Category Archives: Parenthood

Hot in the City, And in the Suburbs

July 13, 2012 Wildtrumpetvine

Atlanta113 — Midtown Atlanta, seen from Piedmont Park.

A late-June visit to Atlanta has kept me from writing for nearly two weeks. I’m still attempting to swim against the strong current that is the accumulation of life’s daily minutiae after a vacation. I’m distracted by tasks I can’t quite seem to finish—laundry, bill-paying, preparation for Vacation Bible School at our church, the ongoing need to assemble yet another meal. Can it really be time to start dinner again? How is that possible? The dog fluff is collecting like tumbleweed under all the chairs, even though Kiko was at the kennel (Puppy Camp, we like to say) for the week. For now I will ignore the dust and debris, the disordered jumble of papers on my desk. I have a free hour or two while D is at a tennis lesson, so I will try to turn my thoughts to Wild Trumpet Vine.

Every year, shortly after school is out, D and I allot a week for visiting my parents. In past summers, our travels South have been marked by excruciatingly long airport delays: at the gate, on board, then back in the airport after deboarding due to sustained bad weather or mechanical problems. At this point we have lost all hope of ever flying anywhere. (See Fun with Air Travel, October 2011.) Planning for the usual unpleasant eventualities, we left early in the day, to allow a big buffer zone.

On this trip, astoundingly, all went exactly as it should have. If we had spent any more time leisurely munching our breakfast sandwiches in the tranquility of Dulles Airport, we would have missed our flight. When we made our way to the gate, nearly all our fellow passengers had vanished. It was beyond our wildest dreams that boarding would begin on time, as it was that the plane would take off immediately, as it did. We rejoiced in our good fortune, and in a perfectly uneventful flight.

In an earlier post (Fun with Ground Transportation, October 2011) I noted the difficulties that typically arise when my parents pick us up at the airport. There is the conundrum of locating the car in the ever-expanding parking areas of Hartsfield-Jackson, followed by stressful negotiating of the ticket booths, capped off by an alarmingly speedy drive home through Atlanta traffic. I also said that on my next visit I would opt for MARTA, the city’s rapid transit system. And so, this time, we did.

Atlanta114 — Another midtown view from the Park.

The day of our arrival marked the beginning of another heat wave, with the temperature in Atlanta on track to reach 105. Thankfully, the train station adjoins the airport, so we were able to postpone our foray into the oppressive heat. I am befuddled by ticket machines at transit stations; they always seem to be unnecessarily complicated. If I could confront those many buttons and questions in the privacy of my home, I would surely figure it all out, but in the hubbub of the station, I have some trouble. Fortunately D, like her father, excels at such puzzles, and with her expert guidance we quickly purchased two reusable Breeze cards. The train was cool and not especially crowded. The stops clicked by at a brisk pace: East Point, Lakewood, West End, etc. Mama and Daddy picked us up at the Arts Center, just a few miles from their house. The quick ride back was notable for its lack of cringe-inducing near brushes with death. MARTA is definitely the way to go.

H usually joins us for one weekend during our trip. To avoid taking a day off work, he generally schedules an evening flight. We have been picking him up at the Arts Center now for many years. He has finally learned to avoid provoking the ire of occasionally testy and sometimes drunken late-night MARTA passengers by not sitting, transfixed by his Blackberry, with his legs perhaps too outstretched or suitcase a tad too much in the aisle. His flight and train ride, like ours, were easy, on time and without incident.

The next morning, H’s parents called to check on us, their voices worried: Were we OK? Did we get held up by the storms? Did any trees fall on our house? We hadn’t watched the news or glanced at the newspaper, and so we knew nothing about the sudden monster winds that blew down trees and power lines across the mid-Atlantic. Incredibly, we had managed to get out of town before the storm hit. Our Virginia neighborhood, we soon learned, had been without electricity at that point for about 15 hours. Power in our area would be restored after almost three days, but many others suffered far longer. Lots of trees fell nearby, but none hit our house or did major damage in our neighborhood.

We experienced the suffocating heat in Atlanta, but only in short, bearable blasts as we hurried from car to house or other chilled interior. The parking garage at the Lindbergh Target, for example (where we went to buy my parents yet another DVD player—they are serial killers of these gadgets) felt like a furnace, but we had no need to linger there. Mama and Daddy, having spent the first portion of their lives without AC, now enthusiastically embrace a cool home environment. D and I typically have to forage in the attic for old sweaters and winter housecoats in order to be comfortable.

A week later, when I returned home to the task of discarding every last item in our refrigerator, it bordered on the enjoyable, so thankful was I that we had not been in Virginia to melt slowly along with our food. For those of you who were, I’m sorry for your misery.

Family, Parenthood

Grandpa

June 28, 2012 Wildtrumpetvine

My husband’s grandfather was “Grandpa,” so his father became “Grandpa” to our daughter. H’s mother was happy to be “Grandma.” For four years D was the only grandchild on H’s side of the family, so she received especially big doses of love and attention from Grandpa and Grandma.

Both sets of grandparents visited regularly during our daughter’s early years. She excitedly awaited their arrival each time, and no matter how long they stayed, she was sad to see them go. Here she gets a hug from Grandpa before they drive back to Rochester.

Grandpa might well have an advanced degree in Absurdist Theatre. He gladly goes to great lengths for a laugh, and his antics earned him the nickname “Crazy Grandpa” from D. As is evident here, he never minded being decked out for comic effect. The scattered toys are evidence of a full day of play.

