#zvolanek

[aupairadventures]

Retracing my Ancestors’ Footsteps in Budapest, Hungary

I promise that I have a good reason for not writing and publishing a blog post in over a month! Since the beginning of April, I’ve been away traveling, exploring new places, making memories, and having a blast.

After spending a little bit of time in Paris, I set off for my first destination: Budapest, Hungary. Due to my grandmother’s Hungarian family ancestry, visiting Hungary has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been very close and had a special connection with my grandmother. Ever since I was young, I always loved hearing her funny, touching, and wild stories about her childhood and growing up in a Hungarian immigrant family. I especially love my grandmother’s stories about her grandmother, a strong, bold, and colorful woman named Anna Zvolanek. As my grandmother’s story goes, Anna left Hungary when she was only 16 in search of new opportunities. She immigrated to the US, passed through Ellis Island, and then began a new life in Long Island, New York. She soon fell in love with my grandmother’s grandfather, another Hungarian immigrant named Edward Cheslock, and the two began a family of their own. According to my grandmother, Anna was a phenomenal cook and pastry maker, and was famous in the neighborhood for her incredible apple strudel, poppy seed roll cakes, and apricot “rugelach.”

According to my grandmother, Anna grew up in a small village just outside of Budapest. My grandmother says that when she was a child, she remembers seeing Anna often returning to Budapest to visit her extended family. My theory is that during my time in Budapest, I must have unknowing walked down the same street that Anna once did or visited the same place that once was familiar to her. It’s for these reasons that my journey to Budapest didn’t feel like any regular trip, but rather like an important spiritual pilgrimage. During my time in this beautiful city, I feel that I truly learned the importance of returning to your roots, learning about your family’s history, and retracing your ancestor’s footsteps. This experience made me feel even closer to my grandmother and gave me a better understanding of everything that has led to my existence and made me who I am. 

I was so happy to have my friend Gabriela by my side during this journey, and I have her to thank for this amazing time spent in Budapest. Several months ago, after Gabriela read in one of my blog posts that it was my dream to one day travel to Hungary, she reached out to me. She told me that she also had been wanting to explore this country and asked if I would want to travel there together. I responded that yes, of course, I would, and a plan was created!

I’ve known Gabriela since we were tiny students at Morris Elementary School in Lenox, Massachusetts, and our houses were on the same street. Gabriela and I both attended high school at Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where we grew close while participating in our school’s Theme Committee. Since Gabriela is a year older than me and was in the grade above me, I’ve always looked up to her as a role model and thought of her as a hardworking student, compassionate community member, strong young woman, and great friend. After traveling with her, I’m glad to add “Amazing travel companion” to that list! After our time together in Budapest, I’ve become convinced that we’re a traveling-match made in Heaven. Years ago, who would have thought that Miss Hall’s two girls from Lenox would one day be living abroad, one in Italy and the other in France, and would decide to meet up in Hungary? 

Throughout the trip, the two of us had an absolute blast together. Almost every moment that we spent together was filled with the best conversations. We talked about everything from  how our adventures abroad have been to the 2020 American presidential election. We talked politics, feminism, had deep philosophical conversations that made my head hurt, re-lived old Miss Hall’s memories, shared silly stories, and laughed non-stop. I always love the conversations that the two of us share. We could talk for hours about everything and nothing all at once, and somehow never run out of things to talk about. 

The moment that I fell in love with Budapest, I fell fast and hard. While I had never visited this city before and everything was unfamiliar to me, I simultaneously felt so comfortable and so at home. Every ray of sunshine or gust of wind seemed to be calling out to me, “Welcome home, Shanti. We’re so happy to have you back.” Budapest is without a doubt one of the coolest cities that I’ve ever visited. The streets are filled with such distinctive character, and the city radiates an intriguing, funky energy that I’ve never encountered anywhere else. Whether you’re exploring the Jewish quarter, visiting a stunning cathedral, trying a new kind of traditional Hungarian food, watching a breathtaking sunset, or seeing the city’s sparking lights at night time, there’s always something new and exciting to try out. There’s never a shortage of interesting things to do, and “boring” is the last word that anyone would ever use to describe this place. This city always keeps you guessing, and there are surprises waiting around every corner. 

