“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9
And we are off!! Our trip this Summer Holiday is to Hungary, Budapest and Bled, Slovenia (where my dad is speaking at a Public Relations conference). True to our nature, Harri is planning all the touristy things to do in Budapest, and I am planning heaps of walking and hikes up mountains in Bled ;) haha.
First-off: Hungary!!
All of us having a Finnish snack before flying from Tampere, Finland to Budapest, Hungary
The plane <3 , or as I have come to term it, a rollercoaster in the sky ;)
My view from the emergency exit seat :o I was getting a bit nervous :o So much responsibility!!
Puffy clouds as a view from the "rollercoaster in the sky" :)
At the Budapest airport!! First thing Harri did was look at the map ;)
Airport cafeteria, where we had a light snack
To get from the airport to the city, and then back again the next day to get our hire car, we found it best to get a 24 hour transport ticket at just 11 euros for up to five people!! This would then allow us to go on as much transport as we like :)
To get from the airport we needed to take a bus to the metro, and then two metros to the apartment.
An old-fashioned metro with no air-conditioning :o
As we ascended the narrow stairs to the reception of the accommodation, a lovely lady in a blue dress greeted us and warningly showed us to our room. She told us that, most importantly, we could have tea, coffee and hot chocolate any time of day!! Due to the hot weather, we actually preferred to cold drinks to the hotter drinks :o Not to say that I didn't enjoy my tea just as much ;) I mean, it was the hottest day that Budapest had had in a while at 32 degrees!!
Next, we had to find decent food!!
Harri and Dad at an Italian restaurant. I know, we couldn't find a Hungarian restaurant in Hungary!?!
My salmon, asparagus and sun-dried tomato pasta dish <3
After this we had to go shopping, as someone had forgotten an important piece of clothing when packing ;) Not mentioning any names here ;) haha
We then went back to the flat to drop things off, gather up momentum, and set off for our adventure!!
As Harri was our tour guide, he recommended that we take the metro to the palace, look through the palace grounds for free, and then walk down to the Danube River. We agreed, and all packed into the metro for another adventure. Little did we know what was in store for the weather ...
We got out of the metro at the Heroes' Square, where the heroes of the Magyar are honoured. Amazingly, there is also a large grave stone for the unknown soldier... the soldier who could not be identified.
Arriving above ground from the metro
The Heroes' Square. In this image is 5 of the 7 Chieftains of the Magyars ;)
Heroes's Square with the National Art Gallery in the background
The Millennial Monument. On top of the column is Archangel Michael holding the patriarchal cross (a cross with two horizontal beams instead on one). The top beam on the cross says "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews".
One of the buildings in the Vajdahunyad Castle complex. These buildings are exact replicas of 21 of the most magnificent and historic buildings in Hungary.
The entrance to the complex
Walking our way down the road (longest road I might add) to the River Danube
Interesting piano chair I found on the way ;)
We then stopped for dinner after we took the metro the last couple of steps to the river.
By this time it was waaaay past our normal dinner time ;) So we sat down at the outdoor table of a nearby restaurant. Annoyingly, the weather had other plans... Suddenly it started to bucket down with rain, streak the sky with lightning and deafen our ears with thunder. Accordingly, we had to quickly run for cover inside the restaurant, otherwise we would have gotten completely soaked!!
After some time, however, we didn't end up eating till around 9pm at a small cafe close to McDonalds ;) haha
The Danube River at night
Our lemonades at Cafe Anna: our last resort for food
Dad and I were adventurous, and chose to share a mandarin and goats cheese salad :D
We are One. That was the theme of this years Cherish Womens Conference. And so we all began the trip by heading to Leeds, England as ONE bunch of awesome women in a bus. A loud bus, might I add. We were all very chatty ;) I distinctly remember the whole bus singing to the theme song of Frozen ;) hehe
Our wristbands when we stopped at services for lunch
DAY ONE
We then arrived at the hotel and were divided into rooms. I was going to be sharing a queen size bed with Morven, and Isabelle and Steph would be sharing a bed as well in our room.
After we had settled down and been to the bathroom we set off for dinner: Mcdonalds ;)
We then set off for the first night of the conference with spirits held high and hearts ready to be filled in awe.
Getting ready at the hotel
The first night at the conference <3 From right: me, Isabelle, Steph and Morven
Different perspective
Opening sequence of the first night
My favourite song that night: He never fails
Dancing with the lights
Dinner of fried duck dumplings. I am very happy to say that I used my chopsticks all night and had amazing green tea :)
DAY TWO
The second day at the conference. We were waiting in the line, because security had to go through all our bags to allow us into the conference
My lunch on day two: Peanut butter and bacon burger with sweet potato chips. Sounds interesting, I know, but it was on the menu!!
Steph and I taking a tea brake while the other room mates sleep :)
My HUGGEE Chai Latte <3
Lift selfie <3
From our position where we were sitting at the conference
Morven loving the music <3
DAY THREE
Day three selfie in the line
We were given a chocolate snack :D
The main entrance with all the girls leaving for lunch
My starter for lunch: dough balls
Our necklaces that we were given. They represent being united as One in Christ
The final session: Morven, Steph and I
Goodbye Cherish!!
In the bus back to Edinburgh. Steph and I had a lovely time dancing and singing
I am so thankful for the time that I had to relax with my girlie friends this weekend!! What I got out of the trip was an understanding of God's love. I really don't think that there is ever going to be a time when we are not learning about God's love.
