Summary of 2015

2015 undoubtedly goes down in history as the year of great travels. I was in 6 different countries and so reached more great places than ever imagined within a year.

Started in Amsterdam, Holland with the usual ISE exhibition including a gorgeous trip to the countryside as a bonus. Holland was followed by Denmark. Billund was the base of a nice family vacation with my sister's. Zoli made it damn good and comfortable and so became unforgettable. And then Italy came next. As a result of a cancelled girlish holiday Italy was still calling so I obeyed and went to Napoli and Pompei with my mom. After this, the eagerly expected incredible India was next in line. Beautiful experience followed by horrible shock when getting home. By that time (it was early September) I needed to face the fact that my new superbike was stolen from the garage in my absence. 

My heart was entirely broken and still shooting if I'm thinking of it. The second instalment was due upon my arrival. I paid the money and no bicycle any longer. I received this info from my dad at the airport upon arrival. My boss got me home and remember well the crowd of immigrants being stationed very close to my house. They were just blocked at the town border before marching through Budaörs. From that time I feel antipathy about the whole immigrant misery which is not over yet and who knows what and when will be the real end of this story. Roughly a month after India we packed again and flew till Dubai, UAE. Last trip of the year was dedicated to my son: Disneyland, Paris, France. Two weeks after our arrival, the media reported about a brutal terrorattack in Paris that required numerous human livings. The news spread as wildfire worldwide and we're just guessing where is next.

Some new measures were introduced by the government in the year of 2015. These changes were not solidly welcomed but they needed to be accepted and resigned. One is the opening hours of the shops. They have to be closed on Sundays. As for me, this is absolutely uncomfortable because of more reasons. I needed to reschedule my weekly routine and cannot go shopping when I desire. Although, mostly it was Sunday. This is one thing but the most serious thing is that subsequently all people need to arrange shopping till Saturday and so this generate double crowd at the weekends. I hardly believe my eyes when seeing the twisty line of cars even well in front of the parking area - and not to mention the queue inside. Other unfavourable measure was the regulation of the use of highways. County-based vignettes are available now. Budaörs had a unique position in this regard. However our mayor was fighting really manfully against it so that Budaörs avoid the transit traffic that is an accompany of this change. No success and the result can be experienced by everybody: multiple traffic any time of the day, no way to calculate with those turnarounds you applied within the city before. In other word: Budaörs became impassable... 

Another two things that 2015 brought into our life. First, new dimension in Internet: I introduced wi-fi at home. Second, new dimension in the treatment of waste: we received selective dumpsters, so now I have 3 big waste container, although, the existing one was never full neither. 

In August, I managed to drum together almost the two-third of my exclassmates because of the 20th anniversary of leaving primary school. 

Regarding my physical education, 2015 made it completely clear that muscles must keep surprised. :-) Not enough to do the same exercises day by day. No use to train hard without any change. All in vain because your body gets accustomed to the exercises and although you are training on the same way, you cannot see the result of it, what's more... So the the muscles love not only regularity but also surprises or tricks in the spirit of development. Enikő remained but another way (anyway she started her Zona Movement in English: https://www.facebook.com/zonamovement/?fref=ts) and I still take the opportunity to move as much as possible to stay as fit as a fiddle.

Regarding Dominik's physical education, he has the ski pass to the nearby artificial ski-truck for the whole season (from September till May) and he really does it with the greatest pleasure. They have P.E. lesson on each day except one day when he has a faculty of robotics. Once a week they also swim.

2015 gave life to two new babies in the family: Kitti and Dani. By now, there is exactly 10 kids altogether and we keep on celebrating Easter and Santa together, although with a bit more extended giftlist. :-) (In below picture on the right Andi & Erika changed their babies.)

 

 

Fall in Paris

Venturesome undertaking, bold decision. This is how I describe our trip to Paris at the very end of Oct and the very beginning of Nov. To buy flight tickets and book a room, to hire a car and arrange entrance tickets to Parc Asterix and Disneyland and to set out into a world city so that we can spend a couple of days and Halloween in the French capital are those things that a mother can do for the sake of her son who came to envy his mother's travellings by air and wish to fly, too.

What is a daring deed? Orientate ourselves in a foreign country without GPS but with the help of a simple paper map and find the right way based on the signs. Is it? Or is it rather anachronistic? How many of you wanna try the same in the recent world? I proudly present that I haven't been lost in France, found all those places very well that I wanted to, using neither GPS nor mobile apps. Intentionally? Partly. So to tell you the truth, this trip easily could go into nightmare because of lack of orientation support and money. But I was always smart enough to find solution and to trust myself and my smart little boy's great help and I wasn't shy to ask for the neccessary instructions from local people. Everything went well but I didn’t expect to leave a huge amount of deposit at the car rental company upon arrival.

