tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65994128206063811022024-03-19T03:46:33.457-07:00Horrocks HeraldBrent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-57560933077875774422015-07-14T14:41:00.002-07:002015-07-14T14:41:45.698-07:00A Few Other Hungarian Things<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Okay, so I promise this is the last post on Hungary, and then I'll move on to the other 4 weeks of our European adventure. This is a picture of all of us fitting into the quintessential Eastern-European car: the Trabant. It was a popular car during the Communist Era in Hungary. Jennifer and I loved it. Craig, well, he endured it.</div>
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The Trabant, or Trabi (pronounced "trow-bee"), was built in East Germany. Over about 30 years, more than 3 million were produced. They had a two-stroke engine and the doors were made of plastic. Once East Germany was united with West Germany, production halted as the costs of producing the out-dated cars were too high to be economically feasible. This one obviously doesn't work anymore...</div>
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...but we did see a few working models being driven today!</div>
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Budapest, and most of Hungary, sits on top of many natural hot springs. The Romans, and later the Turks, used these hot springs to power their bath houses. Today, the Romans and Turks are gone, but the bath houses remain. Here we are at one of the largest bath houses, the Széchenyi Fürdő.</div>
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It was built in 1896 (a popular year for building in Hungary). Here is a depiction of a satyr holding up a mer-child near the main entrance.</div>
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We also visited the Dunapalota, or Danube Palace, to see some traditional boot-slappin' Hungarin folk dance!</div>
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Of course, one of the highlights of Hungarian culture is Hungarian cuisine! I love Hungarian food! Here is Jennifer and Craig at the Nagyvásárcsárnok, an indoor food market built - you guessed it! - in 1896.</div>
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It's as big as a train station, with food vendors on the basement and main levels, and a sort of handicraft or flea market on the second level.</div>
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You can buy a myriad of fresh fruits and vegetables, including the amazingly tasty white Hungarian pepper.</div>
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You can also buy meats, cheeses, juice, and everything else needed for a real Hungarian breakfast!</div>
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Typically the vásárcsárnoks have restaurants, where you can sample the most Hungarian of all Hungarian food: paprikás csirke! Yum!!</div>
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I love the Hungarian subways. I know Budapest from below ground. After a few days we figured out that it was faster to walk to some places instead of taking the subway - but I really only know the city from the network of Soviet-era trains that speed below the surface of Budapest.</div>
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They are very safe, and are being upgraded slowly. A new line, the M4, just opened last year. This line, the M3, still uses the original blue train cars. I think by the next time I visit, it will be a shining new German built white train like the newly refurbished M2 line.</div>
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Thank you Hungary, and thank you all of our Hungarian friends for the awesome memories! Isten álld meg a Magyárt!</div>
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Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-68493196959380739742015-07-02T22:49:00.001-07:002015-07-02T22:49:59.416-07:00It's Pronounced Buda-"Pesht"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yes, it really is pronounced "Pesht". To a Hungarian speaker, saying Budapessst is like scratching nails on a chalkboard. Pest is where the Hungarian Parliament, Szent István's Bazilika, the Dohany Utca Zsinagóg, and many wonderfully build and decorated buildings.<br />
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Running through the middle of the Buda Castle is a tunnel that leads to the Szechenyi Lanchíd, or Chain Bridge to English speakers. This is the first bridge that connected Buda with Pest. Like all bridges in the city, it was blown up and rebuilt during WWII. The Chain Bridge leads to Szent István's Bazilika, where his incorruptible right hand can still be found.</div>
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Pest is full of wonderful buildings representing all types of architecture. These twin buildings flank the Elizabeth Bridge.</div>
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Narrow streets have been converted into pedestrian zones. With an excellent public transportation system, Pest is a very walkable city.</div>
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Budapest is attracting more investment, so some of its architectural gems are being restored, like this one near Kalvín Tér.</div>
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One of those gems is the Hungarian Parliament. This was built in three years starting in 1896. This is where the Hungarians legislated from the Hapsburg times until today.</div>
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This is how it looked 16 years ago. The black soot has been washed off, and the building looks better than ever!<br />
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In 1956, the square in front of the Parliament was the main site of the Hungarian Uprising against Communism. The Soviets sent tanks and soldiers and crushed the uprising. Many of the buildings in this area still bear the scars from the bullets fired to suppress those who fought for Hungarian freedom.</div>
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Inside the Parliament building is decorated like a palace. It has holders for the big Cuban cigars where the mustachioed Hungarian legislators could leave their smoke while they conducted business in the various rooms.<br />
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This is where the magic happens, the legislative chamber.<br />
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This building is still used by lawmakers today.<br />
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One of the main attractions in the Parliament is the Holy Crown of Hungary. This is a replica that is on display in the Mátyás Templom. The crown has had a very storied history since it was first given to Szent István back in the twelfth century. It has been lost, stolen, and otherwise abused multiple times over the years. Somewhere along the way, the cross on the top was bent to the side, and it has remained that way. During WWII, it was given to the United States Army for safe keeping in Fort Knox so that the Soviets wouldn't take it. It remained there until the 1970's when President Jimmy Carter returned it to Hungary. For a while, it was on display in a museum, but now it is in the Parliament, where two guards watch over it at all times and they do the "traditional" circular march around the display case. Of course, no photos of the actual crown are allowed.<br />
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During the great building spree of the late 1800's, Hungary build an opera. This is the opera house where music from Liszt Ferenc (Franz Liszt) and other greats from the Austro-Hungarian Empire were performed.<br />
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It was built complete with a royal box where Franz Joseph and Sisi could come and see the operas performed here. Franz Joseph only came once, and didn't even stay until the opera was over. But Sisi returned many times. Even though she was the queen, she couldn't sit in the royal box. Today, only the Hungarian President and a few other dignitaries, including the janitor, can go into the royal box.<br />
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Because it was built during the time when the Austrians and the Hungarians competed with each other for public building funds, it was approved only if it could be smaller than the opera in Vienna. So, the Hungarians resolved to make it more opulent inside than the Viennese opera. They decorated it with marble, guilded light fixtures, and elaborate ceiling paintings and reliefs throughout.<br />
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Szent István's Bazilika was not built during its namesake's lifetime, but almost 1,000 years later as part of Hungary's millennial celebration.<br />
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It was built in Baroque style and features red marble, gold plated decorations, and a statue of Szent István over the main altar.<br />
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The real attraction is hidden in a small chapel behind the nave. This small box contains the 1,000 year old right hand of Szent István himself. For a donation of a few hundred forint, the box will light up so that you can see the mummified knuckles in the flesh!<br />
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Once a year the old relic is paraded around the capital. Craig has a song about it, next time you see him, ask him to sing it for you.<br />
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This is the Dohány Zsinagog, the second largest synagogue in the world. Budapest has traditionally have a large Jewish population because early on the Hapsburgs allowed the Jewish to live and conduct business near Pest.<br />
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The synagogue was built in the same Gothic style as a traditional cathedral, but with Moorish symbols and themes.<br />
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A kürtõskalács, or chimney cake, is a welcome treat at the end of a long day of sightseeing!<br />
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Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-87922059643376496852015-07-01T23:48:00.002-07:002015-07-02T11:33:04.240-07:00Budapest: Paris of the East<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Budapest is sometimes referred to as the Paris of the East, and it's not hard to see why. This city is beautiful! The monuments, castles, churches, and bridges are all spectacular, and spectacularly lit up!<br />
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Here we are with my dad and stepmom on the banks of the Danube River in front the Buda Palace. A little bit of geography helps here. Budapest is made of two parts: Buda, on the west with the hills, and Pest on the east in the flat lands. Buda is where the castle is and where the suburbs are. Pest is where the businesses and apartments are. Both are beautiful!<br />
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The Buda Palace! It's been blown up, rebuilt, and blown up and rebuilt a few times. During King Mátyás' reign, the Buda Palace was the best palace in Europe. Today it is a rebuild that was completed soon after World War II, and bears little resemblance to palaces of the past. With no royal family to live in it, the Buda Palace is now a museum.</div>
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Hungarians love their fágyi, or gellato-style ice cream, and so do we! The best flavor is fáhejás, which literally means tree-bark. We'd call in cinnamon in English. It's Jennifer's favorite, and she bought one on this same spot when touring with her family back when Hungary was still part of the Warsaw pact!</div>
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This is a monument to King Mátyás. Mátyás wasn't actually a Hungarian, but rather a royal from another country that ruled Hungary after the Árpád dynasty died out. Even though he wasn't Hungarian, he was a very good king, and ushered the Italian Renaissance to Hungary. He is standing here as part of a hunting party.</div>
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The top of the castle today is a series of government buildings, museums, cafes, and holy trinity towers. Of course, no castle from the middle-ages is complete without a church!</div>
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And here it is, the Mátyás Templom, after King Mátyás himself! The real name is The Church of Our Lady, but no one really calls it that. Like most of Buda, it was built, and rebuilt several times. The current building was mostly done in the 14th century using Gothic architecture. Because King Mátyás was married here, it is known as Mátyás Templom.</div>
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The amazing thing about this church is that the walls are all painted from floor to ceiling! This was actually common in the middle ages and most Gothic churches were actually colorfully painted both inside and out. The paint gradually wore off, and no one bothered to repaint them so today most of them are bare stone. However, during the restoration of Mátyás Templom the original stencils were found so the interior paint has been restored as well.<br />
