8 days in Hungary

Well really it was 6 days but enjoy the opportunity to use a bit of tasteful pun humour. 

The train from Munich to Budapest began through the beautiful greenery of the Austrian countryside (a sneak peak at what would be exploring more in a few months…). After getting up at 5am and arriving an hour early for the train - a bit of over caution after last departure from Munich - I enjoyed meeting a kiwi on the train with his Austrian wife and their Austri-Kiwi son. They shouted me a coffee and shared some of the hot spots of Austria to explore the mountainside. Then after a 7 hour train journey I arrived at Budapest… 

On surfacing out of the metro station after some thorough checking of tickets (glad I made frustrating effort to get Hungarian Forints to pay for a ticket) I was immediately distracted by the riverside opening up to the Parliament buildings on the other side. Bridge after bridge crossing over to Pest, divided from Buda by the river. The two sides of the city which make up Budapest - I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to stay on the Buda side in the Castle District, beautifully green and only a look up the hill to see the castles towering over.  

First call of duty: lunch (don’t want to go Hungary). At a vegan Hungarian restaurant filled with delicious treats and fresh juices. Fuelled up and ready for missions through cobbled-stoned streets of Budapest. Architecture to admire and a Castle to explore. We arrived at the Budapest History Museum and decided to check out an exhibition of self portraits of Hungarian artists. Looking into the eyes of these interesting figure heads of past and present Hungarian culture. An interactive puzzle image of Heroes Square and its change over time was a the last piece to fit in our time at the museum. Then on for a tasting of Hungarian brewed beer enjoyed in the outdoors with a quiet street view in what would become a bit of a local place to enjoy a beer in the early evening sun - with an hospitable Hungarian who would recognise us in the street after a couple of visits. Time to head back to the cute apartment where I would rest my head for the next week to make tray time with hummus, crackers, Greek stuffed peppers, avo and tomato - accompanied by a very sweet red wine from a funky bottle. After relaxed conversations and a chilled evening the rain began, lightning created shocks outside the window view, the water powering down - lucky that this evening was not spent out exploring the city that has been generous in its opportunities. 

The next day the plan was to go on the Communist tour - a free walking tour with a local from Budapest - who would take us to key points of the city and explain in a very balanced way the different times of the city which was communist up until 1991. There were 3 stages, she explained, Stalinism - Happy Communism - Post-Communism. Until Stalin’s death in 1953 he was a prominent figure head in Hungarian communism, controlling and causing problems for those that did not follow or agree to his equal society. If you are not with me, you are against me. At his death Hungary changed to a period of Happy Communism, its name may not truly reflect the times, but up until the bankruptcy of Communism in this part of the world this was a time with some fond memories for our guide, family holidays paid for by the state, no jealousy of your neighbours possessions - everyone had the same - and if something was broken it was fixed by the state (even if it took a while)… The policy now changed to: If you’re not against me, you’re with me. 

A Communist joke shared: 

- Ok, your car is ready to pick up in 3 months and 10 years.

- Is that in the morning or in the afternoon?

- Why do you need to know, it’s in 10 years?

- The plumber is coming that day as well.

The following (and current) stage is Post-Communism. Where rapid inflation hit the country, accompanied with low wages and no subsidised holidays from the state. The poorly built and run down grey communist residential buildings which the owner is now responsible for any repairs to. A change in society as old habits die hard, a Parliament that hasn't changed - older generations accustomed to obeying. An understanding for why some people would not look you in the eye as a distrust of the people born from a culture of informants and corruption. However, an expression of hope coming through from the younger generations - something I experienced in my favourite ice cream place, my favourite beer drinking outdoor area and the local coffee house. Where I enjoyed the friendliness and hospitable nature of the people there. We found a great little cafe in the neighbourhood, stumbled across when I was locked out and on search for Internet. There we were served espresso coffee with a spotted baby jug of hot milk and chocolate croissants fresh out of the oven - an exciting smell drifting through small space filled with antiques and Hungarian literature - a welcome escape from the buzzing street and heat outside. An open friendly owner happy to share her love for Buda, where she grew up and the beautiful places to visit near by. As she mentioned the name of the near by village we were pleased to respond with that was out plan of the day - to go to Szentendre by boat.

