NO time for boredom today

Author: sdninaanderson

  • The Amazing Grand Market in Budapest

    The Front Exterior of the Grand Market
    Our amazing tour guide Anna Marie – a guide with 35 years experience
    One of Several Honey Stands

    Our Viking tour of the Grand Market surpassed our expectations. It helped that our guide, Anna Marie, is a native of Budapest with 35 years experience as a tour guide. It was a small group of us from the ship on the tour. Instead of a tour bus, we walked a few blocks and took the tram several stops to the market. The tram cars were built in Prague and the system goes back to 1887.

    Upon arriving in the market building, which is enormous and with multiple levels, Anna Marie walked us around the entire main floor – sharing cultural stories and local traditions as she explained various products. I knew going in that I was coming home with paprika but Anna Marie showed us variations that I was previously unaware of. The night before, our ship’s chef had made the most spectacular goulash; Ana Marie showed us a paste form sold in tubes that is specifically designed for goulash. Hungary is known for its sausages and our tour guide arranged for us to sample an extensive variety – including a delicious one with smoked paprika.

    After walking the market with us, she gave us a half hour to shop before the next phase of our adventure. Naturally, John, my husband, and I bought lots of paprika. I spent an average of about $5 per container of Paprika. In addition, we bought an assortment of Hungarian chocolate bars, a few refrigerator magnets and hand painted wooden spoons. John saw a leather booth and picked out a really nice belt. The shop owner measured John’s waist and cut and finished the belt for John. He charged us 20 Euros for the belt – we were thrilled. The leather station was the only place where we paid cash. Just about every booth took credit cards.

    We then met with our guide and fellow Viking tourists. Anna Marie escorted us upstairs to a large restaurant where we enjoyed a late lunch of local favorites. We started with small glasses of a plum alcohol that was very strong. I told John I felt like we were drinking rocket fuel; he nodded in agreement. The bread, cheeses, meats and salads were so fresh and delicious. I especially enjoyed a dark smoked ham and a local Brie. My husband hates pickles but I was in heaven. They served us a cheese spread that our waitress called cottage cheese but tasted and looked very different from what we call cottage cheese in the U.S. I normally hate cottage cheese but this was incredible!

  • Enjoying Paprika with My Dinner

    For our final dinner in Budapest, the head chef of the Viking Baldur, and his team, prepared a great menu featuring paprika. The salad was served with a delicious dressing which showcased paprika. The showcased entree was chicken and homemade spaetzle noodles served with peppers and a creamy paprika sauce.

    For dessert, most of the table ordered the chocolate lava cake which was fantastic. I am a cheese monger when not on vacation so I had to try the cheese plate. I enjoyed it except for one detail. The crackers appeared to be Ritz crackers – really? What a disappointment! My husband roared with laughter; the rest of our table chuckled, too.

    On a positive note, during our nightly presentation in the lounge, the chef offered us an amazing smoked salmon mini cone. Both my husband and I loved it.

    Early this evening, we started sailing towards Vienna. I cannot wait to see what our chef comes up with. Stay tuned for more!

    Fun smoked salmon tidbits served in the lounge
    Dinner Menu for Second Day
    Farm Salad with Paprika Dressing
    Chicken with Paprika
    Chocolate Lava Cake
    Cheese Plate

  • Budapest By Night

    Budapest Parliament building
    Nina and John in Budapest
    Budapest Parliament building
    Castle Hill
    Sculpture at Castle Hill
    Castle Hill
    Fountain at Castle Hill
    FELIX Bar&Restaurant
    Sparkling wine toast at FELIX

    Last night we took a night time tour of the Buda section of Budapest with a local tour guide hired by Viking. It was amazing. The tour was two hours in length and included three stops with wonderful opportunities for photo taking. First, we enjoyed a sparkling wine toast at the restaurant Felix which is located in the historic section of town. Next, we enjoyed a thirty-minute walking tour of the castle neighborhood. This included the Sandor Palace where the President of Hungary lives.We then ended the evening with a stop at the embankment near the Parliament building area for some great photo taking.

  • The Viking Ship Experience

    It’s only my first day on board the Viking Ship Baldur but so far the ship experience surpasses my expectations.

  • Day 1 Viking Cruise Dinner – Wow!

    I was advised by others to order from the international menu and I am so happy that I followed this advice tonight!

    Tonight’s Dinner Menu
    Veal Salad
    Beat Goulash
    Hungarian Dessert with Walnuts

    Our dinner was really delicious and interesting. John and I both ordered the identical items tonight and agreed that the goulash was the best version we ever tried. We sat at a table for 6 with two couples from Chicago.