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As with all Gothic churches, tall glass windows are everywhere! This isn't original, as all of the glass in this church was lost during WWII. Nevertheless, it's still quite stunning and tells the tales of Hungarian kings of days past.<br />
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The detail in the ceiling is exquisite! The colors are blue and red with yellow and green accents. Jennifer remarked that it looks like a quilt.<br />
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This is a statue of Sisi, or Queen Elizabeth of the Hapsburgs. She was Austrian, but she loved the Hungarians, and they loved her back.<br />
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Nearby is the Fisherman's Bastion which overlooks the Danube river. And the founder of the Mátyás Templom, Szent István, is also memorialized here. He has a church named after him too, but it's across the river in Pest.<br />
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The Buda Castle is built on a tall hill. It was originally chosen because it was easier to defend against invaders. The hill is made of limestone, and over thousands of years a network of caves has been formed from the water passing through the rock. In the 20th century, these caves were converted to a secret hospital during WWII, and later a bomb shelter. Today, it's a great museum and it provides a unique look at how the Hungarians prepared for possible nuclear war with the Americans.<br />
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It was never actually used as a bomb shelter, but it was ready to be used at a moment's notice. It was fully stocked with food, decontamination chambers, and air raid sirens.<br />
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Now you can purchase surplus gas masks for a few dollars in the gift shop. Craig's didn't fit, he says.<br />
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Just on the west side of the Castle is District II and District XII, where I spent 4 months as a missionary. This is Moszkva Tér, or rather it was Moszkva Tér. It's since been renamed to Széll Kálmán Tér and is undergoing extensive renovations. Many locations have been renamed to obscure the Soviet names, they were once known by, and since this was Moscow Square, it was a strong candidate for a new name. This is where I would change buses every morning to get from my apartment to the area where I worked. It's also where Elder Harper, my companion, told me that he has a strange ability to attract weirdos from large crowds -- and he was right! Once he transferred in, we met our fair share of strange people in Mozskva Tér.<br />
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Moszkva Tér is home to what I promise is the world's longest escalator. This picture doesn't do it justice, but you get the point. Can you see the top of the escalator? Yup, it's that tall. It's at least three times as long as the picture shows. Jennifer closed her eyes so she wouldn't get dizzy going down this one. The escalator leads down to the M2 subway, which would double as a bomb shelter in case the Americans got a little trigger happy with those nukes...<br />
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My apartment was on Szarvas Gábor út in District XII, which was actually quite a bit farther from Moszkva Tér than I remembered. I couldn't exactly find the apartment where I lived because I never had to find it in the dark... But it was fun to be there anyway.<br />
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And here's a great view showing the Buda Palace sitting on the ruins of the old Buda Castle with the Mátyás Templom on top of the same hill as part of the larger castle complex. We loved every minute we were there!</div>
Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-33060836183338463732015-06-28T19:20:00.001-07:002015-06-28T19:20:55.430-07:00Nyíregyháza: 16 Évvel Ezelött<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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16 years ago I served in a small city in the eastern part of Hungary called Nyíregyháza. Nyíregyháza translated into English means "birch church". I was there for eight months and I have been fortunate enough to have kept in contact with a few people I met there. So, when we visited Hungary we planned a day trip to visit them in Nyíregyháza. It was truly a highlight to meet with and interact with people we had some connection with while there.<br />
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Here is the main square on Nyíregyháza 16 years ago. My companion and I are here on a P-Day. That's Elder Grover, who was with me for a few months.<br />
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This time I have my favorite travelling buddy with me, Craig!<br />
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Nyíregyháza is a town of about 100,000 or so people. It's the smallest town I served in as a missionary. It's a really nice town with a very clean city center and lots of statues...<br />
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... including one of Kossuth Lájos. Remember him from my <a href="http://horrocksherald.blogspot.com/2015/06/hungarian-history-through-monuments.html" target="_blank">last post</a>? In addition to being in Washington D.C., he's found in almost every Hungarian town.<br />
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Here is a picture of the Nyíregyháza Branch all those years ago. This isn't everyone, but it's most of them. We were a small branch, but many of those pictured here are still faithful in the Church. I'm going to make a more particular mention of two families, although there are lots of stories from the people in this picture. I am in this picture, and if you're sharp, you'll find me somewhere in the middle. This was the last day I was in Nyíregyháza back in October of 1999. To the right of me (my left in the picture) is Vékony Sándor, and at the far right of that row is Kovács Ferenc with the gray hair and glasses. Back then, we rented out a building on Sundays to have church meetings in.<br />
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This is a few months earlier, when Vékony Sándor and his mom, Jelena, and brother, Viktor were baptized. Sándor is the boy on the left and Viktor is on the right. Yup, I'm in this one too, without my glasses. In those days we rented out a swimming pool for baptisms. The swimming pool is Olympic-sized, and Olympic deep! Poor Viktor and Sándor couldn't touch the bottom of the pool. So, being the enterprising 20-year-olds that we were, we grabbed plastic chairs and sank them in the pool so that Viktor and Sándor could stand on them during their baptism. So Viktor and I went into the pool together, and the chair idea seemed to work very well, until after the actual immersion, when Viktor was kicking and hanging on to me because the chair had floated away while he was under the water!<br />
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Here we all are on dry land with the Vékony family in their apartment. Jelena and Viktor still live in Nyíregyháza. Sándor works in another city near Budapest, but visits on the weekend. Sadly, their father passed away from cancer a few years ago. Viktor, the smiling little boy in the front, reached out to me a few years ago on Facebook. Viktor is now a dance instructor, and teaches ballroom dance in Romania. He also served his mission in Romania, and is currently serving as the Branch President in Nyíregyháza!<br />
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And here is the Vékony family now! I didn't recognize Sándor at first - I can't believe he's taller than I am! Jelene is still the same, always smiling and happy. And Viktor is also taller than I am. The cute blondie in the middle is my little boy Craig, now 10 years old! The Vékony family treated us to some wonderful Ukrainian lunch that we all enjoyed!!<br />
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The Vékony family weren't the only ones to invite us over. Kovács Ferenc and his lovely wife also had us come! They made the quintessential Hungarian dish for us: Paprikás Csirke. I think we all had at least 3 helpings!! While we were there, Ferenc reminded me of a few things that I had forgotten about. Ferenc was found by the Sister missionaries and was baptized just a month or so before I came to Nyíregyháza. I was assigned as his first home teaching companion, and later ordained him to the Melchizedek Priesthood. After I left, Ferenc was called as a councilor, and then as the Branch President. He is currently serving as a councilor in the District Presidency. He reminds me of a Stake President - a priesthood man through and through! I could not have imagined that Heavenly Father had such a work for this man to do!<br />
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And the little Nyíregyháza Branch also has a place of their own! They have a long-term lease on the second floor of this building. They have almost outgrown it, and are working hard to have a permanent church built nearby! They are still small but mighty, with plenty of new faces and a few familiar ones.<br />
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As this clock in Nyíregyháza can attest to, time sure flies! I can't believe I waited this long to visit, and I will be sure not to wait that long again! <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Isten veled míg újra látlak!</span><br />
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Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-40247782161097181122015-06-24T23:06:00.000-07:002015-06-24T23:06:00.673-07:00Hungarian History through Monuments<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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From 1997 to 1999 I served as a missionary in the Hungary-Budapest mission, and its people and their history is near and dear to my heart. So, when we visited Hungary this past May, I wanted to make sure to share the history with Jennifer and Craig. Hungarian history is beautifully told through the many monuments and statues that have been erected around Budapest.</div>
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So where did Hungarians come from? Are they related to the Huns? Are they Slavic? German? Well, Hungarians are actually Magyars, an ancient people who migrated to the Carpathian Basin (Hungary) around 896 A.D. This monument at Hősök Tér, or Hero Square to you non-Magyar speakers, was built in 1896 to celebrate the 1,000 year anniversary Hungary</div>
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Here at the base of the main column are the seven chieftains of the ancient Magyars, lead by the grand-daddy of all Hungarians, Árpád! Legend has it that they followed the mythical Turul bird, which dropped a sword where the Magyars were to settle down.</div>
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The seven chieftains are flanked by two colonnades with some notable Hungarian kings and statesmen. This is Szent István, or Saint Stephen, the first Hungarian king. He is the grandson of Árpád, who converted to Catholicism and had the pope crown him. He then shared his new found religion with his subjects, who either joined or were killed. Szent István's success as a missionary impressed the pope so much that he was given the Apostolic Cross.</div>
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Skipping over a few kings, we come to King Béla IV. He is remembered for driving the invading Tartars out of the country. Being at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, the Magyars weren't the only ones to invade Hungary. First came the Tartars, and later the Ottoman Turks, then the Nazis, and finally the Soviets. King Béla is known as the second founder of Hungary.</div>
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This is Nagy Lájos, who expanded Hungary's territory to its historical maximum, which included parts of Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Boznia-Herzogovina and even an attempt to take over Naples.</div>
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Next comes Hunyadi János, who won the Battle of Belgrade. He ruled in the 1400's, which were dark times for Europe. Constantinople had fallen to the Ottoman Turks, and they set their sights on taking over the mighty Hungarian kingdom. The Sultan Ottoman Mehmed the Conquerer rallied his forces and they lay siege against János and his forces in Belgrade (Nándorfehérvár in Hungarian). In a surprise move, János and his forces came out in open battle against Mehmed, wounding him and forcing the Turks to retreat. This decisive victory established peace along Hungary's southern border for a century and a half.</div>