It goes without saying that I highly recommend visiting Budapest to my fellow travelers! Here are some of my favorite places that you absolutely have to visit:

Not too far from our hostel (a lovely little spot called “Meander Hostel” that I would recommend that my fellow travelers on a budget,) was St. Stephen’s Basilica. While this building might look a little surprising and not like a traditional church, (“Oh! I thought it was a government building!” exclaimed Gabriela when she saw it for the first time), it is nonetheless a beautiful and fascinating piece of architecture. If you think that the outside is gorgeous, just wait until you see the interior. With its colorful, golden, mosaic ceilings, the inside of this basilica was so beautiful that it made my jaw drop. On Sunday morning, I joined Gabriela as she attended an 8 am mass at St. Stephen’s. While I am not at all religious myself, I still greatly enjoyed this experience. I thought that the ceremony was so interesting and beautiful, and it made me understand why attending mass each Sunday morning is so important to so many people around the world. While I still don’t consider myself a religious person and don’t think that attending weekly mass will be a part of my life,  I will happily join my religious friends when they attend mass, if I’m invited. Thank you, Gabriela, for sharing this experience with me and answering all of my many questions!

One of my favorite places in Budapest is Fisherman’s Bastion, an absolutely gorgeous terrace located on the Buda side of the Danube river. Featuring 7 fairy-tale like towers, this site offers the perfect view of the beautiful city of Budapest. While standing on the terrace, you can see a panoramic view of the city and see some of Budapest’s most famous sites, such as the Chain Bridge,  St. Stephen's Basilica and the Hungarian Parliament Building. Budapest is beautiful at all times of day, but it’s especially breathtaking in the evening. I recommend going up to Fisherman’s Bastion to see a beautiful sunset and then watch nighttime fall over the city as the lights come up and the city begins to sparkle. 

One of the most beautiful places to visit at night time is the Parliament building. When the sun goes down, this building is lit up with gorgeous golden light and looks like a star shining at the edge of the Danube river. I highly recommend taking a stroll along the river next to the Parliament building in order to see this magnificent sight. Remember to walk to the back of the building to see the reflection in the water mirror, as pictures below:

Just behind Fisherman’s Bastion, you’ll find St. Matthias Cathedral. This cathedral, with a gleaming white exterior and an intriguingly unique and colorful roof, is another beautiful site. A short walk away from Fisherman’s Bastion, also located on the Buda Hill, you can find the Buda Castle. (We didn’t visit this site this time around, but we saved it for our next trip to Budapest!)

When in Budapest, you absolutely have to visit one of the thermal baths. Gabriela and I visited the Szechenyi Thermal Baths, and I can say with full authority that it was worth every penny. The warm, healing water felt absolutely incredible; our poor feet were so sore after all of the walking we did in the city, and the water definitely helped! The baths that we used were located in a large outdoor courtyard surrounding by a stunning, buttercup yellow, palace-like building. Going to the thermal baths was a great way to spend a sunny morning, and I highly recommend this activity to my fellow travelers. My only complaint was that this specific location was very touristy and quite crowded, as it’s the main thermal bath spot in Budapest. While we didn’t visit it, I’ve heard good things about another thermal bath location called Gellért, which I’ll check out the next time that I visit Budapest.

On my last day in Budapest, I went on a free walking tour about the history of Budapest’s monuments, which I found to be very interesting. During the tour, I learned a lot about this city’s rich and complex history, which further deepened my understanding of this place. Our tour guide was lovely and enthusiastic, and the tour was a blast. I highly recommend doing one of these tours on your first day in Budapest, as it will help you get a good understanding of the layout of the city, and your tour guide will give you great recommendations for things to do, places to see, and delicious food to eat. You can find these daily tours with the organization “Budapest Free Walking Tours”  on the steps of St. Stephen’s Basilica.  If you want to join a tour, don’t worry about signing up, just show up!

The organization offers tours about the history of Budapest, communism in Hungary, and the Jewish Quartier in both English and Spanish; just check the website to find out the schedule. And of course, remember to give your tour guide a well-deserved tip!

One of the many great things about Budapest is that the food and restaurants are super cheap, making it an ideal city for travelers on a budget. The food in Budapest was seriously amazing, and Gabriela and I truly ate our way through this city. As a result, we have lots of recommendations for must-have traditional dishes and great restaurants. Here are some of our favorite spots:

Lion’s Locker: One of the absolute best places we went to was Lion’s Locker, an adorable little cafe and breakfast spot located on a tiny side street. We were so glad that our wanderings lead us here, as the food was great and the staff were almost as sweet as the raspberry jam “Hungarian crepes” that I had for breakfast.

