Big Update!

This will be a sort of condensed update, as it is a lot of things and a long time since I've posted.  I took the train from Kiev to Budapest.  The ride is more than 24 hours.  Fortunately there was a singular power outlet on the train, out in the hall, but no one else seemed to be interested in using it, so I had plenty of time to charge my computer to watch movies and such, so the time passed quickly.  One interesting thing about this ride is that they change the wheels of the train at the border, because the old Soviet countries used a different width track so they couldn't be invaded by train.  This is a process that takes quite some time (perhaps 6 hours) and involves them lifting the train with you still in it, and then dropping (literally) the car on the new set of wheels, which is a bit jarring at 3am.  Passport control is pretty evil too, because the only thing they do is come in at 2:30am and say one word "Passport" and hold out their hand.  You hand over your passport, and hope that you get it back after a few hours.  At least Ukraine isn't Russia.  They are a bit more understanding about people not really understanding what is going on.

 

This is Budapest. It is an old regal city.  It also is quite run down in many places.  Pictured here is the Parliament building, which is not run down, but well restored.  Not everything is so carefully managed.

Hungarian food is good.  It is "spicy" for Europe, which means that you can taste that the spice.  It still isn't spicy, no matter what they say.

Went to the dance there, it was nice.  More boogie-woogie dancers than Lindy Hop, but a few decent Lindy Hoppers. 

After the dance, I went up to the castle and stopped to hear some Balkan music on the way.  Balkan music is really cool, and one band featured these sax players that had amazing tonguing skills. 

After Budapest I went to Ljubljana in Slovenia.  This was a 9 hour train ride, with 3 transfers and not a lot of instruction from the conductors, which made it a bit chaotic as everyone was trying to figure out what to do every time the train stopped.  Fortunately, the Slovenians speak English, including the train conductors, so it really just meant stopping one and asking what the heck was going on.

I arrived at 9:45 at night and went straight to the dance they hold there Tuesday nights.  It was an outdoor dance, and the weather was perfect.  I arrived, changed out of my traveling clothes, and got to dancing, until about 2am.  It was great.  Lots of great Lindy Hoppers there in Ljubljana.

I stayed in a little apartment there provided by Suzana, a dancer, and it was fantastic.  Just perfect for me traveling in and staying a week or so.  Little kitchen, nice clean bathroom, and great markets nearby.  I ended up buying a lot of peaches from a guy from Kosovo, who didn't speak any English at all, but we got by with sign language and the fact that apparently people from Kosovo love Americans.

The dancers of Ljubljana like to visit a small bar called the Green Rabbit where they have absinthe parties.  Absinthe was a new experience for me, but it really just made my tongue numb more than anything else.  No little green fairies floating around for me.  Still, it was nice to sit and hang out with the people there.

Of course, I did the mandatory sightseeing, but Ljubljana is so small that I jokingly referred to it as the "Slovenian Capital Village."  You can walk through the whole think in about half an hour.  That being said, it is a gorgeous town, reminding me a lot of a small version of Stockholm.  Pictured here is the famous Dragon bridge, which I have to admit is one of the coolest bridges I've seen on my adventures.

I was also lucky here, as the weekend that I was here was also the weekend of a street festival featuring music and dance and a bunch of other things (including a nude model in the middle of the street, no pictures though, this is a family blog).  I saw a jazz band of old timers that was quite good, a well as a modern style big band that I think was either the police band or military band, but I am not totally sure which one.  They were very good, but in that modern style that I'm not a huge fan of.  There was also a swing-salsa battle during the event, and I have to say that the swing people kicked the salsa people's little wiggling behinds.

Soon I was off to Prague.  This was an overnight train through Austria, and this train was really, really, really nice, like a 4 star hotel.  It cost about the same too.  Private berth, washbasin in the room, power outlets, everything one could want on a train.  I got to Prague, checked into my hotel, and went for a walk.  Prague is a very nice, very touristy city.  I only had one day there, so I tried to get as much in as possible.  Of course, the most famous thing about the Czech Republic is the beer, so I tried that.

The buildings are also quite impressive, from the Charles Bridge, to the Astronomical clock, to the Gothic Palace, and many more.

One thing I really liked about Prague is the music.  There is music everywhere.  Street music, classical concerts in churches, jazz bands on the bridge, everywhere.  I will definitely go back someday to explore this facet of the city in more depth.  Hopefully with one of my instruments in tow, but now that I've started to play harmonica, carrying an instrument around is a lot more simple.


After Prague I went back to Stockholm to get my stuff, then went to London.  I don't have any pictures from there, but I did do a lot of dancing and catching up with old friends.  I taught a few classes for Simon Selmon's groups and they seemed to be well received, and caught some live acts including the swing night at the famous 100 Club, and what seemed to be "musical theater night" at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club.  The last I went to with a great dancer from Australia named Candy and the people their thought we had been dancing together for years, when actually we had just met about 3 hours earlier.

London done, I got on the plane to go back to the states for the first time in some 4 years.  Now I'm back...more to come on that soon.