BudapestZIN

Bruce Willis and his baby Mabel Ray in Budapest

2012-05-10T23:26:00.000+02:00

This is the little one-month old daughter Mabel Ray of Bruce Willis who is now filming in Budapest. Being one of the first photo of the baby, Bruce's wife Emma Heming had tweeted this photo on Twitter with her tweet saying "A wonderful day in Budapest with the love of my life, Mabel's faher and get to know each other." Mabel is the youngest daughter of Bruce, the number forth and she was given birth in Los Angeles. In case you want to catch Bruce Willis in the making of Die Hard 5, here's the schedule.

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foodchef.net

Spot Bruce Willis in Budapest, Die Hard 5

2012-04-29T20:41:00.000+02:00

April 24: District VI, Vörösmarty utca.
April 29: District VI, Városligeti fasor.
May 3 (from 8:00 p.m.) and May 4 (from 6:00 a.m.) District V, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út, Arany János utca, Andrássy út.
May 5-6: District XIV, Fine Arts Museum (Szépművészeti Múzeum), Dózsa György út 41.
May 8 (from 6:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.) District XIV, 1956ers Square (56-osok tere), near the corner of Damjanich utca and Dembinszky utca.
May 14: Return to the beginning (Szabadság tér)

Bruce Willis is here in Budapest, filming the Die Hard 5.

So if you are walking in the area and affected by the traffic, that's because he is filming.

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http://www.servicedapartmentbangkok.com/

Budapest Palinka Festival

2012-04-26T22:28:00.000+02:00

Budapest Palinka Festival is happening on the 10th May to 13th May 2012.

Apricot is the fruit in focus this year (it was plum in 2011). Meet the distillers and exhibitors at Hunyadi Square. Other gastronomic experiences such as wine, homemade cheese, Hungarian sausages, champagne will be available as well. If you go to Barackos Square or Oroszlanos Square, you can get a new taste in a new dimension of the unusual flavours and also special apricot delicacies. There will be tasting opportunities for the limited edition palinka that will be in special packaging too. The finest palinka from the best distillers: Harmatrázó, Békési, Villányi, Szalontai, Rex, Zwack, Gusto, Rézangyal, Schiszler, Csalló and Hegyközi

Budapest ports, ships, boats

2012-04-22T23:46:00.002+02:00

Walking along the river Danube in Budapest especially during the evening you will see a lot of ships and boats being on sightseeing. The Budapest lights are beautiful during the evening having all the bridges and the surrounding buildings lighted.

MAHART INFORMATION: (36-1) 484-4013

Vigadó square Landing Stage (Yellow building)
Tel.: (36-1) 318-1223
e-mail: ertekesites@mahartpassnave.hu
web: www.mahartpassnave.hu

MAHART Passnave Passenger Shipping Ltd is the biggest and oldest shipping company in Hungary. Water passenger transport in Hungary has traditionally been focused primarily on the Danube, an international waterway, the Lake Balaton and the River Tisza during its more than 100 years of history.

The ports of Budapest are located at:

International : V. Belgrád rakpart (between the Erzsébet Bridge and the Szabadság Bridge)
Inland : V. Vígadó tér (between the Chain Bridge and the Erzsébet Bridge)

CheapOstay Promo Codes

Some offers from the MAHART:

BUDAPEST - BRATISLAVA - VIENNA International hydrofoil service

DANUBE CORSO - SIGHTSEEING CRUISES

BUDAPEST BY NIGHT

VIGADÓ SQUARE - BATTHYÁNY SQUARE - MARGARET ISLAND

BUDAPEST - SZENTENDRE downtown

THE DANUBE BEND

FOLKLORE EVENING ON THE DANUBE

Cocktail party

19th International Book Festival Budapest, Millenáris

2012-04-18T11:35:00.000+02:00

19th International Book Festival Budapest
19—22 April 2012 Millenáris

Although the Book Festival will close one day before the World Book and Copyright Day, the opening of the Book Festival on 19 April will be held in the spirit of 23 April, the day commemorating the anniversary of the death of Shakespeare and Cervantes, with the gesture of giving flowers and books. The ladies visiting the Book Festival on the opening day will be presented with a red rose.
The Book Festival will be opened by Dr Miklós Réthelyi, Minister of the Ministry of National Resources. The welcome address on behalf of the Guest of Honour Nordic Countries will be given by Ms Gunn Karin Gjul, Member of the Norwegian Parliament and Chair of the Standing Committee on Family and Cultural Affairs and Katarina Mazetti Swedish author.