One spring Grandpa and Grandma arrived with a toy cash register as a gift for D. It had a scanner and a microphone for price checks. All day long, Grandpa and D priced items and conferred via microphone: Price check on kumquats. Is that kumquats with wings or without? With fur or without? D never tired of Grandpa’s nonsensical questions and replies. When D outgrew the cash register, we passed it on to her younger cousins so Grandpa could continue to enjoy it.

An exercise that never failed to produce smiles was Grandpa’s comic mis-reading of D’s storybooks.

Crazy Grandpa, appropriately, is a master of crazy faces. This talent is much esteemed by our daughter, although one time he went too far. He began with a mildly crazy face, but he allowed it to morph into a truly demented face, so much so that D burst into tears and ran from the room. That taught Grandpa where to draw the line, and he never made her cry with his craziness again.

Grandpa abandons his crazy persona when necessary. Here, he is a proud grandfather as well as father of the bride at his daughter’s wedding rehearsal. D was overjoyed to be the flower girl in her aunt’s wedding, and her little cousin was an adroit ring bearer.

Dominos with Grandma and Grandpa, on our old back porch.

Grandpa and Grandma are always up for a board game. When I very much needed to catch up with laundry or some other daily chore, they graciously filled my daughter’s days with Hi Ho! Cheerio, Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, checkers, Chinese checkers and Jenga. There were card games, too. Grandpa’s banter is hilarious during Uno. He constantly accuses Grandma of cheating, and of course Grandma would never cheat, not in any game. Uno remains a rainy-day staple when we’re together at Cape Cod. Grandma, according to Grandpa, is still up to her nefarious schemes.

D is clearly hatching her plan to imprison Grandpa in her playhouse, visible in the background.

Every once in a while, even Grandpa and Grandma suffered game fatigue. When this happened, Grandpa might dip further into his store of craziness. D, of course, never flagged when she was face-to-face with a fellow playmate who possessed a flair for the ridiculous. One afternoon following many games, D lured Grandpa into her brightly colored playhouse. I had come to look upon that playhouse with dread, as it was the site of interminable tea parties on the long days when she and I were alone. Tea would end, and I was on the verge of escape, but then it was time for a pretend dinner, and breakfast followed immediately. Suddenly we would be in the midst of reenacting scenes from The Little Mermaid. I got awfully weary of being Ariel’s father, especially in the confines of that playhouse.

Grandpa, however, was unaware that the house was actually a cheerful-looking prison. He never even knew he was a captive. He amused D by surreptitiously tossing stuffed animals on the roof of the house, using a variety of odd voices to exclaim “I think I heard something on the rruff! Did you hear something on the rruff?” As Grandpa understands, sophisticated comedy usually isn’t required to get laughs from a young granddaughter. He also knew, or at least hoped, that he’d get a short nap in before dinner.

D agrees with her Grandpa and her Daddy that the most wonderful place in the world is outside our little rental cottages at Cape Cod. Our annual vacations at the Cape are one of the highlights of summer. When D was young, she looked forward to the nights when H and I would go out to dinner alone, because that meant a full evening with Grandpa and Grandma in their cottage. It meant making unusual creations with the new Play-Doh fun factory that arrived with them each year. It meant games, imaginative drawings, good snacks and Grandpa cooking chicken on the grill. Sometimes it meant looking for shooting stars out at Herring Cove Beach. Needless to say, H and I always enjoyed the free babysitting by such an enthusiastic and experienced duo.

D still treasures her evenings with Grandpa and Grandma in Cape Cod. And every morning upon waking, the first thing she does is look out her window. If Grandpa is there, settled in his beach chair, gazing out at the bay, all is indeed right with the world.

Family, Parenthood

Papa

June 27, 2012 Wildtrumpetvine

Our daughter is extremely fortunate that she has two sets of loving grandparents who are actively involved in her life. H’s parents and mine were already retired when D was born, and while neither pair lives nearby, they have always been eager to step in and help when asked. I sure needed them during that hectic first month of D’s life. My parents took the first two-week shift, assisting with cooking, household chores and baby care. H’s took the second, and I was very grateful.

I got a late start at married life, and my parents had almost given up the hope of cuddling a grandchild. They never nagged or made comments to that effect, but when D was born, they were elated. My father is a big fan of babies, and all babies love him. It’s hard to imagine a happier grandfather. He just couldn’t get enough of his little granddaughter. Couldn’t hold her enough, look at her enough, or compliment her enough. He always made it clear that she was absolutely, hands-down, the prettiest, smartest, most amazing baby ever. Except for me, of course.

One of our first major outings with my parents and D was a trip to Mount Vernon when she was about five months old. My husband and my father each wanted to be the one to carry her, to bask in her sweet baby glory. Here, they pretend briefly, for the photo, that they are willing to share her.

These old blocks were some of D’s favorite early toys. They were mine as a child, so Daddy had many prior years of architectural practice. At this age, D was not much of a builder, but she found pronounced enjoyment in banging one block against another or any hard surface. Soon she discovered that knocking down Papa’s carefully constructed creations brought much satisfaction. He didn’t care, as long as he got to sit with her, hug her and look at her. He has a real talent for simply enjoying his granddaughter in all that she does.

