Shop,Travel & Food

Nothing Special But Unique

2012-02-14T01:05:00.000-08:00

Received this package by post from Amsterdam the other day.

There's a bag inside!

And it's a golden one!

Thanks to Vogesparis blog!

Found out there that it's possible to mail-order

a Maybebag tote by Dutch Orphan Socks.

Thank you, Eva, from www.orphansocks.nl !

Maybe you'll need it to carry more than planned.

Maybe it'll be with you all the time, but you won't even notice.

Maybe you'll want to reserve it to match your outfit.

Maybe it'll look a million dollars on a Friday night.

Maybe it'll be full of sand from your last holiday.

Maybe all your friends will want one too.

Would this be a perfect place for Maybebag?

Or hanging on the handle of the front door?

Main thing is do not leave it at home!

Rock'n Roll

2012-02-13T01:25:00.000-08:00

A little bit of rock'n roll.

Just finished reading a book about Finnish legend Michael Monroe,

the lead singer of Hanoi Rocks.

Interesting life!

Michael Monroe still strongly live and kicking.

Life is a mesh but that is no excuse to stop living.

Highly recommended:
Ari Vantanen: Michael Monroe

Found an old pic of Hanoi Rocks in 1982...
Bangkok shocks, Saigon shakes,and Hanoi rocks.

At Home

2012-02-12T02:06:00.000-08:00

Oh, somebody took my place on the sofa!

Today is just for resting and taking it easy, isn't it?

Cold outside

warm inside.

M For Dinner

2012-02-11T01:56:00.000-08:00

"Dial M for dinner"

Had a nice evening in this small French-Hungarian bistro.

Just put some paper on the walls

and draw the interior.

What a great idea!

Nice informal atmosphere.

Pumpkin soup

- perfect choice for a cold day

Today's veggie dish

-sautéed vegetables with barley

- nice dish!

Chocolate pie

- rich dark chocolate

VII Budapest, Kerteszutca 48

www.metterem.hu

PS. For a starter the liver pate is not recommended...

Think Pink

2012-02-09T01:02:00.000-08:00

My home is very black and white with shades of grey.

So it's easy to add some colour every now and then,

this time some pink to the bedroom.

A Lobster

2012-02-08T04:15:00.000-08:00

A lobster.

A pig.

A mug and glass ware.

These are details of Mate Orr's paintings

now showing in Ari Kupsus Gallery.

The paintings look so much better in real

than in these photos, sorry!

The black is very intense and interesting colour.

The transparent "table cloth" is also extremely interesting.

And so is the golden one as well!

The "floor" pattern gives the old master style

still life paintings a totally new aspect.

The paintings are in the real sizes.

The red-blue floor gives a strong movement to the painting.

The transparency is so fascinating.

This painting is actually very small one.

The artist got the idea of the floor patterns

during his visits to Florence and Sienna.

Personally find the old master style still life

paintings more interesting than this.

Perhaps this large painting is too strong?

Mate Orr studied graphics before he started painting.

By the way, Mate and his girlfriend Viki
popped in to Ari's Gallery

while talking about his paintings there

with Ari and my friend Christa,

who also happens to be an artist.

Mate Orr is a very skillful symphatic young Hungarian artist.

Ari Kupsus Gallery

VIII Budapest, Brody Sandor utca 23/b

www.arikupsusgallery.com

Grape Hyacinth

2012-02-07T04:14:00.000-08:00

Trying to create a warm atmosphere inside

as it's so cold outside.

Not so sure if succeeded...

Grape hyacinths from Arioso.

Arioso

VII Budapest, Kiraly utca

A Cup Of Tea

2012-02-06T01:28:00.000-08:00

A mug of flowery green tea and a "healthy" cookie

(finally found out how to add some text to photos!)

Interesting looking small coffee/tea shop

Fresh bread, sandwiches, muffins...

Tic tac.

Luis Coffee & Tea House

VI Budapest, Andrassy ut 46 at Octogon.

www.luis.hu

Thatcher

2012-02-06T00:23:00.000-08:00

Sunday film: The Iron Lady

at Arena Plaza

...and the Oscar goes to Meryl Streep.

The film itself was good but not bigger than life.

Sunday Morning

2012-02-05T02:36:00.000-08:00

Snow!

Made a little walk in City Park (Varosliget)

on Sunday morning.

Spooky!