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During the 1500's, the Turks came back, and eventually occupied Hungary for almost 150 years. In 1686, the Hungarians struck a deal with the Hapsburgs. In exchange for help in defeating the Turks, the Hungarians would give the crown to the Hapsburgs who ruled from Austria. This worked great - except that the Austrians used Hungary as a buffer zone against invaders and retained most power in Vienna. The Hungarians fought Austrian rule through a few civil wars. Kossuth Lájos, pictured above, was one of the leaders of a failed revolution. Eventually, the Hapsburgs relented, and Hungarians were granted control over the eastern half of the country, which created the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Even though Kossuth Lájos failed to usurp the Hapsburgs, he is still revered for fighting the good fight. A bust of Kossuth Lájos is one of two non-Americans to be in the United States Capitol building today.</div>
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Next up in the list of invaders are the Germans. Unfortunately, Hungary was on the losing side of World War I, and lost about 2/3rds of its territory in the Treaty of Versailles. During the 1920's and 1930's, fascism began to take hold in Hungary, and the Hungarians joined the Axis powers and participated in the invasions of USSR and Yugoslavia with the Germans and Italians. However, they weren't loyal to the Germans, and secretly began negotiating an armistice agreement with the U.S. and the U.K., Upon discovering this, the Germans kidnapped the Hungarian leader's son, forcing him to abdicate and then a dictator backed by the Nazis took over. The headquarters of the Nazi secret police (and later the Soviet secret police) is pictured here.</div>
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The Nazis weren't around long enough to erect any monuments, but they did leave an impact. An estimated 600,000 Hungarian Jews were killed during WWII. About 20,000 or so are buried here. When the Germans knew defeat was imminent, they went on a killing spree. They rounded up as many Jews as they could to this courtyard of the synagogue and opened fire.</div>
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Today, this weeping willow, in the form of an upside-down Menorah, stands as a memorial of the Hungarian Jews who were killed in the Holocaust.</div>
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After the Germans came the Soviets. They stuck around long enough for a few statues. This one shows a Hungarian worker welcoming a Soviet soldier.</div>
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At first, things in Hungary were pretty good under Soviet rule. Eventually, however, Stalin brought about many hardships, including confiscating land, shipping enemies off to prisons, and bankrupting the country. Huge military parades would march in front of statues of Stalin until Hungarians had enough, and in 1956, cut down Stalin at his boots.</div>
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Led by the reluctant Nagy Imre, Hungarians tried to negotiate more autonomy from Moscow. However, tensions escalated and finally broke when the Soviet-controlled police opened fire on protesters. The 1956 uprising lasted for 19 days, when, on November 10th, Soviet tanks rumbled into the streets of Budapest and crushed any resistance. Nagy Imre was killed in a prison camp, and buried face-down in an unmarked grave.</div>
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After 1956, the Iron Curtain fell and Hungary was isolated from Western European countries. </div>
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Gradually, Hungary gained more autonomy and, in 1989, bid a final farewell to the occupying Soviet forces and Hungary became the modern country that it is today. Here we are, holding hands with one of the Americans who helped oust the Soviets, Ronald Reagan.</div>
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Check back soon for more blogging on Hungary!</div>
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Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-17675426358671964512015-05-07T15:30:00.001-07:002015-05-07T15:30:55.364-07:00Isten Alld Meg a Magyart!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpsw5mpRFzmY1VnjemGMrz4l9J2Q-eYXgnMroD9KZiB_UYXBUk6vVhgmsQog-jaBywyIC63qffP_ZWO92nhnXLnNBFLVnynwnp_F6nh4Pi1Ru_8oroFT8eV30TxAM6PoKG3iH5ZDwzYs/s640/blogger-image--740584095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHpsw5mpRFzmY1VnjemGMrz4l9J2Q-eYXgnMroD9KZiB_UYXBUk6vVhgmsQog-jaBywyIC63qffP_ZWO92nhnXLnNBFLVnynwnp_F6nh4Pi1Ru_8oroFT8eV30TxAM6PoKG3iH5ZDwzYs/s640/blogger-image--740584095.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We made it to Budapest! and we've been running ever since! We've seen the Parliament...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mtPTdHklcSfTEwpVbgmQ-ed6PTSXGzGcDdHhetHAoy47PGzWMK5ZL4XorRcbwYuOEqpG_Rh3R9c8b8TA1jXDwJ0issltQTt06F3onVGHyZRoL7Eu-p-Tsp_GpARplsj-clm7iUDvu7s/s640/blogger-image--871806749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mtPTdHklcSfTEwpVbgmQ-ed6PTSXGzGcDdHhetHAoy47PGzWMK5ZL4XorRcbwYuOEqpG_Rh3R9c8b8TA1jXDwJ0issltQTt06F3onVGHyZRoL7Eu-p-Tsp_GpARplsj-clm7iUDvu7s/s640/blogger-image--871806749.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">...Visited Heroes Square...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Qzwc2nIK5ts1R7xYO_cI1H9Med6_IXMeyQw6rRx0Ky7RpkgYaOst8_de4rpFPSeobv7n3XpQeqo4MQ-HEBBvp6vguhzVIWEIf5Zcs_CJhpsClbB9HrKGmBKxmZSWTH2OPoAprKtSdCo/s640/blogger-image--1766249540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Qzwc2nIK5ts1R7xYO_cI1H9Med6_IXMeyQw6rRx0Ky7RpkgYaOst8_de4rpFPSeobv7n3XpQeqo4MQ-HEBBvp6vguhzVIWEIf5Zcs_CJhpsClbB9HrKGmBKxmZSWTH2OPoAprKtSdCo/s640/blogger-image--1766249540.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">...saw the Chief of all Magyars, Arpad...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtGrGR8RkGr40jko6gTdRcegTDsBMQr_u6yvmi31R0awWdWXyaxMux2znbR0Wlz4iv8_h_GTSr1GDxBmTvK_YCPLqJoFP8b6o65s1klYiKbRrAHAwOOBDmKn0rLaxoHbHHx6VEMNLa1E/s640/blogger-image-1988808959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtGrGR8RkGr40jko6gTdRcegTDsBMQr_u6yvmi31R0awWdWXyaxMux2znbR0Wlz4iv8_h_GTSr1GDxBmTvK_YCPLqJoFP8b6o65s1klYiKbRrAHAwOOBDmKn0rLaxoHbHHx6VEMNLa1E/s640/blogger-image-1988808959.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">...communed with Szent Istvan, the first Hungarian king and arguably most persuasive missionary...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDehKmhqzr78TgOyu06RlAXqwSBXpFzuiijj3h3hyphenhyphenroAX7YpOjk1iJlG4oBmA9Lc_RsUu9tUQzhaAQ9Py70s26pWIjFE4xIDDA1FAAD3Qx_YLoMxHS2-JXV2LF6oXFqOZg4nHfB-tqBzM/s640/blogger-image--12075294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDehKmhqzr78TgOyu06RlAXqwSBXpFzuiijj3h3hyphenhyphenroAX7YpOjk1iJlG4oBmA9Lc_RsUu9tUQzhaAQ9Py70s26pWIjFE4xIDDA1FAAD3Qx_YLoMxHS2-JXV2LF6oXFqOZg4nHfB-tqBzM/s640/blogger-image--12075294.jpg"></a></div><br></div>... Bubbled and bobbed with the locals at the Szechenyi thermal baths...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7DZl-5vERx43iKHNZJ-pLxU1aYuAtXnqJVSsl74ctjQUBRNHx5q8jFFPDmKyDWYtcZ92rmTBZ2cqKJnuLGaXD-wpA0x_bLFps2otJJXZ1NGao3A9kznvPoBlRfjg7lG3zdgipaqwaCA/s640/blogger-image--644101090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw7DZl-5vERx43iKHNZJ-pLxU1aYuAtXnqJVSsl74ctjQUBRNHx5q8jFFPDmKyDWYtcZ92rmTBZ2cqKJnuLGaXD-wpA0x_bLFps2otJJXZ1NGao3A9kznvPoBlRfjg7lG3zdgipaqwaCA/s640/blogger-image--644101090.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">...scaled to the top of the newly-painted-in-brown Buda Castle...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr2S4FZozCbSA6PlV2_nb7Wl_RaVyLdKMW25OC3-Kozu2UZLBZC3Z-mFPOrWcvsVi0Lr4xX_3kPd-m_M5bTkP3QZW5s6a_BTxcQdjeHyJnSwIYVGexx8VmbktA9kyqLW0x4t6UWvZ4ag/s640/blogger-image--1961445673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbr2S4FZozCbSA6PlV2_nb7Wl_RaVyLdKMW25OC3-Kozu2UZLBZC3Z-mFPOrWcvsVi0Lr4xX_3kPd-m_M5bTkP3QZW5s6a_BTxcQdjeHyJnSwIYVGexx8VmbktA9kyqLW0x4t6UWvZ4ag/s640/blogger-image--1961445673.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">...Took a walk with the world's most famous Californian, Ronald Regan...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSN2_pe23tUhazypQaiHjgoZzMB-1P37zP6oJCZ_k7l-my0S1cKv6n5bc419AIKLE_C-Mvyz4Sotj2RSrFNC1G-NxqPlIM7ekjrxN3XNuzLIPGGBPu0tqr1sp7n806D-IvHi6UIitsEBk/s640/blogger-image-519717389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSN2_pe23tUhazypQaiHjgoZzMB-1P37zP6oJCZ_k7l-my0S1cKv6n5bc419AIKLE_C-Mvyz4Sotj2RSrFNC1G-NxqPlIM7ekjrxN3XNuzLIPGGBPu0tqr1sp7n806D-IvHi6UIitsEBk/s640/blogger-image-519717389.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">...mourned for the 600,000 Hungarian Jews who were killed in the holocaust...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1x2RH9SMG8hZukwyxL5T7tp5_egIDrpNE9ArnkN_2o1nxdSJGID2l_R7ZV_h7G8o4TjnxXmaOW3RjauSW0NeymJZbPE-Sl8FE0i36nvNKleCbYCeF9lO6vAhLDGtavBQVVrfSW4Ys2Q/s640/blogger-image--1637682728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1x2RH9SMG8hZukwyxL5T7tp5_egIDrpNE9ArnkN_2o1nxdSJGID2l_R7ZV_h7G8o4TjnxXmaOW3RjauSW0NeymJZbPE-Sl8FE0i36nvNKleCbYCeF9lO6vAhLDGtavBQVVrfSW4Ys2Q/s640/blogger-image--1637682728.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">...saw the frilly spire of Szent Mattyas church...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKtE7-7B5qtwoStTobx9UlL31HyK-IJuh0mdhXZsa6zaWAuQauCsJbNqiCose3STwi_0wldItlgaE1-7WvW1r2_toF_CPHyV7STeFbObAYTDSG4HLFqp70Flg_SqcBJamCHvnIup8zYI/s640/blogger-image-570855043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEKtE7-7B5qtwoStTobx9UlL31HyK-IJuh0mdhXZsa6zaWAuQauCsJbNqiCose3STwi_0wldItlgaE1-7WvW1r2_toF_CPHyV7STeFbObAYTDSG4HLFqp70Flg_SqcBJamCHvnIup8zYI/s640/blogger-image-570855043.jpg"></a></div><br></div>... danced with the locals...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomyoKqtw2X1R5eWOdVbMNiXHwO3ndt3AjXA6iS1TmbBZRDyuFmc4GlXY-mKoL5hLoq6qL_3YSXeiOqWrkArREe7cmJ1hWPWiqNA0s9cdHDTOZwlJHcyjHkExOAt8IxwcVtiXjdDXizx8/s640/blogger-image-2057819144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomyoKqtw2X1R5eWOdVbMNiXHwO3ndt3AjXA6iS1TmbBZRDyuFmc4GlXY-mKoL5hLoq6qL_3YSXeiOqWrkArREe7cmJ1hWPWiqNA0s9cdHDTOZwlJHcyjHkExOAt8IxwcVtiXjdDXizx8/s640/blogger-image-2057819144.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">...and marveled that some people still drive this fine example of Soviet engineering and prowess with Formica...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAB8NQJXAUGG0086gne7Tm2qWdsEpuH70Sq7EbEJ7zttxbxTTIlF4DRJNal7GUy-wfalZNYIe4bWSp-IcQSKChBgvgpOj22xa9rJ8G86JmwMDoP3fhFcgFXKpnB6Kvqyk78a6WJIwKbCY/s640/blogger-image--1709359332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAB8NQJXAUGG0086gne7Tm2qWdsEpuH70Sq7EbEJ7zttxbxTTIlF4DRJNal7GUy-wfalZNYIe4bWSp-IcQSKChBgvgpOj22xa9rJ8G86JmwMDoP3fhFcgFXKpnB6Kvqyk78a6WJIwKbCY/s640/blogger-image--1709359332.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And we've only been here two days!!!</div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbW6_eF5s0QfrAr9h406pxBfzukhw9NAFRuLEVIZSMP_Ip_qfa-AaJqbEf8jsqXOCq8aVxS_rYHgkiYKMlA4ODrXo3w6DBoBf_ScGjpUWTEJFT8aRLJtJyC7T09sady7MmKmN0TPd2o2M/s640/blogger-image-1796794569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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One of the greatest treasures of Washington D.C. is all of the Smithsonian museums. They are all awesome and all completely free (well, sort of, our tax dollars go towards supporting them, so in a way all U.S. citizens are season pass holders). Here is Craig in front of a Prairie Scooner - the type of wagon Americans used to travel to and settle the West.<br />
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One of the highlights is the Air and Space Museum. Here Craig found the Mars Rover. This isn't the one that actually went to Mars, but is one of the functional models used to test the various systems.<br />
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But before the Mars Rover lifted off, Neil Armstrong left this tiny capsule and walked on the moon!<br />
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Some of my favorite exhibits are the experimental jets, like the X-15. This rocket-powered airplane broke speed and altitude records way back in the 1960's. It still holds the speed record for a manned flight!<br />
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That orange plane wayy in the back is the X-1 that Chuck Yeager piloted while breaking the sound barrier for the first time!<br />
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A more modern area of the Smithsonian shows the costume Edina Menzel wore in the original Broadway production of "Wicked".<br />
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An here is Kermit the Frog!<br />
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And here is one of the original sunstones from the Nauvoo Temple in Illinois.<br />
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Our little history buff really enjoyed the Thomas Edison exhibit. He did a report the prior year at school on Thomas Edison. This is a picture of some of the failed designs Edison used for the light bulb.<br />
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More designs and experiments. Unlike other exhibits, Craig was constantly saying "Daddy, can you take my picture by this?"<br />
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Triceratops!</div>
Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-47110688903930732102013-07-14T20:14:00.001-07:002013-07-14T20:14:32.176-07:00Our Nation's Capitol<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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At the top of the most prominent hill in Washington, D.C., is the United States Capitol building. This is where the United States Congress meets to debate laws and pass legislation. We got a tour of this wonderful building while we were in Washington!</div>
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Our tour started at the Senate Offices. There are three buildings that house the United States Senators and their offices. They are connected to the U. S. Capitol by an underground subway. Here's Craig and I on the Congressional Train!</div>
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Our tour started deep in the basement of the Capitol. Washington, D.C. is a very hot and humid place in the summer time. Back in the 1800's, when the Capitol was built, there wasn't any air conditioning. So, people would cool down naturally via perspiration. Sometimes, however, this created an odor that was a little too noticeable. Those offending congressmen were asked to come down and diffuse the odor by bathing in one of eight marble tubs located in the basement. These are no longer in operation, but they are a funny reminder of a time long past.</div>
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Inside the Capitol is a full-sized replica of Lady Liberty, the statue who stands on top of the huge Capitol dome. She stands 19 feet tall and carries various symbols of freedom. She was designed in the mid 1800's, just before the Civil War. Congressman Jefferson Davis was in charge of the Capitol building committee, and influenced the hat that Lady Liberty wore. You history buffs will recall that Jefferson Davis later became the president of the Confederate States during the Civil War. The original design called for Lady Liberty to wear a Phygian Cap, which was the ancient Roman symbol of an emancipated slave. Jefferson Davis, being a slave-owner, didn't want any symbol that justified the freeing of slaves, so he had the sculptor change the hat to an eagle.</div>
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Lady Liberty now stands on top of the massive 4-ton Capitol Dome.</div>
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The top of the Capitol Dome is the literal center of Washington, D.C. This star on the floor of the Crypt marks the center as well. This room is just below the Capitol Rotunda, and is surrounded by limestone pillars. During the Civil War, barrels of gunpowder were stored here.</div>
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The Capitol is adorned with statues commemorating great citizens of the United States. Each state has donated two statues. This is Craig in front of a statue from Illinois depicting Abraham Lincoln.</div>
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Can you guess who is depicted in one of the statues from Utah? Yup, that's Brigham Young, second President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, first governor of the State of Utah, and founder of the University of Utah.</div>
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The Capitol is decorated with more than just statues. There are beautiful murals and painted walls throughout the building. The hallway pictured above housed the official Offices of State, but they've long since been too small, and are now empty.</div>
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There are some important officials who still make their office in the Capitol. The Office of the Speaker of the House is one of them, and here were are on the balcony of that office. It's got a great view of the National Mall with the Washington Monument in the distance.</div>
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The highlight of the tour is the Capitol Rotunda. This great room is decorated with many paintings of important events in U.S. History, such as the Pilgrim's landing, the baptism of Sacajawea, or various battles of the Revolutionary War.</div>
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One of the Revolutionary War victories depicted is the surrender of Cornwalis. After Cornwalis' defeat in the United States, he was sent to India, where he was charged with protecting Great Britain's interests in the region. As part of his efforts, he build a military outpost on a tiny island in the Strait of Melacca known as Penang.<br />
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At the top of the Capitol Rotunda is the Apotheosis (or exaltation) of Washington. Here, George Washington is depicted in heaven with various Roman deities. At Washington's feet is Lady Liberty, this time wearing a Phygian cap.<br />
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We loved touring our nation's capitol! A special thanks to Senator Hatch's office for arranging our tour! Stay tuned for our visit to the Smithsonian Museums!</div>
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Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-72577298836985577702013-06-30T18:32:00.003-07:002013-06-30T19:57:07.389-07:00President Lincoln<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Situated a few miles North of Mount Vernon is Washington, D.C., the capitol city of the United States of America. Here you'll find the National Mall, where monuments are built to honor the memories of some of our nation's best leaders. Inside of this Greek-inspired temple resides a monument built to honor the great Abraham Lincoln, who is Craig's favorite president.<br />
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Craig learned about Abraham Lincoln and his role in abolishing slavery in the United States and has admired him ever since. Mr. Lincoln returned the favor by giving Craig $5! Craig found a $5 bill - which has Abraham Lincoln pictured on the front of it - on the ground just outside of the monument!<br />
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Inside the giant temple is a larger than life statue of President Lincoln. Inscribed above him are the words "In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever".<br />
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The Lincoln Memorial is situated across from the Washington Monument, which was built on honor our nation's first president.<br />
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The interior walls are adorned with the words of Lincoln's two most famous speeches. The first is the Gettysburg Address, and the second is Lincoln's second inaugural speech which was given just a few months before his assassination.<br />
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This is Ford's theater where President Lincoln was shot by Southern sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. The Presidential box is pictured above.<br />
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President Lincoln was a strong man, so despite being shot in the head, he didn't die immediately. There were several doctors in the audience and they took Lincoln to a red-brick apartment building across the street from the theater, where Abraham Lincoln spent his last few hours. He was pronounced dead in this building the morning after he was shot.<br />
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We had a fun time learning all about Abraham Lincoln!<br />
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Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-34031103580023046812013-06-26T21:08:00.001-07:002013-06-26T21:08:10.415-07:00The House that George Washington Built<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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At the end of last May, we took an exciting tour of Washington, D.C., New Jersey, and New York City! We had an awesome time and it all started in Fairfax County, Virginia where our nation's first President called home.</div>
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Here we are in front of Mount Vernon! George Washington built this house in the 1700's using land he inherited from his father. He built it in the Palladian style of architecture, which featured a long green lawn leading up to the front door with tree-lined paths on each side of the lawn. It was meant to reflect a more natural style.<br />
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The mansion sits atop a hill overlooking the Potomac River. Jennifer, as a little girl, would roll down the hill to the river while her parents watched from the patio.</div>
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There was quite a crowd to get inside of Mount Vernon! This property is no stranger to crowds, however. When George Washington was living here, he and his wife Martha would entertain many guests from all around the world. Virginia in the 18th century was still a wild frontier, so hotels were scarce and good hospitality even more scarce. So, Washington build many guestrooms in the house, along with a large dining room and a ballroom. Cooking was done primarily in the other houses around the property.<br />
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Also not done in the house was "business", if you know what I mean. Like all homes in those times, the house had no indoor plumbing. Instead, George Washington built four octogonal-shaped huts around the property called "necessaries" where one could attend to one's business.<br />
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George Washington was a bit of an inventor. He innovated many things at Mount Vernon. One of his innovations was in the way the exterior of the home was finished. Blocks of nice sandstone were not available in the 1700's, so to give the appearance of stone, George Washington had his painters throw sand on the exterior walls while the paint was still drying. So, the house was built entirely of wood, but looked like it was built of stone!<br />
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George Washington developed other innovative solutions to his greenhouse and vegetable garden. The greenhouse, pictured in the background above, had huge windows that faced the sun and a large fireplace inside. This let Washington grow tropical plants in his greenhouse all winter long, including citrus trees! He also lined his vegetable garden (foreground) with small boxwood trees. These helped sheild the vegetables from cold weather, so the growing season was lengthened by the micro-climate Washington created.<br />
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Another Washington innovation is the fence he used to keep his livestock on the farm. Instead of building a traditional wall, he instead excavated a part of the hill and built a retaining wall. This way you could look out over the grounds from the house and not have the view broken up by any fences.<br />
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George Washington was famous for the food his house cooked. He loved fresh fish and hoe cakes. We tasted some fish and hoe cakes at the restaurant nearby.<br />
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It's easy to see why George Washington longed to spend his days at Mount Vernon. We had a great time and learned a lot about history in the process.</div>
Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-82610596827029214872013-06-16T19:57:00.002-07:002013-06-16T19:57:36.698-07:00Incredible Walt Disney World Adventure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This past February we got to go to Disney World with Jennifer's parents and her brother's family! Yes, we are the Incredibles. And yes, we have super powers. Want to know what they are? Well, keep reading!<br />
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This is Josh. He is the youngest Incredible. His super power is being thoroughly unimpressed with his Aunt Jennifer's attempts at becoming his favorite aunt.<br />
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This is Nathan. He is a master of disguise! While at the Epcot World Showcase you couldn't tell him from a regular sombrero wearing tourist in Mexico! Incredible!<br />
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This is Ben and his dad. Ben's super power is helping everyone have a good time - especially when riding the Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster!<br />
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This is James. As you can see, James knows how to ride a speeder through a giant sequoia forest while evading Imperial Storm Troopers. Awesome!<br />
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This is Craig. As you can see, he possesses ghosting powers! Creepy!<br />
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And he taught them to Nathan!<br />
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Here's Grandma with her boys. She is incredible with little boys! She just gets them! This is why she has eight grandsons and no granddaughters (yet).<br />
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This is Uncle Aaron. He is master of consuming apple juice at the German Hofbrauhaus in a manner that may suggest it is something other than apple juice.<br />
