Sounds like the beginning of a great country western song!
After a few days in Eger I come back to Budapest and it was like coming home. The bus dropped me off at an unfamiliar bus stop. At first confused and disoriented I find the metro and immediately recognize the yellow line which will take me to the blue line. I even know without looking it up that I must go in the direction of Kobanya. This is a huge accomplishment and I feel 6 feet tall.
When I enter my Air B and B, Mrs. Goa – my Chinese hostess embraces me and is so glad to see me. It is great to be recognized and welcomed. Her granddaughter who was just a few months old when I started my journey, is now 4 months old and has grown so much.
It is a Hungarian holiday and there are many visitors at the Air B and B, that they bring an extra bed to my room, so now we are 5. There was a line to get into the bathroom.
The Chinese breakfast is included in the price of the air B and B and is always very large with homemade noodles or Chinese pancakes. Today the table is full of interesting travelers. A lovely young woman from Kazakhstan, one from Russia, a couple from Croatia and a few Chinese students. The conversations are all lively and engaging. They are interested in my travels as an older adult traveling alone and being around young people who are so full of energy and optimism, fills my own tank with enthusiasm for life. A few weeks later I receive the most heart warming e mail from the young girl from Kazakhstan. In short she writes:
Tamara, your stories inspire me! The way you seek adventures and completely open to approach strangers with smile on your face, the way you felt connection with a granny passing by (although you did not understand each other), the way you define volunteering and everything are just mind blowing. You are so open-minded and broad-minded, I feel so lucky to meet an amazing person. I am happy that you share your stories with us, your website just like a free life experience. The advices you give and your young soul are just rarity. I am happy to know that there are people like you out there who notices other people.
Her words make me pause and remind me how much our words and actions can inspire others. I plan to stay in touch with her and hope to visit someday.
After a few days rest I decide to take a day trip to west Hungary. Sopron is a few hours by train and borders Austria. It sits at the foot of the Alps, just 60 Km from Vienna. It is a jewel box with the beautiful old Baroque style buildings. A young Hungarian told me that Hungary is the only country that borders itself. Hungary use to be a much bigger country but lost small chunks over the years to bordering countries.
I travel with one of the Chinese woman I met at my Air B and B in Budapest. She is from the Hunan Providence in China. Through her connections we are picked up by a Hungarian woman living in Sopron who graciously picks us up from the train station, and cooks a Hungarian lunch for us.
I return to Budapest late that night and spend my last days in Budapest. I take a few cooking classes, but since my mother was Hungarian, she taught us to cook many Hungarian dishes, and I was a little partial to her recipes. But I did learn a few new ones that I will include in the next blog.
I never tire of Budapest, the sights, food, churches and museums. On my last night, I go to see the exact same show of folk dancers and musicians that I saw almost 3 months ago on my first night there. It still brought tears to my eyes and a smile on my face and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time I saw it.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more or do more, you have accomplished what most leaders hope for. -John Quincy Adams
The most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example. – John Wooden
Hungarian Foods
A play on words!
Cabbage Rolls
How they are made, dough cooked over hot coals, rolled in toppings
I shared a chocolate Kurtoskalacs with a man I saw looking through the trash for food – he was beyond happy!
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My Timshel by Tamara Gonzalez Oberbeck 
Tammy,
Years ago (45), I attended a Hungarian wedding at St. Mary’s church in Dayton. The reception was in the school cafeteria. The food was prepared by the parishioners. All I remember is that the pasteries were fantastic!!!
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