We Begin to Say Goodbye

Dori
Courtney with Cherry Palinka

Today we said goodbye to three close friends: Dori, our foreign exchange student, and Karesz and Gyongyi Vandor, my 2009 guides through Hungary.

Dori came to our hotel this afternoon and led us on a trip to Szentendre and back using public transportation: one bus, one tram, a taxi and a boat. It has become blazingly hot in Budapest today, and by 5 p.m., we were happy to be heading back to the city to have dinner and cool off. This was my third trip to this charming but touristy little village so I knew where to get the best pastries and coffee and where to shop for local goods. It wasn’t so charming, however, to pay $1.50 each time to use the public restrooms after downing several lemonades.

Courtney enjoyed a great stuffed pepper dish at a local restaurant and Dori ate her poultry dish with zest. This is a kid who I rarely saw eat anything, so she must have been really hungry for Hungarian cooking.

Courtney’s efforts to speak Hungarian were rewarded again when the waiter brought us desserts on the house: chocolate cake and two palacsintas. Even I have reached my limit on eating dessert and realize that when we hit American soil on Sunday, the party’s over; it’s diet time.

After a quick stop at the hotel to clean up, the three of us headed to Bock Bistro on the Pest side to meet Karesz and Gyongyi. Shortly after they arrived, we had to say goodbye to Dori who had four different buses and trams to get home, and it was already close to p.m. I know we will see Dori again—she is destined for a international university education and career—but it was still sad to say goodbye.

Gyongyi works a long day—until 9 p.m., so we have planned to meet them only for drinks and dessert at Bock’s Bistro. Finally, Karesz had a drinking partner! I never have acquired a taste for palinkas, the strong national drink that makes me feel like my mouth is on fire, but Courtney had no trouble keeping up with Karesz. Four Palinkas later, Karesz was teaching Courtney how to say some pretty nasty swear words appropriate for use while driving behind idiots.

We reminisced a bit about the first trip with Karesz and Gyongyi to find my Weisz and Munk relatives, we talked about Gyongyi’s and Karesz’ disobedient dogs, and Karesz’ other career as a Russian military aviation historian, before heading back to the hotel around 1 a.m.

I like this young couple very much—they work hard, they have high ambitions, clear goals, and a passion for all the things they do. I hope we see each other again very soon, either here or there or anywhere.