"The Lake" has no ice yet.

White streets.

-4 degrees Celsius.

Ready to go to Sunday Brunch at Marriott!

White City

2012-02-04T10:17:00.000-08:00

It's been snowing slowly all day long in Budapest.

Two little tractors cleaning the pedestrian way

on Andrassy ut.

Looks funny!

Peaceful little park near the Danube.

Anyway, the city was almost empty.

Very few people and cars around today.

A candle lightens up my balcony.

Biscuit Jar

2012-02-03T01:07:00.000-08:00

My new biscuit jar is still empty...

Hopefully will get something to fill it today.

Bought this simple jar at Goa

on Kiraly utca in Budapest.

Crispy

2012-02-02T02:08:00.000-08:00

What is this??

It's Paivarinteen Ruislastu,

rye crisp by Paivarinne

Made of whole grain rye flour,sourdough,

water and sea salt.

Huge delicious and so healthy crisps

from Kerimaki, Finland.

www.ruislastu.fi

Moneyball

2012-02-02T00:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday went to see Moneyball at Odeon-Lloyd

in Budapest.

Very sporty film starring Brad Pitt.

The film is about money especially in sports.

Are the salaries realistic, do they based on real skills?

Do we make our decisions based on money?

Is money everything?

Spring Feeling

2012-02-01T03:44:00.000-08:00

Freezing in Budapest

but spring is already on my mind.

ps. no idea what's the name of these cute white flowers!)

Marumoto

2012-01-30T01:40:00.000-08:00

Oh, so cute, aren't they?

Japanese tea boxes.

Jumping bunny!

The recently opened shop sells Japanese porcelain.

From cups to pots.

Fancy a cup of tea?

Even the tea packages look so delicious in pastel colours.

Plenty of choices to choose the right blend of green tea.

Bought a birthday present for a friend.

She said she will frame the wrapping paper as it's so beautiful!

Marumoto

VII Budapest, Madach Imre ut 3.

Great place to find a present!

The President

2012-01-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

All Finnish fellow citizens

go and watch this film

and then go and vote for our next new president!

The second round of the election

on next Sunday Feb.5.

It can be so dirty.

But not in Finland...

The Ides Of March is starring and directed
by George Clooney.

Great movie!

Lilac Macaroons

2012-01-28T02:01:00.000-08:00

Didn't get the pale pink items of Max Mara,

but got some pale lilac macaroons of Paris Cafe

at Sofitel instead.

Not bad!

A couple of more rich lilac hand towels at Coin.

Pale Pink

2012-01-28T01:36:00.000-08:00

There's a pretty huge 2-storey Max Mara

on Andrassy ut in Budapest.

Went there to buy this cute pale pink coat for this spring,

but unfortunately only one coat was left

and that was in size 46...

So no new coat for me!

Also only one left in a wrong size...

This light blouse they didn't even have...

La Source

2012-01-27T03:15:00.000-08:00

Lots of products with 50% off

at Crabtree & Evelyn in Budapest.

Bought these lovely La Source foot products:

Reviving Leg & Foot Mist

- a wake-up call for tired feet

Warming Foot Smoother

- Tahitian sand,salts and fine pumice

Ultra-moisturising Foot Remedy

- great for really dry and rough feet

and

a handbag-size Citron honey & coriander hand cream

- help condition cuticles and nails as well

New Pomegranate products will arrive to stores in February.

Nanushka Bag

2012-01-26T02:58:00.000-08:00

Nanushka is the Hungarian contemporary

woman's fashion label of Sandra Sandor.

"Graduating from the London College of Fashion

she was one of the first contemporary designers

to bring Hungarian fashion to the world stage.

Nanushka is now available in cities around the world,

including Tokyo, New York, Moscow and Milan."

Unfortunately not a big fan of Hungarian fashion

but Nanushka is one of those labels

that has no influences of the old regime.

Bought this gorgeous winter bag

at Nanushka Beta Store

with 30% off.

Detail of my new Nanushka bag.

A zip pocket inside,

otherwise the bag can be closet with a magnet button.

The material is warm and wintery.

The simplicity of the brown paper bag is kind of a statement.

" The Nanushka Beta Store was designed by

a team of young interior designers

who uses imaginative solutions to create

a unique retail space.

Snug and soft,

it is a representation of the brands core values

and contrasts the often overwhelming

noise of the urban experience."

Totally agree with this.

