Driving to Communist Hungary with Husband Pieter Part I - Mayerling

With only 17 days in-between the MGA Conference in Manchester, England, we again departed from Atlanta, USA for Europe on Wednesday, October 17 of 1984.
This time we both would be driving all the way from The Netherlands to Budapest in Hungary for attending yet another Mushroom Conference.
We started out in our Talbot rental car from Timmermans in Horst, The Netherlands and drove by turn.
First day we made it till Mayerling in Austria in 1,100 km or 683 mi.

After a very good night at Hotel Helenenstüberl, we of course had to visit in the morning the hunting lodge where Crown Prince Rudolf killed his mistress and then himself... See full Youtube movie in two parts below post.
The above post card's lower left corner shows the original 1889 Imperial Hunting Lodge.

That's me pointing to the house number 3 on the wall with Mayerling on it as well.

Feeling so happy for having been at the place from a historical movie I watched...
Though not happy because of the tragedy that took place here!

I'm standing somewhere to the right on this building, you can still see the carved statue above the door.
 It looks like some changes have taken place in over 34 years!
Click here to see this photo on my Pinterest.
What I have gathered is, that at present the Sisters Carmelites live in Mayerling click link.
It is only 5 minutes away from the Cistercian Abbey Stift Heiligenkreuz which dates from 1133 and is located in the Vienna Woods.
We need to go back for a longer time to enjoy all the above!

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We went on our way after visiting Mayerling, as we had to cover still quite a stretch and not all was Interstate at the time during Communism in Hungary!
No problems at the border and we continued via then Interstate E5 via Magyaróvár to Budapest.
Now Magyaróvár and Moson have been merged and it is called Mosonmagyaróvár.
We enjoyed seeing the impressively large agricultural areas but not so much the poor villages.
We stopped alongside the road to buy grapes, pears and in a village we changed money and bought quark, yogurt and pure fruit juice.
We arrived in time in Budapest around 14:30 at the Congress Centre having done now a total of 1,500 km or 932 mi.

Pieter's Campbell Soup colleagues from the USA had arrived by plane and Lung-Chi Wu is standing next to me and Pieter on the right (for the viewer), Colleague Frank Gabel made this photo.

Stay tuned...
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Thanks for your visit and comment!

Related links:
The Crown Prince aka Kronprinz Rudolf Part1 full Youtube movie
The Crown Prince aka Kronprinz Rudolf Part2 full Youtube movie

Husband Pieter's 1974 Visit to Esztergom, Hungary during Communism

During the Fall of 1974, Pieter and his best friend Harry Hollander did drive from The Netherlands, through Germany, Austria into Hungary, with wives and adopted daughter Liz.

For many years Pieter had scientist friends in the mushroom business in Hungary but for them it was nearly impossible to get out of the country for attending any meeting or lecture.
Any conversation, they had to do inside his friend Imre Koronczy's car; out of fear that inside a restaurant they could be 'listened to'... 

On a terras with the Esztergom Basilica in the back.

The largest Church within Hungary.

Hungary's Largest Church-Esztergom Basilica and Treasury (With Facts/Figures) click link for more info via video.
József Cardinal Mindszenty was the Prince Primate, Archbishop of Esztergom, cardinal, and leader of the Catholic Church in Hungary from 2 October 1945 to 18 December 1973.
More about him in a later post...
Esztergom was the Capitol in the 13th Century and the residence for the Royals.

Múzeum Cukrászda Espresso

This seems still to be in operation on address: Batthyány Lajos út 1., Esztergom 2500, Hungary

Right on the Danube River and that is also the border line with Slovakia.

Back in 1974 during communism, there was ONLY local produce on the market!
Such as here the Jonathan apples, pears, grapes.

Hungary is known for its Paprikas and also Tomatoes.
In the US they say bell peppers...

Imre Koronczy was Pieter's scientist friend whom he helped often for sending him an official invitation so he could attend important lectures outside of Hungary. His wife then was not allowed to travel with him; out of fear they would never return  back to Hungary...
Right at the bottom of this screenshot, google search for Imre Koronczy, Budapest, you can also read my husband's name P.J.C. Vedder with the title of his English book: Modern Mushroom Growing, first printed by Educabook in The Netherlands and next by Stanley Thornes, Cheltenham (England)...

Very meaningful relationship and by the way, Pieter's adopted daughter got to travel a lot with her Daddy!

Next is about a trip we made together, also by rental car driving from The Netherlands...
Stay tuned.
~~☼~~
Thanks for your visit and comment!

Related link:

Our Historic Christmas in Italy - END of Romania's Communist Dictator | previous post by me

My 2nd Trip with Husband Pieter to Budapest in FREE Hungary | On my 2nd trip we did visit this Estergom Basilica

Mom is Being Posthumously Honored for her Knitting

Mom's 5th Mother's Day in Heaven...

She no doubt is smiling proudly down from heaven because of the many views of her fabulous knitting!

Mom wrote in a letter from September 17, 1986 (my Maternal Grandma's B'day...) that she'd asked the lady from the yarn shop, for placement of her knitted bedspread at the Hiltho Exhibition.

Hiltho Exhibition is every 4 years since 1967, and is the biggest in the South of The Netherlands.
Mom had tried so hard for the Hiltho '86 exhibition from 26 September till 1 October... click link; then click through.
It just didn't work out for having her work displayed at the Hiltho... to have a booth there was too expensive for the yarn store!  But the store owner told her she should bring it for the coming winter, to have it as window display instead.