  • Day 1 of Our Big Trip

    My husband and I planned and booked our first Viking River cruise last year. We opted for Viking’s Grand European Tour which starts in Budapest and ends in Amsterdam. It’s a 15-day cruise and we added 2 additional days in Amsterdam.

    Today, we started out at 2:45 AM to make sure we were at the San Diego airport in plenty of time. I am so very grateful and lucky to have such an incredible friend. My childhood bff actually volunteered to pick us up and to drive us to the airport!

    We were concerned about potential problems because of the federal government’s shutdown but it has been smooth sailing so far. Both our San Diego and Chicago flights left on time. The airport in Munich is downright pleasant and attractive. The German efficiency we have experienced so far is terrific.

    We briefly checked out one of the duty-free shops in Munich and discovered that the airport store sells Lindt Dubai-style chocolate bars for more than what I pay for them in my local grocery stores in San Diego.

    I will be posting daily updates during our 15-day cruise and 2 additional days in Amsterdam.

    The map of our river cruise we start today
    Chicago was uneventful but definitely needs an overhaul – dated & crowded
    We flew Lufthansa from Chicago to Munich and then from Munich to Budapest
    The soft pretzels in Munich
    John’s first beer in Germany
    The most amazing sparkling apple juice

  • Frogtown: From Factory Town to Artist Colony

    Housing Overlooking the L.A. River

    Over the years, I have heard so much about Frogtown and the Los Angeles River. Recently, my husband and I opted to sign up for one of the Los Angeles Conservancy’s tours of the area – also known as the Elysian Valley. The tour of the area was done in partnership with Friends of the Los Angeles River. Our tour met at the Lewis MacAdams Park, named after the founder of the Friends of the Los Angeles River. MacAdams, who passed away in 2020, was a huge advocate for restoring the river to a more natural state. The park and surrounding area has been designated a protected butterfly habitat with lots of milkweed planted to encourage butterfly activity. Consequently, beautiful butterflies are everywhere within the park and nearby homes.

    After a massive flood in 1938, the Army Corps of Engineers created a 51-mile waterway encased in concrete to prevent future devastating floods. The area we visited is one of the few areas with a dirt basin. A nice walkway with a bike lane, adjacent to the park, has been built. We were warned in advance about speeding cyclists and the warnings were valid. We stayed on the far left side closest to the river and managed to avoid a collision with a few Lance Armstrong wannabes. Future plans include new parks, recreational areas and restored habitat areas for wildlife. Unfortunately, the plans are moving at a snail’s pace due to conflicting goals and concerns from the multiple government agencies involved.

    The surrounding area started as a working-class neighborhood of affordable housing near industrial facilities, including the Kruegermann Pickle and Sauerkraut factory and the massive Hostess Bakery facility. The pickle factory site is now a dance studio and the bread factory is now an amazing film industry prop house. As part of our tour, we spent some time exploring the prop house. The place has furniture, lighting and dishes from every decade. Based on the hold tickets I saw, every major studio is renting items from this place.

    In addition, a nearby automotive repair shop called Salazar’s is now Salazar’s Mexican BBQ restaurant. Our tour guide mentioned this restaurant and we met a friend there for lunch. The food and atmosphere were amazing. Salazar’s serves a delicious salsa made with tomatoes that they roast on the grill. The tres leche cake was phenomenal, too. Our waiter was an actor originally from Argentina. Apparently, he grew up primarily eating Italian food in Argentina and was relatively new to Mexican cuisine. He and the rest of the crew were incredibly welcoming.

    The neighborhood dates back to the late 1800 and the streets are extremely narrow. Parking is limited with street parking at a premium. With all the cars parked on both sides of the streets, the remaining street space is too narrow for cars to pass going in opposite directions. We found ourselves frequently waiting for a car going in the opposite direction to pass before we could continue driving.

    Additional fun business have opened up in the area including Bauer Pottery. I have been buying dishes made by Bauer online and was really excited to have the opportunity to see the company’s showroom.

    LA River and Bridge
    LA River
    LA River
    LA River
    Gallery Adjacent to the LA River
    LA River
    LA River
    LA River Walkway
    Interior of Bauer Pottery Showroom
    Salazar’s – Former Automotive Repair Shop and Now Mexican BBQ Restaurant
    LA River Walkway
    Former Wonder Bread Bakery – Now a Movie Prop Business
    Interior of Gil & Roy Props
    Boarding House Built in 1917
    Historic Home Near the River Park
    Local Graffiti at the Freeway Underpass

  • From Automotive Repairs to Killer Tacos

    Today, while checking out Frogtown in Los Angeles, we stopped for lunch at Salazar. What a gem this place is.

