Having fun!

*My boy friend's niece during children's day in kinddy. Photo taken by her mother*

Face painting, though not a new art, only became popular in our town a few years ago. Nowadays, face painting booth is a must-have in major event in the town. Have you tried it yet?

Graffiti Sunday

what better ways to celebrate the 100th city DP Blog then painting a graffiti to mark the occasion! To do so, I can only paint at a wall specified by the town council for graffities...how do you like it ?
okay, the writing was added by me using photofilter. You can see the recently repainted wall here in full size.

*read about DP blog at wikipedia (link from Greenville DP)

Peeping

We often pass by the St. Anna Roman Catholic Church, this time I thought we'd ask permission to photograph the inside. But no one was to be seen. However, the organ was playing, listening to the tunes, even though from the outside really give a sense of peace...
Enjoy your weekend everyone !

some facts
The church was est 1842
The organ was made in 1889

Let's get it started

Fancy being serenaded?

In this case, by your own students! If you're a teacher, that is :) In tradition, students treat their teachers to some lovely music/singing outside their homes on the last day of school year. It also marks the begining of the summer holidays *applause*

*Lucky me! I stumbled upon them yesterday. saves me from pulling my hair thinking of a topic :D

Horizontal tricolour of red, white and green

*strength (red), faithfulness (white), hope (green)* facade of town council office*

Boys and girls, do you remember learning the origin of your country's flag at school? For me, it was an interesting experience getting to know the history behind each colour and symbol. After one year+ living in Hungary, it's about time that I study the story behind the flag of Hungary. Thank goodness for google and wikipedia!

*see world's newest flag here

Pimp "my" ride

Excuse the mindless post, I just have to share with you guys yesterday's random find, a vintage Citroën (Model club xxx?). Oh it's in good condition, no pimping needed, and I wish it's my ride!

For those who are in the dark about what's "Pimp my ride", click here

"Reading" materials, anyone?

*old but clean and tidy :)*

Local stores are always coming up with promotions/best buys/discount to attract customers. In result, you see basket such as this one at the front of many service flats/apartments, to handle the daily flood of newsletters, pamplets and such.

Wellness

looks like something out of horror flicks...

Our hospital is not the usual high rise/box-type building (except this one on the right), instead different wards are housed in several period buildings (see here). One interesting practice I learnt is some patients tip the hospital's staff, is it common in your country?

Fever

God created a ball, gave it to MAN and said:
"Go forth and score"

Believe it! I found this only sign in front of lingerie shop which promotes world cup ..nice, eh?

ahhh...uummmm

whilst waiting for the canoeing competition to begin, I discovered this area of lotus flowers (or is it water lilies?) anyway, woohoo!! never knew our climate suits the species.
Meanwhile, I shall get into lotus position, relax and get inspired for my next week's edition of daily photo (getting harder by day :s)........ahh..uummm..

see the lovely photo of lotus at Lisi's HongKongDailyPhoto

Row, row, row your boat (canoe)

The atmosphere wasn't too serious during yesterday's inter-school canoeing competition. Lots of laughter, cheering and of course a little bit of friendly teasing. Ah... how nice to be a teenager again!!

Fun fact : the canoes were name after the (snow white &) 7 dawfts ?!

ps. Wanna listen to Korean fusion classical music? Go to DaejeonDailyPhoto now!

Fellow enthusiasts

On Tuesday, I had the chance to view some of the photography works by fellow Szentesi* held at the cultural centre (cafeteria room). I have to say, am thoroughly impressed with the high quality of photos shown at the exhibition, organised by Szentes Photo Club**.

To view their on-line gallery, click here

FYI :-
*Szentesi = people of Szentes

**Szentes Photo Club was founded by 5 amateur photographers in 1974.
Upon formation, they started to meet every Monday because there were no interesting tv programmes on Mondays :D . Til today, they continue to share new techniques and experiences. They accept 1-2 new members every year.

60s Concrete

*beauty or ugly? is in the eyes of the beholder*

Majority of modern buildings here are from the 1960s. Can't say I like them design... but it was an era of renewal of life for the people and the town after a long halt since WWI&II*. It was then that the businesses start to flourish, all of which ensured the continuous development of our town.

correction : only WWI

Greek corner

We have a little Greek corner at the central part of the town. How it got the name and the history is a mystery to me (nothing much online). In fact there's nothing around that's related to Greece except for this Greek Orthodox Church (est.1786) I've so many questions!
The small space is popular among teenagers and skate boarders during the evening. I promise more "action" shots of skate boarders the next time, til then enjoy the few minutes of sun shining on the church yesterday ;)

Whit Monday

*since I haven't been inside a church in our town, I'm cheating with a shot I took inside St.Stephen Basilica, Budapest*

Today is Whit Monday* which again is something new to me. I understand the day is a holiday in much of Europe. For me, it's just a holiday without any tradition to adhere to except that I was told not to do washing on Sunday and Monday (???). Do you celebrate the day? What's your tradition on this occasion?

