Part Three: Towers & Open Houses

We had the opportunity to get a great panorama of Canadian buildings and natural beauties owing to some towers in both state.

The first one was at Niagara Falls that I mentioned earlier. The elevators usually climbed very fast up to the top and I had a little sense of fear because of the see-through glass doors. But there was a more fearful thing that I did not dare to approach: the glass floor! As you can see in the picture I was strongly hanging on to Chris. The next tower was CN Tower in Toronto. We couldn’t reach the highest point of it because of the bad weather. It’s said to swing 10 meters right and left when it winds. The third one was the Calgary Tower. We saw the downtown of Calgary at sunset. We were above the highest buildings! It was nice to see the rays of the setting sun reflecting in the hundreds of windows. It was almost as nice as the mountains were mirrored in the lakes in Banff. The restaurant of Calgary Tower was spining round and round. It makes a full circle during an hour.

Open house means houses for sale and anyone can take an inside view any of them. It was a great experience. We visited some open house at both places. It was incredible for me that people can ramble up and down in somebody’s house and nobody is watching on him. There was only an agent in each house who inquired about nothing and put no questions to us about purpose of buying a house. So we were just marvelling and lost in wonder. Mainly in Calgary where we inspected houses (villas) over 1 000 000 CAD. They were huge and there was ample room for more generation.

Part Two: Family, Friends & Pets

We were very lucky as regard the weather. When we had an outdoor engagement, the sun shone brightly, sometimes it was too hot. We canoed the Grand River, we had a lot of fun. It was a four-hour tour rowing down the river. We saw numerous groups of wild gooses with their little ones, special kinds of smaller and bigger birds, a deer springing out the bush. It was 4 canoes each with 2 persons and sometimes some of us got bogged because of the shallow water. At the last stage of the tour it began lighten and thunder loudly, dark clouds appeared, it was dreadful. In spite of the fact that we were quite exhausted after a few-hour rowing we turned on full because of smooth passing. We managed to get by it.

We got to know the groom’s lovely family and also the couple’s best friends, their favourite places and activities. Peter got two huge bald elder brothers, Danton & Jeff (whose canoe was in the water in a large measure), both boys have a huge jeep (Chris liked them very much). I really liked Jeff’s snow-white tuxedo at the wedding, he was the master of ceremony. We got to know Rodney from Newfoundland who works at the same company like Viki & Peter. We gathered together twice at his place and ate barbecue, seosoned roasted meat exactly called T-bone (a kind of cutlet). While barbecue is an integral part of every house in Canada, dogs are a full member of each family (we placed Tyson - Vikis's boxer - at a boarding place during the wedding). Rodney is very proud of his mother country and told stories about Newfi where the main job is fishing but nowadays there is no possibility of work. We were twice in a pub where we have to drop down the jacket of the salty peanut to the ground. It was funny and we hardly could do it at first. Looking down the floor we could easily esteem the number of the guests of that day. We were in different kinds of Bed & Breakfast in the mornings, and Tim Horton is also an indispensible part of the Canadians life that we visited each day and ordered a small (for me) and a medium (for Chris) hot chocolate, a double-double (for Viki) and a triple-triple (for Pete) and once a donut collection.

Part One: Assimilation

When we arrived Toronto late in the evening, the temperature was about 40 degree. I thought that our plane got lost, landed on an other continent. It was incredibly hot. Our hosts were waiting for us and we searched the landscape from the car on our way home. At first sight the streets, the houses and its grouping seemed different from ours and similar to my expectations.

The following day we drove to the Niagara Falls. I imagined that it was much more colossal. We hardly could see the mass of the water falling because of the water splashing back. It was still extremely hot and the humidity was very high as well. We made a tour behind the falls. It was very wet and cold, everyone had to wear a raincoat. We saw the waterfall not only from behind but also got a great view from above from a nearby tower. Actually, there are two falls, one belongs to the US, the other to Canada. The Canadian Fall is much bigger and nicer because of its U-shape. It's said to be falling the one fifth of the world's water through the Niagara Falls. I also liked the policemen running by bicycles. Look at the lovely rainbow in the middle of the picture.