It's always great when the whole concept

is carefully planned,

not just the products.

Nanushka Beta Store

Fashion Street - Deak Ferenc utca 17.

Graphic Gallery

2012-01-25T05:18:00.000-08:00

Went for the opening of a new gallery

on Tuesday evening.

Nan-Art Rajz-Tanoda es Grafikai Muhely

= NAN-art Drawing and Graphic Studio

is the name of the place.

This gallery works together with Ari Kupsus Gallery.

Pretty huge gallery,

around 150m2.

The first exhibition of the new gallery features the works of

artists Gabor Nagy and Alexandra Nadas.

The exhibited works were made in Darmstadt

in the frame of the "Druckkunst grenzelos"-project.

The works of art showing here are the works of students.

My favourite!

The gallery is on the first floor

of an old apartment building.

VIII Budapest, Nemet utca 2.

Marching

2012-01-25T04:49:00.000-08:00

Andrassy ut was crowded on Saturday afternoon.

It was said to be a peace march.

Around 100.000 people were showing their support

for the government.

Are they lost their minds or what?

Later heard that they were actually paid

for doing it.

Everyone got 5.000Huf which is a bit less than 20Eur

and a free lunch.

(Personally don't believe in free lunches!)

Note! There were not just 100.000 persons
but 400.000!!!

Mefistofele

2012-01-24T02:20:00.000-08:00

Mefistofele is an opera in a prologue,

four acts and an epilogue,

the only completed opera by the Italian

composer-librettistArrigo Boito.

Mefistofele premiered on 5 March 1868 at La Scala in Milan.

At the time the opera was too avant-garde to the audience

and it turn out to be a fiasco.

Later it has been performed in all great opera houses.

Maria Callas has played the role of Margherita in 1958.

In the clip the part of Margherita is played by

Hungarian Eva Marton.

The opera including the settings is quite

an experience - a real spectacle.

(unfortunately no pics of it!)

Absolutely worth seeing!

On Saturday the roles were:

Mefistofele - Gabor Bretz

Faust - Attila Fekete

- fantastic!

Margherita - Gabriella Kiss Letay

- fabulous!

Wagner - Gergely Boncser

Marta - Eva Panczel

Falk Miksa utca

2012-01-23T09:11:00.000-08:00

Walking tour on Falk Miksa utca.

The street is famous for its numerous antique shops.

The building on Falk Miksa utca have a lot of character

as they are not in a top condition

yet the Art Deco / Secession houses look

absolutely gorgeous.

Montparnasse makes replicas of Art Deco furniture.

After walking and window shopping

bought some interior magazines at BestSellers

on Oktober 6 utca

and had lunch at Gourmet Palace of Szamos on Vorosmarty ter.

Grilled breast of chicken with apple&carrot salad

- tasty!

Which one to choose for the dessert:

Rich and dark truffle cake

or...

...light and creamy Francia cremes?

Wanted to have both!

Detail of Falk Miksa utca:

Hungarian alphabets.

Mini Bar

2012-01-22T01:48:00.000-08:00

Started the evening with a glass of Champagne

at home.

Had made a reservation for dinner at Mini Bar.

Fish Market evening at Mini.

Black Tiger shrimps

- very good!

Mussels in white wine

- delicious!

Oysters!

Not so crowded on Friday night...

Foie gras pate

- marvellous!

Creme brûlée

- quite a huge portion, but so good!

Very positive experience,

didn't really know what to expect from

the Fish Market night,

but it was absolutely fantastic food!

Mini Bar

I. Budapest, Roham utca5

Chez Daniel

2012-01-20T02:52:00.000-08:00

Had dinner at Chez Daniel on Thursday night

after relaxing at Oxygen Wellness Naphagy in the afternoon.

Liver pate to start with

- very nice

Duo de creme de legumes de saison

with pumpkin and parsnip.

- the soup was ok, nothing special though

Supreme de volaille au Tokaj

chicken breast with Tokaj sauce.

- simple yet very tasty

- it doesn't always have to be something fancy

This Egri Cabernet Sauvignon was a good choice

with the meal.

Hadn't heard about this cellar before,

but now can highly recommend the vines of

Mezey-Meyer Dula.

Mousse de chocolat

- the texture was a bit funny,

but the taste heavenly!

On Thursday night the place was absolutely empty,

we're the only clients there.

What a pity as the food was very good

and so was service as well.