Espresso Embassy: If you’re searching for the perfect coffee shop, look no further than Espresso Embassy. I swear, I had the best chai tea latte of my life there, (which is really saying something as I’m quite addicted to them and tend to order one everywhere I go.)

Hummus Bar: On a tight budget, but still craving something delicious? Try Hummus Bar, a super cheap yet very healthy and insanely good hummus and falafel restaurant. This place is quite popular in Budapest, and you can find their different locations all around the city.

Làngos: Another great option for travelers on a budget are langos, a super-not-good-for-you-but-so-good traditional fast food made of fried dough, sour cream, copious amounts of cheese, and vegetable or meat toppings (A bit like a deep-fried pizza!) If you’re looking for something cheap and quick for dinner, try a langos food truck. So unhealthy, but so delicious! Just a warning: Food truck langos can be a bit difficult to eat with your hands sometimes, and can result in sour cream ending up all over your face and pieces of cheese spilled all over you: This is probably not the best option for first-date food.

If you’re craving langos but want to feel a bit fancier, try the Langos Papa restaurant. It’s just as delicious, but with toppings like arugula, goat cheese, honey, and walnuts, it feels a bit more gourmet.

Another great restaurant, located just a few doors down from Langos Papa, is a traditional Hungarian restaurant called Kantin. There, we tried some traditional dishes like goulash, creamy mushroom soup, paprika mushroom noodles, cottage cheese dumplings, and cherry strudel, all of which were incredible.

Karavana Food Truck Market: Located in the Jewish Quarter, this lively food truck market is perfect for a casual night out. Here, you can find lots of different kinds of cuisine: everything from traditional Hungarian dishes to french fries and burgers. (Or, the perfect combination of the two: Langos burgers!) My personal favorite was a food truck called Las Vegans, which offered delicious vegan veggie burgers and healthy fruit and vegetable smoothies.

Szimpla Sunday Farmers' Market: You can also find this awesome farmer’s market every Sunday morning in the Jewish Quarter. Located in an old “ruin-bar,” this was without a doubt the hippest, coolest, and the most interesting market I’ve ever been to. Gabriela and I came here for breakfast after mass on Sunday morning and ended up spending hours here. There are lots of stands with fresh, local vegetables, freshly baked bread, cheese, mouth-watering pastries, and traditional Hungarian cuisine. At the ruin-bar counter, you can also find coffee and tea, of course. The tables set up in the courtyard in the back make it the ideal place to grab breakfast or lunch, try some delicious food, and get lost in conversation.

The Great Market Hall: If you want to go to a market on a day that’s not Sunday, try the Great Market Hall. Here, you can also find lots of vegetables, meats, and yummy pastries. This is also a great place to pick up some souvenirs, gift, and postcards. However, speaking honestly, the Great Market Hall doesn’t come close to the Szimpla Sunday Farmers' Market. After hanging out in that adorable, picture-picture market, the Great Market Hall, unfortunately, felt a little bit underwhelming. But, that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth a visit! 

Gelarto Rosa: For some dessert, try the Gelarto Rosa gelato shop. The rose-shaped treats are almost too beautiful to eat, but oh-so-delicious. Located right next to St. Stephen’s Basilica, you can enjoy your treat on the church’s steps or by one of the fountains in the square. 

Chimney Cakes are another popular dessert that I highly recommend. These pastries are made of dough, cinnamon, and sugar, or chocolate, and are baked in a cylinder shape with a hollow center. When you pull a piece off, the cake begins to unravel and resembles a slinky toy. Cool, right? A cinnamon and sugar chimney cake was the perfect afternoon snack for Gabriela and I after we got caught in an unexpected rainstorm and were in need of some warmth and cheering up.

My journey to this city was nothing short of magical. I left this city feeling in love, deeply moved, and closer to my family’s heritage than ever before. I boarded my return flight to Paris with a happy heart, dreaming of my next trip to Budapest; I can’t wait to come back to this city and learn even more. I feel so proud to say that my family comes from this beautiful and fascinating place. Thank you for everything, Budapest!

