NATIONAL MUSEUM EXPLORES 250 YEARS OF HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN CONNECTIONS : A COLLECTION THAT HONORS MANY INCLUDING TONY CURTIS AND ZSA ZSA GABOR

Excerpt: The Hungarian National Museum officially opened its new exhibition, The American Dream: Hungarians in the United States, 1776–2026, commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence and celebrating the enduring relationship between Hungary and the United States. Through stories of migration, achievement, and shared democratic values, the exhibition explores how generations of Hungarians helped shape American society while maintaining strong cultural ties to their homeland, underscoring the themes of freedom, opportunity, and perseverance that have connected the two nations for nearly two and a half centuries.

HUNGARY TODAY : NATIONAL MUSEUM HONORING HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN CONNECTIONS : 250 ANNIVERSARY OF USA

SOCCER SOCCER EVERYWHERE : NEVER BEFORE HAVE I LIVED THROUGH SUCH CRAZY SOCCER EVENTS

"Hungary has a significant history in international football, having won three OLYMPIC gold medals, finished as runners-up in the 1938 and 1954 WORLD CUP and finished in third place in the 1964 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP." - Wikipedia

Never before have I lived through such SOCCER FEVER.  Growing up I was entirely ignorant of soccer. Later it seemed to be a sport only played on the grounds of elite private schools. And I never paid attention to it, though in general I'm not much into watching sports, to know that it has become INTERNATIONAL.

This summer, however, I could not ignore soccer.  It seemed everyone else was obsessed with watching the FIFA/ World Cup wherever I went. Streets were blocked off - usually streets that had bars and restaurants with televised programs. Even libraries had the opportunity for fans to watch the games and scream and yell. Local stores were jammed up with team support products - keychains, little soccer balls, whatnot. 

So I watched a few games and was relieved to realize I could follow it and understand it better than I ever have "American Football." I came away with the idea that soccer is more popular than the Olympics, that these events include teams that come from countries that seem to barely participate in the Olympics.

After a month of almost daily exposure to soccer, I must say that I am also relieved that it's over.
There is so much more to do in summer than watch televised programing.

POTTING

 

BOWER

 

MUSEUM OF FINE ART : BUDAPEST : WONDERFUL PLACES IN HUNGARY #34

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HUNGARY - CURRENT EXHIBITION

Apocalypse. Biblical Prophecies from Dürer to Béla Kondor

Excerpt: The exhibition focuses on Apocalypse cycles based on of the Book of Revelation. The text of John’s visions has inspired many artists since the Middle Ages. Scenes from the Apocalypse have been brought to life on the pages of illuminated manuscripts, and a multitude of frescos, tapestry cycles and stained-glass windows in churches attest to the important role these visions have played in Christian iconography. The invention of printmaking and the rise of book printing in the fifteenth century opened up new opportunities: prints became widely distributed and had a powerful impact on the public.

***

If you can't travel, you can always browse the collections and exhibits by going to the link for the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest.

Click on the label Wonderful-Hungary to get to the entire series on this theme.

C 2026 Magyar-American BlogSpot  All Rights Reserved

250th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

NARA ARCHIVES UNITED STATES FOUNDING DOCUMENTS 

I think of the 4th of July as the most American of holidays, of course I mean The United States of America...

RUDAS BATHS of BUDAPEST : 450 YEARS OF HOT MINERALWATER SINCE THE OTTOMAN TURKS : MINERAL WATER DRINKING CURE : WONDERFUL PLACES IN HUNGARY #33

OOOH.... The Ottoman Turks.... who killed two-thirds of the Hungarian population...Can we love something they left behind when they were defeated? (There are Moslems in Hungary and no doubt some of them are descended from the occupiers.) How about if we improve upon it?

Well, there's architecture and there's history. These baths have been used for 450 years and the water still flows. For some time the baths were men only but now you can select a time to emerge yourself with others of your gender or not. (No getting naked!) You can soak in some history as well as relax and emerge feeling better. 

RUDAS FURDO (RUDAS BATHS)

Excerpt:

The centerpiece of the bath today, the Turkish bath, was built during the 16th century in the period of the Turkish occupation. Below the 10 m diameter dome, sustained by 8 pillars, there is an octagonal pool. The swimming pool, operating as a therapeutic swimming facility and with a sauna, was built in 1896. The thermal bath has been visited from 1936 o­n exclusively by men.

In its drinking hall, the water of the springs Hungária, Attila and Juventus can be consumed for the purposes of a drinking cure.

The blog attached is rather fun... 