Chez Daniel

VI Budapest, Sziv utca 32.

New Dress

2012-01-19T01:59:00.000-08:00

Yeah, new dress but not for me.

Yesterday red, today deep lilac.

It was difficult to find a flower in Budapest

that fits to the new colour scheme.

Blueish hyacinth was the only one.

By the way, it drinks the water in one second.

Huge fan of Crabtree & Evelyn's hand creams and lotions.

The scent of this Iris one is so gorgeous.

The deep lilac hand towels are from Coin.

Powder Room In Red

2012-01-18T05:19:00.000-08:00

This is how my little powder room is dressed at the moment.

Black and white is so convenient combination,

easy to add some colour to it.

One red lily makes a big difference.

Tea Time

2012-01-17T00:50:00.000-08:00

Had a nice cup of tea at the new Iberostar Cafe

at Hotel Grand Collection Budapest.

The green tea was excellent,

very flowery and delicious.

The interior of the cafe is quite interesting.

The walls are covered with photo wallpapers

representing authentic Budapest apartment buildings.

The courtyards with staircases look exactly like this!

Iberostar Grand Collection Hotel

V. Budapest, Oktober 6 utca 26.

CARNAGE

2012-01-16T01:06:00.000-08:00

Went to the cinema in Arena Plaza to see Carnage

a black comedy by Roman Polanski starring

Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet,

Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly

The film is very intense and it all happens

in a New York apartment,

basically in one room with these 4 actors.

It's about how we adults easily turn simple things

into enormously complicated ones

by analysing and speculating too much.

Marvellous film!

Cherry On the Top

2012-01-15T02:21:00.000-08:00

What a gorgeous cupcake!

Louis Vuitton's Alma in Rubis red has replaced

the cherry on top.

So many cute cupcakes on the window of Lukacs

on Andrassy ut,

but non for sale - what's the point?

Home-cooking

2012-01-14T02:27:00.000-08:00

Modified version of salad Nicoise

- lighter than the normal dish

Celery soup with Roquefort cheese

- delicious soft taste

Tournedos

- perfect texture,

almost like in the US!

Please,help!

Need some tips how to take food photos.

The dishes always look so delicious on the plate

but not in a photo.

Lotions and Potions

2012-01-12T03:54:00.000-08:00

Crabtree & Evelyn recently opened in Budapest.

No more need to go to Vienna for hand cream,

but maybe still otherwise...

A huge fan of Crabtree & Evelyn hand creams.

Bought this Iris ultra moisturising hand therapy cream.

Beautiful, captivating scent of Iris.

Crabtree & Evelyn

V. Budapest

Pesti Barnabas utca 1.

Going Natural

2012-01-11T01:17:00.000-08:00

Is there life after 13 years of having false nails?

Looks like no!

Decided to get rid of tips and gel by myself

and this is the result.

Let's see how it works!

Trying to go natural at least till summer

and then will decide was it worth it

or should go back to the acrylic or gel nails.

Ghost Protocol

2012-01-10T06:11:00.000-08:00

Went to see Mission Impossible 4

Ghost Protocol

at Arena Plaza cinemas.

Sort of a copy of James Bond.

Well, not really my kind of film,

but there's a Finnish actor

Samuli Edelmann in it with asmallsmart

so had to see it.

Samuli is playing a Swedish bad guy Wistrom

pretty well.

There's also a real Swedish guy

in the film - Michael Nyqvist

who played the journalist in the original

version of Stig Larsen's trilogy.

Dutch On Ice

2012-01-09T01:23:00.000-08:00

Flowering kales in the City Park

in January.

European Speed Skating Championship 2012

in Budapest.

The recently renovated City Park ice ring

(Varosligeti mujegpalya).

It's one of the oldest and largest

outdoor ice-skating rinks in Europe.

Participants from 18 countries,

but somehow saw only Dutch on ice and in the audience!

Who will win - a Dutch or ...a Dutch?

And the winner is...Dutch!

Partly sunny weather but the wind made it rather chilly.

Vibrant Dishes

2012-01-08T02:59:00.000-08:00

This weekend ate at home:

Cold-smoked salmon filled with cubes of avocado.

Beetroot risotto.

Grilled tuna steak and shrimps.

Left this ice cubes garland

to give wintery yet

warm feeling.

Tuna tartar.

Cannelloni filled with shrimps and mozzarella.