As a tradition reaching back nearly twenty years, the Festival’s Guest of Honour writer is featured on the opening day. World-famous Italian writer Claudio Magris is presented to the audience in Budapest in an on-stage conversation with Péter Esterházy hosted by József Mélyi. This is followed by a laudation by Krisztián Grecsó after which István Tarlós, Lord Mayor of Budapest, will present the Budapest Grand Prize to the Italian writer. Both Európa Book Publishing and Libri Book Publishing have scheduled several new editions for Magris’ visit to Budapest.

For the twelfth time now, the Budapest book fair hosts the European First Novel Festival, a joint presentation of the continent’s most talented young prose writers. It started out as an EU literary event, but by now is attended not only by authors from the Community, but, as this year, for example, by one first-volume writer each from Croatia, Switzerland and Turkey. At this literary festival of considerable international prestige Hungary is represented by Péter Gerőcs this year. As in the nearly twenty years of the Book Festival, the exhibiting countries and the Hungarian publishers, too, invite their authors so that writers from nearly all countries of Europe attend the event on the occasion of the publication of the Hungarian editions of their new books.

Apart from the Nordic countries with their imposing Guest of Honour stand, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, China, Spain, Slovakia, Italy, Brazil and, after several years of involuntary absence, Germany – as a cooperation of the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Budapest Goethe-Institut – will present a rich choice of its book production. Despite the crises hitting both the international and the Hungarian book market that has been lasting for years, the space rented by international, domestic and Hungarian publishers from the neighbouring countries has not decreased; the stands again occupy an area of more than 1500 m2.

As opposed to most book markets in the world, in Hungary this is not the only book fair where the players of the book industry and readers can meet. As the Book Festival is followed by the Festive Book Week taking place only one and a half months later, an event consisting of programmes all over the country looking back on a history of more than 80 years that features contemporary Hungarian literature, the Festival aims to provide a comprehensive overview of Hungary’s book production. Domestic enterprises and Hungarian book publishers from the neighbouring countries schedule their major new ventures and, in view of its international character, also their world literature projects for the Book Festival. From the start, the organiser of the Book Festival, the Hungarian Publishers’ and Booksellers’ Association, meant to address the Hungarian book-loving audience, as a result of which the halls at the Millenáris as well as its park, as opposed to most book fairs in the world, operate as a huge bookshop during the four days of the Festival. The entrance tickets available for 500 forints are in fact a means of attracting visitors, as the amount can be cashed in full for buying books at any Hungarian stand.

It was not by chance that we called our book fair a festival, as from its opening on Thursday noon until its closing on Sunday evening it offers a wide variety of programmes. The more than 350 programmes listed in the programme booklet include on-stage conversations, book presentations, writers’ portraits, concerts, film presentations as well as exhibitions and theatre premieres. This year, the Festival is enriched by an exceptional variety of exhibitions. Apart from the two exhibitions by the Nordic countries (one of which commemorates Henrik Ibsen), Israel offers a beautiful exhibition of children’s book illustrations, and Napvilág Publishing hosts Roma Holocaust, an exhibition of photographer Jutka Rona who lives in the Netherlands. One of the most spectacular and largest-scale exhibitions is Objections, an overview of the history of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade , presented by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, the trade organisation of the German book trade. As three former winners of the prize, Claudio Magris, György Konrád and Péter Esterházy will be attending the Book Festival, they will jointly open the exhibition in the evening of the opening day. And finally, our partners of long standing, the Hungarian Illustrators’ Society and the Hungarian Book Artists’ Society, will present their latest exhibitions.

Every year, we proudly emphasise the international character of our event, the Festival presenting young writers as a result of European collaboration, the world-famous authors visiting Budapest, the quality of Hungarian translations, the openness towards world literature, and the material exhibited by the European and overseas countries that are justly proud of their book production, but the April Book Festival is primarily a platform for presenting Hungarian language book culture. Two thirds of the nearly five hundred stands at the Book Festival are rented by Hungarian exhibitors, and since the change of regime (1989), we promote the integration of Hungarian publishers from the neighbouring countries into domestic and international book culture by providing a stand for each of these regions free of charge. The Festival’s visitors can meet more than 400 Hungarian writers, scientists, artists and persons of public life from Hungary and the neighbouring countries and have books signed by them. Although the Book Festival cannot measure up to the several hundred book signing opportunities of the Festive Book Week, it is still a place for fans to meet the cream of Hungarian authors from Sándor Csoóri to Anna Jókai, from László Darvasi and János Lackfi to Sándor Kányádi, from György Dragomán to László Krasznahorkai, from Péter Esterházy and László Márton to Miklós Vámos, and from Béla Markó to Géza Szőcs at the book signing table.