As the boat arrived to its destination after a cruise along the riverside, it released us from the distracting American teenagers. We found ourselves at a cobbled-stoned village on the riverside decorated with colourful villas covered in ivory and a diversity of flowers that lit up the streets with pinks, greens, blues and white. We walked through the streets enjoying a lemonade with cut up bits of orange, lemon, mint, sugar syrup and soda water, very refreshing. As we walked from back street to back street to admire this quaint little village we found a comfortable looking courtyard to enjoy an espresso followed by a decision to do a mini pub crawl in this mini town. Starting with a half litre Hungarian craft beer produced 20 minutes away, appreciating the calmness and conversation in the sunny afternoon. Then to find another cute place that we had spotted earlier - already closed - we continued our search and decided that where we had been was the best place, so returned for another half litre and to complete the mini-est mini pub crawl in Szentendre.  

Running to catch the boat for the hour ride back to Budapest we settled in to enjoy the ride and were offered a delight for the eyes, the sun setting behind castles. River breeze flowing through our hair as the boat glided along treating us to the most beautiful part of the day. After a late start to the  next day due to over 30 degree temperatures and an evening finished with a couple more beers - we began the long hot walk to the Great Markets Hall, to find most stalls closing up for the day. A quick walk around to find fruit stalls and colours galore we purchased some eggplants and tomatoes for our dinner, and a very large handful of cherries for dessert with chocolate. Large and juicy these cherries definitely won as the fruit of this destination. 

My last day in Budapest arrived and it was time to enjoy some Hungarian cake in a tastefully decorated cafe with stylish music to match. A decadent cake filled with dark chocolate cream and cake layers, with bitter cocoa toffee and red currents to top it off matched perfectly with an espresso with a small jug of hot milk and a shot of mineral water on the side. To pass the afternoon watching the people wander by and making plans for a city and a time far away. Then a quick hot walk up the hill to the look out point to see a birds eye view of Budapest which extended far beyond where we had walked everyday for the last week. A lady reaching up to the sky as her sculpture companions guard at her side. A gentle walk back down amongst the trees and greenery of the mountain conquered and an appreciation for being here - a free week well spent in this last minute destination. 

Dedicated to Claire for her kindness in putting up a fellow travelling kiwi, her inspiration and helpful talks over Hungarian beer and espressos. And for making sure I didn’t go hungary in Hungary. 

Gardening in Germany

3 weeks and my first WWOOFing experience is over - I have dirt imbedded in my nails, am unshaved, have a few cuts and scrapes up my arms, some bruises from falling from the bike and feel stronger and fitter after working in the fields and biking trips in the afternoons. I marvel at the fortune of having found this farm and find delight in the diversity of people I meet and new friends I made in my time in Dogern, Germany.

I arrived in Waldshut a small town not far from Dogern and attempted to look like a lost tourist on the arriving train so the WWOOFers sent to pick me up could recognise me. It worked. Towards me walked a friendly face asking if I was Sarah, this was the Chief WWOOFer sent to greet the new arrival. We went straight to the main house and was again greeted by friendly faces and welcoming feeling. This was to be the house where I would have breakfast, afternoon coffees with a never-ending supply of chocolate and eventually stay. Wondering if I would be put straight to work I was pleasantly surprised that the first call of duty was an afternoon laying at the pool side, using the cool water to revitalise after a morning on the train and arriving to extreme temperatures. Then it was time to be introduced to “The Villa”, the house on the farm where the WWOOFers and other interns stayed. The driveway lead to a large barn, and the double garage filled with eggs to be sorted and a cooler filled with fruit and vegetables available for consumption whenever desired. The Villa across from the garage was an old farm house with gumboots laying outside and racks of shoes covered in soil having been used on the fields. As I was shown my room up in the attic I felt comfortable in this rustic setting. At the Villa we shared communal dinners of colourful salads, homemade bread and a selection of delicious cheeses in the outdoor patio, in the afternoons I  relaxed on the hammock while enjoying an organic beer after a tiring hot morning in the fields harvesting, pruning and weeding. 

