This past week we have also ventured out to several other surrounding towns and villages. We had our first Kids' Club in a village school this week. This was mainly organized by one of the mother's of a summer camper, so Shaun and Sondi felt we should follow up on this opportunity to meet again with some of the children from camp. It was special to see their excitement at being together once more.

 

Then on Saturday we went with our friend Magdolna to her father's vineyard where we were able to help with the grape harvest. We joined a crew armed with buckets and pruning shears and attacked a hillside of grape vines. As the saying goes, many hands make light work! We started early so were finished before lunch which was prepared there in the old, rural farmhouse. Yes, we had real Hungarian goulash (made with pork and vegetables) and lots of homemade bread and wine for those who wanted it. We were also given grapes and wine to bring home with us.

But before heading home we made a trip to a nearby farm/museum where we viewed dozens of photos of the area taken past and present. There were domestic animals of many kinds and varieties at this farm tucked away in yet another little village. Some of the more unique animals for us were the long-haired sheep dogs; the huge, hairy pigs and the long-horned grey Hungarian cattle dating back to the 9^th century. Their horses here are big and beautiful too.

October first

October first today and now tis three weeks since we first arrived here in Hungary. Much has been packed into these first few weeks here. This week we returned again to Sumeg where the large castle stands atop a high hill. But this time we went later in the evening and had a tour of the lavish hotel where one of our students works as an interior designer. Silvia is also a very talented painter and wanted to show us some of her paintings there. As well we were treated to a medieval extravaganza including horseback riding, archery, sword fights and lots of other action in the large, underground arena. After this colourful program we were served a full course medieval meal, most of which was eaten with our hands. Each guest received a large goose drumstick and thigh along with shredded cabbage, cornbread and other delicacies like blood sausage. So for sure this was a step back in time on Wednesday evening. We took several photos, but due to poor lighting in the arena our pictures aren't the best. However, here's just a little look at some of the sights we saw that night.....

Silvia beside one of her paintings

 

 

Medieval pageantry

 

September 24th

September 24^th today and we've now been here two full weeks. During this past week we had several English clubs begin. These take place right here in our home with the pub now in use for extra space too. We're so glad that this former pub, a rather dark and dismal place, is finally repainted and ready for use as we share the Light of the Word with others. The following photos will show some of the children gathering here....

Children gathering for the first Kid's Club of this year

Visiting the home of one of our students....Joseph has a beautiful yard and garden and shared some of the fruit from his orchard with us last week.

  At the right you'll see us with another eager ESL student and her daughter, Gina.  Yesterday they took us to another town to enjoy a castle tour and some more Hungarian history there.


We're so thankful for each of these new contacts God has given us here in this lovely place.  So thankful for beautiful weather too!

A few photos from our first weekend in Tapolca

Exploring the famous underground caves by boat........

 

 

lunch out with friend Magdolna 

Our First Weekend in Tapolca

Here it is already Monday, Sept. 17th and we've had our first weekend in Tapolca.  As we continue to get a feel for our new community we went exploring a bit more.  For some of our outings we had a local believer and English teacher as our guide.  Magdolna has a good grasp of English and thus we found ourselves with a very able Hungarian tour guide, eager to practice her English with us.

What are we up to these days?

Ron preparing to paint in the pub

September 12^th today and we've been doing more walking around our little town. Tonight Ron is busy again, painting the pub next door here. This place was a pub but now will be used for English classes which begin tomorrow evening...we may have as many as 30 students, but we wait and see. If the pub painting isn't finished yet we'll have everyone cramming into our place here and spilling out onto the terrace. It could be an interesting evening!

But for now let's go back to yesterday and our trip to Lake Balaton. The following photos will give you a little look at this popular Hungarian tourist spot. But by now the tourists are mostly gone and we could enjoy the peace and beauty of this place without so many people all around. Still the temperatures are in the 30's so we've received a very warm welcome here by the weather and by Shaun and Sondi too.

Scenes around Lake Balaton...Sept. 11th

Our New Home in Hungary

We're here in Tapolca and learning our way around this lovely little town filled with history and many old buildings and scenic sights. Our home here is one of the newer buildings but still has old world charm and character with the wrought iron gate, large tiled terrace, high ceilings and huge windows. We are thankful for all the modern conveniences here even though the kitchen is small. Apparently a larger stove is on the way to replace the two burner hot plate and mini oven that we have right now.

The weather has been warm...36 degrees yesterday! So we are glad to be on the lower floor of this two story building. Yesterday we did a bit of grocery shopping in a large supermarket type store called TESCO and stocked up on a few basic supplies for our little fridge. We also toured around the town a bit and walked around the lovely lake here. We'll let the pictures tell more of the story.....