Here, we were in Atlanta to celebrate D’s first birthday. Daddy may have been giving her some sage grandfatherly advice: if you have to fight, always get in the first punch. She appears to be paying close attention. It was about this time that she decided to call my father “Papa.” My parents and I had lobbied for “Grandaddy,” but she would have none of it. During this period she was beginning to say many words, and she tended to speak with an air of surprising gravitas. She fixed my father with a stern look and declared forcefully, “Papa!” Then she turned to my mother, who was dead set on not being “Granny” or “Grandma.” She had hoped to steer D toward saying “Grandmama,” but again, NO. D ordained, with confidence and finality, that she would be “Nana.”

At Bald Head Island in North Carolina, Papa was so excited to be at the ocean for the first time with D that he almost let his shoes float out to sea with the tide. He loved holding her as the sand rushed out from under her feet, a completely novel sensation. One of Papa’s most appealing traits is his joy in seeing the world through the eyes of a child. When he was with his little granddaughter, he seemed to relish the wonders of the everyday as much as she did.

While my parents have minimal interest in board games or cards, they put in many hours of elaborate pretend play with D. She especially enjoyed playing school. My mother was the teacher, D was the ideal pupil, and Daddy channeled a mischevious, smart-mouthed little boy he called “Mean Harold.” Harold had no respect for authority and behaved outlandishly, much to D’s delight. Left alone with his toddler granddaughter, Papa often became a sort of surrogate sibling. They alternated between playing together contentedly and squabbling about some perceived slight. Each took quick offense at an unwelcome tone of voice. They told on each other. And then they were best of friends again. When she occasionally expressed a wish for a brother or sister, I reminded her that she had Papa.

The photo above was taken at Stone Mountain (the world’s largest exposed lump of granite) near Atlanta, on a typically sweltering July day. For their granddaughter’s sake, Papa and Nana endured an especially full day at the park. We all rode the cable car to the top of the mountain, explored the wide, rounded summit, where we discovered pools of brine shrimp (better known to some of us as Sea Monkeys), took a slow, hot ride on the riverboat, and finally, toured the antique car museum. The price of a granddaughter’s giggles may be exhaustion, but Papa and Nana were willing to pay, then, and many times since.

D and Papa in Atlanta at my parents’ church. Papa is never prouder than when his granddaughter is with him at church. For her part, D realizes how blessed she is to call him Papa. And every once in a while, she still calls him Mean Harold.

Family, Parenthood, Travel

A Few More Good Men: My Husband, My Daughter’s Daddy

June 25, 2012 Wildtrumpetvine

My husband was a reluctant father. Had it been his choice, he might be childless now. He wasn’t certain that children were a crucial part of marital happiness. I was convinced that they were, and I remained resolute. When he saw that he had no choice except to cut and run, he came around to my way of thinking. He would be the first now to admit that he was wrong. All during my pregnancy, he was an enthusiastic, caring father-to-be. And from the first moment he saw his daughter, he was smitten. At that point he became a vigilant father. He never let our baby out of his sight at the hospital. Two newborns had been switched a month earlier somewhere in Virginia, and he was determined that we get home with our baby. When a nurse wondered if our daughter’s inconsolable wails might be due to hunger pains, H gave her the supplemental bottle in the nursery. He was there at the nurse’s side for the first bath, and he changed the first diaper.

We chose our townhouse because it was affordable and less than a mile from H’s office. For the first few months H came home around mid-day for hands-on time with D. During her first week of life, it appeared that she was intent on blinding herself with her tiny, perfectly formed fingernails. H promptly went to Babys ‘R Us and came back with preemie gowns with fold-over pouches on the sleeves to cover her nails. Unlike many fathers, he almost enjoyed the endless rounds of shopping for baby gear.

When D was about two months old, H began a Saturday-morning tradition that endures to this day. He would pack up our baby in her car carrier, load up the stroller, shoulder the pastel-colored diaper bag and take her out with him for breakfast. It gave me a welcome break. By the weekend, as a new mother, I was often near the end of my rope. (See New Motherhood, An Uphill Climb, January 2012.) My husband got the chance to have his little girl to himself. He loved carrying D through the mall, watching her gaze wide-eyed at all the fascinating sights such as lights and people. He loved being seen with his beautiful baby girl. He thought her especially cute during the time when her fine fluff of blond hair stuck straight up like the crest of a baby bird, just like his did at that age.

H typically worked (and still works) long hours. For several years when D was young, H spent four days a week in Cleveland. The only “up” side of this was his accumulation of enough airline and hotel miles to get us a nice week each winter at some spot in the Caribbean. Because he was away most of the week, Saturday morning became sacred father-daughter time. D declined Friday-night sleepovers and Saturday playdates because they interfered with her breakfast with Daddy. As she grew older, they added a follow-up activity. They might try a new park or shop for a cool toy or gadget (remote-control car, water-balloon launcher, science kit) they could enjoy together. Occasionally they’d go to Dulles or Reagan Airport to watch the planes take off and land. Sometimes they’d ride Metro and let serendipity be their guide, deciding at the spur of the moment which stops beckoned. Sometimes they simply got out of one train car and jumped back on another before the doors closed. They would return from these trips excited at having discovered a great German pastry shop in Georgetown or a wild, enchanted-looking chasm at the Courthouse station.