Unfortunately, this wasn't calculated into our budget, so I definitely needed to be very careful with handling our money. Additionally, they tried to persuade me to upgrade the cathegory and to use accessories that I did not want to. Finally, I firmly made them understand that I did not want to pay more than I had already paid in advance. However, this rental company is one of the biggest ones around the world but it seemed that this attitude is the normal.

We arrived in the evening and found our hotel after a while which also made me disappointed. At least it was clean and regular and they did not want me to pay more than already paid at the reception. Dominik really enjoyed the bunk bed. My girlfriend told me afterwards that she knows well such kind of hotels from her childhood with good memories and that reminds her capsule hotels in the Far East. Looking out of our window I saw the lights of the Eiffel Tower in the distance - about one and half hour drive from us and thought that this would not be the night to go there. I just wanted to fall asleep.

Our first morning was chilly but with richly coloured sky and the airplanes came close above us since we were quite close to the airport. Packed in, ready for the first two adventures for that day. Our car was a brand new little one with only 400 kms drive as shown on the dashboard. It gave me absolutely pleasant driving experience. We reached Plailly well before the park opening hour, so had time for breakfast and reserve the best parking area ever. After getting in, it was still a bit cold but the much to see started to warm us up. We dropped in the eagerly expected world of Asterix and Obelix involving 6 different worlds (Egypt, the Roman Empire, Gaul, The Vikings, Ancient Greece and Travel through time).

Nice figures, buildings and rides, somewhere Halloween style. My personal favourite was the Village Gaulois where the only task is to look around and enjoy that you can feel yourself just like you are part of the real Gallic life. Dominik's favourite was the Le Défi de César where Caesar was recruiting spies and after a strange photo booth you become a legionary and can try how it feels when the boat is turned over by Obelix. Parc Asterix is a bit cheaper than Disneyland and seems a bit older, opened in 1989. It is good to be aware of the story and the characters when you visit.

Some imperfectness could be discovered (in comparison with Disneyland who surely does not allow to happen such defectivenesses or would be amended immediately) such as faulty displays that could be disturbing in an attraction where it would be important to have perfect visualization. The park was as just much OK that we were able to leave it before the complete close.

And the next turn to drive into the downtown of Paris, very probably during the rushing hours. No problem, we had time, Dominik could sleep in the car. My only duty was to find the right and shortest way while having endless patience, and avoiding even the smallest accident. Wow, what a challenge! Even one of my cousin who is an international forwarder driving all over Europe says that he hates driving in Paris because of its complexity and steady traffic. Although, it was not India but do not wish to enter so often the roundabout around the monument of Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile for example. What a mess! It can be dangerous not to indicate the lanes in a roundabout, so you have to be very cautious when enter and also when leave it.

I strictly followed my handmade itinerary and was awaiting for La Tour Eiffel to pop up. It did. And it was wonderful. I excelled in finding the most suitable parking place close to the tower that at first sight could seem to be a difficult effort aaaand wow, in the other minute we were amazed at the foot of the iconic symbol of Paris. And hardly could stop looking up. Then we took a look at it from the direction of Trocadero. Thank God Dominik was grateful for not going up, otherwise we had had to wait hours for entering. We were waiting for the first play of lights which could be seen in each hour and then left. The way back to the hotel was not less crowded and successful as coming there. I was so so proud of myself. Coping with the streets of Paris with my own resources was a very good achievement, honestly.

And Disneyland on the following day was the icing on the cake. Both of us were full of great expectations after Disneyland California. I was wondering before how similar it should have been or whether it must have been the very same. And we weren't disappointed. Disneyland Paris (formerly Euro Disneyland, located in Marne-la-Vallée, established in 1992) made the very same impression like in America.

Once entered, we found ourselves on the Main Street, U.S.A. just like in California. Definitely tried and compared those attractions that were tried in America and found that they are equal in every detail, even the entrance of Star Tours and even the real restaurant and the length of counting while sliding down fast and the hair on the shin of a sitting pirate in the Pirates of the Caribbeans. I was very happy with this recognition. We got on most of the rides that were said not to be missed. Once finished, we hurried to the other park, the Walt Disney Studios. 

And what we definitely needed to experience and became unambiguously our favourite: the Ratatouille. 4D experience, shrinked down to the size of Remy and duck, dive, dodge and scurry to safety in a dazzling chase across the gigantic kitchen of Gusteau’s famous Parisian restaurant. Although, we had to queue and wait 80 min, but we could not leave Paris without this treat because the cartoon itself takes places in Paris, too. So this was our last ride and I think worthy end of the day and also of our trip to Paris.   

