Spygirl

You know what Clifton? I have an invitation next month to a dinner at the Romanian Embassy, and embassy dinners always feature their local wines/beers/spirits. I was thinking of blowing it off, as I have a far more important engagement at the end of next month (the Viennese Ball sponsored by the Austrian Embassy that I'm REALLY looking forward to-a quadrille and everything-but will my waltz skills be worthy of such an elegant night of champagne, dinner, diplomacy and dancing-this remains to be seen!)

BUT-since I'm quite interested in this part of the world (and the Baltic States as well)-I may go, and try some of this excellent sounding distilled plum brandy that I've not heard of until now-Tuica-THAT is the kind of thing I so enjoy in my travels-discovering the relatively unknown national drink!

Speaking of Unicom, I think a sip or two of the herb might be in order about now!

Tamas

Aliska,

I live in Hungary and I travel a lot so might be able to help.
Eger is really beautiful and if you like wine you can have faboulous wine tastings. If you or your mother like baths close to Eger there are 2 places to one of them is Bogács (20km) and the other is Egerszalók (it is very natural nothing is there yet)A good hotel with arab motives (www.shiraz.hu)
Miskolc is not a really nice city, but you go there for a reason. If you can visit the new Miskolctapolca cave baths it is really extraordinary and have all the things you would want from sauna to massages. Really exotic.
Eger and Miskolc is only an hour so if you do not want you do not need to stay there.
The roads are generally no worse than anywhere else and ther is a motorway from Budapet to Miskolc and Eger (M3), also to Balaton (M7) as well. You can check road as well on www.autopalya.hu
Budapest roads are bad though.

If you go to lake Balaton I would recomend the northern part as it is more beautiful. My secret hideaway is called Szigliget. It is a small hill with a castle (ok a half of it remained nice wine, and you can swimm in the Balaton. It takes my breah away every time I am there. If you can go! www.szigliget.hu

If you are interested in Jewish site I would recommend the new Jewish Holocaut museum as well.

If you need any help, let me know.
Regards
Tamás

JulieVikmanis

Suggest you start a separate thread using Airconsolidators.com in the title to see if you can get info on them.

Clifton

I'd be very curious now, Spygirl, whether they'd have tuica (spelled out, it normally has a curly tail on the "t", a character I don't have on my keyboard. Pronounced sort of like Tzoo-ee-ka).

I'm not sure that it's THE Romanian drink, but it sure turns up locally a lot. Tuica is a kind of a moonshine, mostly coming from backyard stills. Palinka is a version of it, if you've happened to that, it's around Hungary as well. A bit more refined, I think.

I'm sure you must be a far better waltzer than I am, but given enough of this stuff, I'd be waltzing around the room regardless I know nothing about these diplomatic type things, but if the Romanians attending are as warm and personable as we found in-country, you're in for a pleasant night.

Spygirl

Clifton: I'll be sure to let you know what I find out-the dinner menu highlights some native Hungarian/Roumanian dishes, and I believe there will be folk-dancing from the region, among other things, so it should be a lovely evening.

As for the Viennese Ball, let's put it this way: the Viennese Waltz is danced differently, and is an entire art form unto itself. A Viennese couple are giving lessons (they do it specifically for this Ball) to those who don't, like myself, want to make a complete fool of themselves on the marble dance floor. The waltz involves a number of steps, including, at the end, a Handkuss (handkiss). Just the entire Austrian/central European diplomatic corps will be there that night, (including whomever else might show up) no sweat! I get nervous just thinking about it-it will be a long night, I hope the champagne holds out!

aliska

Tamas, thank you for the information on Lake Balaton. I tried going to the web site, but unfortunately, I don't ready Hungarian very well. Can you recommend hotels in either Miskolc or Lake Balaton? Can you possibly share your e-mail address as I would like to ask a few questions? Thanks very much!

Tamas

Hi Aliska,

my email address is [email protected]
Please send me your questions and I ll do my best to answer and get you some nice hotels.
i have just realized that the site I was referring to did not have English translation. Sorry for that. To be honest Szigliget is a beautiful place in any language
Regards,
Tamás

Clifton

Hey Spygirl, I got curious. Did you ever decide if you were going to the Romanian function or not? I was wondering if they had the tuica?

