, you are greeted with many tourist attractions.  I believe this is a military museum...

After climbing the endless stairs (there so many options to get up), you've reached the Castle district.  Here, you will find one of the prominent buildings in Budapest, the Magyar Nemzeti Galeria (the Hungarian National Gallery).  Fountain of the Fishing Children below...

I fell in love with this sculpture the first time I saw it - Adam and Eve by Ligeti Miklos.

A few more blocks (and it's an uphill), you will find the Szentharomsag-szobor (Holy Trinity Statue).

Across the street, is another magnificent building, the Matyas Templom (Matthias Church).

From here, there is a great view of the Buda side (left) and the Pest side (right) and the great Danube River.

Budapest, Hungary...

Visiting a new country and arriving at night can be a little scary.  I left Berlin very late and the plane landed around 7 pm.  Since I only have my big carry-on backpack, I went straight towards the money exchange area to get Hungarian Forint.

Note:  Exchanging money at the airport here is NOT recommended here.  The exchange rate is very low compared to doing it in the city center - which I find very safe.

Taking the 100E Bus from the airport to the city center was a breeze.  It cost 900 HUF (or $3.45 as of this post) and the trip takes about 40/50 minutes depending on the traffic.  Tickets can be purchased on the information center just before getting out of the airport.

I used visitacity.com as guide for places to visit (on limited time) while checking tripadvisor.com to see if the places recommended is worth it.

As the guide suggested, I started my tour on The Chain Bridge.  Reminds me of old bridges across Europe.  I only made it halfway since I have a full day of walking.

The walk along the Danude River to the House of Parliament gave me a great view of Buda (I found out on my last day the which is the Buda side and the Pest side).

Considered one of the biggest parliament building in the world, this place looks more like a palace than a government building.

St. Stephen's Basilica over-tower the city center in Pest.  It has a big plaza in-front (like most cathedrals across the world) and surrounded by hotels and eatery.
 

The National Opera House looks old, really really old.  I had no time to look around as the place is under renovation but from what I read, the interior is as magnificent as the exterior.

To learn more about Budapest, visiting the National Museum is a must.  They have exhibits from the pre-historic era, world-war era, and the present.

Central Market Hall's exterior does not look like a market at all.   It looks more like an old factory or a central train station.  The inside is a big as the outside.  The 2nd floor is where most souvenirs stores are located and also a great selection of traditional Hungarian food (at tourist price of course so be mindful of that).

Note:  I was able to exchange my money here at  a higher rate than the airport.

     

2017 Montreal, Canada

holy crap!!!  it's been a while since i post on this blog.  not even a postcard, which i'm slacking big time since i have received tons since my last post.

anyway, about a week ago, i went up north to take some time-off from work and daily grind being in NYC.  i've been to canada more than i can remember since i went to college about 30 minutes from the border.  but it has always been the toronto area.  this time, i went with my mom, sister, and nieces to montreal.

driving from NYC usually takes about 5/6 hrs but with several stops, took us about 7 hrs.

**montreal museum of fine arts...

**palais de congres montreal...

**Love is Love Exhibition; pieces from Jean Paul Gaultier's collection; montreal museum of fine arts...

**artwork at montreal museum of fine arts...

**em; montreal museum of fine arts...

**the ring???  montreal museum of fine arts...

**Revolution Exhibit; montreal museum of fine arts...

**view of montreal on top of St. Joseph Mont Royal...

**food trippin...

**Strolling along Old Montreal...

**sis, mom, and nieces...

my african violet project...

sometime late last year, a co-worker of mine gave me a leaf of an african violet.  well, i actually asked for one since i really love the bloom.  the color was very vibrant.  i know that african violet can be propagated using the leaves.  but to be on the safe side, i had to check on youtube (glad that there is youtube to show me).

can't wait for the blooms to come and propagate more.  i have two more single leaf being grown but the bloom is a pinkish in color.  will post that at a later time.

