HUNGARY-L Archives

From: <>
Subject: [HUNGARY-L] Visit to Hungary
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 18:36:01 EDT

Our visit to Germany & Hungary in 1992 to see the birthplace of my husband's
Grandfather Schumpf in Isztimer, & Grandma Meyer at Bakonykuti, Fejer County,
Hungary was splendid. Was I disappointed?-- No Way! But then, I didn't know
what to expect. I had only seen a picture of tombstones at the cemetery.

We had the good fortune of being accompanied by cousins from near Frankfurt,
Germany (originally from Isztimer) and driving thru the gorgeous countryside
of Austria near the snowcovered Alps and into the more flatlands of Hungary.
We could not speak nor understand Deutsch, nor especially Hungarian, but
carried a German/Eng. pocket dictionary which helped a lot. In the major
cities, such as Budapest, you will find English speaking people in hotels,
restaurants, tour guides, etc., but not so in most villages which seldom have
hotels. Don't know if bed-n-breakfasts exist.

We stayed in Szekesfehervar which is a large city with all the amenities.
Was there in Oct and drove to the northern part of the huge Lake Balaton
known for their resorts but the area was mostly closed down after the summer
tourists & locals vacation.

We felt fairly safe driving alone through the beautiful countryside and in
cities. Hungary was no longer under communist rule at that time, but now I
think the socialist party is back in power. What affect it might have now, I
don't know. I would think twice about going into Romania or Croatia at this
time as it is too close to Kosovo. We Americans take our freedom for
granted. It's not that way over there. It is not a democracy and your
"rights" don't always count or make any difference.

As far as doing research there, we didn't have time. I had viewed the films
from FHC, Salt Lake City, before going and did not have the time to spend
doing any there. When we returned to Frankfurt the day before departure
there was a library (Bibliotech) closeby and we went in to locate a city
where we were told ancestors were from. A librarian came over to help us as
we removed an Atlas from the shelf. (We could not locate it but later found
it was in Austria, not Black Forest of Germany). They explained if we wanted
to use their books to research, it must be ordered the day before and would
be ready for us when we returned. We later found it was probably a library
more like our Library of Congress!

Europeans do not tear down buildings and build new every few decades like we
do, nor do they take farmland and build new subdivisions. Most houses are a
basic style as they were substantially built years ago and they just
renovate. Most do not have as many luxuries as we have and live much more
conservatively.

In summary, if you ever get a chance to go, GO, you'll love the experience.
They are friendly, but cautious people. Bon Voyage!
Sue

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