Not honeymoon

We spent 2 weeks in Canada a week after the wedding (from 29 May to 10 June). Our first destination was the state of Ontario, Toronto and its surroundings, mainly Kitchener. This is where my exclassmate (from elementary school) lives. She got married on 3 June and I’m proud of being her maid of honor. I liked the ceremony. There was a rehearsal the day before the wedding. Marching in the church was so solemn, the female members of the wedding party had to entry one after the other while the boys were waiting for them at the altar. I had to read to the guests „the word of the Lord” from the Bible, it was a reading from the first letter of John, God is Love. Chris & me were all day long separately because I was in the wedding party and he could not be with me, that's why he was really frightened. The wedding party usually consists of the maid of honor and the best man who are entitled to sign the register of marriages in the church and they’re close to the young couple. And there are 2 bridesmaid on the bride’s side and 2 boys on the groom’s side. The wedding party (these 8 people, including the groom & the bride as well) travelled by a huge white Limo to a German Hunting and Fishing Club where the coctail began at 5:30 PM. There was a main table where the wedding party had to sit together. We decorated the hall the day before the wedding and removed right after the party at around 1 AM.

I became a wife

Sorry for being away from blog for a long time. First thing, I was so busy with the wedding. Strange to say that I became a wife, and I need to get used to thought that Chris is my husband and I’m his wife, we’re a married couple! In spite of the fact that we’ve been together for more than 9 years, it’s a perfectly different feeling. There is somebody to whom I belong. However, we haven’t moved to the House yet, we decided to do this after the Canadian visit, so it’s about time. This will be a completely different, expected new situation because we have never lived together. Then I was busy with the Canadian journey, of which more next time.

2 days left

5 days left

Thank God, Nancy & Robb arrived safety. The plane landed at 22:54. Gábor was amazingly calm after such a long flight. It was incredibly good to see them live. I'm going to visit them tomorrow afternoon. My workplace is 5 minutes from Niki's place where they will live in the following 2 weeks coming. On Wednesday we will meet within the compass of the big family.

8 days left

The network collapsed today morning and I couldn't work all day at all. I couldn't access any information I need pertain to work and wedding. It's an annoying thing because I need every minute at work and private as well. I must catch up my arreas on Monday, after the last girlish weekend.

I'd like to share with you the Peugeot 407 Coupe. It's a saloon-car. We tested it on Saturday when we visited the relatives in the country. Till now there are only 2 or 3 pieces in Hungary.

They are my godparents. The man in the backstage is one of my father's elder brother.

11 days left

My fears prove true. The grandmother of the Canadian fincée bought a set of China! I was just playing with this funny idea and I wouldn’t have thought it seriously but it came true.

Time presses and there is something to do every single day till the wedding. We have to map on our time the minute out. Tomorrow we’ll go to dance because it was cancelled at the weekend. I’m afraid of our performance at the wedding party because we hardly had time to practice. Tomorrow evening I’m going to pick up the set of China and try to forward it to the fiancée’s relatives who will set off to Canada in a week. On Thursday I will go to my cosmetician, she will cleanse my face. On Saturday we will go to our standard dance teacher to con over the waltzers (Wiener & English). On Sunday afternoon will be our last wedding instruction. That evening we will go to the airport to see long-long-seen relatives and a tiny (half-year) boy. My mother’s scrip and my young wife sandal will be ready by next Monday and in the evening I will take part in another cosmetic treatment with my mum. We will bring off the dresses (my young wife dress and my mother’s dress) from the tailoring on Tuesday, after that I have to hurry to the salon where my wedding gown will be fitting. On Wednesday I will have the colour of my hair made, Chris cousin will do it (he /!/ is a hairdresser). The last beauty cure will be on Thursday evening. Manicure and pedicure on Friday morning. I hope I did not miss anything out.

15 days left

I'm a little bit angry because of the bridesmaid dress what I'm going to wear at my classmate's wedding in Canada. The other bridesmaid's mother manages the affair and I don't like the way they act at all. E.g. I told them what kind of form I wouldn't like, for all that it will be exactly that kind. If I would have have it sewed, it would be ready by now and would pleases everyone, mainly the fiancée and I think she is the most important in this regard, it's her wedding. I could list on why they make me nervous but I don't do it because I become more nervous.

The day before yesterday we went to my sister's boyfriend's sister's husband's confectionery to order the wedding cake (4-storied, with snow-white marzipan cover) and the other cakes and confentionery, salt and sweet as well.

The cameraman visits us today evening to talk over the details.

Tomorrow we're going to take the road early in the morning. We will visit relatives in the country all day long and will get home late in the evening.

17 days left

I'm satisfied with myself because I managed to put an end to tiding the whole House and to put my room in order at home during the long weekend which consisted May 1st. Thank God, the weather was with me, it didn't persuade me to come out, it was raining all day long on Monday and it turned quite cold.

We visited and got to know the bridesman in Kecskemét who is a distant relation of Chris and they have never met before. He will take part in our wedding as a coordinator. By the way, he is a professional soldier and I found him sympatic.