Saltimbocca alla romana.

Blue hyacinth gives

hope of spring.

One Day

2012-01-07T01:45:00.000-08:00

Read the book.
'One Day' by David Nicholls is about
Em & Dex, Dex & Em,
Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew.

They went to the same University in Edinburg
but only really got to know each other
after the graduation in 1988.

Em and Dex became friends.
The book peaks into their lives
every year on July 15. for 19 years.

The book is well-written,
very real, funny, entertaining and
touching.
Life is simply peculiar.

What make a book good or even great?
Is it because it makes you
laugh or cry,
gives you ideas, information,
or because the story thrills you,
it describes an era precisely
or is it simply because it's so human?

At first thought the 'One Day' is
just an entertaining book
but by the end realised that
it's much more
and understood why it's
an international best seller.

Not yet seen the film.

Films From Finland

2012-01-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

Bought some DVDs in Finland:

Midnight in Paris

- a comedy by Woody Allen

- Carla Bruni has a part in it!

Potiche

- a French comedy by Francois Ozon

starring Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu

- it's suppose to be "elegant and funny",

so let's see!

Brides Maids

- a British comedy

- it's said to be "very, very, very funny"

Brothers and Sisters

- first and second seasons

- have seen some episodes of this American drama

and it seemed quite interesting

Watched this Finnish thriller

"Vares - huhtikuun tytot"

- well, Swedes know how to make

a great and exciting thriller

(Wallander, Beck, Maria Wern etc etc)

and so do Germans (Tatort),

but Finns...not quite...yet.

Best part of the film was the song in the end:

"Vaaryytta" by Apulanta

Kalevala Koru

2012-01-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

"Lemmikki" (Forget-me-not)

by Kalevala Koru

- got this lovely necklace from my Mom

for Xmas

Kalevala Jewelry manufactures annually

nearly 700 000 units of jewellery.

All pieces are made in Finland.

Experienced and skilled production staff

makes sure that products are of high quality

before parting from production.

Only high quality raw materials are used

and Finnish materials are used,

whenever possible.

Additionally, close attention is

constantly paid to the environmental regulations

to ensure the air, water or

the park nearby will not be polluted.

Finnish Cosmetics

2012-01-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous, isn't it?

"Talvikukka" Winter Flower

by Paola Suhonen Ivana Helsinki

- every season the package get a new colour,

only a limited amount is made

So what is this Vitalis?

Vitalis Waterfree is a uniquely rich cream.

It provides the skin with all it needs

to stay nourished and smooth.

Ideal also for lips, hands and cuticles.

Probably every Finn knows this cream

from the childhood!

- it was spread over face

when going out to save the skin

from the frosty and

windy Finnish winter,

especially when going skiing

The scent is a very unique one,

fresh and easy to recognise.

The first Vitalis was made in 1936.

Got these lovely Lumene products as Xmas present,

thank you so much, Virpi!

Rejuvenating Neck and Decollete Cream

with Arctic Sea Buckthorn

- have been using it before

and it really works!

Rejuvenating Instant Serum

with Arctic Sea Buckthorn

- totally new product for me

Illuminating and Smoothing Primer

with brightening Arctic Lingonberry

- perfect alone or under foundation,

gives fresh look

Detoxifying Mask & Micro Scrub

with Arctic Cloudberry

- fantastic product!

- gives fresh, clean, smooth skin

- best face scrub ever!

www.lumene.com

Had read about these Blax snag-free hair elastics

and now found them at Sokos in Finland.

(not a Finnish product but from the US)

Bought the clear ones,

but they also come in black and bright pink.

- like to have my ponytail without

any extra colour

BLAX® hair elastics don’t look like much.
Just try them and you’ll use nothing else.

BLAX® GUARANTEE

Can be used several hundred times
Keeps its elasticity
Is gentle with your hair
Remains in place
Glides out without tangling or pulling your hair

Happy New Year 2012!

2012-01-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

Year 2012 has started!

- made a new year resolution:

NO SHOPPING

meaning no unnecessary shopping

Made some shopping -not much- in Finland

after Xmas before New Year:

Colourful silk dress by Marimekko

with 20% off

- the name of the dress is "Kupari" (Copper)

Here's another great find at Marimekko

- cotton summer dress in

an interesting colour combination

- also 20% off

Would be fabulous for example in Miami...

