Anyone within spitting distance of Blaha Louisa square in Budapest can’t fail to notice the imposing Eclectic building of the old New York Hotel, currently the Boscolo Budapest. It was commissioned by the New York Insurance company in the end of the 19th century. It then became the headquarters of a newspaper, a warehouse under […]
My Fascination with Hungarian
I’ve been fascinated with Hungarian for the best part of a decade. I started with some night classes in Vienna during 2002 and continued with the purchase of the US Department of State self-teaching method that runs into fifty-two 90-minute cassettes (we are talking 2004) and is recommended for US embassy staff and spies, I […]
A guide to Polish vodka
In my recent trip to Poland I had the pleasure of being introduced to Polish vodka tasting by Pawel Dziubek of Dom Wina wines and spirits in the old Polish manor house (now a hotel) of Dwór Sieraków. This blog post is based on his excellent presentation. In Poland, vodka (from voda, water) has been […]