The XIXth International Book Festival Budapest occupies the whole of the Millenáris. The largest-scale events take place at the Teátrum, the two levels of the largest hall – the name of which changes from Jövő Háza to Building B – host the book stands, and in the nine programme halls of different sizes that are named after respected personalities of Hungarian book publishing and literature, visitors can attend a variety of simultaneously organised programmes. Alongside the Millenáris pond, there will be an arrangement of pavilions creating the atmosphere of an open-air book fair. At the Open-air Theatre of the Millenáris, hopefully in fine weather, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy poetry-based concerts by the Kaláka Ensemble and the Kávészünet Ensemble. As in previous years, the most visited area is likely to be the Children’s Lit Kingdom jointly organised by the Hungarian children’s book publishers, as it offers a large variety of programmes: readings, puppet shows, story-telling, playhouse events, concerts, dancing, and, of course, book presentations providing the overall framework, which are all very popular with families with small children.

As it appears from the above, the Book Festival – as suggested by its name – is primarily a cultural event. But it is also the major professional forum of the players of the Hungarian book market. As an unparalleled feature it includes the Librarians’ Club mobilising more than 2000 librarians that has been an integral part of the Book Festival since its launch, the programmes of which focus on the digital preservation of our intellectual heritage. Another current topic, e-book publishing, is discussed at the conference jointly organised by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels and the Hungarian Publishers’ and Booksellers’ Association.

The more than 300 novelties, the many international and Hungarian guest authors and the 350 cultural programmes presenting and promoting the works and their authors are more than enough reason to provide book lovers with the most comprehensive information possible. Information on the participants and the programmes of the Festival can be found on our website at www.bookfestival.hu. In addition, the daily Népszabadság, the weekly Heti Válasz, the cultural weekly Élet és Irodalom and the Hungarian Lettre Internationale will publish special issues. In cooperation with the book industry monthly Új Könyvpiac, we will publish the catalogue of the novelties scheduled for the Book Festival both in print and online, and novelties will be marked at the stands with special bookmarks. From its studio set up at the Book Festival, the public service Hungarian Radio will cover the event in several programmes every day, and to those looking for information on the Festival’s programmes online, we recommend the reports on the literary and cultural sites litera.hu and prae.hu.

source: http://www.bookfestival.hu

Waterproof camera

Excursions from Budapest - Venice, Italy

2012-04-17T20:45:00.000+02:00

Venice, Italy

The MÁV-START Railway Passenger Transport Co. (MÁV-Start) offers a special night train opportunity from Budapest to Venice. The train departures from the Keleti Pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station) of Budapest around 5 pm and after a smooth night sleeping on the train you will arrive to Venice next morning around 7 am.

Last March, I have just tried this train with Zannnie and for a couple, the double bed ticket costed about 79 EURO/persons. If we consider that we arrange the travel costs and the accommodation with one single ticket, it is quite a reasonable price. The train comes back in the evening at 9.20pm, so it is possible to organize an extra fast "jump" to Venice, spending there an entire day for some impressions and coming back in the evening.

We would rather recommend you to spend at least one night in Venice, in a hotel, hostel or in any other kind of accommodations. Such way, you still can manage a two days/three nights visit at a reasonable price.

I wouldn't say that everything is perfect on the night train, there is still a lot to improve but in general we had a safe and cool trip to Italy. To me personally, it was definitely more fun than flying.

We have created short video about the train-trip for you:

The other nearby city you can explore from Budapest is to Vienna, Austria.
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www.uniqueworldhotels.com

Ferries to France

Ferienwohnungen Costa Brava

Fashion in Socialism

2012-04-15T10:31:00.001+02:00

Our exhibition looks back upon the four decades of state controlled fashion, the years from the fifties to the end of the eighties.

Following the years of anti-fashion policy of the Hungarian Workers’ Party, the golden age of workers’ clothes and tractor-overalls, the idea of neatly dressed women, mainly working women, resurfaced in the second half of the 1950s. The state institutions controlling the fashion of the era undertook this task. Their efforts, and the collections exhibited in representative shows, served as proof at home as well as abroad that there was something beyond the iron curtain that could be called fashion. The socialist fashion served as a shop window for the world as well as for us. It was an instrument in the hands of the political elite to make us believe our national economy was functioning well, ignoring the records in the complaint books and the acute shortage of articles indicated in commercial reports.

A large part of the exhibited articles are examples of the „socialist good taste“, as well as of the honorable efforts made by our wives and daughters, proving that it was possible to follow the fashion trends in Hungary as well, even if these trends were subordinated to functionality and moderation. Not only the privileged women, but also ordinary people could find a way, somehow, to be nicely dressed: they either worked nights in the „second economy“ for some extra money, or they smuggled and bought the current clothes on the black market, or they dressed from packages sent by relatives or friends living abroad. In some cases, they sewed clothes, or had them sewed from material received from Western Europe and America or bought under the counter in Hungary.