Probably forgot to show this silk dress

by Diane von Furstenberg

- bought it at Melrose boutique in LA in November

- really vibrant colours!

Had it on yesterday at New Year's Day brunch

at Marriott.

By the way, these are the Prada boots

that bought in Vienna with my Mum in December

- saw them already in London in September

but somehow could be without buying them...

Now it's the second day of 2012

and haven't shopped a single thing.

- good start!

It's Over!

2011-12-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

Looks like Xmas's over

and the church's been eaten!

Tyrni

2011-12-28T05:19:00.000-08:00

Tyrnimehu

Arctic Sea Buckthorn juice
An absolute superfood!

- bought this juice instead of goji berries

as it's local and not brought from

the other side of the world

- the taste is rather bitter and acidic...

but it's sooo healthy!

Sea-buckthorn berries are edible and nutritious,

though very acidic and oily,

unpleasant to eat raw, unless 'belted'

and/or mixed as a juice with sweeter substances

such as apple or grape juice.

The fruit of the plant has a high vitamin C content

– about 15 times greater than oranges.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T02:28:00.000-08:00

Hyvaa Joulua kaikille!

Merry Xmas to everyone!

Feliz Navidad a todos!

Another Gingerbread House

2011-12-23T11:42:00.000-08:00

Making of a gingerbread house

- buy the dough or make it yourself

Parts ready to go into oven.

Baked walls.

More walls from the oven.

Here come the windows.

Looks good!

Mushrooms, why not?

Frosty mushrooms.

A small church in the woods is ready.

It's been snowing!

Winter Wonder

2011-12-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

Will spend the Xmas in Finland.
White Xmas?

- well, let's see how long this snow will last...

Last Sunday was the World Snowboard Day

That's how it looked in sunny Budapest

It's afternoon and not yet very busy out there.

Back to Finland:

that's how it looked this morning.

The weather's very black and white.

Slippery sidewalks

Macarons

2011-12-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

Macarons from Sofitel's

Paris Budapest Cafe

in Budapest

- the texture's too crispy

but still the best macaroons in Budapest,

especially the white vanilla one

and brown mocha one

Paris Budapest Restaurant

Szechenyi Istavan ter 2

V, Budapest

www.parisbudapest.hu

Nanushka

2011-12-21T02:57:00.000-08:00

Great! Finally there's a boutique

of a Hungarian fashion designer

in a good place in the middle of the city.

Sandra Sandor's Nanushka label

- the clothes are functional

with a playful twist

- colour scheme is natural

with mainly black, white and grey

Nanushka

on Fashion Street

Deak Ferenc utca 17.

V, Budapest

www.nanushka.hu

Gourmet Palace

2011-12-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

There's a new Szamos cafe

called Gourmet Palace

in the newly renovated gorgeous building

(built in 1915) at Vorosmarty ter.

Beautifully renovated

respecting the old style

and the character of the building.

The place is for lunch, coffee and cakes

and there's a chocolate shop too.

Not only chocolate is sold there

but also other Hungarian delicacies

such as paprika powder, jams, Tokaji wines

and some Herend porcelain.

Szamos is famous for its marzipan.

www.szamosmarcipan.hu

The former savings bank building

will host a department store

in the near future,

hopefully...

Design Terminal

2011-12-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

Design Terminal

Hungarian design auction

Dec.17. at 6pm

- small things like jewellery, purses,

cups, decoration items and even some furniture

Upstairs there's a pop up

fashion boutique

Clothes, bags, accessories,shoes

made by Hungarian designers

- Reka Vago, Tamara Barnoff,

Anna Amelie, Dora Konsanszky,

Je suis belle, etc

Wow, what a doggy bag!

Remember the times when the building

was an outworn bus terminal.

Now the Istvan Nyiri Bauhaus and

socialist-realist building

(built in 1948-1949)

is home for Hungarian design.

Fabulous idea!

- just love the design of this house!

Erzsebet ter 13.

V Budapest

Xmas Market

2011-12-17T02:29:00.000-08:00

Put earlier some pics of a Xmas Market

in Vienna, but there're Xmas Markets also

in Budapest.

Mulled vine served in a plastic cup...

Loads of things for sale,

some made in Hungary, some not.

Traditional gingerbread figures

with colourful sugar-icing.

Interesting small cakes.

If you get hungry,

have a virszli with pickled cucumber and paprika!