It was then time to meet the 500 chickens that I would be visiting daily for “Huhn (Chicken) duty”. The smell was something that I would get used to but was not pleasant to the senses. The areas of laying boxes were to be checked for hens and the eggs removed. Getting right into it I had my first attempt at moving a hen only to be bitten and introduced to the grumpy ladies of this coop. As time went on I quite enjoyed my afternoon visit to the chickens where I could take time to collect the 400 eggs per day, feed the masses outside under the sun and speak any language to them (they weren’t going to judge my failing German words slowly learnt, or think strangely of my foreign accent or my spanish phrases). Later on when the daylight faded we would put them to bed - the last chicken would look around and hop off to its place in the hierarchy of the chicken “beds”. They were then disturbed from drifting into sleep by a kiwi with her head torch on, gumboots, shorts from afternoons adventures and her strange attempts to call them sweethearts and gently move them from the laying boxes to their sleeping spots. Some retaliate with more noise than bite but most are calm and only semi-responsive to the relocation. The roosters, however, are best to stay clear of as their purpose is on the higher end of the hierarchy - they create the “Hansel” side to the story of these Hansel and Gretel eggs. In Germany each year millions of roosters are slaughtered to reduce losses from feeding and housing them. At this farm they have made a conscience decision to find breeders that would raise and then sell on the roosters to the farm so they can pass their days with the hens until there laying days were over. They stay together and avoid the “fire” like Hansel and Gretel in the depth of the Black Forest. 

During the week after 8am (on the dot) breakfasts of fruits, muesli yogurt and homemade hazelnut bread with a fine selection of organic spreads - it was off to the fields or the green houses to harvest peas, lettuces, zucchini, and cucumbers - so many cucumbers. We also pruned the plants, weeded the herbs, and planted seedlings on the back of the planting machine where shade is appreciated and conversations continue. Tales, methods and the history of the farm was shared with interested WWOOFers ready to hear about and learn from life on the farm. The farm was first owned by a large company across the road, the project was created by a well respected women of the community, to feed good produce to the workers of the factory. One worker was distraught, after working there 20 years, when the farm was going to be closed - an agreement was reached and he was offered the opportunity to run the farm himself. After 4 hard years and almost at the point to abort the project he meet someone, and these two hardworking and friendly farmers are those that now run it. There is a love in the making of what the farm is today, the current couple came together to continue the farm and both bring strong attributes of passion and hard work to make the farm an enjoyable experience for all that cross its path. They have had the gardens certified organic and have extended the farm to have produce for the markets, the farm shop, deliveries to the local area and still to the kitchen of the founding company. This is where we go for lunch at 1pm (on the dot), looking out over a small village of in Switzerland, to be fed a large selection of top quality salads prepared with the vegetables we harvested from the farm. My favourite was the cucumber yogurt salad (meant to be had as a soup) with dill, raisins and walnut. To be followed by a hot dish that left you very full but completely satisfied. 

One day we decided to bike to this little village that we looked over from our lunch spot, the quaintness of this town is somewhat hindered by it being home to a nuclear power plant. A foreign concept to me. I had the pleasure of its view from my bedroom window for the first week, I awoke in the mornings with the sunrise creating a unique image of nuclear power vs the power of the sun. We regularly biked from Germany to Switzerland to swim in the Rhine on the Swiss side and enjoy picnics, wines and discussions with the other WWOOFers and interns on the farm. One day we decided to attempt to swim from Switzerland to Germany but as a large group we abandoned the mission as the strong currents were a struggle. Unsatisfied I made it a goal to achieve before departure - 10 days later the opportunity arose with a fellow French adventurer. We swam upstream from our favourite “beach” spot at the riverside. Then we powered across the Rhine when the current began to pick up, on the other side we touched German soil and caught our breathe before the return trip. This was more of an effort and I thought for a moment that we would drift down the river and have a long walk back… but there was wine and chocolate waiting for us and we pushed through and made our way to the other side just 50 meters from our picnic spot. Afterwards I sat by the riverside feeling accomplished and enjoying a wine I admired the skies reflection on the still water and the intensity and diversity of the green trees in the German side of the Rhine opposite us. The simple sounds of insects and birds celebrating a summers day. The gentle sun ending its day here and fading behind the clouds and off into the horizon to wake up New Zealand.

My first weekend spent in Dogern was filled with adventure and relaxation. Earlier in the week an invitation to the Swiss Alps for a walk was offered. Even if I was a “no” person, I think this opportunity would be hard to refuse. After three 6am starts on the farm the 5.30am start on a Sunday morning was no problem, I was going to the Swiss Alps. A big breakfast with the Eulenhof farm crew and cheese sandwiches prepared we began the hour and a half drive our starting point. We arrived to a picturesque Swiss town where we were immediately exposed to the cliche traditional dresses on a couple of girls heading up towards the church on this romantic Sunday morning. We rode the Gondola up the hill side and then set off for some steep climbs, surreal scenery and to enjoy the company of a lot of cows with bells creating a soundtrack to the hike. 7 hours later after some detours, large stops to admire the surrounding hills, villages and lake we found our way back to the village - refreshed, rejuvenated and at peace after a day spent wandering the paths of the Swiss Alps.  