*In case you have no idea, Whit Monday is the following Monday after the Pentecost (seven weeks after Easter Sunday) .

Rainny day and Sunday

*Jun 04,06 10:39am*

Initially, I set-off to take photos for graffiti Sundays..as you can see I got side tracked with this moody image of the rainny morning (the graffiti wall is just across the river). Spring/Summer are great seasons for activities; however, for photography, I prefer autumn/winter. That said, am quite happy with this find :)

Wish you a rain-free day!

Stick no bills

*more details, see larger*

See that bowling-pin-like cone? that's the advertising space for current events, mostly for entertainment outlets. I don't know about you, I find it a very ugly and messy! Weeks after weeks, the posters get bulkier! Some posters are not too family-friendly either or am I too conservative? Well, I do think they are effective advertising, they got my attention, at least ..

ps. Cooking and laundry weekend for me, check on you later :) Enjoy your weekend!

Simple pleasure 3

*exhibition of Hungarian cartoonist cum sculptor (forgot his name)*

Life is made much more colourful with the many exhibitions held at the library. When bored, I can always count on the library to enjoy some simple pleasure..

See close-up of "one" of the exhibits. Can you guess who he is ? Easy, huh?! ;)

DP Theme : Parking.......FREE!

Can you believe it?! Apparently, our town is so small that parking charges are not applicable! I didnt know about it until yesterday (we do not drive within the town) ..hahahha..lucky us!
Here's a photo of Hamburger Bar (name of bar) where I had my cappucinno after my search for parking metres. This is where the teenagers like to have their lunch 'cos they serve huge hamburgers .

FYI, I did find some general info. on parking in Hungary, read here ..you can even pay parking fees via sms !

Autumn?

*file photo, at the main street after rain*
Bring out your umbrellas and "wind breakers", let's skip spring/summer and welcome autumn again ?! Yesterday was rainny and windy for us and this is said to last until July! Hope the weatherman is wrong..

Reality Bites

Didn't mean to intrude this man's privacy, I saw him couple of times infront of our garage. We usually exchange glances for few seconds, then he's back into his "deep thought". He has a pile of clothes on his bicycle. You think he is homeless? Since I can't offer much help (can I?), the only consolation thought is at least winter is gone, and he need not stay out in the cold ...

Extract from news report "...some chose to be homeless due to "private reasons"
....homeless in Budapest are not only the "richest" but they also have the most university degrees (3%) ..."

Good old-fashioned fun

crappy shot, was trying to create the mood as in HBO's Carnivale

Firstly, my deepest sympathy to the victims and families of Indonesia earthquake...Sorry that I can't do more. I wish them be strong in facing the challenges put before them..God bless..

++++++++++

As I mentioned, we were at the circus on Sunday. It's set-up at the sports field where usually such an event is held. Well, definitely a "better than expected" performance by the Hungarian National Circus. In fact, I look forward to their new line.up next year :)

If you have the time, see some nicer shots of the event:-
Kids' Favourite and mine,too
Eye of White Tiger
Knight In Shining Armour
Camel with lights

Weekend activities

The circus is in town again for the weekend. Since I couldn't snap a good side of the circus ground, I've put this photo up instead.The tents are set up on the left side from this p.o.v. . We planned to catch the matinee show today, hopefully it's a good choice :) .... Jó napot! (yo na pot = Good day!)

Wild life, town life, my life

Spring, the season for flowers as well as breeding time for mosquitoes. This is especially evident at the town's river side. Then we have the frogs to eat-up the mosquitoes. What's next in the cycle? Human (me) taking photograph of frogs .... lol! Please accept my no(n)sense post for weekend! Enjoy yourself!

Just signs

vivi la vita ..you live the life!

At the moment, this has got to be my favourite signage in the town. When I first saw it, I smiled 'cos of the vibrant character of the brand :) Too bad I haven't had a chance to try their coffee yet. Anyhow, I did googled to find out more "This is the most prestigious coffee in the world" so I read and apparently, there's a bidding going on on ebay for the beans !!! Have you tried it?

update : today seems to be 'signage day' for dailyphoto circle :)

Pigeon #1020280

Obviously, the number was made up! (It's the number of the photo). Take a closer look at the bird's leg, what's that tag on him/her? I'm curious...anyone has any idea?