With the help of the presented articles, documents and movies, we intended – without aiming at any completeness - to introduce a period of time and its relation to fashion. The collection as a whole can be seen in itself as a shop window, dressed according to the main conceptions of aesthetics and attraction, that introduces visitors to a small segment of the given field.

The exhibiton is available till the 14th of January, 2008

Contact:

Curator of the exhibition: Ildikó Simonovics

Budapest Historical Museum – Kiscelli Museum

1037-Budapest, Kiscelli utca 108.

T/F: 368-79-17

Tel: 250-03-04, 388-85-60

www.btm.hu

fabrics

Gerlóczy Restaurant

2012-04-09T14:47:00.002+02:00

Gerlóczy is in international Restaurant, Hotel and Café in Budapest downtown. One of those old fashioned places where the waiters are in an uniform that together with the entire place resembles the style of the 1930's.

On the menu you can find mainly Hungarian food with some French and Italian influence. I think the place is more famous of their fresh breakfast which is available from 7.00 am every day. Since it is in the middle of the downtown, not far from Váci utca we recommend you to try, especially for the spring or summertime when you can sit outside enjoying the atmosphere of the Kamermayer square.

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Blackberry Offers

Easter in Hungary

2012-04-04T23:33:00.000+02:00

Easter in Hungary is observed in accordance with the rituals of the Eastern Orthodox Church. On Holy Saturday, worshippers congregate in the church for midnight resurrection ceremonies. After the church service people carry a statue of Christ and religious banners in a procession through the parish, singing appropriate hymns.

The Hungarians call Lent the Great Fast (nagyböjt). Since meat is forbidden during Lent, the day before Ash Wednesday is called húshagyó kedd, meaning meat abandoning Tuesday. On Holy Saturday or Nagyszombat, people take food baskets filled with kalács, red eggs and salt to the church to be blessed by the clergy. The blessed food is eaten after the resurrection ceremonies.

3137 - handmade Easter eggs, originally uploaded by CsabX.

On Easter Monday, also known as Water Plunge Monday, boys sprinkle girls with perfume or perfumed water. While once young men used to pour buckets of water over young women's heads, today they spray perfume or cologne or just plain water, and then ask for a kiss and a red egg.

(photo: gdraskoy)

unique destination favors

Singing City

2012-03-25T23:30:00.001+02:00

Within the framework of the Budapest Spring Festival we participated in a very interesting event called Singing City. The event was advertised like this on their website:

"On March 25, we will plant the seeds of song in the city; look for its flowers on squares, in shopping centres and subways, in the streets and on public transport. Amateur and professional choirs will sing on different points of the city, like so many flash mobs bringing colour and sound to the public spaces. To crown the day, the choirs will join forces with conductor Gergely Kesselyák and the Óbuda Danubia Orchestra in a concert near the Akvárium on Erzsébet Square."

We were there and the short concert at the Akvárium (ex-Gödör club) was really great. The conductor successfully involved the audience into the performance. Here is a short video about his efforts to manage this as a trial prior to the event:

And an other short video about the event itself:

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Luton Airport Parking

Vaci utca, Budapest

2012-03-12T08:55:00.002+01:00

One of the main pedestrian thoroughfares, most famous street of central Budapest, Hungary.
Here's where you can shop, not so much til you drop, but the atmosphere is pretty nice :)

Cool Spanish course I found out it up for download here. Check it out now: Rocket Spanish download

Handmade Hungarian Tastes Market | Kézműves Magyar Ízek Vására

2012-03-09T13:46:00.000+01:00

Sample homemade specialities from up to 120 vendors from all around Hungary at the Flavors of Handmade Hungarian Tastes Market (Kézműves Magyar Ízek Vására). The gastro event showcasing homegrown Hungarian products.

At the Cooking show, vote for your favourite vendors and producers. You can also see the featured traditional Hungarian recipes. An ideal family event to bring your kids along. Children will enjoy themselves at the 'kids' corner' with arts and crafts workshops and children programs.

Homemade cheese, ham, sausage, jam, honey, dried fruits, chocolate, wine and palinka are just some of the delicacies awaiting you. Gastro fair is now happening at the Millenaris.