[vitalcity]

Richard Zvolánek atakuje vrcholové priečky na TRANS GRANCANARIA 2017 (rozhovor)

Frutarián Richard Zvolánek bodoval už na niekoľkých pretekoch formátu ultra-trail nielen doma ale aj v zahraničí. Za veľký úspech vo svetovej konkurencií pokladáme jeho výsledok na podujatí Lavaredo Ultra Trail v roku 2014 (119 km, 5850 m), kde obsadil perfektné 14. miesto. Doma svoje vedúce postavenie ultratrailového bežca podčiarkol napríklad na pretekoch Stefanik Trail 2016 (144 km, 5330 m), kde finišoval nielen v traťovom rekorde, ale historicky po prvýkrát dokázal ako jednotlivec preteky dokončiť pred štafetami.

V súčasnosti trénuje na Kanárskych ostrovoch, pretože tie sa už tento víkend stanú dejiskom pretekov Trans GranCanaria. Rišo sa postaví na trať dlhú 125 km s prevýšením 8000 m. Prikladáme krátky „warm up“ rozhovor o jeho dojmoch a pocitoch pred celkom náročnými pretekmi.

V: Rišo, ľudia ťa nepoznajú len ako bežca, ale aj ako frutariána (pozn. redakcie, frutariáni konzumujú zväčša surové ovocie). Ako je to s kvalitou ovocia na Kanárskych ostrovoch? Dominuje dovoz ako u nás alebo sa dá dobre nakúpiť aj v lokálnom zelovoci? Čo bude tvojou “poslednou večerou” pred pretekmi?

R: Tu na Kanároch pekne vidno, ako Španieli predávajú svojim ľuďom už v bežných obchodoch z 90% lokálne/v Španielsku pestované ovocie a zeleninu. Tu na Kanárskych ostrovoch sa pestuje veľa ovocia a zeleniny čo chuťovo znamená, že ovocie je oveľa sladšie, lebo môže lepšie dozrieť na strome/kríku a pestovateľ sa nemusí obávať, že jeho produkty zhnijú pri dlhej preprave do obchodov.  Takisto tu jem aj napriek dvom tréningovým fázam oveľa menej ovocia ako doma. Určite v tom hraje rolu aj slnko, no hlavne nutričný obsah lokálneho ovocia.

Zaujímavosťou je napríklad to, že tu nemajú lokálne pestované mangá a to sa aj prejavilo na cene (6,5€/kg).

Mojou poslednou večerou už bude iba ovocie, lebo to obsahuje menej vlákniny a tak nezaťaží trávenie vtedy, keď má telo naberať silu.

  V: Vieme, že si aj napriek štedrej snehovej nádielke doma tvrdo trénoval. Na aký výsledok si na Trans GranCanarií trúfaš? Hoci ešte nie je deň štartu, si už na preteky pripravený?

Áno, januárová snehová nádielka, ktorá sa držala a do môjho odchodu na Kanáre mi urobila trochu škrt cez tréningový rozpočet. Kto by to bol povedal, že po piatich rokoch zím takmer bez snehu v okolí Košíc zrazu tak nasneží? Preto som musel od základov zmeniť prípravu, no mám pocit, že aj napriek menším objemom som celkom slušne pripravený a tak cieľ prebojovať sa do TOP10 by bol pri do seba zaklapnutí všetkých faktorov celkom reálny. O podobné sa ale bude určite pokúšať aj zvyšných minimálne 84. ďalších favoritov z celého sveta. Ja dám do oho všetko a pokúsim sa ešte niečo pridať navyše. A ak to nevyjde s umiestnením, budem spokojný aj tak, lebo som dal do toho všetko.

  V: Na Kanároch si už nejaký týždeň, stihol si preskúmať trať a jej “nástrahy”?

R: Ubytovanie som pri cieli/štarte nezohnal a tak som vzdialený až nejakých 20 km od cieľa. Takže nemám dosah na trasu pretekov. To ma ale veľmi neškrie, keďže na Kanároch som už bol s rodinou dovolenkovať niekoľko krát a poznám tvrdosť miestneho terénu. Dokonca som ho pred pár dňami vyskúšal aj na svojom tele, kedy som sa počas tréningového behu kochal výhľadmi. No až na zopár menších tržných rán po kotrmelci (bez trička) mi nič nie je. Aspoň si dám viac pozor počas pretekov. Miestny podklad je totiž z magmy a kamene z nej sú naozaj ostré.