+++++++++++++++++

Just as Nicola has commented, some of you might be un-sure of whether your comment has been processed. To make life easier for all of us, as long as you've clicked the "post" button (a message "please wait" will appear) just assume that the comment is saved. Sorry guys for the inconvenience :)

Staring game

I was surprise to see this little girl walking alone at the back lane of a block of flats..it's not exactly those dark lanes ..but still! One of the plus points of living in a small town is we feel a sense of safety. After all there're no serious crimes commited to make us cautious. I think people are more afraid of "paparazzi" like me :D

** Read Baltimore's post on paparazzi ;)

++++

do you still see funny codes in the comment box?

Get entertained

When entering the József Tóth theatre, I told myself to try to look for a comtemporary side of this 107 year-old theatre. Did I managed to get that angle? From the outside, this 500-seats theatre look quite run-down. Good thing is the interior is well maintained. I would say the current fixtures were renewed in the early 80's. Well, its still a good place to get entertained :)

+++++++

Your feed back appreciated :-)
Did it take long for you to download this page?

Lost and found

Was out at the river side in search of wild life as subjects for photography. Interestingly, I found this heart-shaped clay/porcelain thingy stuck in some slimy green weed..wonder if it's lost from the houses during the heavy flood or it's dumped there as it no longer hold any sentimental value to the onwer? hmmm.....whatever it is, somebody please "rescue" it ! before the river gets overly polluted.......

Keeping cool

*statue infront of HMG High School, see the whole here*

Another no brainer post for Sundays...

The weather could reach 24°c today, let's have some ice-cream and sun bath !

Birds and Bees and... Flies 1

You probably are tired of the many spring shots, but can't help to share this with you :) The town's square is lovely during this time of the year, filled with flowers,birds,bees ..a great place to sun bath.....the face! I just have one question : isn't this a bee's job????

Enjoy your weekend !! Be back later to check your posts :)

-over and out-

People 6 : at work

Paris DP's reflection reminded me of this shot. The man on the left is a seasoned photographer who is now working at the the town's 100 year-old photo studio/gallery . He had to stop photography due to his weakening eye-sight; which causes him some trouble focusing a camera. While we were there, he explained every piece with passion, telling us stories behind each photo. While we had a good time, I do hope he enjoys his work:)

Later, we found out that his name is Dömötör Mihály, the photographer of the complimentary post-card we got from the visit .

Cow mania

You've seen Lisbon, Paris, Buenos Aires, Manila and Edinburgh showed us their CowParades . Well, here is my pre-cow parade photo ;)

Whenever I see cows/sheeps, I get very excited! (it's not common from where I lived and now live). Found this cow opposite Tesco during his feeding time. What happened was the onwner thought I'm a tourist (since I "no speak" Hungarian), he quickly fetch 3 more cows for me to photograph. He and his wife waited til I'm done before sending them back again to the barn...village folks are so kind :) . Tell me, do you get excited when you see cow(s)? :D

Euro Velo

*an old shot from archive

Pretty soon, we hope to see/welcome tourists cycling through the town's route of Euro Velo, a project that provides a safe bicycle path crossing the whole continent of Europe (60,000km of which 20,000km is ready / Hungarian section approx.400 km). Remember : don't leave your bike at home the next time you travel to Europe ;)
Read more about Euro Velo here :)

Quit littering!

A good find for a macro shot?! yup , I agree :)

..not so, when they are actually dozens surrounding this one piece! On the overall we are a clean town, but frankly, I think the cleaners are "fed up" with the many ciggy butts being thrown on the streets and beautiful grass -_- . I have no problem with people smoking, just when you are done, please dispose it properly ;)

Local produce

*yummy! ..firm and chewy*

Yesterday, we get to sample the first harvest of baby potatoes. They're available for 2 weeks only per year; therefore, its a popular item at the Sunday market. Baby potatoes is nothing unusual, what's new to me is that some of them are about 1cm in dia. only, so, it's a chore to try to peel the skin as my family here like them peeled . Do you have similar small ones?

Lowland

*sunflowers/corns field will occupy some parts here soon, stay tune :)

Did you know that our town is only 84m (approx.) above sea level?

Well, we are located at southern lowland region of the Great Plain with plentiful of sunshine as well as extreme cold weather comparing to other parts of the country. If you wish to know more about the Great Plain, read here and here .

Connecting

Am lucky to be here typing this. Have no idea the railroads are still quite busy..lol! Travelling by rail to other parts of the country is still in demand among people here. Beside catering for popular destinations to city centres ,like Budapest, Szeged, Pecs ,etc ; the station also connects to smaller towns of the Great Plain area.