Opening hours:
March 09 - 2 pm to 11 pm
March 10 - noon to 11 pm
March 11 - noon to 8 pm

View Larger Map

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funny pictures

Canon commercial filmed in Budapest

2012-03-07T17:30:00.003+01:00

Snow in Budapest

2012-03-01T14:54:00.003+01:00

We had very heavy snow suddenly after a 'teaser spring'. Well, it means on a fine Tuesday, we woke up suddenly seeing snow of 3 inches thick!

For me I was on my way to the bank first, then I decided to have a longer walk in the snow. It was still snowing and carefully I made my steps to the Budapest Opera House. As I have a date with my love - my hubby, we will see the Mozart's Così fan tutte :)

It's always an experience if it even (once or twice a week), you can get an exceptional service. It would have to be someone Hungarian who really knows how to extend a good service! That would be a lucky day. As usual, the Hungarian ticket sales assistant wasn't the best in her best sales service. What can I say, it is part of Budapest too.

So without more expectations, I left the ticketing office holding the two tickets, happily walking home. The snow was fast flying past my face. It's a strange day with so much snow all of a sudden but it was certainly beautiful!

I made more photos along the way.

There is a girl who is Singaporean and living in Budapest. We haven't met but it was amazing to see her notes about her feelings about the beautiful Budapest. Today I found a video made by her (see above) and I just want to share it. I think it's a great clip to have a feel about how its like living here.

Sir Lancelot Medieval Restaurant

2012-02-28T02:15:00.002+01:00

Style of the middle ages, large portions, sexy waitresses, long benches, located in the downtown in a cellar designed like a castle. That's the Sir Lancelot Medieval Restaurant in Budapest. Their sytle in their menu or on their website is like this:

Ladies and Lords, if thy stomach might crumble,
And your cook be out, the solution is simple,
Thy task then is only to travel,
And the magic of Sir Lancelot's empire unravel.

I have been to this restaurant several times. They do not give you utensils such as the fork to eat - only spoon and knife, and they are rather for groups but we also could get a seat for two without any problem (at a long bench).

So Sir Lancelot is not for romantic dates, it is more for fun dinning with friends and colleagues. In this noisy way, there is always someone taking photos, while the staff is acting. I rarely see there any bored waiters or waitresses, they usually look like being proud of being the attractions.

And they indeed have a lot of attractions. Musicians, weapons on the walls, dresses etc. The food is very delicious. Again not a fitness place, heavy food usually meat with meat.

The place is expensive. For two of us, I paid 8.000 Ft (2007 December) but a couple of years ago when I recommended this place to a group the Holland organizers, they paid as much for that dinner as they had planned for their food expense of a whole week. However, if you are careful enough with your wallet, you can survive in the Sir Lancelot which is obviously a novelty and worth to try.

Address:

1065 Budapest
Podmaniczky str. 14.
+36 1 302 4456
e-mail: info@sirlancelot.hu

BudapestZIN tip: It is better to make an advanced table reservation. They speak English!

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BNXS

The Goulash - Stew or soup?

2012-02-12T21:43:00.000+01:00

[[Danburg Murmur]]

Pörkölt with Spätzle is not the same as the Hungarian Goulash.

Goulash is traditionally a soup. However, these days, there are two variations: mainly the stew that is thicker and the soup version, which is the true original.

The goulash consists of the following key ingredients: Beef cubes, diced onions, vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, spices bay leaf, thyme and ground caraway seeds, seasonings. And the most important spice: the chilli powder (paprika powder).

Goulash is sometimes confused with the pörkölt. Pörkölt is a stew which means the texture is thicker and Hungarian paprika (the vegetable form which is sweet and thin skinned) is added along with tomatoes to create the gravy.

Very frequently, people who fell in love with this dish asked 'what is the secret?'

It lies in the treatment of the paprika powder! How you handle the paprika is absolutely the key to a good pot of goulash.

First, you must fry diced onions (vöröshagyma) in szalonna which is what we called the 'lard'. Once the onion turns light golden colour, lift up the pan off the fire and quickly add paprika powder. Do not underestimate these steps because paprika powder turns bitter if you directly heat it over the fire instead of the 'hot fat'. See the difference?

A good quality base of this mixture is prepared to coat the beef chunks from fresh and well-exercised slab of beef that has muscles rich in collagen in them. Making this dish fantastic when it is converted to gelatin during the cooking process. Coat the beef chunks well and return the pan to the fire.

The second secret is adding of tomatoes to this mixture. The Hungarian tomatoes are sweet and these natural juices from the vegetable makes it really delicious.

Mostly, my wife cooks it with veal (calves' meat). Very rarely from pork or lamb though some people do.