Dubai, the town of mosts

After InfoComm India the next station is InfoComm MEA (Middle East & Africa) held in Dubai, simultaneously with GITEX where tremendous amount of money is invested in the booths and appearance.

Before the trip, Dubai was in my mind as an artificial town with no special history or natural beauties. After the trip, the first two things that come into my mind are glittering and amazing crazyness that couples with endless amount of money. I can tell you that in Dubai everything is shining. The huge buildings in themselves, returning the undisturbed rays of the sun. Even the most simpliest articles for personal use are created to shine. If India was the country of colours, Dubai is the town of golden-silver sparkle. If ever again I have a wedding, my wedding dress will be get from Dubai...

About Dubai: as a business and major transport hub of the Middle East, it is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates located in the Southeast cost of the Persian Gulf and is one of the 7 emirates that make up the country. Oil revenue first started to flow in 1969 but today, less than 5% of the emirate's revenue comes from oil. The main revenues now coming from tourism, real estate, financial services. Dubai has recently attracted world attention through many innovative large construction projects and sports events. The city has become iconic for its skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, in particular the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

Even the local people says that things change so quickly, sometimes they also have difficulties with finding certain places. If you are in the city and somebody asks you where you are exactly, the answer is not correct if you say I can see Burj Khalifa because Burj Khalifa can be seen from everywhere. So the distances are very illusive; you think that the buildings are closer than they are in real because of the sizes. You easily realize this after a few hours walking when you still haven't reached your target.

First morning I encountered two vantage points for myself. First is a juice bar with heavenly delicious shakes and juices in the hotel's neighborhood, second is the feeling of being privileged on the metro while traveling in separated cabins reserved only for women and children. It was funny when we women in our cabin were only a few of us and behind the line the men were standing packed like sardines. But uninvited ignorant male tourists were found every time among us, at the expense of paying penalty. While sitting separated alone but together with many women, I was thinking about our mission that all women have and this is what we have in common.

For me, Dubai is the town of world records and achievements. It is very easy to bump into some things which are the biggest, tallest, fastest, most expensive, most elegant something in the world - even within an afternoon, or so.

- The Dubai Mall where we usually wound up after exhibition is the world's largest shopping mall with its 1200 shops and over 13 million square foot which is equivalent in size to more than 50 football fields. Also it is the world's most-visited shopping and leisure destination.

- The world's largest acrylic panel (Aquarium) and largest sweet shop (Candylicious) inside Dubai Mall.

- The Dubai Fountain is the world's largest choreographed fountain system set on the 30-acre manmade Burj Khalifa Lake.

- Burj Khalifa, the megatall skyscraper is the tallest existing and ever built freestanding artificial structure standing at 829.8 m with the highest and longest travel distance elevator installation inside and so on, and so on...

- World's largest indoor snow park can be found in the Mall of the Emirates.

- Burj Al Arab, the famous luxury hotel is called "the world's only 7-star hotel". The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of a ship. Several events have taken place on the helipad 210 m above ground to attract media attention. There is a dress code for those who enter. The cheapest way to enter is the price of a tea for about USD 50.00 and the cheapest room costs more than USD 1,000.00 for a single night.

The DESERT. This is something that totally gingered me up so I definitely need to write about it. We were recommended and invited to a desert safari by our distributor company located in Dubai. Some colleagues missed it because they were not interested. Not me. I knew exactly that this is a must to try here. The experience is indescribable.  

The timing was perfect. We were picked up at 3 PM and took about 1.5 hour to drive out of the town. We were in the desert a little before sunset. Oh my God, what a view, what a climate! But let's go step by step:

Sitting in the SUV seeing the precisely worked out roll bars let us foreshadow that something craziness must happen. Once we were out of the town and saw the sand swirling on the road surface in front of us (just like the snow swirled in Alberta in front of us), the driver switched over the opposite lane immediately, and then with the same immediate action drove down and we were off the road - welcome to the desert!! Our driver got out of the car and started to paddle on the wheels. I saw him

doubtfully that's why he told me not to worry, he was just let the pressure down. Aaaand the fun just began! It was high time for a crazy drifting, up and down the dunes. Up high, on the top of the dune we could just suspect how steep the other side of the dune. Just like in a funfair. We needed to hang on strongly, the sand always covered the windshield and all windows sideward. Big wow. Then we stopped and had the opportunity to see wild camels. Once arrived the desert camp, the sun

started to go down. And I really really enjoyed the whole situation, the circumstances. From the top of a high dune watching the sun's orange glow over the vast expanse of rippling sand all around me as it sets. Sunset, endless sand, rolling dunes, barefoot, soft wind, wooow. All these were enough to my happiness and was unnecessary to try quad or sandboard but experienced a short camel ride, got on the niqáb (worn by Muslim women), let my hand painted with henna designs, enjoyed a

feast of grilled meats, fresh salads, Arab sweets served under the galaxy of stars while being entertained by belly dancers.