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This is Aunt Leticia. Her superpower is mastery of traveling with five boys all around the country. Think of her as a human troop transport.<br />
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Jemmer is master of fun, like making everyone in the family an Incredibles t-shirt to wear to Disney World.<br />
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This is Grandpa, who is the best at getting everyone to Disney World every other year for a fantastic vacation! Thanks Grandpa!!<br />
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What a fun vacation!<br />
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Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-68744993291584417442013-04-16T22:51:00.001-07:002013-04-16T22:51:02.834-07:00Kitchen Re-model<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've been in our house for about six months, and all the while we've been working to make it our own. Up until now, we've done the simple things like painting or putting up crown molding, but over the past month, we've taken on our most ambitious project yet: tiling the kitchen backsplash!<br />
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Here is the before picture. It looks pretty good, right? Well, that's what I thought, too. But Jennifer is much more intelligent about trends, colors, and overall decor so I've learned to listen to her when it comes to home decorating. She searched for months for just the right tile that would lighten the kitchen up and make it feel "cozy, like a club". Once she found it, we started the whole project.<br />
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The first step was to tear out the existing tile. We suited up in our safety glasses and dust masks, grabbed a hammer and crowbar and tore each tile from the wall. I thought this was going to be the longest part of the project, but it only took 3 hours to tear out all 60 square feet of granite tiles!<br />
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After moving the electrical outlets from the middle of the wall to just above the countertop (all nine of them - it took all day), we put up new concrete backer. This gave us a nice, flat surface to put the new tile on.<br />
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Now comes the fun part, putting the tile up! Jennifer chose what tiles went up and I cut them on the saw that I got for my birthday!<br />
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It was slow at first, but gradually we got better (and we didn't have to cut as many tiles around the medallion).<br />
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I only tile in my Utah State Aggies t-shirt. After a few days of putting up the tile, we sealed and grouted them.<br />
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And here's the finished product! These are actually onyx tiles. The kitchen feels ten times bigger and it's so much lighter!</div>
Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-81284101668812458532013-02-20T22:13:00.000-08:002013-02-20T22:13:27.960-08:00Happy Eighth Birthday!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It hardly seems like yesterday that we flew our little newborn baby boy Craig from Indiana to Utah to have him blessed near his family. Now, eight years later, the little guy is old enough to be baptized!<br />
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Craig was excited to have all of his grandparents in Folsom for his baptism. The Sacramento Temple is on the same property as the chapel Craig was baptized in, so we took advantage of the opportunity to get a family picture in front of it.<br />
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Here is our little family in front of the baptism font. Before Craig was baptized he had an interview with our bishop. We taught Craig that when you are baptized all of your sins are washed away. So, Craig naturally wondered what happened to the sins after they were washed away. Do they stay in the water? Do they get stuck onto others if they go into the water? Can you see them or hear them? At least we know he's thinking about these things.<br />
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Jennifer's mom, RaNae, stayed a few extra days to help us out with Craig's birthday party. As always, Jennifer put on an awesome gathering! This year the theme was "Mad Scientist".<br />
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So, Jennifer got out her science book and made some bubbly potions to help set the mood.<br />
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She also knew that each guest would need to dress the part, so she got lab coats, safety goggles and (of course) bow ties for everyone who came.<br />
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Here is our little mad scientist, complete with a bowtie! You know, Thomas Edison always wore a bowtie, and he holds more patents than anyone else in U.S. history to this day. So, you can't be a scientist without a bowtie!<br />
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Here's Jennifer's cake, cleverly disguised as a smoking beaker of green gloop! It was choclate, just in case you're wondering.<br />
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Jennifer came up with a bunch of really fun science activities for everyone. This is all of our science team making lava lamps using water bottles, oil, water, food coloring, and alka seltzer tablets!<br />
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The hit of the part were self-inflating balloons! Mix baking powder with white vineager (acetic acid) and you get a ton of carbon dioxide - which will inflate a balloon! Cool!<br />
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After each experiement, the scientists would record the results in their journals. It was an awesome birthday party and an awesome week of celebration! Jennifer out-did herself yet again!</div>
Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-69377544657367402662012-12-03T22:46:00.001-08:002012-12-04T10:43:13.549-08:00Happy Thanksgiving!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's official, we are now residents of the United States of America once more. The past five months have been spent mourning our departure from the adventure-filled days of living in Southeast Asia, moving into our new house, and then re-discovering how cool it can be to live in America. This past Thanksgiving weekend we were taken on a one-day tour of the Northern part of the San Francisco Bay area with my favorite father-in-law and arguably world's best tour guide, Jennifer's dad. Jennifer's mom and grandma also joined us.<br />
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But first, a snapshot of the Thanksgiving turkey. Note the deep golden tone of the evenly-browned skin and the fresh ground parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Mmmmm! This year I followed the recipe I got from my brother David on how to cook a turkey. It was slow roasted for 12 hours - but dang, there is no other way to cook a turkey! It was the best turkey I've had!<br />
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Now back to the tour. When Jennifer was a few months old her parents moved to San Francisco, so they know the area very well! We started our adventure bright and early at the Muir Woods National Monument. The Muir Woods are home to giant redwood and sequoia trees. The forests here are millions of years old and are highly adapted to the cool, moist climate along the northern Pacific coast.<br />
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Here is Grandma showing Craig all of the rings on this giant redwood. This particular tree was born aroun 909 A.D. To put that into perspective, that's a few hundred years before <a href="http://horrocksherald.blogspot.com/2011/02/cambodia-trip-of-lifetime.html" target="_blank">Angkor Wat</a> was built. It's an old tree!<br />
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These giant trees grow in small family groups. When there is a forest fire, the redwoods drop all of their needles and pinecones. The fire gets the soil ready for the seeds to germinate, and then new trees spring up around the burned remains of the old one. If you look closely in the background, you can see the charred stump of the original redwood in the center of this family grove.<br />
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After a few hours strolling around the Muir Woods we made our way down highway 101 to Sausalito for lunch at The Spinnaker overlooking the San Francisco Bay. This was Jennifer's parent's favorite restaurant while they lived in San Francisco. You can see the downtown skyline, Alcatraz, and sailboats coming and going from the dining room.<br />
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Next, we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and toured The Palladio. The Palladio was home to an old U.S. Army base that has since been converted into the Disney Family Museum.<br />
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Under the bridge is an old U.S. Army battery, built in the 1860's, where huge cannons like these guarded the bay. These cannons could sink any ship that dared to come within two miles of the narrow entrance to San Francisco Bay.<br />
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After that we had the grand tour of Fisherman's Warf and ate clam chowder in sourdough breadbowls. Two hours later, we were back at our house in Folsom and eating leftover apple pie that Jennifer made. With so many things to do so close by, we're going to love Folsom!</div>
Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-58266566532021627742012-07-02T21:13:00.002-07:002012-07-02T21:13:38.385-07:00Craig and the Changi Airport Slide<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, our grand adventure in Penang is at an end. But that doesn't mean that our fun has to stop! For Craig and Jennifer, the fun is just beginning! On our way back to the United States, we stopped in Singapore. <br />
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Singapore is one of the cleanest cities in the world. They also have the best airports in the world! You can go swimming, relax in a cactus garden, catch a movie, or go shopping for luxury goods. The Singapore Changi airport is also home to the tallest slide in Singapore - a three-story monster that Craig whirled down five different times!<br />
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Here is our little slider at the top, ready to take the shortest way to the basement level!<br />
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and here he is rocketing out at the bottom!<br />
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Spending a day in the Singapore Airport is a fun day, especially if you're a seven-year-old who loves slides!<br />
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</div>Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-56604450031048196872012-06-29T00:29:00.000-07:002012-06-29T00:29:03.979-07:00To Penang: We Love You!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Our 2 years in Penang has just flown by! It feels like we just got here!! We are sad to say goodbye to our beautiful, tropical home of 2 years. We are also grateful we were able to experience living in such a wonderful, diverse area of the world. We thought it would be fun to show what we did on our last day in Penang. We have never shown one of my favorite places in all of Penang!! I can't believe it hasn't made our blog! We started out our last morning with a trip to our beloved Pulau Tikus Wet Market. This is where I did most of our grocery shopping, and I loved any excuse to go there!</div>
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Obviously we weren't going to buy groceries on our last day, the wet market also has one of the best hawker centers on the island! We LOVE our breakfasts here (which we have shown before!) and had to go to the wet market for our last morning meal.</div>
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My favorite breakfast comes from these two men, a delicious tofu fa! A silken tofu with a wonderful sweet syrup on top. It's so good I could eat it for dessert!</div>
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Craig and Brent love Wan Tan Mee. Here is Julie Chen, the best maker of Wan Tan Mee on the planet! We especially love coming on Saturdays, because that's when she mans the family stall. She and Craig have become cute little buddies!</div>
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When Craig isn't eating his fishball soup, he eats his Wan Tan Mee, doesn't it look delicious?! You can see my yummy bowl of tofu fa in the corner.</div>
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A quick walk past our favorite fruit stand! They had the best jackfruits, watermelons, finger bananas and mangos! Craig will definitely miss tropical fruit in his lunch every day. He was shocked to find out that watermelon isn't in season year round in the US.</div>