The best accompaniment is the Cucumber Salad (uborkasaláta). This salad is made by marinating thinly sliced cucumber and one small clove of garlic in a dash of vinegar. Soaking it in a water mixture with a small teaspoon of sugar. Refrigerate it for about one hour. Finally, topped it with sour cream before serving.

Other than Hungary, in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, The Netherlands and Italy, you can easily find goulash as one of their menu items. Goulash are also enjoyed in the North American and Slavic cuisines.

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funny art

Hugh Jackman in Budapest, Hungary - Lipton Ice Tea commercial BEHIND THE SCENES

2012-01-28T16:31:00.000+01:00

Hugh Jackman and the crew shot this commercial for Lipton Ice Tea in Budapest, Hungary. Sites include in Budapest: Egyetem square, Festetics Palace at Pollack Mihály square, Szabadság Bridge, Henszlmann Imre street, Jelen, Margitsziget

And here is the longer, final version of the commercial:

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www.makaphoto.com

Walgreens

2012-01-23T00:00:00.001+01:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Not just limited to Budapest, prescriptions are getting more and more expensive nowadays. With the forints getting weaker, you will find that even to get a flu shot is costing more for the entire family in this winter season. If your family wants a good offer in prescriptions, Walgreens has something worthwhile to consider for your entire family. With $10 a year, your immediate family members like your spouse, any and all of your dependents from age under 22 are included to enjoy benefits under this Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens. Even your pets are included.

Basically you enjoy savings on more than 8000 brand-name and also all generic medications. Besides, you get discounts on flu shots, nebulizers, and pet prescriptions. If you have a diabetic member in your family, you can get discounts on diabetic supplies as well. Plus, if you purchase any Walgreens brand products you get bonuses. This bonuses are also extended to you should you be using any of the photo finishing services.

If you are interested, you can find Walgreens on Twitter and stay updated by simply clicking on the LIKE button on their Facebook page. Alternatively, you may follow Walgreens on Facebook. This club is particularly useful for any families that lack sufficient drug coverage. There are already 2 million members in this club, it is totally risk free to join. Even if you would like to join as an individual, it cost only $5 per year.

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traditional blinds

Dohány street Synagogue

2012-01-19T22:45:00.000+01:00

The Dohány Street Synagogue or Great Synagogue (Hungarian: Dohány utcai Zsinagóga/Nagy Zsinagóga, Hebrew: בית הכנסת הגדול של בודפשט‎) in Budapest is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world, after the Temple Emanu-El in New York City. It seats 3,000 people and is a centre of Neolog Judaism.

Synagogue, originally uploaded by zsoolt.

The synagogue is 75m long and 27m wide and was built between 1854 and 1859 in the Moorish style, based chiefly on Muslim models from North Africa and Spain, according to a plan by Ludwig Förster, with interior design partly by Frigyes Feszl. (source: wikipedia)

Dohány Street Synagogue or Great Synagogue, Budapest, originally uploaded by dclawyer.

The Great Synagogue in Dohány Street, also known as the Dohány Synagogue, or the Tabac-Schul, the Yiddish translation of dohány (tobacco), after the Hungarian name of the street, is located in Belváros, the inner city of Pest, in the eastern section of Budapest. It was built between 1854-1859 by the Neolog Jewish community of Pest according to the plans of the Viennese architect Ludwig Foerster. The synagogue neighbors a major Budapest thoroughfare expressing the optimism and the newly elevated status of the Hungarian Jews in the mid years of the 19^th century.

Great Synagogue, Dohány Street, Budapest (1859), originally uploaded by sftrajan.

It is a monumental, magnificent synagogue, with a capacity of 2,964 seats (1,492 for men and 1,472 in the women's galleries) making it one of the largest in the world. The building has a length of more than 53 meters while its width has 26.5 meters. The design of the Dohány Street synagogue, while basically in a Moorish style, also features a mixture of Byzantine, Romantic, and Gothic elements.

Dohány utcai zsinagóga, originally uploaded by pasztilla.

The western facade boasts arched windows with stone-carved decorations and brickwork in the heraldic colors of the Budapest: blue, yellow and red. The western main entrance has a stained glass rose window above it. The gateway is flanked on both sides by two polygonal towers with long arched windows and crowned by copper domes with golden ornaments. The towers rise to a height of 43.6 meters each, their decoration features stone carvings of geometric forms and clocks with a diameter of 1.34 meters each. The facade is topped by the Tables of Covenant.

Synagogue, originally uploaded by zsoolt

The synagogue's interior, designed by F. Feszl, has wall surfaces adorned with colored and golden geometric shapes. The Holy Ark is located on the eastern wall, facing the nearby Bimah. The choir-gallery is situated above the Holy Ark, while the women's galleries, supported by steel ornamented poles, are located at the upper levels on both southern and northern sides of the synagogue. During the 1933 renovation works of the synagogue a mikveh was revealed under the Holy Ark.

