So Hungary

Turns out people really do wear those Russian fur hats in Eastern Europe cause it's just that cold. I mean ice ripping through your skin cold. But they've got sun, so it evens out. We landed in Budapest on Valentine's Day, just in time for Geno to keep our tradition of eating at an Indian restaurant on V-Day alive. (And it was legit!) Here's a few key facts you should know about Budapest (or "Budapesht" as the locals call it):

• Acutally two mini cities, "Buda" and "Pest", separated by the Danube River
  
• Broke free of Communism in 1989, so no way any of us were getting in before then
• Famous for Paprika and Goulash soup
• Good to know a few words of Hungarian or at least mimic the accent as Geno can do quit well
  

I hesitate to admit this, but, for our first time in our lives together, we did one of those "Jump On Jump Off" City Bus Tours. Smart move as the city is huge ... not so smart was chasing after the bus (picture Geno hobbling on a bad knee, another story) after we realized they really do only stop for 2 seconds. Anyway, we loved Budapest ...from the ancient, colorful buildings with crazy ornate details to the outdoor park ice skating rink with blasts of Michael Jackson music....it's a city not to miss. Check out the pics.

Rotterdam ... just a train ride away

I'd been getting serious flack from my co-worker for not visiting his 'city' of Rotterdam (about 45 minutes away). So, we decided to check out the largest port town in Europe for the International Film Festival. Turns out, Rotterdam is cool. Unfortunately it was mostly destroyed by bombs in the German invasion of 1940, but it's now a unique modern city with an appreciation for design and modern architecture. It was an action packed day trip, beginning with a Thai film that apparently wasn't edited (1 hour too long), crazy boat ride to the New York hotel (huge ships would sail off to America from here), lunch with my co-worker and his wife, walking tour and a pretty good Russian film to end the day. Here's pics.

'Merica: Operation West Coast

Success all around for our US West Coast Christmas ... well, perhaps not for the houses still recovering from our visits, but we experienced success. Good times were had relaxing, eating, and hanging out with folks in No. CA, playing with the nieces in Seattle and catching up with old friends and co-workers in Portland. Disgusting amounts of food were consumed, but tough to say no when you realize you're coming back to fried potato balls.
Here's our recap, or skip and get visuals here:

• Cities Hit = 4, San Francisco, Auburn, Seattle, Portland


• Transportation Used = 2 Planes, 1 Train, 1 Automobile


• Friends/Family that housed us and our disastrous luggage explosions = 4, Jacobson folks, McGee Crew, Miller Crew, Fallon/Schinder Crew


• Mexican Food Consumption = 4 nights of heaven
  
• Cupcakes made by mom and swallowed by Geno in a 5 day period = 18


• Time Geno spent on phone with IBM rep in India "Ahbubab" to fix Skype connection for parents = 3 hours


• Cutest question by 5 year-old niece Alexis = "Aunt Stef, what are people doing in Amsterdam right now?"


• Most awkward, yet amusing question by same niece = "Aunt Stef, why does my mom have children and you don't have any?"


• Largest TV screen for viewing american football = 110 inch projection screen at Schinders


• Suitcases Used = 3 filled leaving Amsterdam, 6 filled returning
  Here's the pics.