Typically, after breakfast these days, H and D go exploring off the beaten track. They might follow new trails through the woods or take their bikes on the train and ride around little-known parts of DC. Just last week they managed to get up to a rooftop restaurant with their bikes in tow. They have been known to hike the overgrown areas under highway overpasses. H enjoys showing our daughter that any place, no matter how seemingly ordinary, becomes interesting upon closer examination. At any random highway exit, wonders worth noting may be revealed if one simply looks.

In our daughter, H got the adventurous, dare-devil child he had hoped for. Several years ago, D was yearning for the thrills of a roller coaster, so they went to Six Flags and rode all the biggest rides. When she wanted to try Go-Karts, he gladly took her, even though it meant driving to Maryland. On the rare times when I’m away for the weekend, H plans a Saturday chock-full of action. One such day began at IHOP and concluded ten hours later at the Manassas Speedway. My father was sufficiently impressed with the number of activities they tackled that he wrote them all down.

0028 — Before the roller coasters, there were lots of merry-go-rounds.

My husband’s favorite outdoor activity, by far, is windsurfing. He has been passionate about the sport since he first tried it as a teenager at a Cape Cod pond. But because we don’t live in a prime windsurfing spot, his actual time out on the water is usually limited to vacations. He has high hopes for D to become his windsurfing buddy, and she may not disappoint him. Our Caribbean trips have allowed her to try it under idyllic conditions. She is certainly her Daddy’s buddy when it comes to other water adventures. At Cape Cod, they may rise at dawn and head to the icy water of the ocean to ride the waves on boogie boards. They share a fierce love of water parks, and the steeper the slide, the higher the drop, the better.

CapeCod20100061 — H windsurfing at Cape Cod.

H and D both love going fast over water, whether it’s flowing or frozen. Having grown up in Rochester, H is an expert on snow and snow-related activities. He finds the ideal sledding spots, and he makes sure we are equipped at all times with a variety of sleds. Much to D’s delight, her father is a skilled builder of intricately tunneled snow forts and gargantuan snowmen. My appreciation of snow is more aesthetic, and I quickly got my fill of playing in it with D when she was young and H was away. To me, the ordeal of getting her into her snowsuit was mentally and physically exhausting. To H, it was simply the necessary groundwork, paving the way for fun.

00123 — Lucky for me, H was home on this snowy day.

Snow-tubing with Daddy. I went on this excursion, and it proved to be exhilarating. Growing up in Atlanta, I didn’t know the thrill of good sledding.

Skiing, of course, is another of H’s favorite activities. He started D on the slopes when she was in preschool, and now she’s an accomplished skiier. Once or twice a year, they head out while it’s still dark in order to arrive at a ski resort in Pennsylvania just as it opens. As is the case with the water parks, if at all possible, I remain home with Kiko.

Our daughter is lucky that she has one parent who is still willing to go to great lengths for fun and adventure. The older I get, the more I can relate to my grandfather’s desire to hide away somewhere quiet and read. I was not always this way. I’ve gone to water parks and skiied with H. I briefly considered trying windsurfing, many years ago, in an effort to impress him. As a teenager I was a capable water-skiier, and I still love roller coasters, particularly the tall, smooth, steel ones. But now, the pay-off involved in most of these activities just isn’t worth the preparatory effort, the travel time, or the risk of injury. I admire my husband for many reasons, not the least of which is his continuing faith that a memorable day with his daughter is worth any amount of struggle and strife.

Sightseeing at Cape Cod, near the Highland Light. This is the kind of peaceful outdoor activity in which I like to be included.

Family, Parenthood

For Father’s Day Week: My Daddy

June 17, 2012 Wildtrumpetvine

It is my immense good fortune that several fatherly men have featured prominently in my life. Because I can’t do them justice in a single post, this week I will be honoring and remembering the fathers and grandfathers that have loved, influenced and supported me and my family. The first of these, of course, is my own father.

As I’ve said in an earlier post (Some Thoughts on My Father, October 2011), I consider myself exceptionally blessed to be my father’s daughter. He is remarkable in his emphatic, never-flagging love for me. He is lively, light-hearted, optimistic and fun. He is brave. He is my champion. He makes me want to be the person he thinks I am.

When I was young, any time spent with Daddy was quality time. From the very start, he was a devoted, enthusiastic father. He played, he joked, he brought zest to the everyday routine. And he has always known how to make things happen. In this photo, I was not quite two years old. I wanted very badly to pet the neighbor’s cat, but it most definitely did not want to deal with me. Daddy persuaded the cat that I was a friend worth meeting. I got to see the fluffy kitty up close, and I was delighted. Delighted in the cat, delighted in my father. Evidently this was several years before my allergy to cats kicked in.

There was no safer, more comforting place for me as a child than in my father’s arms.

I love this slightly blurry old photo because it captures Daddy and me at an almost giddy moment. I can’t remember what we were laughing about, but I remember the wonderful feeling.

My father and me in St. Augustine in the 1970s. We never took a lengthy annual vacation, but Mama and I often accompanied Daddy on his short business trips around the South. He always found time to take us exploring, to see the sights, to eat seafood with us every night, and best of all, to swim in the motel pool with me. I learned to swim in a Holiday Inn in Waycross, Georgia, thanks to Daddy’s guidance. To this day, the first shock of cold water in any swimming pool takes me back to the times when I used to cling to Daddy, shivering, exhilarated, as he waded deeper and deeper into the water, holding me in his arms.