Hand-decorated bottles

(for what?)

Guess these ornaments are cut into the surface.

The pics are all from the Xmas Market at Bazilika.

Decorated entrance to the Xmas market.

All the buildings around the square

are beautiful old ones except this one!

The xmas tree is in the middle of a skating ring,

but it's not made of ice but plastic.

You can rent skates there.

By the way, there's a new Starbucks

next to Bazilika.

Gingerbread House

2011-12-15T02:44:00.000-08:00

Somebody made me a gingerbread house

with a whole garden!

So cute, isn't it?

The snowman is from Szamos marzipan.

At least it's been snowing

in this installation.

Sangre Nueva Y Jóvenes Flamencos

2011-12-13T13:39:00.000-08:00

Fantastico!

Me encanta!

Excellent Flamenco performance

by Victor Bravo (baile), Gabriel de la Tomasa (cantaor),

Alicia Cid (cantaora), Lito Espinosa (guitarra),

Anton Gimenez (guitarra),

(no se come se llama el ultimo hombre en la foto)

y Asuncion de Martos (baile, no esta en la foto)

El Instituto Cervantes de Budapest y

el Embajada de Espana presenta

Sangre Nueva

Jovenes Flamencos

13/12/2011

RaM Colosseum

XII Budapest, Karpat utca 23

Lots of Spanish people in the audience

and not only from Instituto Cervantes...

Never been before in the RaM Colosseum building

which is the home of Experidance

- very new and modern building

Here's a clip of the same performance in Madrid

Guitarra, cante y baile,

Flamenco muy duro.

Nutcracker

2011-12-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

Aleszja Popova and Vladimir Arhangelski

were fabulous in

the Nutcracker ballet!

The whole performance was excellent

and so beautiful.

Rose Waltz

Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet

at the Hungarian Opera House

on Andrassy ut

on Saturday Dec.10.

Xmas Market

2011-12-11T02:35:00.001-08:00

Visited Vienna on Friday

- wanted to see at least one Viennese

Xmas market

The biggest Xmas market is on City Hall Square

in the city centre

All kinds of xmas decorations are

sold there

Hand-painted xmas balls

Advent settings

Winter village

A touch of blue

Fairy castle in the City Hall Square Park

Lunch at Do&Co Albertina

- delicious pumpkin soup with

pumpkin seeds and oil

There's no trip to Vienna without

having a slice of Sachertorta at Sacher's!

Hungarian Dancers

2011-12-08T00:33:00.001-08:00

Exhibition Opening titled

Hungarian Dancers by Michael Milburn Foster

at The National Dance Theatre

in Budapest on Wednesday

Gallerist Ari Kupsus organised the event

The official opening by

the Financial Director of the Dance Theatre,

gallerist Ari Kupsus with translator,

Dr Judit Mandy who made an excellent speech

telling about the works of the artist

and the artist himself Michael Milburn Foster

By the way the 4 paintings on the background

will continue to Paris after this exhibition!

The artist had been working as a film director

in Hollywood for 30 years

The artist wanted to capture the movements

- he videoed dancing and chose 3 still pictures

of the movement and painted them in one painting

always leaving out some essential body parts

As Judit Mandy told in her speech

Matisse has said that changing one colour in a painting

changes the whole painting

- like in these paintings with

different background colour

The title Hungarian Dancers

suits well as the exhibition is held in

Dance Theatre and the models were

Hungarian dancers

- unfortunately the dancers themselves couldn't

attend the opening ceremony

as they're in Chicago at the moment

Dr Judit Mandy and Michael Milburn Foster

- the artist had been working

as a film director in Hollywood for 30 years

The movement is seen perfectly

in a distance.

Nemzeti Tancszinhaz Galleria

I Budapest, Szinhaz utca 1-3

From San Francisco To Woodstock

2011-12-05T10:11:00.001-08:00

From San Francisco to Woodstock

The Golden Age of American Rock Posters

1965-1971

at Kogart on Andrassy ut 112

It was interesting to notice that

the poster making had got influences

from Art Nouveau style

- kind of psychedelic Art Nouveau

Posters of Santana,

Led Zeppelin, Doors...

Lots of details

and all the posters were made

in the era when

there was no computers!

The exhibition is made in cooperation

with American private collectors,

the Denver Art Museum,

Rock and roll Hall of Fame and

Museum of Cleveland

Xmas Brunch

2011-12-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

Traditional Xmas Brunch at Le Meridien

Look at the Karelian pies!!!

