Got home at last

14 hours in the air. Bushed. But Michael Jones house-sat for us and picked us up at DFW. Glad to see our own bed. G'night and hope you enjoyed coming along with us in this blog.

Last few snaps from Crescendo

Ellen with her student Madara Tupina

Beloved friends, Bethany Brooks and David Danel

Sharon Enghy and Andy Vance

We're everywhere...

For my professional musician friends...

I forget what they were playing.

The Salt Mine

On Friday, we went to the Salt Mine outside Kraków. It was a long tour (though not so long as Auschwitz-Birkenau). The descent into the mine was via stairs, ultimately 821 of them, to the level 150 meters below the surface. I took a number of pictures, but the light level was so low for most of them that my little camera just would not produce a good image. But the largest chamber was well lit, and it revealed some remarkable images. This large chamber was in essence a church, filled with amazing carvings in the salt walls. You will recognize some of them.

The Nativity

The Flight to Egypt

Young Jesus teaching in the Temple

The Last Supper

The Crucifixion

The Resurrection

The Doubting Thomas episode

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Thursday we went to Auschwitz, where I gathered more evidence in support of the doctrine of the total depravity of man. I took many pictures, and I will keep them. But I will only post one: at Birkenau, there was a group of uniformed IDF (Israeli Defense Force) men in a tour, and they posed for this photo.

It is hard to resists schadenfreude here.

More sights in the old city of Kraków

At a gate in the old city walls

The Barbican

More Polish food!

At the Basilica of St. Francis in Kraków

An amazing stained glass window in this mid-13th-century church

Seeing the sights in Kraków

At breakfast in the hotel

Our first sight as tourists in the old city of Kraków 

The market

More of the market square

 

... with 10,000 of our closest friends

The Basilica of St. Mary where we walked in on a special mass celebrating the feast of the Assumption (uncharacteristically, the celebrant sang better than the cantor!)

A great Polish dinner

... at Czerwone Korale, a Polish restaurant. Delicious!

Arrived in Kraków on Monday

... after a long, slooooooow drive through some pretty country, as here in Slovakia:

Call in the C-130s!

We must immediately airlift massive vowel aid for these people!

Back to Budapest

Ellen with our dear friend Szidonia Majoros, who has been a translator at Crescendo. Ice cream!

The report on the ice cream was highly favorable.

Then dinner at the Callas restaurant, next to the Opera, with Szidi, Adam Szokolay, another friend from Crescendo who has been studying piano at Bard College, and Irene Postma, also a friend from Crescendo.

Wedding photos!

Anna with fiancé Andre

With Dad, Ken, presiding.

Wedding reception...

... where we see old friends, Florian and Marta with their children.

We arrive in Cluj...

... for Anna Tucker's wedding on Sunday. Here she is with Ellen and Anna's friend Jane.

Ellen with Juhn Tucker, who came home for his sister's wedding.

Bride's mom, Laura, with son John.

From the right, Laura Tucker, John, Karis Tucker Machado, husband Andre Machado, and Ken Tucker, who brought us to Romania for the first time in 1999.

On to Romania

Longish delay at border

Stacking hay in a narrow valley in the Carpathians

Gypsy mansion

Flutes, flutes, and more flutes

... at Tune-in:

Then brass!