At the white cliffs of Dover in the 1980s. Daddy drove Mama and me fearlessly all over England’s narrow, winding roads, sometimes keeping pace with the locals a bit too much for my mother’s liking. In the evenings, after the driving was done, he was always great pub company. He still is great company, wherever we are.

Art and Architecture, Family, Parenthood, Travel

Best of Budapest, II

June 12, 2012 Wildtrumpetvine

Back on the bus, we saw many more Pest landmarks, such as the immense Hungarian Parliament building, its tall central dome surrounded by a flurry of lacy Neo-Gothic turrets. In a drastic juxtaposition of scale, not far from the Parliament, is Budapest’s intimate and moving Holocaust Memorial. Sixty pairs of 1940s-style cast iron shoes are anchored to the promenade along the Danube. They memorialize the Jews who were shot near the spot during World War II by Fascist militia. Before the execution, the group was ordered to remove their shoes. Their bodies fell into the river and drifted away.

We crossed the Chain Bridge toward the hills of Buda, where our next stop was the Citadel. One of the city’s highest points, it affords sweeping bird’s-eye views. From the Fisherman’s Bastion, a Neo-Romanesque collection of gleaming white towers and ramparts, we began another walking tour. Immediately adjacent to the Bastion is the Matthias Church, known for its single, ornate tower. The first church on the spot dated from the eleventh century, while the current building was begun in the high-Gothic style of the 14th-century and completed (and heavily restored) in the 19th. The nearby bronze equestrian statue of St. Stephen, patron saint and first king of Hungary, looks as though it may have escaped from Heroes’ Square. Street entertainers tend to cluster around the statue’s monumental base. A falconer with his falcon was commanding some attention during our visit.

View of Budapest and the Danube from the ramparts of Fisherman’s Bastion.

The Matthias Church, named for Hungary’s King Matthias.

Statue of St. Stephen, Hungary’s first king and patron saint.

As we headed away from the Matthias church, our guide stopped us by a small white car parked in what appeared to be the center of the cobblestone street. A Trabant, an East German relic from the Communist period, it made the Datsun 1200 my mother drove in the 70s look as luxurious as a Jaguar. Our guide spoke passionately and eloquently about the difficulties of day-to-day life during Communism. For decades, the Trabant was the only car the average Hungarian could hope to afford. It was notorious for its tiny engine, heavy black exhaust, and hard plastic body made of recycled materials. Months and sometimes years passed between the time of order and delivery. But it could carry four people and some luggage. Our guide clearly considered the sad-looking little car a symbol of the daily indignities the Hungarian people suffered during the totalitarian regime.

The East-German-made Trabant, a relic of the Communist period.

After parting with the Trabant, we had free time to walk on our own. Just steps away from the busy area of the Bastion, the narrow streets were quiet and serene on this beautiful Palm Sunday morning. My parents accompanied D and me for a while, but before long they headed back to the bus, leaving us for more adventurous exploring. We like to go “off road” when we have the chance. I’ve learned that beauty often hides in unexpected spots. Winding around behind the rather sleepy Budapest Hilton, we found a secluded brick and stone stairway of medieval appearance that led down to the wild and overgrown banks of the Danube. Through window-sized openings in the massive stair wall, the distant towers of Parliament could have been Sleeping Beauty’s spellbound castle. Much like during our meanderings through the Four Seasons the night before, we seemed to have Budapest to ourselves. We had stumbled upon another marvelous secret in this ancient, enchanting city. My daughter and I will always remember Budapest as a gracious place that seemed eager to greet us, to reveal something truly special when we took the time to really look.

The towers of Parliament glimpsed through the stair wall.

D enjoys a lookout post in the wall.

Family, Parenthood, Travel

Best of Budapest, Part I

June 8, 2012 Wildtrumpetvine

JsiPhonePics2024 — The Chain Bridge, seen from the Pest side of the Danube. Thanks to my daughter for her night photos.

After dinner, my father, daughter and I went out for a short night walk to see Budapest in all its illuminated glory. We felt lucky to have the chance to stand on the pedestrian walkway of the Chain Bridge and gaze at the panorama that stretched out all around us. The city was decked out as if for a fantastic party, its many towers, domes and statues bathed in a silvery glow, the bridges dotted with small white lights.

JsiPhonePics2035 — From the roadway of the Chain Bridge. The domed Buda Castle is illuminated at left.

Just beyond the grand arches and reclining lions of the bridge was the magnificent Art Nouveau façade of the Gresham Palace, since 2001 the Four Seasons Hotel. It beckoned, and so we wandered through the soaring public rooms of the ground floor. Amiable doormen and staff greeted us warmly, evidently happy that we were ambling freely through the sparsely peopled space. There was no pressure to buy anything or to defend our right to be there. The hotel’s peaceful, rather dreamlike atmosphere was the perfect prelude to our first night’s sleep on the ship, which would remain docked by the Chain Bridge.

JsiPhonePics2036 — The dramatic Four Seasons Gresham Palace Hotel, built in 1904.

JsiPhonePics2053 — The vast expanse of Heroes’ Square.