The last couple of days have been a huge shock for Scotts. They have taken off their shirts to reveal their white skin, and have taken to spending their days outside with friends. And, the weirdest of all, they actually speak to you while you are walking outside!! This has never been heard of, an occurrence that only happens on the extremely rare warm days. It is a complete turn around from the reserved people who put earphones on and stick their faces in smart phones. Including me ;)
On Wednesday this week Graeme, Iulia and I went on an adventure to Gullane Beach.
Our first sightings of the beach
Iulia and I taking an awkward selfie
Whoops ... the camera slipped.
We then decided to go for a walk. So we went over many slimy green rocks, with small rock pools and shards of shells (that got stuck in my foot on the way back).
We then found an inlet, and so we followed it and then we found this mysterious cave!!
The mysterious caves
Iulia thought that there could be mermaids in there, and Graeme said there was seas lions. I think I was a tad more realistic by saying that it was probably a pirate smugglers cave, hehe..
On our walk back to the car we HAD to take a selfie in the sunlight :)
The afternoon sunlight shining onto the sand and the sea
The next day was very hot as well, and so I decided to go again to Gullane beach. This time with Graeme and Morven. Well, It was really Graeme's idea because he has a car ;) haha. Morven and I juts kinda went along with it ;)
This time we decided to have a barbecue, so Graeme went to our local grocers to pick up some chicken, hamburgers, sausages, buns and bbq equipment. Not forgetting the sunscreen!! It was all sold out at the grocers I had been to earlier on in the day ;) haha. I think Scotts are caught unawares when they suddenly have a hot day ;)
I had rode my bike into the city that morning. It was a great day to ride, because of the sunlight, but at the same time it wasn't because I turned as red as a tomato!! ;) When I finished work I rode to a cafe, had a savoury scone and rhubarb and pear drink, and read a book. I then rode back to uni to prepare to go to the beach. By preparation, I mean shaving my legs. Well, a girl has to shave her legs to wear a swim suit :D
After we had prepared all the food, jumped into the car, and driven to the beach, we were all ready for the feast on the beach!!
Gullane Beach
To begin with we went for an unforgettably cold swim. The more I walked in to the water, the more I was tempted to just walk straight out again. But we all persevered!!
I am so proud of all of us <3
I even ducked my whole head in!!
We spent a while in the sea, basking in the sunlight and warming up by swimming. Morven took longer than us to get deeper, so when Graeme and I were ready to go Morven still wanted to go deeper ;) haha.
So we pushed her deeper ;) Just kidding!! ;)
Here we all area after eating a lovely meal on the beach <3
Panorama of the beach
The awesome sunset
Capturing the red sun through the leaves
The colours were sooo amazing!! A picture just does not describe it enough!!
I have learnt to love the Scottish beach called Gullane. It is serene, secluded and specially secretive. It is a wonder that it is not advertised to the tourists!!
I am glad, though, because it means that it is ours :D
It has come to my attention that we are getting too used to the violence and evil that this world has come under.
The cars plunging into crowds, and the fear of where it is going to happen next. The citizens being killed because of a war that has gone on for way too long. The citizens starving to death in East Africa because of food shortages. The women and men who go through hell everyday, here, in our own cities and towns, because of human trafficking, discrimination and/or abuse. Why are we not crying every time we see these horrific ordeals?
If there is something that I can do to bring justice to those who are put through hell, I will do it. Would you not do the same?
But is there anything we can DO to stop all this stuff?
I strongly believe that there is, and I hope that after reading this you will believe that there is too.
Have you ever wondered why there is evil in this world? Why do some people love violence, and other people detest it?
Just here me out here:
I believe that there is a Creator of the world who gave us the perfect set of emotions: to feel love and compassion. But then evil entered this world when one of the Creator's helpers decided that he did not want to be loving and compassionate anymore. And so the Creator had no choice but to send his friend out of the perfect heaven so that the evil would not spread. However, the evil came down to earth touched the first humans of the world. And so evil entered the world. It then continued to spread to more and more humans like a plague.
The Creator gave us all freedom to choose our own paths in life: whether it would be to love or to hate, to follow evil or follow love. He loved humans so much that He did not want to dictate how humans should live. He wants humans to find the path to life for themselves. But many humans have chosen the path to death and hatred.
Now you might ask: If the Creator of the world gave humans the freedom of choice, why would He not tell those people who have chosen to live evil lives by killing people for pleasure that it is not right?
Good question!!
Would humans really listen to someone telling them that they were not supposed to be committing evil crimes? I think they would be far to deep into their own emotions to hear any reason.
So now you are probably thinking: Is there any hope to bring love and compassion to the people who have chosen evil?
Yes, the greatest news EVER is that there is hope!!
The Creator wants us to let him know that we will not allow the evil to corrupt this world!! And to do this we need to talk to Him, like we would to a friend or family member to show them that we care. We need to let Him know that we are standing as a united barricade against this evil. We need to start crying and showing that we care about bringing love and compassion back to this world!!
United we will stand up for love and compassion.
The Creator of this world is called God, and the way that we communicate to Him is through praying. To pray you stop what you are doing, focus your attention on God, and pour out your heart to Him. You don't need to clasp you hands, or close you eyes, or even be your knees. God is everywhere, and He is always listening and waiting for you to talk to Him.
Will you pray with me to God for love and compassion to fill the evil in the world?