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Here is Dallas, our favorite produce vendor. He and his wife Mary can get us anything we wanted, even squash for Thanksgiving!</div>
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Here is his stall, and Mary working in the background.</div>
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Here is our beef vendor. Yes, I really bought that beef hanging at the stand. It was much better than the supermarket, and more fun to buy!</div>
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The wet market isn't just for food! Here is our flower stall. They have the most beautiful orchids! I liked to go on Thursday mornings, so I could get the orchids right after they'd been delivered.</div>
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Here are our fish mongers! </div>
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Loads of fresh fish here!</div>
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Here is my spice aisle. I made sure to pick up plenty of spices to make my favorite Malaysian Curry!</div>
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No trip to the wet market is ever complete without stopping by to talk to our local "eccentric" guy on the corner! He would spot us and wave like mad every time we came! He also made sure to sell us overpriced mangos or papayas every time too, but he was so funny we didn't mind. If I showed up without Craig, he would always say, "Where is your son!?" He didn't think school was a good excuse. Today he wanted to dance with Craig in the street, but Craig wasn't too sure about the dancing bit. Craig, by the way refers to himself as Indiana Craig, or Dr. Horrocks. He is never without this cute outfit!</div>
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After the wet market we drove into Georgetown. It is filled with the most beautiful colonial shophouses. Many of them are being repaired, but my favorite ones tend to look like this! It looks like something straight out of a movie!</div>
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Our next stop was to our absolute favorite store: SAM'S! We have practically transformed our wardrobes and decor at Sam's! The owner and his wife (Michael and Rachel) have become our good friends, and we needed to stop by to make sure there wasn't anything else I needed (it turned out that I needed quite a few things...) and to say goodbye. This is one of the haunts of mine that I will miss the most!! They have the most beautiful Indian items I have ever seen!</div>
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Wow! We underestimated the amount of luggage we needed to get home with. A quick stop to one of my favorite little alleys for a piece of luggage for Craig. This alley specializes in the beautiful and colorful outfits and headscarves that many of Muslim women wear in Penang.</div>
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On to lunch! Our friends the Lau family came to Penang (they just moved to another city in Malaysia) to say goodbye. We choose to have our last lunch with them at our favorite Chicken Rice Shop! You might remember this shop, we found it when we very first moved to Penang!</div>
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This was an extra special lunch because we were celebrating Joseph's,Craig's best friend and babysitter, recent mission call to the Hong Kong, China mission! We are so excited for him!</div>
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A quick goodbye to the best Chicken Rice chef in Penang! He also loves Craig, and is disappointed when I show up on a weekday for lunch without his little blond buddy. I don't know what Craig is going to do without all this constant attention from people on the street and in restaurants! </div>
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Our afternoon was spent running errands, and a quick stop at our favorite reflexologist! No photos of that, we were way to relaxed to reach for our camera! On to our last dinner in Penang! Our last meal was at Straits Quay with the Kelly Family. They moved to Penang within a month of us, and they're moving away from Penang within a month of us. You probably have seen them on our blog before, we have taken lots of trips with them during these 2 years! We are going to Folsom, CA and they are moving to Portland. We had one other family leave us just a few week before, the Wilson family moved to Munich, Germany (lucky ducks!) We know we will see them, and all the other friends we that we made here!</div>
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Here is Craig with the Kelly kids, Liam and Willa. Such cute friends!</div>
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Here is one of our last goodbyes! Here is Gary, who was our personal trainer, surrogate uncle for Craig and all around great person! He trained myself, Brent, as well as Sarah! We still can't believe we won't be seeing him several times a week! </div>
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Well, after dinner we packed up our apartment and headed to the airport in the morning. We had the most amazing time in Penang!! We can't possibly picture everyone who meant so much to us!! We know we will see you all again - and still can't believe we had the good fortune to live in such a wonderful place! It's really not goodbye, we know we'll come back! To Penang, we love you!!</div>Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-59913339593025104172012-06-24T07:40:00.001-07:002012-06-24T07:40:04.271-07:00Ending with a Bang!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Seen this cute cowboy before? Here Craig is, all dressed up to represent his home country on the last day of school at St. Christopher's International Primary School. This isn't the last day of term, but Craig's last day as we are moving back to the U.S.A. We have LOVED living here for 2 years, and are sad it has to end. But we did end our time here with a bang! Today the Olympics were celebrated at SCIPS! <br />
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Craig is standing in front of the school with the school Principal, Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones stands outside of the school every day, rain or shine to greet the students as they arrive at school. He knows every single child's name - all 575! As you can see, Mr. Jones is from Wales!<br />
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The Olympic Celebration began with a paradeof countries! The school had a flag for every country represented at the school (I think close to 40!) and every child walked with the flag of his or her country wearing something to represent their homeland. It was a truly impressive sight!</div>
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Japan</div>
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Korea</div>
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Germany</div>
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United States of America! We had some very good representatives!</div>
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Of Course Cowboys, Mickey Mouse and Uncle Sams!</div>
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I love how we ended with Abraham Lincoln and the Statue of Liberty!</div>
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This was truly an impressive parade! All done to Olympic Music - such a festive atmosphere!</div>
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The students gathered with their fellow countrymen and to line up on the field with all the flags.</div>
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But the celebration didn't end there. Each classroom represented a different country and the children were given some time to tour each class and sample food from the country, play games and experience a little bit of the difference countries. The school also allowed the parents to accompany their children. But when that was over, we had a little bit more celebrating to do!</div>
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Here is Craig, in his classroom. They are looking at a world map to see where Craig will be moving next. California seems like a long ways away from Malaysia!</div>
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We are so sad to leave such a wonderful school, but more than anything grateful that we were able to be a part of it for 2 years! Craig has blossomed and is such a happy, well rounded 7 year old! We had everyone's favorite treat, cupcakes to celebrate his time at SCIPS! Thanks for a wonderful 2 years! <br />
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(Craig and one of his favorite people, Miss Martinez, Head of Early Years)</div>
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Jennifer loves Bali. She loves it so much we've been there three times. On our last trip, we actually got an invitation to a traditional Balinese wedding near Ubud! My mom came with us for this trip, and she was happy to come along for the wedding as well.<br />
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The whole village dresses up in their batik shirts, sarongs, and headgear for the wedding. Craig Jessop says to never mis-match your plaids, but in Bali, it's okay to mis-match your batiks.<br />
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The wedding starts at the bride's house where the bride and groom kneel in front of her parent's room. It's here that the representatives of each party negotiate the terms of the wedding and give advice to the new couple.<br />
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Here is the bride and groom in traditional Balinese dress. The man wears a gelong and a sarong. The woman wears a kebaya, sash, and sarong.<br />
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Before leaving the bride's house, the couple pays their respects to the family by praying at the ancestral altars located within the inner walls of the house. Everyone in Bali is extremely religious. The official religion is Hindu, but the Balinese have blended in their own ancient traditions to create a very unique version that is only practiced on the island. The Balinese believe that all of their ancestors still live at the family house. Because of this, Balinese rarely sell their homes, and instead, they are passed down for generations to the oldest son of the family. The corner of the house that is closest to <a href="http://horrocksherald.blogspot.com/2011/11/mount-agung-and-mother-temple.html" target="_blank">Genung Agung</a> is considered the closest to heaven, and contains the ancestral altars. This is where the spirits of the family's ancestors reside.<br />
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After praying at the ancestral altars, the bride and groom lead the wedding party to the groom's house. Do you see the two blondies in the wedding procession?<br />
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After arriving at the groom's house, the wedding party continues praying and offering food to the ancestral spirits. They wash their hands, and then breathe in the incense. This cleans the outside and the inside of their bodies before the final parts of the ceremony.<br />
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The bride and groom also pay their respects to the ancestral altars at the groom's house. After all of the praying, then the bride and groom are officially married, and then everyone joins together for a buffet dinner. Some traditions are universal!<br />
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It was wonderful to participate in Balinese culture in an intimate setting! Plus, we got to mis-match our batiks! Well, Craig and I did anyway!</div>Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-27608577442411853572012-05-27T10:40:00.001-07:002012-05-27T12:11:35.009-07:00Chillin' Out in Koh Phi Phi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you've read a lot of our blog, you've probably noticed that we spend a lot of our travel time learning about new cultures and local customs. Our latest trip was an exception. Jennifer found us a beautiful beach and we stayed there, soaking up the sun and eating Thai food! It was our first trip to Thailand without seeing a single Wat! Craig was thrilled!<br />
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A few hundred miles north of Penang is Koh Phi Phi (pronounced "koe pee pee", and yes, Craig giggled every time we said it). It's part of the series of tranquil Thai islands located in the blue waters of the Andaman Sea. We flew into Phuket (pronounced "poo-ket"), then took a speedboat due east until this tiny island emerged on the horizon.<br />
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We stayed in a hut on stilts with a grass roof and modern amenities. Craig loved it! We had air conditioning, satellite TV, and a refrigerator. Craig said it was like Hagrid's hut, and gleefully exclaimed that while staying in it he should be referred to as "Rubeus Craigrid".<br />