The 5,000 tube synagogue organ was built in 1859; Franz Liszt and C. Saint-Saens are probably the most famous musicians that played on this remarkable instrument.

M. Friedman, A. Lazarus, Z. Quartin, and M. Abrahamsohn are among the distinguished cantors from the Great Synagogue in Dohány Street that gained world recognition. Theodore Herzl, whose house of birth was located in the vicinity of the synagogue, had his Bar Mitzvah celebrated in this synagogue.

In 1944, the Dohány Street Synagogue was included first in a military district, then in an internment camp for the city Jews. Adolph Eichmann turned it in a concentration point from which the Nazis sent many of the Budapest Jews to their extermination. Over two thousand of those who died in the ghetto from hunger and cold are buried in the courtyard of the synagogue. The synagogue was also used as a shelter, and towards the end of World War 2, the building suffered some severe damage from aerial raids during the battle for the liberation of Budapest.

After World War 2, the damaged structure became again a prayer house for the much-diminished Jewish community. Only in 1991, following the return to democracy in Hungary, the renovation works could start and were completed in 1996 when once again the building was restored to its former beauty.

In 1991 a monument dedicated to the memory of the Hungarian Jews who perished in the Holocaust was installed in the rear courtyard of the synagogue, in a small park named for Raoul Wallenberg. The Holocaust memorial, the work of Imre Varga, resembles a weeping willow whose leaves bear inscriptions with the .names of the victims and boasts the inscription Whose agony is greater than mine. 240 non-Jewish Hungarians "righteous among the nations", who saved Jews during the Holocaust, are inscribed on four large marble plaques. The memorial was made possible by the generous support of the New York based Emanuel Foundation for Hungarian Culture, with funds raised from private donors. The National Jewish Museum (Orszagos Zsido Vallasi es Torteneti Gyujtemeny) is located within the synagogue compound.

Today the Great Synagogue in Dohány Street, for a long time one of the most renowned landmarks of Budapest, is serving as the main synagogue of the local Jewish community as well as a major tourist attraction. (source)

Budapest public transportation followed by GTFS

2012-01-15T12:01:00.003+01:00

This unique video shows one day of the Budapest Public Transportation followed by GTFS. Very amazing....:)

Bounce coupons

Budapest, Tabán in the 1930's

2012-01-14T19:09:00.000+01:00

The animation was made by L-Tér informatikai Kft with Bentley Microstation and Descartes softwares.

Laundry

UTCA - The Hungarian word for 'STREET'

2012-01-14T19:07:00.002+01:00

Arriving in Hungary: You will see this 'UTCA' very often. It is the Hungarian word for 'Street'. As for 'UT', it means 'Road'

Some famous streets you might wish to check out is the Váci utca. It is the Váci street and well-known as a shopping street for the many shops and also restaurants. Brandnames such as Zara, H&M, Mango, ESPRIT, Douglas AG, Swarovski, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Nike. It also leads you to Vörösmarty Square which is a 'MUST-SEE' before the christmas season.

For Budapest fashion, click here

Széchenyi Baths

2012-01-12T15:43:00.000+01:00

Szechenyi Baths, originally uploaded by thedays.

History

Széchenyi Thermal Bath - History of the Bath

The Széchenyi Thermal Bath is one of the largest spa complexes in Europe. It's also the first thermal bath of Pest. It owes its existence to Vilmos Zsigmondy, a mining engineer. on his initiative, successful deep borings had been performed in the City Park, where later, in 1881 already an "Artesian bath" was in operation. However, this temporary type of bath was meeting the demands of the age less and less, so the Széchenyi Thermal Bath was built in 1913 on the basis of plans composed by Gyozo Czigler. The Bath was expanded in 1927 with a public bathing department for gentlemen and ladies and a beach site. In the middle of the 1960s, further transformations took place, including the creation of a group thermal section in bathing suits as well as a daytime outpatient hospital (complex physiotherapy department).

The reconstruction of the pools of the swimming section, their equipment with water filtering and circulation devices was completed in 1999. The so-called fancy bath includes a whirling corridor, underwater effervescence production, neck shower, water beam back massage installed in the sitting banks and many other services. (source)

Szechenyi Baths, Budapest, originally uploaded by ChihPing.

Szechenyi Baths, Budapest, originally uploaded by pretty one day.

Széchenyi Thermal Bath - widened range of services

Wellness Centre in Széchenyi Thermal Bath

Beside the traditional services you may choose from special healing treatments and sporting opportunities in Széchenyi Thermal Bath. Trained intsructors are awaiting our guests with a more complete range of services: fatburning, weight, body-toning gymnastics and aqua aerobic.