The next day we boarded Viking Cruise buses for a tour of the city. These are the vehicles that my husband so detests, perhaps because he associates them with old age and being trapped in a confined space with other old people. I have no such complaints; I thoroughly enjoyed the buses, with their comfy seats, wall-to-wall windows and high vantage point. We began on the Pest side, proceeding at a leisurely pace along the wide Andrassy Avenue, Budapest’s Champs-Élysées. We passed magnificent homes and the palatial Neo-Renaissance Opera House, famed for its near-perfect acoustics. The street ends at the vast plaza of Heroes’ Square, with its dramatic Millenium Monument commemorating the city’s thousandth anniversary in 1896. Its many statues, in green oxidized bronze, depict tribal leaders and rulers of Hungary throughout the country’s exceptionally long history. With their flowing hair, exuberant drapery, fierce and determined gazes, the Hungarian heroes resemble fairy-tale figures rendered in three dimensions. Bordering the square are rambling Neo-Classical temples which house two of the city’s large art museums.

Europe2011026 — Partial view of the Millenium Monument, Heroes’ Square.

Before we left the bus to explore Heroes’ Square, our guide, a native of Budapest, warned us to ignore the gypsies that target tour groups. Sure enough, a dozen or so women seemed to appear out of nowhere, sidling up to us silently, exhibiting macramé sweaters crocheted from gilded and brightly colored yarn. They nodded solemnly, looking from sweater to tourist, as though to suggest that the purchase of such a flattering garment might be one’s supreme fashion decision. As roaming city vendors go, to us they seemed respectful and non-threatening, a far cry from the loud and aggressive sidewalk merchants of Paris. My mother and I both considered buying a sweater simply because the women were polite and looked so hopeful. Our guide had said the gypsies tend to overcharge and have been known to give change in counterfeit bills. I might as well have made a purchase, since we needed cash only for our admission to the baths. I returned home from the trip with enough, presumably real, Hungarian currency to have bought several of the low-cost sweaters. Those unused forints are stored somewhere in a drawer, awaiting a second chance to rove with Budapest’s Gypsies. I hope they’ll get that opportunity.

Art and Architecture, Family, Parenthood, Travel

Local Color at Budapest’s Thermal Baths

May 31, 2012 Wildtrumpetvine

It was such a relief to be on the plane that the physical discomfort of an overseas flight in coach couldn’t really touch me. I was no longer worried. D and I synchronized True Grit on our seat-back video screens, pausing at regular intervals to try to decipher Jeff Bridges’ mumblings. At the Munich Airport we made our way along endless meandering hallways, up and down countless stairs, to reach the gate for our flight to Hungary. Several hours later, we were at the Budapest Airport, where the cheerful Viking Cruise staff awaited us.

Our ship was docked in the heart of this ancient and strikingly beautiful city, immediately adjacent to the majestic Chain Bridge. The room that D and I shared looked out onto the bridge and the hilly Buda side of the city, with Buda Castle and the medieval Matthias Church nearby. A bit farther away, we could see the sleek new Elizabeth Bridge and the statue-topped Gellert Hill. My parents’ room was across the hall facing the flatter Pest side of the city.

Hungary is a land of abundant hot springs. Budapest has more than twenty thermal baths, all owned and operated by the government. According to every guidebook I consulted, the quintessential Hungarian experience is a trip to one of these baths. In the most celebrated baths, indoor and outdoor pools are grandly enclosed by elegant nineteenth-century architecture. We chose to visit the recently renovated Széchenyi Baths, which attract fewer tourists than the more upscale Gellert Baths. The friendly young woman at our ship’s concierge desk happily called a taxi when we inquired about getting to the baths. Our driver, a pleasant, talkative woman about my age, was soon whisking D and me through the city in her spotless white Mercedes. We left my parents to relax and unpack on the boat. In a quick ten minutes, we had arrived at the ornate entry building.

To foreigners, the entry procedure at the Széchenyi baths can be befuddling, to say the least. Few attendants speak English, and the notoriously difficult Hungarian language can hardly be picked up in a weekend with the help of a phrase book. Rick Steves’ e-book on Budapest offers a comprehensive guide to negotiating the baths. I had reviewed it on the plane, but we were still confused. Upon entering, one pays admission and rental for either a locker or a changing cabin. In anticipation of a trip to the baths, I had exchanged some dollars for Hungarian forints (a currency I find just as confusing as getting into the baths). Like a child, I paid by laying out the money and letting the attendant point to the required bills. I thought I had rented a changing cabin, so we wandered through the complex until we found that area, only to be told that we had paid for a locker. We roamed through additional subterranean corridors and finally located the women’s locker room. An attendant attached a wristband to my arm and showed us how to activate the lock using the attached metal disk.

Having worn our bathing suits under our clothes, it wasn’t long before we were back in the labyrinthian halls in search of the towel rental station. In an effort to be upstanding guests, we hadn’t smuggled towels with us from the boat. Next time we will not be so virtuous. The rental towels bore little relation to typical American terrycloth towels. Made of smooth heavy cotton, they were more like tablecloths. For those desiring further adventure during their baths experience, bathing suits can also be rented.

Getting out to the pools was easy, and it was wonderful to be in the open air again. Surrounded by the golden yellow Neo-Baroque buildings housing the entrance area, indoor baths, saunas and massage rooms, there are three spacious outdoor pools. The afternoon temperature was in the high 60s, and the warm water felt amazing. We spent most of our time in the semicircular “Fun Pool” which has a current circle in the center. We kept to the less populated edges.

The “Fun Pool” where we spent most of our time.