**the parent leaf; i hope it can propagate more...

**first baby is now an adult...

**the younger sprout...

2017 Tomoka Marathon...

two weeks ago today, i ran my first marathon of the year, the Tomoka Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k races at Daytona, Frlorida.  yes, i said for the year...which means i have a few planned marathons this year.  this is my 4th marathon race which coincidentally this is also the 4th time this race is being done (i didn't know until i registered for this race).  this race is so many first for me:

1. first time running a spring marathon
2. first time running a non-world marathon majors (click here to know more)
3. first time running a race where the participants are only in the hundreds (my first 3 marathons range from 40 to 50 thousand participants)

**Bib pick-up a day before the marathon located on a beer storage facility (one of the major sponsors)

i had my doubts about running this race:  i was doing physical therapy until january due to an injury i had after the nyc marathon; florida is notorious for being hot but also being humid; and the participants are only in the hundreds....what if i finished dead last.  my goal coming to this race was to finished (not last) and post a decent time, not personal record.

**Pre-race ritual - taking picture of what to wear; yes, my original plan was no top since it was hot and humid...

the race was scheduled to start at 6 am starting with the marathoners, followed by the half, and then the 5k.  but due to a train problem in one of the major routes, it was delayed for about 15 minutes.  i'm glad that it was only 1 minutes.  i'm trying to avoid the punishing sun and the humidity as the day progress.

i was impressed with my pace and breathing from the get-go.  i was trying to control my speed not to be carried away by the fast group and also the first timers who's big mistake is to start fast.  i try to focus on a target person ahead of me to see if i can catch with them while maintaining my speed.  i was able to catch up with some of the bigger groups who was running with a pacer (the pacer carries a stick with a sign of the target time to finish).

as the day progressed, it became difficult to find a target person.  again, this is a small marathon so everyone started to spread out based on their speed.  at one point, i didn't see anyone behind me.  i was just hoping to catch up with the few people ahead of me (which i figured half a mile away) since the last things i want to happen to me is get eaten by a wild animal.  i'm in florida and inside a national park, it can happen.

everything was doing well until i hit mile 20, which is the entrance to tomoka state national park.  first off, i should have read the emails and description of the race.  part of the race is about 2 miles of dirt path.  i was running with a pave shoes with very little cushion on the sole of the foot.  this became an issue with small stones as they tend to prick.  this guy i saw at the start of the race with no shoes (yes, there are brave souls who ran races with no shoes) was literally walking on the side where there are less stones.

once i exited the park and back on the road, the unimaginable happened.  no, i did not hit "THE WALL" that every marathoners dread.  my right thigh started to cramp.  i tried to massage and walk it off but it was just not going away.  the last few miles was a struggle.  to make the matter worst, i know that there is a bridge, YES!!, a freakin bridge between mile 25 and 26.

**i don't want to think about this bridge anymore LOL!!!...

when i saw the bridge, i started to think of happy things...just to take my mind off from the punishment i had to suffer.  did it work?  hell NO!!!  the incline was not the problem, it was the descent part that gave me hard time.  it was literally not forgiving to my right thigh.

after seeing the 26 miler mark, i know that the end is almost there.  0.2 miles left and the suffering is over.  i decided to summon all the energy left inside me and run to the finish line.

do i have a picture crossing the line?  yes i do but i prefer not to post it.  you can see the disappointment written all over my face.

in total, there were 279 marathon finishers (i told you it was a small race).  i finished in the very low 100s so i am happy for that.  i was expecting to ran faster and get a personal record.  but like everything in life, there are good days and there are bad days.          


    

postcard sunday...sort of

**note:  click the link on each postcard for details.  this is the best part of doing this type of hobby....learn new things such as places, artworks, etc.

**from Ripley, West Virginia..

**Optische Illusionen; from Germany..

**Montreal Harbour (1925) by Adrien Herbert (1890-1967); from Montreal, Canada...

**Woman with book by Pablo Picasso; from Czech Republic...

**V for Vendetta by David Lloyd; from Spring, Texas...

**Graphic motif of a head literally bursting with visual ideas, designed by Riccardo Manzi for Pirelli (1965); from Kenosha, Wisconsin...  

**from Nagoya, Japan...

**from China...

**City Hall; from Belarus...

**from Bulgaria...