SZOLNOK, HUNGARY

A Nativity scene in Szolnok city center.  

Christmas lights.

A Jewish Synagogue.  Judging by the condition of it, I would guess they use this Synagogue.

A walking bridge across the River Tisza.  The auto bridge is only a few yards up the river.  

The bridge is called the gate of Nagykunság over the River Tisza.

The River Tisza.

The Theatre in Szolnok.  A few famous people have performed there.

In Hungary it is customery for the bride and groom to walk down the streerts to their wedding.

It is an honor to see a wedding.  Branch President, Bíró Szóltan and Farkás Mónika are the groom and bride.  (i hope I spellled their names correctly.  Last names first.)  It looks like the Elders will be on time.  

Beautiful bridesmaids.

The ring bearers look like princesses.  

Here comes the bride and groom. 

The City offical was a woman is this case.  Hungarian rule is that you must be married by a government official.  Hungary does not recognise church authority in a marriage.  This choice couple will not be able to go to the Temple until they have been married for one year.

A reception at the Church house.  The bride served the cake to their friends.  It was a joyous occassion.  

Just a typical street in Szolnok.

Statues similar to those in the States.  Atkinson Növèr is sitting by this girl and standing by the fisherman.  Every city puts up a Christmas decoration in the middle of city center.  This one is not finished yet.  They all have 4 candles.  They light each candle each Sunday before Christmas.  

FASCINATING ARCHITECTURE

WINDOWS:

I just love the architecture in Hungary.  It is like living in history instead of reading history.  I have taken a few pictures of windows and doors.  I hope you enjoy my collection.  (I may be FORCED to add more to this post as time goes on).  

This is probably the oldest window in Pápa, Hungary.  This is also the path I take to the Church each Sunday.

This is the Parliment building in Budapest.  So of course, it is very ornate.  Even the attic windows are beautiful. 

Most of the time each of the windows in a home or business are different.  I have wondered if the more ornate window is the more important room like the kitchen rather than the bedroom.  

It seems like a lot of expense to put this window into the attic but you have to admit, it is ornate and beautiful.

I suppose there is a starecase to the tower of this church.

If you look closely at the "windows" in the foundation, you will see a smaller window.  That is actually the outlet for the smoke to exit the basement.  In the olden days (before chimneys were invented) their fireplaces were in the basement.  Now they have regular chimneys instead of outlets.  I am sure they had to keep the windows closed when they had a fire in their basement so the smoke would not go in the house.   This is an apartment building.

DOORS:

I have yet to seen any 2 doors the same.  Such exquisit labor and money in peoples doors.   It fascinates me.  Most of these doors are 10 or 12 feet high.  Some of them are badly in need of repair.  I see some replaced with new doors, however I haven't found much regular maintenance done on the older doors.  They must be very expensive to replace.

This is a doorway to the backyard.  This is probably an apartment building.  People probably park their cars in the back.

This will be familar to you.  It is the St. Charles Church and also the town square in Pápa.  These large doors remind me of the doors on the Mormon Salt Lake Temple.  Now I understand more fully why our ancestors wanted to put large doors on the Salt Lake Temple.  This is the part of the world where many of the first converts came from.  

One side note about these wondows.  Can you see a covering over the window?  That is an outsde blind that can be raised or lowered from the inside.  I have seen a few in America.   Very common here.

SOPRON, HUNGARY

This is the boarder between Austria and Hungary.  In 1989 the students from Debrecsen had an idea that changed the world.  They wanted the Austrian citizens to be able to visit their family and friends in Hungary who were behind the "Iron Curtain".  Hungary was under the Soviet control at this time. 

The Pan-European Picnic was a peace demonstration held on the Austrian-Hungarian border near the town of Sopron, Hungary on 19 August 1989, an important event during the Revolutions of 1989 that led to the fall of the Iron Curtain and the reunification of Germany. It was organised by the Pan-European Union and the Hungarian opposition Hungarian Democratic Forum under the protection of Otto von Habsburg and Imre Pozsgay.  (In other words some students at the University in Debrecan, Hungary.)   This is a monument at the park.  You can see people coming out of the ground or out of confinment.  The actual pictures of the people walking through the gate is amazing.  People left their cars, tents, everything to walk to freedom.  

This is the original guard tower over looking the park, the road to Austria and the Iron Ceurtain.  

This is a repulica of the Iron Curtain.  This fence isn't very high.  I'm sure the real one was a few feet higher.  Can you see the other fence and the grassy area between the 2 fences?  The grassy area was kept scraped clean so that the guards could easily see if someone was trying to escape.  The fence is only barbed wire, can you imagion?  (The actors are Sisters Scherrer, Brown, Viernes and Borgstrom.

Another Hungarian sight to see is the Easterházy Palace.  

The Concert Hall.  Famous Austrian composer Joseph Haydn spend 24 years there.  One of his famous works was Farewell Symphony".  

I like the grounds.  Wouldn't this swirl pattern in the grass look terrific in a quilt?  

This is the apartment of Queen Maria Theresa.  The stoves in each room are heated with wood put in by the servents.  The stove door is behind the wall.  The tour guide said the chimney was the servents quarters behind the wall.  

This is the music salon.  Prince Nicholas played an unusual stringed instrument called "baritone".  He spent most of his life fighting the Turks.  He took part in the reconquest of Buda in 1686.  As a result of that he was raised to Imperial Princedom in 1686.

The sala terrena was used as the reception room at the time of Prince Nicholas.  The frescoes on the ceiling were created by Austrian artist, Köpp.  On the frescoes little angles are holding flowers which compose letters. (I am not sure if this is a Z or an N).  

This is the Train Museum in Sopron.

Elder Brown is either trying to find the engine or maybe he's looking for a place to hide.  Hahaha.  The Browns are very fun people to hang around with.  

City Center of Sopron.

Yes indeed, I just love a manly man.

Sister bertha Scherrer and Sister Helen Brown.

The story goes that after there was a hugh fire they built this fire tower.  From the top you can see the entire city of Sopron.

This is called the Roman Wall"  You can see the rooms of the building.  Now they have built the city on top of the wall.  This ancient city with these original walls have exsisted since VI Century BC.