The clientele was primarily Hungarian, although we heard various other languages, including British and American English, French, German and Russian. I have never before seen such an eclectic variety of swimming attire. And no, this is not one of Budapest’s several “clothing optional” baths. Hefty grandfatherly men strutted about in tiny Speedos. Svelte young model types posed at the water’s edge in daring bikinis and spike heels. A number of older, well-covered women protected their hair with puffy shower caps. In the center lap pool, a cap is required. While some swimmers wore actual bathing caps, others sported baseball or shower caps.

The water began to feel cooler after a while, so we decided to have a look at the indoor baths. I was hoping for warmer water there. These pools were far more crowded than those outside. Along the edges, people, mostly men, stood shoulder to shoulder, staring unabashedly at any newcomers who ventured in. I was determined to test the water, so I made a quick circuit of the interior until I found a spot where the multitude was less pressing. When I dipped my foot in, the water was no warmer. We gladly returned to the unintimidating outdoor pools.

As the time approached to meet our taxi driver, the late afternoon air was taking on a serious chill. The abject deficiency of our rented towels made it difficult to emerge from the water. Our completely saturated tablecloths were icy and offered no comfort. Other towels, real, fluffy towels, folded invitingly, temptingly, seemed to mock us. I hope to never again feel such overwhelming towel envy. The comparative warmth of the taxi was especially welcome. We were invigorated by our plunge into the warmth and local color of the Széchenyi Baths. And we were glad to return to our floating haven on the Danube, which appeared even more inviting than it had at first sight.

The “Relaxation Pool” where some bathers play chess.

Helpful note on payment: Mastercard and Visa are accepted at the baths, which allows you to avoid dealing with forints. Our taxi driver preferred to be paid in Euros.

Art and Architecture, Family, Parenthood, Travel

Anticipating Disaster on the Danube

May 22, 2012 Wildtrumpetvine 2 Comments

I still find it hard to believe that a little over a year ago, my daughter, my parents and I were on our way to Budapest. We had decided, uncharacteristically, to use spring break for a Danube River cruise. Typically, we go no place more exotic than Atlanta during this time. Even more typically, we rest, recharge and sleep late. But the European river cruise was highly recommended by several friends, and we had been considering it for a few years. The time was right, it seemed. None of us, after all, was getting any younger or healthier. The longer we put it off, the more medications we’d have to drag along, and the less sure-footed my parents and I would be on ancient, uneven cobblestones and cathedral steps.

My husband opted out, as I had expected. He likes to remind us that he doesn’t get a spring break. He had accompanied me and my parents on a trip to France when our daughter was three. One European vacation with the in-laws, he decided, was sufficient. The river cruise, with its set itinerary, didn’t appeal to him; he preferred a more free-ranging vacation. Had he come, we would have needed another stateroom on the ship, or a suite. Traveling in uneven numbers isn’t ideal for river cruises.

The previous September, when I had asked my parents about the Danube cruise, they responded enthusiastically. I had found what looked like the perfect trip, with a stop in Regensburg, where Daddy had been stationed with the American occupational forces after World War II. His time in Germany had been cut unexpectedly short, when his father died suddenly. Daddy had not returned, and he was beginning to think he never would. While Mama, a dedicated Anglophile, would have preferred another trip to England, she was fine with Germany. My daughter’s top vacation choice would have been a bustling Caribbean cruise, but she was happy to be going to Europe for the first time. I looked forward especially to accompanying my father to Regensburg, an unspoiled medieval town that was spared wartime damage. I loved it that he would be returning with his wife, daughter and granddaughter.

As the departure date approached, my excitement gave way to anxiety. I would have worried less if my husband had been coming with us. While we disagree about the highlights of travel (I prefer historical sight-seeing, he goes for action and adventure), he has a gift for keeping a clear head and making good decisions when adversity arises. As Mama once noted, while H drove us calmly out of Paris, after negotiating various bewildering aspects of French bureaucracy at the airport and rental car agency, he would be a formidable contestant on The Amazing Race. Not long after we had begun dating, we were on our way to Newark Airport in my VW Rabbit, when it broke down on Route 1. I was headed to Michigan for a friend’s wedding. H spotted the office of a car service, persuaded the owner to awaken the off-duty driver (her son), and got me back on the road in no time. As I waved goodbye to H, who waited beside the Rabbit for a tow truck, I had complete confidence that he and the car would make it back to Princeton safely. From that moment, I began to see his potential as a permanent feature in my life.

Without H on this upcoming trip, I would be the Adult in Charge, and that was frightening. It had been nearly ten years since I was in Europe, but, as I tried to remind myself, I was no travel neophyte. I had spent a summer in France during college, and as a grad student I had become accustomed to traveling throughout Europe, with friends, family, even alone. I had enjoyed it. I had not been riddled with misgivings. As for my parents, they are sturdy and capable travelers. They visited me during the year I lived in England, and we zipped around the countryside for three weeks in a rented red Ford Escort. We explored out-of-the-way castles and hard-to-reach ruins that only the locals knew about.

But we were all younger then. So much younger, it appears, when I see the photos from those trips. Still, none of us is ancient, doddering or especially fragile, and we have my daughter to help us. Even as a baby, she was a spirited and adventurous traveler. While fellow airline passengers crossed themselves during bouts of turbulence, she was all smiles, clapping her chubby hands and yelling “Whee!.” She had grown into a highly competent traveling companion. Like most of her peers, she has a facility for technology. She is her father’s daughter, and she would be a good stand-in for him. We would be fine, I told myself over and over. We would have a wonderful trip.