The occasional footwear are done. Chris' shoes are unique and made of smooth leather. My "young wife" sandal is incredibly uncomfortable, I couldn't stand in it more than 10 minutes. I took it back to stretch it but for safety's sake I ordered another form. They're made of the same colour like my dress (orange-red). Chris will have a waistband (Spanish style) and is made of my dress' textile.

On Friday will be my 4th fitting at the tailoring, maybe the last but one. I really like my mother's dress as well, it's very elegant. I'm going to have a little bag made of her dress' textile with lace, where our footwear had been made.

At the weekend we must visit some relatives in the country and we must DANCE!

26 days left

The weekend was really summary, the sun shone warmly, it was around 30 degree. Chris cut the grass and I tidied the House. I adore sunshine, that is why it makes me crazy if I can’t be out of door because I have things to do indoor. When I was a student I studied in the garden during the exam-period and I usually tried to do within-door-things between 11 AM and 15 PM when sunbathing is unsafe. I laid out early in the morning and continued it late in the afternoon when there wasn’t such a heat. Halcyon days! That’s why I say that it’s a chance, that the sun can hardly shine into the street where the office is, otherwise my heart would break. It’s harder to work at good weather in an office.

As regard the wedding the invitation cards have been partly posted and partly personally forwarded and we’re waiting for the answers how many of the invitated guests can take part in the party after the ceremony. We bought the textile of Chris „young husband” dress and it’s under sewing. We have to still reserve accomodation in the near for the members of the orchestra and we have to order my bunch and the flower decoration two weeks before the Great Day. Roughly I see the end of the arrangements. Roughly. I won’t be confortable until May 21st, the day after the wedding. I’m quite tired, I go to bed late every night and I get up early every morning. I have a lot to do in the office and I try to focus on the wedding at the same time.

Solution: Haute Couture

We spent the whole evening at a custom tailoring near the Heroes Square, Budapest. I decided on the haute couture as a final decision as a way of clothing. I found out my „young wife” dress but it was not entirely clear in my mind and I needed help to realize it. The first fitting was yesterday. The dress was made of a well-shapeable test-textile which was to cut, to tear, to scribble, to pin point by point. It was interesting to see how the dress began to take shape and how people fussed around me. Next week will be the second fitting and they will sew it after the precise designing and exact agreement and the two test-dresses. All these will result in a dress which fit to a nicety.

The new seat

The company has moved. This was our first week at the new office. The previous office was a rented one and we had to pay millions for using it. The present one is the company’s own. We reside in the IX. district of Budapest, the ground floor of a condominium had built by us. The office itself is beautiful, nicer than the previous one but the surroundings are diastrous for us. We have to take part in the traffic jams of the downtown day by day, we haven’t got such an amazing view (we saw the hills there, we see the drunken gipsies here). All of us more or less is embittered, the management as well but this decision was rational not an emotional one. It will either make us or brake us. I hope to get use to it.

Agria IDSF Open

There was a delightful experience in our life on Saturday. We took part in our first live dance competition, it was an international one in Eger. We were only admirer, our teachers /the couple in purple/ entered into competition with the best couples of 17 countries. Here was the famous couple of Slovenia Zoran Plohl & Tatsiana Lahvinovich who is the world’s third best latin duet /the couple in red/. They were amazing (actually, they won and dr. Faluvégi András & Tóth Orsolya /wearing the green dress/ got the silver medal, they’re the Hungarian protagonists).

It was all-day long, we got up at 6 AM. After we had picked up the others, we set off. Registration, dressing, warming up, testing the parquet. The most interesting thing was the arrangements behind the scenes for me. It’s owing to our teachers we could be an active part of it by helping them to get ready to appear. It was interesting to see how the competitors change their appearance. We just looked the innumerable quantity of the hair spray & gel, self tanning, make up, false eyelashes they used and the sparkling and glittering stones, imitation diamonds, flitters in the hair, on the faces, on the dresses and shoes as well.

Partytime

At this time we celebrate here and there. Last weekend we held my father’s best friend’s son’s 28th birthday in Érd (nearby city) and we celebrated at my mother’s brother’s place as well. The children were there – they performed stunts – which gave me much pleasure.

The party goes on, we’ll gather together at our place this evening. By the time I’ll go home, my parents will be in preparing the dishes over head and I’m going to cut in the arrangements and I hope that my sister, too.

We called for the fiancé waistcoat with its accessories (the fancy handkerchief is not on the picture and the shirt is not the tuxedo one) and bought my fiancée shoes. However, I still don’t know from where we’ll purchase shoes for Chris. We need in the shade of ivory or beige or something bright but not white. It slowly seems to me that it does not exist. I looked for a dressmaker who will sew our dress which we’ll wear after midnight but it hasn’t fixed yet.