Gym - available services includes cardiovascular equipments, elliptical cross-trainer, dumbbells, treadmill, abench, excercise bike with backrest, different types of weight systems and stair climber.

The service fees of the gym, fitness room and aqua aerobic is included in the swimming pool entrance ticket! Our gym is equipped with the most modern professional cardiovascular and strengthening machines. Beside the strengthening and cardiovascular equipments you may find other workout equipments.

Other services: fitness room, infrasauna, thai massage, restaurants and bufets

In the framework of a daytime hospital, complex physio-therapy department

- Healing cure program

- Healing gymnastics for individuals and groups

- Underwater gymnastics

- Weight bath

- Thermal pool bath

- Dry and steam sauna

- Finnish saunas

- Ice-brew machine, shower-barrel

- Carbonic tub-bath treatment

- Tub-bath-treatment

- Salted tub-bath treatment

- Mud-packing

- Underwater water-beam massage

- Medical healing massage

- Refreshing massage

- Healing drink cure

- Swimming instruction

- Foot massage up to knee

- Foot care

- Fitness room

- Fancy bath

- Buffet

- Safe-keeping of garments and valuables

- Roof sun-bath spaces

- Bathing suit rentals

- Fat-burning gymnastics

- Weightlifting gymnastic

- Shaping gymnastics

- Securing the venue of an event, after opening hours, including, on demand, the use of baths

Széchenyi baths, originally uploaded by skrivanet.

Accessibility

Széchenyi Gyógyfürdő és Uszoda

H-1146 Budapest, Állatkerti krt. 11.

Telephone: (36-1) 363-3210

Fax: (36-1) 363-3210/123

Manager: Mrs. István Farkas

By public transportation: trolleybus 72 and the millennium underground train.

The thermal bath is situated in the City Park.

IMG_7485, originally uploaded by peterbausoberr.

Travel Packing List - Budapest

2012-01-08T01:04:00.000+01:00

Packing List One for Budapest Travel

If you scan through photographs of Budapest, you will see that the white snow covering Budapest are simply beautiful.

Prepare Your Packing List

However, it is very important to prepare yourself well for the Winter in Budapest. Before arrival, your packing list should include some basic items.

Layering Up

One very important tip about handling the cold is with a warm sweater or lightweight fleece. Bring warm and dark colored fleece for layering up. So if you are travelling in autumn over the winter for the first snow, it is a great technique to layer up with another warmer long sleeve t-shirt or blouse for the ladies.

Jeans & Stockings

Jeans are great for winter as they are thick and warm. For ladies, it is important to wear a thick stocking or thighs beneath your jeans. So as for the summer, you can leave your jeans at home as the Budapest summer can be up to 40ºC! Shorts with pockets, which are lightweight, or zip-off legs pants are great. It doubles as swim wear for men at Lake Balaton in Summer travel.

Long Sleeves & Cotton Pants

Shirts and Pants for guys: Go for Cotton/Polyester blend of short/long sleeved shirts. And lightweight cotton pants (or super-lightweight for summer) are ideal as Churches and Basilica visit dress codes.

Swimwear in Winter?

Yes. In the winter, you might still want to explore the thermal baths, bring along your swimwear. For the summer, you can go to the infamous Lake Balaton. The other places where you still can swim in any season are indoor pools within baths or even caves.

Undergarments

Bring as many as 5 sets of underwear and socks if your travel is longer than 2 weeks. It will be wise to do some light laundry to keep your luggage light and fresh throughout the entire journey. So buy some washing detergent.

More about Travel Packing to Budapest here

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Momiji Dolls
funny pictures
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iPhonelox

2012-01-07T21:05:00.000+01:00

iPhonelox is a professional software to unlock any apple products. It is well known that applications provided by apple are limited. You can't use iPhone with all the networks as it is usually limited to some providers in the country that are contracted with Apple.

Unlocking an iPhone seems to be illegal but it's not. You have the right for it but you will lose your warranty for your device. So its not illegal at all.

When you unlock your phone with iPhonelox it will target the SIM card to allow to reach more networks. When it comes to jail breaking you will be able to download more applications.

Why is iPhonelox useful? Maybe you would prefer an other provider with more benefits for you but Apple is not contracted to this provider. Maybe you want to use much much more applications above the given limit.

iPhonelox's jailbreakme is a great yet user-friendly opportunity if you want to keep your freedom!

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2006-10-08T00:00:00-07:00

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2006-10-04T00:00:00-07:00