There is still a lot to write about like Bastakya by night (Old Dubai - for me it 's Aladdin town), the world-famous Palm Jumeirah with Atlantis that can be seen from the space such as the Chinese Great Wall and was approached by monorail and also under the sea. The morning Dubai Creek filled with ancient ships and dhows with large quantity of products shipped by sea. The officially amazing Burj Khalifa which let us being "at the top" and seeing down the country while experiencing

its elevator which let us reach the 124th floor within a minute. The new rainforest investment of which luxury apartments are on sale now (got it? rainforest in the desert!). And a wonderful business dinner at Grand Hyatt. Thank you Suraj, Yati, Gopan to contribute making our stay unforgettable.

If you are in Dubai, you are amazed and can't get enough of it. Thank you that I could be there.

Destination: MUMBAI

I'm glad that my work brought me to Incredible India this time. India is the second largest and also the fastest-growing pro-AV market in Asia Pacific. We had a booth at InfoComm India exhibition that showcases the latest pro-AV and Info-Comm technology innovation a broad spectrum of industries from conferencing, presentation and training equipments to digital signage and projection technology, from signal management and processing to system integration services and command and control systems.

To tell you the truth, India is rather a continent than it is a country. Untouched jungles are a short drive from polluted cities and it is possible to stand at the foot of a snowcapped mountain one day and be travelling by camel through a desert the next. Basically, there is a big contrast within the country between poverty and luxury but poverty, fug, lack of hygienie are more dominant. It is interesting that so many dialects exist within the country so that two Indians coming from different places do not understand each other. According to Census of India 2001, India has 122 major languages and 1599 other languages.

Each and every set off hides millions of photo theme, contains great chances of taking great pics because this is a basically completely different world than ours. Indians' lifestyle in general means land of plenty for photographers. Just a couple of themes to mention: the way of transport with their no-rules on the road and having no role of the lanes at all (that's why honking is continuous that is still clang in my ears); their attitude to clear the distance by inches between the cars,

motorcycles, rickshaws and other objects so that we never wanted to try to put our fingers there; the number of people riding on the same vehicle; the nice colourful dresses worn by the Indian women; faces with the specific red or black spot on the foreheads; fresh exotic fruits vending by the roadside; the types of native animals, etc...

Our hotel was built, furnished and designed for One Thousand and One Nights... Beautiful and sumptuous in every detail. And the cuisine was unearthly. Everybody could find the eatables according to our own taste. I ate really very healthy food stuff and dishes during the whole week that made me very happy. Although, Indian gastronomy tastes very spicy for European people, I tried and liked several dishes. But at the first half of our visit we needed to be very careful because of our stomach so that not to knock out ourselves with an indigestion or diarrhoeia. 

Unforgettable experience was that business dinner we spent with our cooperation partners who lives in Dubai but originates from India. They invited us to a seafood restaurant after I told them that I definitely wanted to try Bombay Duck during my stay in Bombay and this way spared them a dilemma where to bring European people for dinner in India, and so let them to introduce us their favourite restaurant in Mumbai! Aaaaand it was pompous!! 

After the still alive sea-animals were displayed, we needed to wait until they prepared them freshly, then one dish was followed by the next. Crabs, lobsters, prawns, clams... For me, Bombay Duck (= Bombil Fry, fresh Mumbai fish coated with a masala based batter and fried to a crisp) was the zenith of course, but I also really liked the stew made of crab served with naan bread and ate by hand (by right hand strictly) tearing little bread and grab the stew inside using two or three fingers.

Prior to the show, we had the chance to see some famous spots in Mumbai including the world's largest open-air laundry at Dhobi Ghat. Being the only white woman made me to feel special at India Gateway where a huge crowd got together. Indians do realized and stopped me to take a picture with them. And one photo was followed by the other and the other and I thought it never comes to an end. 

Approaching a building, each people can count on some obligatory security checkings, even entering a mall or the own hotel. Women and men in separate rows, bodies and bags are scanned just like at the airports. Even our taxi was always checked carefully by the hotel staff every time, inspecting the under-carriage with mirror and opened the trunk. A couple of years ago there were some heavy explosion at certain crowded places by assassins that required many human lives. 

Sanjay Gandhi National Park with its flora and fauna, with its temple where unclothed(!) men were walking up and down, with its 109 pieces of 2400-years-old Kanheri Caves sculpted by Buddhist monks including Buddhist viharas meant for living, studying and meditating were all very very special experience for me such as flying with Emirates Airlines on Airbus A380-800 (capacity: 489-517, number of aircraft: 67, wingspan: 79.8m).