Active National Holiday

On March 15th we celebrated the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-49. It’s a day to be kept as a holiday countrywide. In spite of this fact, Chris had to work on that day. (In my opinion their company was the only one on duty in the whole country beside leisure centres and petrol stations.) We slept together in the House overnight, so I got up early with him, but I didn’t mind it at all, because I had more time to do a lot of useful things. He went to work and I went home. My first thing was to go up to the hill naturally alone with the dogs. They enjoyed running freely and biting into the rest of the snow.

There’s a chapel at the top of the hill, above the city and it’s illuminated every night. If somebody stays a few minute pretty near the building, a pleasant song is intoned. We heard it for a while, the dogs were all ears, mainly the younger one (Rufusz), the older one (Lexi) is a little hard of hearing. I did not like that it played Xmas songs.

We had to hurry because I wanted to take part an aerobics lesson at 9. I quickly packed my things up and left home. There wasn’t a crowd there. After gym I sat into the sauna and enjoyed being alone, the fragrance of the volatile oil in my nose, the warmth and later the cold water on my skin. I think I’ll repeat this recreation in the immediate future.
At around noon I undertook to tidy my car and when I made an end of it, I continued in my room. The afternoon was soon passed away and we were for dancing. This was the highlight of the day. We did it very well, our teacher was satisfied and very proud of us. We made a long stay, because they started to practice and we were just staring at them, they completely sensationalized us. In the end we danced a final, and we realized that we improved a lot by looking at them. Our teacher’s gorgeous movement and poses had a great effect on us, they did it with body and soul. I can’t express how I feel when I’m looking at them. They’re very good, they’re the best. They won the latest competition, they’re only 19 years old and I respect and like them.

Yesterday I bought my underclothing under my wedding gown. I really like it. Mainly the little strips and the colour of it which is the same like the wedding gown (ecru). I bought the bra, the knickers, the stockings, the garter belt, and something blue…

March 11., 12., 13.

Sequent noted days. The first is my father’s birthday (48), the second is my sister’s birthday (22), the third is Christian’s name-day. We celebrated them at the weekend, the family gathered together. 2 weeks ago we celebrated Erika’s birthday and this weekend we’ll meet at Joseph’s place on the occasion of the 2 Joseph and Ildikó (the younger Joseph’s wife) name-day and her birthday. I always look forward to this gathering especially because of the children. Each time I have to lay down that they’re growing.

Busy Days & Wedding Gowns

75 days left till our wedding and we haven’t got everything yet. My mind steadily centres round the wedding, in every minute. In these days the decoration is being organized, we try to choose the one which makes good impression on the guests with tasteful accessories and decoration under favourable conditions. The most importunate thing is the invitation cards. I would like to have a unique one.

At the weekend we managed to buy in some things for Krisz and to the House as well. We purchased his waistcoat with the matching tie (French-style) and fancy handkerchief, his shirt (tuxedo-style in pink) and the sleeve-links. We have to wait 3 weeks for the clothes because they’re sewed. I really like the colour and the pattern of the textile. It’s a very light pink like damask rose and there are creamy-coloured flowers on it, harmonizing with my lacy gown.

I have a lot to do at work and I hardly have time to make inquiries, to get some information and go after the things I want. I’m afraid of running out of time, so we have no time to lose. I don’t want to have a day off because of the arrangements. I have only 20 days to take holiday. I reserve them to my wedding, to the Canadian journey and to the honeymoon, so that’s why I keep them in store and consider to have a day off.

On Wednesday I must have my day off because we had to look for the suitable bridesmaid gown with the other bridesmaid who lives 300 kms far from Budapest. We had to agree on the form of the gown, the colour is given, it’s soft yellow. Our tryings were unsuccessful, the supply was scarce as regard the colour. In point of fact, we have to meet again.

Putyin visits Hungary

Enormous traffic jams can be expected over Budapest today and tomorrow because of the Russian PM’s stay. He is one of the 4 best guarded persons of the word, beside the American and Israeli PM and the Pope. The city center is full of sharp-shooters and policemen, distractions and parking restrictions, tow-away-zones. People are suggested to use public vehicles instead of cars on these days. I’m afraid in advance how we’ll get to the dancing saloon tomorrow afternoon. Normally, there are traffic jams over the city not only in the rushing hours and there must’t be a special event like this to be traffic jams. There are too many cars on the streets (hand in hand with pollution) in contempt of the very high, unreal fuel prices. Thank God that I’m sitting in an office in Budaörs and I don’t have to take part in the downtown transportation day by day. But this situation lasts not long, the company will soon move into the capital, in a few weeks. :-(