A week later it was time to go for another adventure through the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) with a fellow WWOOFer. Driving an hour from the farm (being very cautious of being on the right side of the road), we set off into the valley to walk along the riverside - climbing up and down the surrounding cliffs. Half way throughout the walk we decided to stop for lunch. We scampered down an uneven grounding with a hope (/ fear) that trip back up would be possible. A hour by the riverside enjoying cheese sandwiches, placing feet in the cold cold river flowing down from the valley - and enjoying the serenity and space for thoughts to wander. After walking in the river, sitting in the sun absorbing its heat, it was time to see whether it was possible to return up the bank. Crossing the river with water to our thighs and a few slippery moments on the uneven rocks beneath our feet we made it to the other side. As I began to scamper up the bank grabbing for life a branch fallen but still strongly rooted into the ground I felt the soil and rocks beneath me fall away, not too high but half way up and with a fear that the drop could cause a bit of injury I hugged the tree branch and had a moments thought that maybe should have kept to the kind tracks that offered an easy alternative to the riverside, that moment passed, strength regained and final stage in sight. I carefully placed my feet on stable ground and had one last push up the branch and back on to the track. A bit dusty but unharmed and ready to set of on the final 2 hours of our hike through a valley in the South of Germany, which ended with a Rothaus bier produced in the area. 

To end my stay at Dogern I had a action packed weekend starting with croissant day. Friday is the day the farm shop is open which for us means croissants for breakfast and a selection of any fruit desired from the shop - which is beautifully prepared filled with a diversity of colours from fruit and vegetable, impressive to any eye passing by. After a day harvesting and then an afternoon preparing for departure, I was fortunate to be in Dogern to experience the evenings summer festival with traditional German brass bands, bratwurst sausages, beers and good company. After a few beers, a laugh with the playful band and a chat with some local Germans it was time to bike home under the starlit sky. The next morning was a 6am start for the markets in Waldshut. A little distracted after limited sleep I helped set up the stall, then got ready to serve the people slowly wandering down the cobble-stoned streets filled with fruit and vegetable stalls and delicious food to be enjoyed on a Saturday morning stroll. After a few moments of confusion and my repeated phrase “Kien Deutsch”, I found that even in a small town in Southern Germany most people spoke English. Feeling a little bad, as I was in their country not speaking their language, I made sure that my smile was always present. “Ich bin eine kiwi” and “Gib mir das Wasser, bitte” was the extent of my German speaking ability. After packing down the markets and enjoying an ice-cream of lemon with basil and strawberry jam I returned to the farm to quickly get ready for an afternoon playing at the local volleyball tournament (I wasn't really much help but had a good time). After a but of fun and avoiding the sudden down pour it was time to leave with a TV Dogern T-shirt gifted as a souvenir - sehr gut!

Finally the active side to the day was over and my tired body was ready for my farewell sauna in the beautiful natural settings, with the freedom to be openly you in Germany. The towel treatment in the 90 degree sauna with herbal infused water was extreme but a truly relaxing experience. After hours of walking around and baring all to see I returned to the house and saw my previous companion was walking around in her underwear, awkward I thought I should leave then realised that I had seen a lot more in the previous hours and was amazed at how quickly I returned to my set of thinking so far from the beauty of being content and relaxed about the human body in all its shapes and forms - as they seem to be here in Germany. After packing up, my day ended with a rich and luscious slice of Black Forest cake. Cherry liquor and rich dark chocolate throughly enjoyed. A grand and delicious way to end my time at the side of the Black Forest which offered nice beers, beautiful walks, a history of an organic farm and lots of cake. 

Ready for the next stage of my adventure: Budapest, Hungary. 

Dedicated to the Eulenof farm, especially Ulrike and Marcus. Thank you for your generosity, your openness and for growing a desire in me to cultivate own organic goodies back home. Also, a huge thanks to all the WWOOFers and to interns for your kindness and friendship.