Spygirl

Ohmigod-Clifton-did you just read my post to Lyndie on the Asia board? I had a FANTASTIC evening tonight in Romania! Wow! And I absolutely DID drink both their excellent chardonnay (label VAMPYRE-with a little trickle of blood just below the "V"-cute logo-GREAT wine) but that TUICA-Clifton, I was talking to one of the senior attaches at the embassy about Tuica, and he says, "you want to try this? it is very strong" I said, hey, no one ever said I couldn't hold my liquor-no problem, yes thanks! Off he went up the winding staircase to fetch some for me-

Meanwhile, as I'm waiting for my Tuica, I'm sipping that lovely Vampyre, munching on Romanian appetizers of caviar and little mushroom tarts (have a picture with the Romanian chef now-who advised he just cooked for Colin Powell last week) and am watching this wonderful display of Romanian folk dancing-the dances reminded me of the Russian folk dancers-who kick their legs out in very athletic movements-I love this sort of thing!

After a bit, the attache comes back with a half glass of Tuica-needless to say, I drank it all-what a wonderful liqueur, Clifton-NOBODY else got any, 'cause they didn't know to ask about it! (see, had you not told me, nor would I have known, so thanks for that!) He said he's going back to his hometown in the Carpathians this summer, and if I like, he will bring me back a bottle-yes, please, I would like!

Also Clifton, we had a fascinating discussion about the politics of the region, the Ambassador, a quite nice and hospitable gentleman, held a mini-tutorial on Moldova with a few of us-since the only thing I know of Moldova is a semi-precious gemstone, Moldovite, I was most interested in this discussion, and listened for the most part. While we had our little discussions going on, there was a short video presentation in the background e on Romania's touristic treasures-wow-I guess I had no idea! Those churches and monasteries-the painted designs-it looked quite interesting! The senior attache I was talking to told me about the paint that was used in these churches had been mixed with cheese, of all things, to make it this long lasting consistency, which they cannot reproduce in modern times. The video showed the historic city of Sighisoara, which looked to be a most interesting and beautiful city to visit.

Anyway, the diplomatic drawing rooms where the reception was held were absolutely lovely-rather like a French gilded drawing room, turn-of-the -century-it made those of us who were not familiar with Romania want very much to visit.

But that's not all-what do I have next week, why the Viennese Ball, with no other than the entire Central European diplomatic corps to meet, including the Honorable Eva Nowatny, Viennese Ambassador to the US. There are an evening of lessons to prepare everyone for the Viennese waltz which are given by a Viennese couple who live in the US. I can't go. I'll be out of town. I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe just watch, eat Viennese pastries and drink champagne? I'm certainly not getting out there with the experts, that's for sure! Geez, I'm getting nervous just thinking about it-it's an elaborate dance ritual-you've got to have some idea going in, what the structure of the V. Waltz is all about, as it is so very different from a regular waltz.

Well, at least I have a lovely ballgown-I'll LOOK good, if nothing else!

Ah yes, one night in Romania, and the next, in Vienna! What's a girl to do?

Clifton

Actually, I was just sitting here last night, trying to get sleepy and picking through Budapest posts, missing it a bit and came across this one again.

Ah, so you did like tuica! Great. Fiery stuff, but tasty. We liked the wines too. Had a number of favs from Vrancea, who also makes the Vampyre wines, and all are very inexpensive. I know those places you listed. We were at the monasteries and stayed a few days in Sighisoara back in October, plus a number of other places. Wonderful country, great people, more horse drawn carts than you can shake a stick at (plus, they really don't like you shaking sticks at them anyway). I did not know about the cheese in the paint! How anyone thought that would work is beyond me, but it did. The majority of those external frescos are still there and bright. One whole side of a church tells a panel story. At some of them, the frescos cover the outside AND inside. Sighisoara was the birth place of Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia - the "real" Dracula (he did have that title and it does mean Son of the Devil or Dragon). His house is still there in the citadel.

I'm glad you had a good time. I'm also glad it's you and not me out there waltzing. Ahem. Trust me, I'd look a complete fool in any waltz, but if a hockey game breaks out, let me know and I'm there.

I hope you have a great time in Vienna for the night even if you don't dance. Good pastries and drink... nothing wrong with that.

Marty06807

Hello Aliska. My wife and I are also going to Prague, Vienna and Budapest in September. First time for each of us in Eastern (and Central) Europe. We appreciate your comments and the extensive suggestions on this thread, and would love to know how plans are working out. We have tickets from NY to Prague, then back from Budapest two weeks later. (On Czech Airlines). Have made only one hotel reservation so far, the Marriot in Budapest. (It is just the two of us--the kids are on their own (please God!)). I would love to hear about your plans and findings, and would be happy to share mine. My e-mail is [email protected], or perhaps you can keep posting here. Thanks.