Christmas in Debrecen

Though we missed our families very much, we had a great Christmas in Debrecen. Things happen fast with a 3 year old. Our Christmas Eve dinner and family gift exchange were done by 5 pm. And then Santa came and his presents were open by 6:30 am. Ugh...what I wouldn't do to sleep in. The Jefferson in me longs to come out! We included a few photos but they really don't do the town justice. Debrecen went all out and their square was just fantastic. Lights everywhere and these great booths where locals sold their wares.

We are leaving for Slovenia next week. We hope to see Ljubljana, Bled & Postojna. From there, the plan is to go to Trieste, Italy for a few days and drive around the Adriatic coast. We'll update the blog and let you know how it went. It is a little intimidating since we're not expert travelers.

Before we sign off, we wanted to share a few oddities about life in Debrecen:

1. Our neighbor smokes in the hallway, in his speedo underwear. Too much information!

2. Pig killings are a big deal around here. An all day party. Our next company event may be centered around one. No kidding.

3. People are aggressive in the grocery stores. Especially women over 50. I'm sure it dates back to the Communist rule. But look out & get out of their way!

4. A night out on the town starts at 11 pm and ends at 3 am. Needless to say, Brad doesn't make it out much :) Truth be told, I don't make it up that late either.

5. We have walked and walked here. It is just like they say, everyone walks more in Europe. Good thing, because we are convinced this continent is running off of sugar & cafine (mostly in the form of chocolate & coffee.) We have never been offered or eaten so much chocolate in our lives.

Quick Carter update:

1. He has developed a love of hot tea. Very Euro. Peppermint with lemon & honey is his favorite.

2. He wears his tights under his winter pants like a real trooper. Of course, we have dubbed them Spiderman & Superman tights, so that helps.

3. When we first got here, he said "Daddy, why is everyone speaking Spanish?" Too funny! But he is rolling with the punches at his Hungarian speaking school. His teacher speaks English but all the kids are Hungarian and the class is taught in Hungarian.

4. His verbal skills are really coming along. Last night he woke up in the middle of the night and said "Daddy, come here. I have one thing to tell you." The kid is specific at 2 am.

5. He is getting a bit tired of winter. He told us, unsolicited, he "wants to go back to Texas where it is hot & steamy."