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The island is so small that there's really no roads or cars. The locals get around by riding bikes through the jungle, but the most efficient mode of transportation is to take a longtail boat wherever you're going.<br />
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We took a longtail boat into Ton Sai Bay, where the largest "town" on the island is. It's not much of a town, really it's just a stretch of beaches with a cluster of resorts, restaurants, a mosque and some shopping. It's perfectly charming and great for a family wanting to escape!<br />
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Here is our "blue hat traveler". Isn't he cute?<br />
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Here's the un-shaven weirdo with the batik shirt. Nice hat.<br />
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While we were there we went to Mosquito Island and Bamboo Island. Both are part of a national park. Bamboo Island, pictured above, is home to a pristine beach with crystal blue waters. It was great for a swim!<br />
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The snorkeling near Koh Phi Phi was outstanding! Our long tail boat pulled up to the best places, then Jennifer and I dove in to view the world waiting for us along the corals below.<br />
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Craig wasn't too fond of getting into the water to swim with the fish, but her certainly enjoyed feeding them!<br />
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Craig would attract the fish by throwing potato chips into the ocean and then Jennifer would swim through the resulting feeding frenzy. These little striped fishes would nibble at you if you stayed still for too long.<br />
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We saw lots of colorful fish, from parrot fish to Moorish bannerfish. We also found Nemo swimming in an anemone surrounded by sea urchins.<br />
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I don't know what these fish are called, but there were tons of them! Jennifer and I had a blast swimming around the corals and watching the colorful fish!<br />
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Craig had a blast from the boat!<br />
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Koh Phi Phi was awesome! We loved remembering why we love Thailand! The food is wonderful, the people are friendly, and the beaches are incredible! I especially loved traveling with my two beach bums! What a family of adventurers!</div>Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-2730525737303640212012-05-14T23:46:00.000-07:002012-05-14T23:48:03.589-07:00Gunung Kawi and Tirtha Empul<br />
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In April we went to Bali. This is our third trip - and yes, we still want to go back. We love Bali, and Bali loves us! I think we could live in Bali, we'd fit right in!<br />
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Jennifer and I love to visit places of worship in Southeast Asia. Here we are in Gunung Kawi with my mom and Craig. Since we had seen quite a few major sites, this time we chose to visit a few sites that are a bit older. Gunung Kawi, was built sometime in 1100 A.D. To put that in perspective, <a href="http://horrocksherald.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html" target="_blank">Angkor Wat</a> in Cambodia was built around the same time.<br />
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Gunung Kawi is located at the bottom of a canyon with a river running through it and rice terraces located all around. Just the walk to the temple area was beautiful!<br />
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The temple itself was carved into the sides of the canyon walls. There are 10 of these carvings in all, each of them about 23 feet tall!<br />
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The monks who used to live near the temple also carved their living quarters into the rocks.<br />
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Here is a close up of one of the monk's rooms. Doors and windows were smaller back then to provide privacy to the inhabitants. The carpeting is made of all-natural renewable fiber, but it only comes in one color: mossy green.<br />
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On the hike out we got a little thirsty. Luckily, we found an entrepreneur along the path who graciously sold coconuts to dry-mouthed tourists who huffed and puffed their way out of the canyon.<br />
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Coconut milk, while not that sweet, is naturally full of electrolytes and is very "cooling". I enjoyed my drink of nature's Gatorade!<br />
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After the walk out of Gunung Kawi we stopped at Tirtha Empul. We visited <a href="http://horrocksherald.blogspot.com/2011/12/water-temple.html" target="_blank">this temple</a> last time in Bali. On this visit, we wanted to take a dip in the natural spring waters found here.<br />
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So, we got in, sarongs and all! We stopped by each fountain and let the cold spring water soak our cares away!<br />
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We visited each of the fountains - except the two that are reserved for funerals only. The water was really clean and cold. In the heat of the day, it was really refreshing!<br />
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Afterwards, we changed and visited the rest of the temple. This is the area where the spring water comes from. If you look really closely, you can see the magical fish that inhabits the spring. He looks like a cross between a catfish and an eel. It's considered good luck to see this fish, and our tour guide has only seen it twice in his life!<br />
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Our guide, Ngurah Rai, or Rai, was excellent as always and helped us understand all of the customs associated with the Tirtha Empul temple. He and Craig are good friends!<br />
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Here we are at one of the gates leaving the temple with a carving of Barong above the doorway. Six months ago, the brick was clean and red. Things grow fast in the jungle! We had a fabulous time, and after our dip in the spring we didn't feel hot the rest of the day! Stay tuned for more posts from Bali!Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-6420922621319258582012-05-14T18:48:00.003-07:002012-05-14T23:50:02.320-07:00Qing MingThis year in April, the Chinese living in Malaysia celebrate Qing Ming. This is similar to Memorial Day in the United States, where families visit the graves of deceased ancestors to pay their respects.<br />
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Penang is home to several large cemetaries, including this one which is a mix of Cantonese and Teow Chew ethnic groups. Many of these graves were put here during the Japanese occupation of Penang during WWII.<br />
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The month of Qing Ming is the only time when you can visit the graves of your family. The rest of the year the cemetaries aren't kept, thus they are covered in tall grass and weeds. Just before Qing Ming, the operators of the cemetaries clear away all of the debris. Visitors are frequently seen restoring the graves, which is why Qing Ming is sometimes referred to as "grave sweeping". The man pictured above is rebuilding the mound on tip of the resting place of his ancestor.<br />
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In the United States, visitors often leave flowers or other tokens of remembrace at the graves of their ancestors. In Malaysia, the Chinese have a much more elaborate way of honoring their dead, including providing a feast and clothing! You can see a family decorating the gravesite above. The grave is covered with tiny slips of paper quoting scripture and held down with flags. <br />
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A complete meal with roasted chicken and fresh fruit is laid out for the dead to eat. The family waits for the dead ancestors to eat what they want. After about 20 minutes, the head of the family kneels in front of the feast and flips two coins. If they both show up heads or tails, then the ghosts are done eating, and the leftovers can be taken home and finished later. If one shows up heads and the other tails, then the ghosts aren't done eating, and you have to wait and flip the coins in another 20 minutes.<br />
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In addition to a nice meal, the spirits of the dead are given clothing and money to last them for one year. You may be wondering how you can give a ghost clothes and money. Well, you take paper versions of anything you want to send to hell, and you burn it. Makes perfect sense, right?<br />
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So, near Qing Ming time, stores start to carry paper versions of things that your dead ancestors might need, like iPads and other electronics. Of course, iPads are easy to use, but if your dead aunt passed away in the 1990's, she may not know how to use one!<br />
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An alternative is a nice paper BMW. You can even get one that comes with a paper driver!<br />
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Maybe your dead uncle was missing some teeth. So, buy him paper dentures, and also some paper dental hygiene products!<br />
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Once you've piled everything up next to your ancestor's grave, you light it on fire. This transports whatever gifts you want to give to the spirit world for the use of your predecessors in the next life.<br />
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<br />Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-66362441832378538172012-04-26T04:25:00.000-07:002012-04-26T08:22:11.666-07:00Elephant Riding in Cambodia<br />
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My Dad and stepmom, Kathy, visited Penang in February. They wanted to experience as much culture as they could, so we saw <a href="http://horrocksherald.blogspot.com/2012/02/year-of-dragon.html" target="_blank">Chap Goh Meh</a>, <a href="http://horrocksherald.blogspot.com/2012/02/silver-chariot.html" target="_blank">Thaipusam</a>, and Cambodia with them. I think by the end of our trip, they had received so much culture that their heads were ready to explode! They had a great time, but their most favorite part was riding an elephant among the ancient Khmer ruins near Angkor Wat.<br />
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Here is my dad and Kathy sitting atop their pachyderm in front of the Angkor Thom gates. The driver is called a "mahout", and if you're lucky he'll serenade you using a leaf from a tree as his musical instrument during your journey.<br />
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Here is Jennifer, Craig and me on the top of our transport. Yup, the small ears indicate our ride is of the Asian variety of elephants. Their African cousins have the big ears.<br />
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The walls around Angkor Thom reach 20 meters high, and have 5 different gates. The gates have a huge carved Buddha face looking in all four cardinal directions. We passed through the gates in upscale Khmer-style on our elephants!<br />
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Along the way our elephant would occasionally stop for a snack. Here she is pulling some juicy leaves from a nearby tree.<br />
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We traversed the forest for a few minutes...<br />
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...until we came to The Bayon, which is like the Khmer Empire's state temple. It has one tower for each province. Each tower is carved with a Buddha face looking in 4 directions.<br />
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Here's a closer look at the Bayon.<br />
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After our ride we got a chance to give our elephants a few snacks in appreciation for their hard work. Craig was a bit nervous about feeding our elephant, but she happily ate the bananas anyway.<br />
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After he realized the elephant only wanted to eat the bananas, and not him, Craig was more comfortable and had a little more fun.<br />
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Kathy was more adventurous and gave the elephant a pat on its trunk.<br />
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Cambodia is awesome, and we're so happy that we got to see it! We're also happy that my dad and Kathy could come with us and share the memories!Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-37797684194351683072012-03-19T01:38:00.001-07:002012-03-19T07:54:25.916-07:00My Mom's Penang Transformation<br />
My mom visited Penang about one year ago. In the spirit of catching up on posts that we missed, I'm writing about her visit this week. We had a great time exploring Penang, shopping in Bangkok, and touring Singapore.<br />