- there's icing sugar on them, oh no...

What did the Finnish chef Sami Garam thinking

to let that happened!

The dessert buffet was pretty gorgeous,

the food was ok,

the company was perfect

And Santa Claus had come

all the way from Rovaniemi, Finland

to greet the guests

Who Stole Margit-sziget?

2011-12-04T02:14:00.000-08:00

The weather was a bit foggy in Budapest

on Saturday

Can't see the other end of Margit Bridge

- after the renovation the bridge looks good

and the pedestrian and cycling ways are separated

which make walking there more pleasant

But where's the Margit Island?

Stolen?

Oh, there it is!

First Snow In Budapest

2011-12-02T01:03:00.000-08:00

Woke up into white Budapest this morning!

Ok, it's not a huge amount of snow...

...but some anyway!

The weather forecast didn't promise

more snow for now,

actually it's getting warmer

until Wednesday.

Mini Bag

2011-12-01T02:05:00.000-08:00

Been looking for a suitable charm

for my wallet for a good time already.

Found this cute bag charm by Guess

Now it's easy and comfy

to open the wallet again!

Madison Perfumery

2011-11-30T10:34:00.000-08:00

The Madison Perfumery on Andrassy ut

is open!

(perhaps it's been open already some time...)

Among others they sell perfumes by Bond9.

Astor Place

- my first Bond9 perfume

Madison Square Park

- having this one now

Bleecker Street

- will buy this one next

Baldaszti's

2011-11-29T06:13:00.000-08:00

New restaurant opened on Andrassy ut

(same place where Goa used to be)

Baldaszti

VI district, Andrassy ut 8

- the interior was very white

yet rather cosy and informal

3 of us had a good meal,

1 wasn't so pleased with the food

Had grilled chicken great with green salad

and mint-yoghurt sauce

- not much imagination needed for this dish,

but for me a simple meal

with nothing extra is ok

Jacob's scallops with black risotto

and pea-puree

- good!

Deep-fried chicken-oysters with dip sauce

(you could choose the dip)

- nice bucket!

- good!

The 4th one was beetroot risotto

with duck

- risotto was more like porridge...

- did not like it!

There's also another Baldaszti's

on Buda side with a gourmet store

I district, Lanchid utca 7-9

www.baldasztis.com

Beads

2011-11-28T02:43:00.000-08:00

Hopefully will find some time soon

to make -or better- try to make

jewellery

Found these cute hearts in Beadniks

in Santa Monica

Boutique full of all kinds of beads

and other materials for handy

do-it-yourself jewellery makers

Beadniks

203 Arizona Avenue

Santa Monica

www.beadniks.com

Back In Budapest

2011-11-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Back in Paprika Land

and suffering from jet lag.

- difficult to keep eyes open during the day,

but not at night...

Visited WAMP Spajz

Hungarian culinary fair

in Millenaris hall behind Mammut shopping mall.

Let the cake begin by Oven Heaven

Brownies by Su/Akrakadabra Chocolade Kft

Man with a white van,

always dangerous combination in traffic

but this time it was nicely parked

and refreshments're sold from the van

A briefcase?

Just fold it

and you got a chair!

This Flux chair costs EUR129,-

www.fluxchairs.hu

Foggy Weather

2011-11-23T07:17:00.000-08:00

What a fog!

Cannot see the ocean.

The boardwalk in Venice Beach

Life goes on despite the foggy weather

- the guy's playing Led Zeppelin in this almost sunny spot

LAPD checking the situation on boardwalk

The police continuing towards Marina del Rey

The best thing in Venice was walking along

the boardwalk to Santa Monica in early mornings

when it was still quiet and without the street vendors.

Only people walking, jogging, cycling,

carrying surfboards, buying the morning's first coffee...

- very special atmosphere

Did NOT visit a kush doctor while in LA!

- heard that the recipe costs $40

Venice Lifestyle

2011-11-23T02:24:00.000-08:00

Very Halloweenish!

There's lot so of street art in LA,

especially in Venice

The paintings are usually huge

Marilyn on a fence of a house

Sad and spooky

Perfect for Venice in California

- actually there was a lagoon like this

The lagoon used to be in this place

Scary house decoration

After the overwhelming art,

take a surf board...

...and relax as the Californians do.