Happy weekend everyone!!

Places of interest : Nature Reserve

*A nature reserve since 1953*

We are now at Széchenyi Grove, the widest park in Szentes. The grove is known for its many recreational facilities*, however, I consider the main feature would be the office of home affairs. The agency provides legal advises for minors, recruiting for summer jobs, basically looking into the welfare of families in need. You can see the small office here .

*thermal pools, saunas, jacuzzi, camping area,etc..which we'll visit in the future.

Uniform , not

*after school (nursery) ..little fashionista ...*

Schools in Hungary don't have uniforms. Except on final exam. days, students are required to wear the formal tie/suit and jacket/skirt for males and females respectively. Personally, I prefer the practice of wearing uniform in schools, so that those who are under privilege don't feel the pressure to "compete" in terms of appearance.

More Restoration

These birds are dancing in joy 'cos ..
a project funded by the town council together with the EU will help to restore two buildings which works have already began. One of the buildings will be a home for approx. 50 disabled people as well as for the elders :)

Panorama

*click on the photo to view larger version*

Thought I'd show you in perspective some of the places that I've blogged about except for the Chinese/Asian retail shops. This is the main road, so you can imagine the size of our town. Oh ! Happy Europe Day !

Home coming

I'm sooo late in posting! Today, my plan was to spectate the canoe race by the river, scheduled at 2pm, so that I could post the highlights for all of you and to our canoeing enthusiast, Nicholas of Honolulu DP. Apparently the date stated in the town's programme sheet & webpage was incorrect! The race is in next month !!! Anyhow, I did spotted the stork(s)' home. Every year the stork(s) will come home to this one and only dwelling place in the town during spring/summer :)

Up, up and away !

title from ManilaDP ;D *upside down*

Guess how high was this flying?.......... don't be fooled! It was only 3 metres (10ft) high!!! Lol! It's about 10 years since I last flew a kite. Yesterday, we finally got to play again due to the windy weather. Okay, we'll go out again to the sports field to give it a try in a while. Wish you Happy Sunday !

Most importantly...

Never mind that the paint is coming off, never mind that clear arylics are missing from the door, never mind the rubber is pulled out, most importantly ... the phone is WORKING! *eye sore* That must be the motto of the phone company ! With nearly every person carrying a mobile phone, I wonder what will be the future for phone booths?

People 5 : Sunday morning surprise find!

With the advise from Bob ("be part of the landscape" he said) , I'm much more comfortable when taking snap shots of strangers. However, this is a permitted shot by the couple. Not the best shot and not the pose I would have wanted, but many eyes were staring at me , in the end I managed to take only ONE shot! -_-
It's uncommon to hold weddings on Sundays. Weddings are usually on Saturdays - civil registration, church reception, dinner reception, party til early morning- yup, in that order. That is why, I was surprise (also happy that I had my cam. with me) to see this couple outside the church 2 Sundays ago. Best wishes to them !

Graduation

-one of the display at bank's window-

Many shops' windows (even banks') are displaying boards of photos of graduating secondary (High) school students and their teachers. Each class will have their own design. Not all have put up their creations yet, so I've not decided which I like best. When I first knew about this tradition, I thought its a competition of some sort which is not . Hmmm..back in my school days, we have a year book instead.. What about your town /city /country ?

Simple pleasure 2

I read in Kansas DP that Kansas ranked second in the world for number of fountains after Rome, Italy. Well, we are definitely not in any ranking cause we have only 2-3 (what I've seen) fountains around the town. I think that's why people appreciate them a lot more. Ever since they were switched on last weekend (for spring & summer only) the benches surrounding the fountains are always occupied ..yes, its relaxing just listening to the sound of water flow...

People 4 : Parade

These kids were at the pre-May Day parade as one of the favourite Hungarian dishes, Lecsó (Lecho) , a dish cook in a medley of green peppers, tomatoes, onions. They (kids) were inside a "pot" ( you see the black border?) and when the adults made the stirring motion, the "veggies" (kids) started to move in circle . I couldn't help but laugh looking at their cute performance :D

Sweet things come in sticks

Okay, we decided to give a miss to the concert at the sports field last night, instead here we are queuing up for cotton candy/floss, since the vendor is here only on special occasions. They're many flavours to choose from - original, vanilla, strawberry, orange, raspberry, cranberry and mint. Each candy costs about Euro 0.80 and four of us shared one candy ..just nice ;)

Today, more programmes for May Day, starting from 6am -wake up call by wind musical band! of course, I didn't hear a thing :D