 V: Vieme, že na pretekoch používaš aj “športovú stravu”. Z našich pretekoch Horský beh Smolník 2016 si si okrem krásneho druhého miesta odniesol aj vegánsky proteínový shake Reflex. Pomohol ti v príprave?

Áno, Reflex je super chuťovo a aj urýchľuje regeneráciu oveľa efektívnejšie ako bežné mliečne bielkovinové prípravky, ktoré som pred rokmi užíval. Osobne ho užívam po ťažkých tréningoch. Tu na Kanároch skoro každý deň po každom behu, aby som nič nenechal náhode.

  V: Rišo, držíme prsty a ako hovorieva náš spoločný kamarát - veríme, že na pretekoch pôjdeš obrazne povedané až “na krf”.

R: Áno, tentoraz nebudem mať na výber a "na krf" plánujem ísť od 25. km ...dúfam, že to nebude aj doslova.

  Zdroj: blog.vitalcity.sk

Za VitalCity.sk sa rozprával Martin Kovaľ

[inkandpenstemon]

Whiny Post

If the graveyard of plant tags from failed germination attempts reflected my actual garden, I’d have a serious collection. As it is, I have a few scrappy survivors that occasionally, and after many years, turn out well. The Zauschneria (Epilobium) from the previous posting is a case-in-point.

As I’ve become more ambitious and a bit more focused this autumn, I usually have at least one plant of something that survives until the autumn from the previous winter sowing. I surprised myself the other day with some small successes as I planted out Genista albida and Chamaecystisus queneri, both unusual members of Fabaceae from Turkey. 

But, admittedly, I feel somewhat discouraged and stuck. Much of the discouragement comes when I compare myself to my gardening friends who are either much focused in their garden lives, and don’t have the demands of family and children I do at present. Certain friends from Colorado try to be conciliatory and gracious by going along with my excuses. Not. Helping.

Kenton Seth considering futures in tufa.

Given I can grow so much in my fertile and ancient river alluvium, my excuses are rather piss-poor. You take care of what you value, and it’s obvious that I have not been valuing my garden beyond background scenery for the past couple of years. Geez, at the moment, I can’t even remember my native backyard flora without names getting fuzzy.

Comparisons are odious but difficult to avoid with the company I keep. My nearest competition in rock gardening (that I know of) is the Stiremans, the prolific plantsmen of plantsmen around here, who have been gardening with a methodical and scientific focus collectively for forty years or more. There’s not some excellent, weird, rare plant that I’ve tried from seed that they haven’t already grown. John tries to make us all feel better by insisting his success at Mesembryanthemum cultivation was a result of the practical truth that they are the one plant that he has managed to grow consistently for so many years at his home, which happens to be located in a cold-sink. In the meantime, he’s picking out every passing falling leaf from his garden by hand. I’ve got a lot of weedy, half-empty perennial borders and  pile of limestone rubble in my front yard with bindweed growing out if it that I’ll get to…eventually. 

String of serious gardeners, left to right: John Stireman, Cathy King, Zdenek Zvolanek, Tony Stireman. Inspiring company admiring John’s garden & commitment and skill.

But planting out the Genista and Chamaecystisus have breathed fresh interest into me. Even more, of the seed of the very red Eriogonum corymbosum I collected in the Swell last autumn, I got one seedling from it. If I can plant it out, or at least have it survive the winter in the cold frame, that will be a small coup. Not because the seed is difficult, but because its aged florescence was very red, and worth the attempt, and now I’ve had success by the skin of my teeth. It’s what keeps me going as an amateur or fake-beginner or whatever I am. I hope that after many years of such meager successes, I will have a garden that is a testament to both skill and commitment. I don’t think great gardens come without both.

[guardiannews24]

Nebraska company sees surge in ventilation equipment sales

Nebraska company sees surge in ventilation equipment sales

CORTLAND, Neb. – A Cortland business has found success selling ventilation equipment to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Company co-founder Jeff Zvolanek said Industrial Maid is having one of its best months in the last 16 years thanks to increased awareness of filtration systems that can neutralize COVID-19. The company’s I-Series air purifier uses a Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization system that…

[josephscollegecosmetology]

🦋 Sarah Boyce (left) & Victoria Zvolanek participated in the "Week of Welcome" at Scc in Beatrice. They reminded everyone that we ♥️ students. We offer special discounts to all students with ID at the time of appointment. . . . #josephscollege #southeastcommunitycollege #unk #unl #beatricene #beatricenebraska #beautycollege