But then again, what if? What if one or more of us got sick? What if someone fell or met with an accident? I remember taking a flying fall on the marble steps of a Renaissance church in Italy. I couldn’t afford to do that now. What if my parents’ passports, which expired in five months instead of the recommended six, led to some difficulty? This point caused me extreme consternation, and after many calls to various European embassies that should have eased my mind, I was still worried. What if, after all these plans, we couldn’t make this trip? Or what if we did, and disaster struck? What if, what if. . .. The what ifs were exhausting me.

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, similar worries dogged my parents. Our family tends to make plans eagerly for a date that appears comfortingly far-off. As the actual event nears, the second-guessing starts. It’s tempting to say, “Oh, never mind. Let’s just stay home.” Stay safe, be comfortable, avoid the risk.

But the time was ticking by, and it looked like this trip was going to happen. The day arrived when Mama and Daddy drove up from Atlanta, healthy and looking good. We would be flying overseas together, first to Munich, followed by a short connecting flight to Budapest. I expected that once we were on the plane, my worries would vanish. The river cruises cater to a predominately elderly clientele because so many of the usual travel worries simply disappear. We would be in the capable hands of the Viking River Cruise staff. The ship would be our well-equipped floating hotel. On land, we would, no doubt, be herded onto “motor coaches” like preschoolers on a field trip, but unlike H, I was fine with that.

The weeks of worry were at an end. We would soon be flying to Hungary.

Europe2011033 — On the left bank, the hills of Buda. On the right, Pest, with the dome of the neo-Gothic Hungarian Parliament Building.

Community, Family, Parenthood

Mother’s Day, Part II: Mama, Stopping Traffic

May 14, 2012 Wildtrumpetvine

Despite the considerable time and effort my mother put toward beautifying our home on a budget, I never had a doubt that I was her main priority. Mama organized her busy day so she could be with me as much as possible. She often volunteered in the classroom and served as room mother. When she felt the need to supplement my father’s salary, she took a series of part-time jobs at my elementary school so we could have similar schedules.

She began as crossing guard at the school. Her uniform was a trim navy skirt, jacket and hat, identical to those worn then by Atlanta police women. It suited her well, and she made quite an impression. An old friend, who walked to school each morning, summed it up in a recent Facebook message: “I can never forget your mom. That’s one woman who could stop traffic everywhere she went.” Most of her patrols, all boys back in the 70s, had crushes on her. One student’s father took regular photos of his little girl posing with Mama by the crosswalk. Unfortunately, we never saw any of those pictures, and we never thought to take a photo of our own.

After a few years, she added other jobs inside the school, first as money manager for the cafeteria, later as substitute teacher. I liked it that Mama came to know the primary figures in my world. She became friends with the school staff as well as most of the teachers. Our principal was a large and towering man, a Herman Munster-like figure in a big black suit. His quiet, looming presence in the hallways transformed chaos into orderly quiet. Mama got to know the sweet soul that took refuge behind his foreboding façade. Everyone at the school liked and respected my mother, and I basked in her reflected glory. The principal, custodians, librarian and the office administrators knew me as my mother’s girl, and this was a good thing. Because she was such a fundamental part of the school, school for me became, in a sense, an extension of home.

The money from Mama’s part-time jobs came in handy for purchases my father felt less than enthusiastic about, such as bolts of fabric, flea-market oil paintings, and old furniture she would renew with paint and upholstery. Most of these items have proven to be good investments; they are still with us, either in my parents’ or my house.

Mama realized a more pressing need for her money when my permanent teeth began coming in. It was clear that I had inherited her teeth, which she had always hated. She hadn’t had the benefit of orthodontics, but she was determined that things would be different for me.

In order to get me to the orthodontist, she took up driving again, which she had completely given up when I was a baby. The last straw had been when she was rear-ended in Lexington while sitting at a stoplight. I was strapped loosely into a baby carrier that was in no sense a car seat. The impact knocked me to the floor, but amazingly, I was unhurt. She suffered whiplash and badly bruised knees. For many years afterward, our only car was a 1965 Dodge Polara station wagon. As Daddy liked to say, it was the largest station wagon ever made, and he loved it. He relished zipping up our narrow, curving driveway in it, with only millimeters to spare between the car’s shiny blue paint and the rock wall. I remember a couple of hair-raising sessions in the church parking lot when Daddy was trying to reacquaint Mama with the mechanics of driving. My mother vowed she would never drive again in that car.

When she returned to the roads, it was in a new pale yellow 1972 Datsun 1200. Mama felt an affinity with the car; she said it looked scared, just as she was a timid driver. But it got us out to Decatur for my appointments, and it got Mama to the school. Clear as day, I can see that little car parked in its customary spot under the trees. And I can see my mother stopping traffic, leading children into the crosswalk, looking capable, strong and beautiful. I was proud to be her daughter then, and even prouder now.

0173 — Mama & me, one Christmas in the late 1960s, at my grandparents’ house.

007 — Mama & me, on the day of my UGA graduation, 1983.

A blog about motherhood, marriage and life: the joys and frustrations, beauty and absurdity, blessings and pain. It's about looking back, looking ahead, and walking the dog.