Magdolna utca

The above image has been chosen for the cover of a sociology text book based on interviews with the people who live in this street in the heart of Budapest's VIIIth District.
It is our second Hungarian cover to date ... the first being the August edition of 'Amaro Drom.'
Below are more residents of Magdolna utca.

Technology Gets in theWay

We like blogging. It's a big buzz when a new follower signs up especially when you are a long way from home. But the whole process is not interactive enough when compared to the amount of effort involved.
We would like 'Once We Were Birds' to be a lot more busy with more followers signing up and lots more comments ... please.
When we speak to people about this they invariably say that the technology gets in the way! But surely if we can do it anyone can! Maybe it's because you have to set up a Google account before you can sign on or post comments - but that doesn't cost anything - all you do is put in an email address and password then you are away.
One person said they struggled with this for an hour only to fail. It is a pain when things don't work and a total disincentive but please don't give up - try again - next time it will work.
There is a great deal more to come from us including the exhibition preparations - the show opens at Oriel Myrddin, Carmarthen, WALES on 9th January 2010 and you are all welcome. It will then tour to Hungary and to the USA so stay with us for the journey.





If it still gets in the way ... chuck a grenade at it!

Quick Catch Up

Bavarian woodpiles - preparing for winter


Richard and his wife - Bavarian farmers collecting early apples

Richard's hives - the honey from the Bavarian woods was unbelievably delicious.


This lady was wizzing along ... one handed!





Branka and Marius - friends we met on the Muhlfeld campsite


Branka in her lovely Transit conversion


This gets our vote for the tackiest souvenier - a snip @ Euros 20!


My Euro 5.50 'Pinocalada' ice cream cup!





Apologies for the 9 week absence.

We returned to Wales at the beginning of September. We really didn't want to be back. We wanted to keep on travelling and found it difficult to acclimatise to life at home having so enjoyed being immersed in our work and all the intensity it generated.
This feeling of displacement and loss is still with us but we just have to work through it.
We left Hungary headed for Bavaria and a short holiday - going from one of the poorest places in Europe to one of the richest overnight was not an easy transition.

It was incredibly difficult to find a campsite on a lake it being high season and everywhere lakeside choc-a-bloc, like sardines in a can. Eventually, thanks to Suse and the internet, we found a spot in Hersching on the Ammersee that was just perfect. Only the local wind surfing school and a few discerning travellers seemed to ever hit on it - maybe because it had no hot showers! Luckily the weather was fab so we were able to keep clean and swim every single day. Ahhhhh!
Above are a few of our holiday snaps .... From now on we will try to blog weekly so please stay with us.