    Originally, this site was home to an automotive repair shop called Salazar. The restaurant opened in 2016. It’s an outdoor Mexican BBQ restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere . Even the salsa is made from scratch – starting with grilled tomatoes. The tacos were outstanding. The al pastor ones come with small pieces of grilled pineapple and a slight taste of heat.

    Dessert options are limited but fantastic. The tres leche cake was probably the best version I have ever eaten. It even came with tiny bits of fresh peach. Our friend ordered the flan with blueberries; it looked exquisite.

    It was a hot summer afternoon and we had a long drive home. Hence, we skipped ordering cocktails. However, the drink menu was impressive. The place does a great business and the staff is friendly and efficient. Our waiter was an actor from Argentina who shared great stories and made us feel so welcomed. Mexican food is plentiful in California but Salazar’s is special; both the food and atmosphere really stand out.

    My only complaint is the parking. Frogtown is an older community with narrow streets and limited parking. We found street parking about half a block away on a busy street near the 5 on-ramp. Exiting was definitely an entertaining experience.

    Salazar – An Amazing Restaurant in Frogtown.
    Homemade Salsa with Roasted Tomatoes
    Al Pastor & Carne Asada
    Machas & Al Pastor
    Huevos Rancheros
    The Famous Tres Leche Cake
    Flan With Blueberries
    The Bar Area

  • Step Back in Movie History at the Hollywood Heritage Museum

    My husband and I are big history buffs as well as lovers of old films. We recently combined both of our passions and checked out the latest exhibit at the Hollywood Heritage Museum. The current exhibit is The Rise of Hollywood’s Leading Ladies. It features great costumes from many of the early female stars including May West, Lucille Ball, Betty Hutton, Dorothy Lamour and Claudette Colbert. Also, the show includes artifacts such as one of Greta Garbo’s designer handbags and Carol Lombard’s black veil – one of the few items that survived the TWA plane crash that killed her in 1942.

    The museum is located in the famous Lasky DeMille barn – the former site of the oldest Hollywood movie studio. The building started out as a horse barn on a citrus farm. Early movie-making pioneers moved to Los Angeles to escape oppressive patent controls by Thomas Edison. Plus, the original movie cameras required a lot of bright natural light. California offered better natural lighting and terrific scenery for outdoor filming locations. In 1913, movie director Cecil B DeMille rented out the barn to film The Squaw Man. The Squaw Man was released in 1914 and is one of the very first full-length movies made in Hollywood.

    The barn was subsequently moved several times , including to the Paramount lot in 1926. In 1983, the barn was moved to its current location on Highland Boulevard – across the street from the famous Hollywood Bowl. It is a miracle it was not destroyed. Fortunately, the building was declared a historic California State Park landmark in 1956.

    I highly recommend a visit to this museum. The docents are incredibly knowledgeable and eager to share the building’s history and other fun facts. However, if you’re feeling more independent, they are equally willing to give you your space. Also, I love the fact that the staff allows visitors to take unlimited photos throughout the museum.

    The Exterior of the Hollywood Heritage Museum

  • Homemade Mac ‘N’ Cheese Versus the Boxed Stuff

    My mother and I have a running joke/argument regarding macaroni and cheese.

    She loves Kraft mac & cheese; she admits that her love for it goes back to her childhood. I should add that she was born in the 1930s. Kraft mac & cheese came out in 1937. At 19 cents a box, it was a great success. Between the depression and WW II food rationing, Americans were looking for cheap ways to feed their families.

    I prefer homemade macaroni and cheese. Over the years, I have perfected my recipe. My key tip is to undercook the macaroni. Otherwise, after you combine the cooked macaroni with all the other ingredients and bake the dish – you can end up with overcooked mush. Also, I like to use a good quality macaroni. For my latest effort, I paid an extra dollar for Italian macaroni. The result was a delicious dish with great texture.

    As far as the cheese mixture, I normally use a combination of a really sharp cheddar, parmesan and either smoked Gouda or smoked mozzarella. Other key ingredients include: Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, sweet hot mustard, nutmeg, dry Sherry, butter, heavy cream and milk.

    When I make the roux, I immediately add the Dijon mustard to the butter and flour – before I add the milk and cream. I then add in the cheese, spices and so on. I like texture in my macaroni and cheese. After combining the macaroni and cheese sauce, I fold in additional grated cheddar and cover the top with extra grated parmesan.

    My mother considers herself a Kraft purist; she likes her Mac ‘n’ cheese exactly as the box directions state. My husband and I just seem incapable of following the directions. We usually add additional cheese and replace the milk with either cream or half & half. My mother will protest if we make too many additions.

    I did notice that the other night, Mom ate her entire serving of my homemade macaroni and cheese. She grudgingly even admitted that the pasta texture was perfect. My husband and I just laughed as soon as she left the table.

    Dinner with My Homemade Macaroni and Cheese.