That's what happened and here my Mom is proudly standing in front of the shop's window with her beautiful work!
I'd forgotten that I too had knitted several squares, before immigrating to the USA...
Mom mentioned that in her letter!

This is Mom's letter, neatly handwritten as so many that I received over the years!
Mom was very happy with the offer to have it as window display instead.
She wrote that my sister–in–law Elly, brother Harry's wife, very dedicated was helping her getting all the knitting finished. Elly also had taken the squares apart and rejoined them in a different way, as she'd seen from one of the patients at the nursing home where she worked.

It was quite emotional for making these bedspread photos on February 21, 2014, before going to the hospital again for visiting Mom during her dialysis.
Deep inside I KNEW that this would also be the very last time I would see her alive...
My gut feeling proved to be right.

Less than a year later, I would be up all night and do Face Time with my youngest brother, who sat together with my 2nd brother, at Mom's bedside. Seeing, hearing Mom and talking to her for the very last time.
It was then when I did compose a beginning for a FAREWELL, or EULOGY, to be read...

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Going Home...

Daddy, brothers and sisters, sisters-in-law and partner, nephews and nieces, family and friends...

We are together in warmth and gratitude to honor our Mother.

A dear wife, dedicated Mother for all of us. Her entire life she has given love with an enormous big heart; without asking much for herself.

This last trip of 17 days away from D'n Afhang, was a difficult route for her but she has accomplished it with pride. She wanted to go home with all her heart, for finally putting her tired head to rest close to Daddy, in her own beloved place, where 7 of her 8 children were born.

Eight children, of which I am the second and our eldest sister is now finally again with Mom!

She almost made it for being married to Daddy 66 years; in love and sorrow.

Working hard her entire life, and yet in her way always trying to pamper us.

She was able to cook delicious tomato soup from own cultivation, with yummy fried onions. Her spare ribs with home-made tomato paste and fried onions were also a favorite.

Baking for the entire family she did also with much love and she herself was fond of ginger cake... 

She also loved nougat, that I always brought her back from the fun-fair!

She loved to knit and crochet and in the photo she proudly poses in front of the window where her large knitted bedspreads hung.

Together with Daddy she made trips to Germany, and also to Paris and even four times to Georgia in the USA. Proudly she always said she had two daughters in America; one in great America.

On her bike, she often went to little America on Tuesday’s, on market day, with a gift for her first grandchild. 

Meanwhile Mom had passed away and that stopped my writing...

Never could finish it...

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In Dutch:

Naar Huis...

Papa, broers en zussen, schoonzussen en partner, neefjes en nichtjes, vrienden...

We zijn bij elkaar in warmte en dankbaarheid ter ere van ons Moeke.

Een lieve echtgenote, toegewijde Moeke voor ons allemaal. Ze heeft met een enorm groot hart haar hele leven liefde gegeven; zonder veel voor zichzelf te vragen.

Deze laatste reis van 17 dagen weg van d'n Afhang was een moeilijke route voor haar maar ze heeft het met fierheid volbracht. Ze wilde met heel haar hart naar huis om daar op haar eigen geliefde plek, waar 7 van haar 8 kindjes geboren werden, haar moede hoofd eindelijk te rusten leggen dicht bij Papa. 

Acht kinderen, waarvan ik de tweede ben en onze oudste zus is nu eindelijk ook weer bij Moeke!

Bijna heeft ze het gered om met Papa 66 jaar getrouwd te zijn; door lief en leed.

Hard gewerkt haar hele leven en toch op haar manier altijd geprobeerd om ons te verwennen.

Ze kon lekkere tomatensoep koken van eigen teelt, met heerlijke gebakken uien. Ook haar ribjes met tomatenpuree en gebakken uien waren een lievelingskostje.

Bakken voor het hele gezin deed ze ook met veel liefde en zelf was ze dol op gemberkoek... 

Ze lustte ook zo graag nougat die ik haar altijd meebracht van de kermis!

Breien en haken deed ze graag en met trots staat ze op de foto voor de etalage waar haar grote gebreide bedsprei hing.

Met Papa samen maakte ze reisjes naar Duitsland en ook naar Parijs en zelfs vier keer naar Georgia in de USA. Trots zei ze altijd dat ze twéé dochters in America had; een in groot America.

Op de fiets ging ze vaak op dinsdag, markt dag, naar klein America om haar eerste kleinkind weer iets toe te stoppen. 

Ondertussen is Moeke gestorven en kon ik niet meer verder schrijven...
Helaas heb ik het nooit afgekregen...

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This year, on my Angel Sister's heavenly Birthday, I noticed a tremendous increase in views for Mom's hand knitted bedspread, on my Pinterest.

January 11, 2019... Mom's Bedspread was at the TOP!

Hard to believe these figures, yet it was there and on my blog, almost every day, Mom's picture was in the sideline as one of the favorite posts!

Love seeing this photo...

Mom ranks right there in my TOP blog posts and that in only five years!

In seven years she ranks 3rd! 

16,309 views...

It made me so happy and feeling oh so proud of her, for being Posthumously Honored for her Knitting!!!

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Happy Mother's Day!

Related link:
{Mom's Hand Knitted Bedspread as Window Display} | previous post by me
{HAPPY Mom on her 90th Birthday - THANKS TO ALL OF YOU} | previous post by me, when I took the bedspread photos...