BATHS BUDAPEST  This site gives more details about gendered bath times and:

Excerpt: What makes Rudas Bath stand out is the modern rooftop panorama pool overlooking the river Danube and its many Budapest river cruise boats, the Parliament, the historical bridges and more. Also, Rudas Bath boasts a 16th-century thermal bath in its core, called the Turkish Bath.

Click on the label Wonderful-Hungary to get to the entire series on this theme.

C 2026 Magyar-American BlogSpot  All Rights Reserved

FATHER'S DAY ??? MOTHER'S DAY ???

In Hungary, Fathers Day (Apák Napja) is the third Sunday in June, which is June 21, 2026. Today!  It coincides with International Father's Day.

Mother's Day (Anyák Napja) is also celebrated, the first Sunday of May, so the dates changes. In the United States it's celebrated on the second Sunday of May. (This is also true of Canada.)

In Hungary, people are not as materialistic as some are in the West. Gifts that are appreciated are appropriate flowers (often seasonal) original poems, traditional songs, nice foods, and little gifts.

The holiday origins are credited to Americans and the United States. Now Mother's and Father's Day are celebrated all over the world, but on different dates; there is no International Mother's Day.

International Women's Day on March 8 is celebrated in Eastern European and Balkan nations, such as Albania, which combine Mother's Day with International Women's Day.

HUNGARIAN and HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN STEREOTYPE : PALINKA IS OUR REMEDY, a CURE FOR EVERYTHING

I enjoy investigating and commenting on Hungarian and Hungarian-American stereotypes so much I kind of hate spoiling this one with a definitive article (below) about drinking Palinka. But here's the thing, this is a stereotype of the Hungarians very much more than the Hungarian-Americans because there just isn't much Palinka to buy here. I don't think I've ever had a taste of the good stuff that legend has it will cure just about anything - even the hangover you got from drinking it too innocently, as it pickles your liver very very slowly, until suddenly you're so drunk everyone and everything in life is sweet. I'm not much of a drinker and far too self controlled to have more than a sip so how could I be a judge of it? 

Just try it. Go into a good hotel, the kind of place that boasts a well stocked bar, and ask for Palinka and you'll find out that it is rare indeed in America.

This article suggest it be used as the basis for a cocktail.  You know, one jigger's worth.

https://dailynewshungary.com/myth-or-reality-the-health-benefits-of-drinking-palinka/https://dailynewshungary.com/myth-or-reality-the-health-benefits-of-drinking-palinka/

Excerpt: Before you set out to make 70 degrees plus pálinka, you must know that it brings more pain than pleasure to your taste buds and throat. You will no longer be able to taste the fruit, and it will be so strong that your organs will be thrown off balance, so you should rather not try distilling or drinking such pálinka.

C 2026 Magyar- American BlogSpot

MY FRIEND IN BUDAPEST WANTS TO COME BACK TO THE U.S.A. : PRIME MINISTER PETER MAGYAR MAKES CHANGE : ORBAN LOYALISTS EXIST

For years now my friend, who has duel citizenship and speaks fluent Hungarian, has spent half his year in Hungary, usually in the spring and fall, but for the first time he reports being "homesick." Usually he wants to stay there. So what has changed? It would seem that he personally feels that there's more chaos. It has to do with the change to Peter Magyar as Prime Minister. He's not essentially opposed to Magyar, but in looking at the news reports, there certainly are some changes happening fast since the man took office.


WORKER VISAS : Other recent tourists to Hungary remarked to me that the Hungarian people were letting immigrants do the work, I take it in hotels and restaurants.

REUTERS : HUNGARY TO STOP ISSUING WORKER VISAS

Excerpt: Hungary's government will stop issuing worker visas to employees from the Philippines, Georgia ​and Armenia from Friday, a government spokeswoman said, ‌calling the move a first step towards regulating the inflow of guest workers.

PBS: PETER MAGYAR TO CHANGE HUNGARIAN CONSTITUTION

Excerpt: Hungary's government will amend the constitution to remove the country's president, part of a push by the new Prime Minister Péter Magyar to eliminate officials appointed under former populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Magyar and his Tizsa party won an overwhelming victory in an election in April. With a two-thirds majority in parliament, they can make sweeping changes to the autocratic political system Orbán built over his 16 years in power.

***

I previously confused Magyar's Title to be President.  Hungary does have a Prime Minister and a President.  If you're an American, you might be confused too.  The Prime Minister is the person who has political power.  The President of Hungary has a ceremonial role. 

According to the article above : "While mostly a ceremonial role, Hungary's president is responsible for signing legislation into law and has the power to send bills passed by parliament to the constitutional court for review, raising concerns among supporters of the new government that he could use that power to obstruct its plans."

***

The way I see it is that the President of Hungary has more power than say, the King Charles III of the United Kingdom ...