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Jennifer gave my mom the "Penang" experience, which of course starts at Sam's Batik. Sam's Batik is a wonderful little clothing outlet where you can buy a one-of-a-kind kurtis and cool pants. Here's my mom in her regular "American" clothes, prior to her Penang transformation.<br />
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And here she is after, wearing her brightly colored pants and her white kurtis with hand-embroidered flowers on it, ready to enjoy Penang hawker food!<br />
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Now that my mom is properly dressed, it's time for a visit to Vincent's. Here is Craig, getting his "rock star" hair from Vincent. We can thank Auntie Em for that one - she gave Craig a shirt that plays guitar (literally) to Craig and he got way into being a rock star. My mom also got the Penang salon treatement, including the famous hair wash and head massage while sitting upright in a chair.<br />
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The next step in becomming a true Penang-ite is a visit to the fish spa. This is where the little fishies give you a nice, relaxing foot reflexology treatment by gently nibbling the dead skin from your tired soles. Yes, it tickles -- a little.<br />
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After the fish reflexology, you have to go for some real refelexology at Alpha Foot Spa. Here, they don't just concentrate on your feet, but they also rub your shoulders, neck, head, back, or whatever else ails you. Here's Jennifer getting the knots in her shoulders rubbed away.<br />
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While in Penang's Little India, my mom picked out a sari to take home. This one is "ready made", or tailored so that my mom doesn't have to wrap it, it will stay in place on its own. The locals don't have their saris ready made, they literally wrap a six-meter-long piece of fabric around themselves for a dress. For westerners who don't want to run the risk of over-exposure, it's best to get a sari ready made at the local tailor.<br />
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After a hectic day getting to know Penang, it's time to relax on the beach. Here we are in Batu Ferringhi enjoying the spectacular sunset and relaxing in the soft sand.<br />
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Visiting Penang is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for most people, but my mom didn't end there. She wanted to cram as much into her trip as possible, so we packed our bags and went to Bangkok for a weekend! Here we all are striking a Thai pose in front of the library in the Royal Palace in Bangkok. We toured all of the major sites, including Wat Arun and Wat Pho.<br />
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My mom's favorite part of Bangkok was shoppting at the Chatuchak weekend market. This is reported to be the world's largest outdoor market. It's so large that we spent two days there, and didn't even come close to seeing everything.<br />
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If you know my mom at all, then you know she loves cruising. Bangkok is a "cruiseport" for old rice barges that have been converted to floating restaurants. We took a dinner cruise on one of these barges up the Chao Phraya river. We enjoyed traditional Thai food while viewing all of the brightly lit wats lining the riverbanks.<br />
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My mom returned to the USA via Singapore, so we took the opportunity to spend a few hours touring the city before she left. Here's my mom and Craig standing in front of the iconic Marina Bay Sands Casino and Hotel, which looks like a giant boat straddling three tall buildings.<br />
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We had a great time with my mom, and look forward to her return trip this year when we get to see more of Penang and also add Bali to the list of stamps in her passport!Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-23344685498136003102012-03-11T22:22:00.002-07:002012-03-11T22:22:45.429-07:00Humans versus GeekoidsGreetings Earthlings! I am Vendar, the leader of the Geekoids! I've taken over this blog to tell you of the injustice we've suffered at the hands of the Troopies and their earthling allies! You terrestrial dwellers may have recently seen the performance of "Out of This World" at the St. Christopher's International Primary School, which detailed the interaction of the noble Geekoids with aliens from planet Earth. Well, if you have, then I'm here to set the record straight, and remove the general bias against the hostile takeover of your planet by the Geekoids.<br />
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Here is one of your own dressed as a Geekoid. In my opinion, he bears a nice representation of an actual Geekoid. Isn't he cute? Of course, we Geekoids don't have teeth, but I do find the missing front tooth on this earthling to be endearing! As you can see from this Geekoid costume, Geekoids are a very advanced race. We have spaceships that do not run on so-called fossil fuels. We wear very clean sparkly spacesuits. And, we have colorful antennas.<br />
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Yes, here is the opening sequence of the so-called performance which slandered the good name of Geekoids throughout the galaxy. All of the little earth children worked for weeks to learn their musical numbers and their speaking lines. They performed one evening at a local university auditorium. I consider myself a student of alien culture, and I must say that this particular performance from year 2 students (first graders in the USA) far exceeded performances from may productions put on by teenagers in secondary school (high school).<br />
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Here is a picture of the earthlings as "space explorers". They, along with the help of their robot, Zap-10, flew a rocket to another planet.<br />
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Here is a closer look at Zap-10. Earthlings are quite ingenious, creating a mobile computer that can interact with others just like an intelligent life form. This robot exhibited suprisingly human characteristics, and I believe is friends with the cute little human-dressed-as-Geekoid in real life.<br />
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Troopies are a primitive race. We took over their planet so that we could use their natural resources more productively -- namely, to support ourselves. We take all the fresh water, air, and other good things and use it to support Geekoids. Unfortunately, we've almost used up all of the natural resources, so it's time for us to leave for another planet. This time, we want to come to planet Earth. You don't mind sharing, do you?<br />
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The little earthlings performed extremely well. They all had a chance to sing. Many of the songs had a choreographed dance to go along with them. As I mentioned before, they did a fantastic job, even if they only reprsented one side of the story.<br />
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Troopies had never really given us much trouble, but you earthlings, well that's a different matter. You tried to out-wit us, and capture one of our Geekoids and hold her for ransom! Well, we Geekoids couldn't allow that to happen!<br />
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So, we retaliated, and captured one of your earthling space explorers. Here are the guards pictured above!<br />
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From this video, you can tell that our guards, though powerful, are not "inhumane" (as you earthlings would say). Have I mentioned how cute Geekoids are?<br />
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So, while we were justly arranging for a way to exchange your earthling for our Geekoid companion, the cunning group of space explorers re-programmed our navigational computers to take us far, far away from Earth! Can you not see the great injustice we've suffered at the hands of there earthlings? We Geekoids are so cute!<br />
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Here is further proof of how cute we are! We can dance just like the little humanoids above!!<br />
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We implore all who read this blog to stand up for the injustice done to the Geekoids! All we wanted to do was take all of your resources! Now, we are doomed to wander the galaxy using a navigational system that was unjustly tampered with by your space explorers.<br />
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Aren't we Geekoids cute? This program, while fabulously executed, showed the human race as the heroes, and the poor Geekoids as villains. But how can a villain be so cute?Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6599412820606381102.post-34939136692754145332012-03-06T06:23:00.001-08:002012-03-07T05:40:11.672-08:00Aaron, Leticia, and Chris! Oh My!We've been really lucky to have had lots of visitors from our family to Penang! Last year, the handsome and distinguished Dr. Aaron Craig Jessop, brilliant visionary of the arts of Nuclear Medicine (and Jennifer's little brother) was invited to give a speech at a medical conference in Beijing, China. We were pleased that Aaron, his spectacularly beautiful wife Leticia, and his awesome brother-in-law and favorite uncle to all nephews (and those who think they are his nephews) Chris took the scenic route to Beijing by way of Penang and spent a few days with us. We had such a wonderful time!!<br />
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Here is Chris, Leticia, and Aaron in front of Masjid Kapitan Keiling. This is one of the most picturesque mosques in Penang. It was originally built in the 1800's by Indian immigrants. It's been expanded upon several times since.<br />
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Here is Aaron and Leticia in front of the Khoo Kongsi, or Khoo Clan House. This is where the film "The King and I" starring Jodie Foster was filmed. It's a wonderful example of Chinese architecture and style.<br />
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Just behind our house are two Buddhist temples, one Thai temple and one Burmese temple. This is the Thai temple, Wat Chaiyamangalaram, with an enormous reclining Buddha inside. According to tradition, this is the position Buddha was in just before he entered nirvana. If you were born on Tuesday like Craig and me, then this is your Buddha pose.<br />
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Across the street from Wat Chaiyamangalaram is a Burmese temple, the Dhammikarama temple. Yes, we know the difference. Do you?<br />
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Of course we had to take them to our favorite shopping down a street alley in Georgetown. This is where you can buy silk pajamas and cotton shirts. It's also where Jennifer can find her sewing notions.<br />
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You haven't experienced Penang until you've been to the Ritz Salon and had your hair washed -- while sitting upright in your chair! The hair wash includes a head massage and one of the best haircuts you've ever had.<br />
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After leaving the Ritz Salon, we were all feeling like a million bucks - so now everyone wanted to dress like a million bucks! So we went to our favorite tailor where Aaron and Chris both had suits made. Leticia had a Chinese style Chamsum tailored just for her. No one who has had 4 children should look so good!! (added by Jennifer)<br />
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Ah, then we hit the fish spa. This is where you can have the dead layer of your epidermis eaten off by tiny little fish. It's not for people with ticklish feet!<br />
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And then there's the food! We LOVE Penang food, and so did Aaron, Leticia, and Chris. Here we are at our favorite chicken rice spot. I could eat chicken rice all day long!<br />
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This is our favorite breakfast spot where we eat tofu fa, wonton mee, and kway teow th'ng (also known as super soup).<br />
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And then there's the Fishing Villiage restaurant near the end of the world. Well, the end of the road on Penang, anayway. This is where you can get fresh seafood like red snapper, garupa, and lobster.<br />
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The most famous dish, however, is the black pepper squid. We eat it like it's candy! These little crispy critters are covered in sweet black pepper sauce then served up so that we can eat them by the plateful!<br />
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We had a great time touring, shopping, and most of all eating with Aaron and his co-travelers!Brent Horrockshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10008785728400875231noreply@blogger.com2