How do you see it?

***

PEAR AND PLUMS

Pálinka is a traditional Central European fruit brandy made from fermented and distilled fruit mash, pomace, or lees. It is produced solely in Hungary and specific regions of Austria, utilizing local fruits such as plums, apricots, pears, cherries, quinces, and berries.

FLORINT PAPER MONEY (Hungarian: forint papírpénz)

THE GERMAN GENEALOGY GROUP CONTINUES TO ADD TO THEIR FREE DATABASES : NEW YORK - NEW YORK CITY - CONNECTICUT

It's been over a decade since I posted on the GERMAN GENEALOGY GROUP!  They are still adding to their databases.  So, here's the thing : These are Americans who are posting useful archival data focusing on NEW YORK - NEW  YORK CITY - and CONNECTICUT - and this is what they say:

GERMAN GENEALOGY GROUP - FREE DATABASES

"As a group we are focused on German genealogy; however, our databases encompass ALL nationalities and are always free to search."

A Sampling of the latest additions:

 
SEE WHAT'S NEW/UPDATED:

02/18/2026 Added 22,040 records to the Births database (Manhattan 1872) that were missing from the original index.

01/31/2026 Added 4,965 records to the Baptism database (St Vincent de Paul RC Church, Williamsburg).

01/13/2026 Added 14,588 records to the Births database (Manhattan 1870) that were missing from the original index.

11/11/2025 Gravesend database modified to display the record page numbers for each name searched.

11/11/2025 Added 110 bride and 19 groom records, Kings County, various years

11/11/2025 Added 1,180 bride and 427 groom records, 1869 Kings County

09/15/2025 Added 3,331 records to the Births database (Manhattan 1868 "A" certificates) that were missing from the original index.

09/06/2025 Added 103 brides and 16 grooms; corrected 912 bride & groom records, 1866-1937 Kings County.
.

MY FRIEND TRAVELS BACK TO HUNGARY and WORRIES ABOUT HIS RETURN FLIGHT IN JUNE BEING CANCELLED and a TRUE TRAVEL STORY

The third week in April, my Hungarian-American friend, who I met through genealogy, and who enjoys dual-citizenship, called me from the San Francisco airport. He had promised a call before he left for two months in Hungary and did so after going through customs and awaiting a boarding call. He'd purposely decided to fly Swiss Air - a neutral country. He bought a round trip ticket, but friends in Europe told him they were not sure about the availability of oil - fuel - and that there might be a possibility that the airline would be able to keep its promise of a round trip ticket. What with the wars -  Russia - Iran - etc.

In which case, how would he get home?

We joked about the movie Plains, Trains, and Automobiles. He mentioned Vienna being only 120 miles from Budapest and the industrious Austrians and Germans possibly being better able to obtain plane fuel. We jokingly imaged him rowing a boat across the Atlantic with one paddle.

"I'm going to go, forget my troubles in the United States, and have a good time, and try not to worry," he said. But I could tell he was plenty worried. Because Russia and Hungary were not having a good relationship over the last few months over the war in Ukraine, he said. And also that Orban, in his opinion, had been in power twenty years (not just sixteen) and had done a good job the first three terms. What was Hungary going to be like this visit with the new administration?

But it brought to mind this true story, which took place about twenty five years ago, and which I told him.

I met two sisters at a library. On was employed as a temporary worker and pretty much supporting her immigrant mother and disabled sister. The temp worker had a few weeks with no assignment and - and, as was possible back in that day - told the agency she needed the time off anyway *** The two sisters then had a very inexpensive six week vacation traveling, for which they spent about $3000.

They took the little local community shuttle near their home to the closest train station and arrived at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. From there they took a train that passed through Albuquerque, New Mexico and then went on to Florida. In Fort Lauderdale they got on a cruise ship that had a lot of cabins empty for a cruise and got a deal. The ship sailed the Atlantic to Portugal. From Portugal they traveled to Paris. The only night they had nowhere to sleep was in Paris, but they spent it at an all night café drinking coffee! The best place outside Budapest to be up all night drinking coffee. (They had so much to eat on the cruise, they felt no need to eat.) After finding an affordable B & B near Paris and traveling around Paris and locale, they took the bus that goes through the tunnel under the Channel to England and spent time in London. From there they traveled to Liverpool, where they booked on another inexpensive cruise and sailed the Atlantic to New York City. In New York they got on a train that went to Chicago, and then south, and arrived back in Union station in Los Angeles. Then, once again, the community shuttle home...

Think of how little they spent!

 (*** and returned to find they hadn't dumped her and soon got a decent permanent job from a temp assignment.).

RED POPPIES BLOOM IN HUNGARIAN MAY