Election Day Thoughts

As Don and I did during the 2024 election, we left the country. I booked a trip to Central Europe, specifically Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. After our 2024 losses to democracy, I wanted to visit places that survived the Nazis and Communism, and seem to be on the other side. We went on many free walking tours and soaked up knowledge like a couple of sponges. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be blogging about those tours over on PillsburyTravels.Blogspot.com. This post is about how I feel post election.

The election took place a week ago. We went to sleep in Vienna as the polls were closing on the East Coast. Having voted, protested, wrote FB posts encouraging one and all to vote, had a yard sign reminding people to vote, and wrote postcards, I felt there was nothing left for me to do but wait.

When Don woke up around 3 am (9 am East Coast time) he did not see any results.

When I woke at 6 am (midnight) the results were a definitive blue wave, perhaps even a blue TSUNAMI! 

An immediate weight was lifted. Elon could spend nearly half a billion dollars to ensure Texas remained red, and yet the voters had other ideas and flipped just about the entire state. It felt like what we had learned in Hungary when the people spoke and ousted Orban. What was repeated in Brazil the week earlier. What seems to be happening globally. People are tired of only a few people benefitting from policies. They want a piece of the pie, too.

Seeing the variety of voices joining the House and Senate, plus governorships, and state houses, I am so excited about the future of our nation. Maybe now we can scrap the electoral college, have universal healthcare, tax the super wealthy (if Elon can afford to spend half a billion dollars on the election, he has money to spend on taxes), abolish ICE, hold people accountable, restore USAID, restore SNAP benefits, increase social security, increase funding for cancer research, support veterans, help ordinary people, ERA, voting rights, get rid of Citizens United...the sky is the limit. We might even be able to end the war in Iran and have money for all of this to happen.   

I wish during our trip I talked to a wider variety of people. On our last day as our Uber driver was taking us to the airport he commented how happy he was for us that our election went the way it did. 

You and me, both, driver. 

Meanwhile, the person who is responsible for Don and I meeting posts angry faces whenever I say I am pleased with the election. Another friend, still MAGA, cuts and pastes her party's rhetoric. We have far to go. With this sweeping election, though, we have a chance to make some positive changes. I wish they realized they too benefit from these changes in ways that they never benefited during the past two years of negative policies.

 

Countries Visited

Because this comes up in conversation every so often, thought I would create an official list of countries I have been to so far. Since crossing the International Date Line I've wanted to cross the equator (open for suggestions). I'd also like to go to Africa.

(Written in 2017, updated 2023 and 2026)

1. Canada
2. Iceland
3. England
4. France
5. Belgium
6. Luxembourg
7. Switzerland
8. East Germany (visited while separated)
9. West Germany (visited while separated)
10. Germany (visited post reunification)
11. Holland/Netherlands
12. Portugal
13. Italy
14. Vatican City
15. Japan
16. Cuba
17. Mexico
18. Denmark
19. Estonia
20. Russia
21. Sweden
22. Finland
23. Israel
24. Palestine (from Jerusalem into Bethlehem)
25. Spain 
26. New Zealand
27. Australia
28. Norway
29. Peru
30. Hungary
31. Austria
32. Slovakia
33. Czech Republic

Central European Travels By the Numbers

From October 26-November 9, 2026 Don and I travelled added four more countries to my list of countries I have visited: Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. When I realized Slovakia was a mere hour away from Vienna, that became a bonus country added.

Our vacation by the numbers:

2 LEGO museums

2 tours of Parliament

2 restaurants named Einstein, plus one visited by Einstein

3 US Embassies spotted

3 different currencies (four if you count our layover in Denmark)

4 flights

4 hotel rooms (3 hotels)

4 LEGO stores

4 Thermal Spas

?? Churches visited

6 train rides

?? Free Walking tours

16.3 average number of flights of stairs each day

3,000+ photos taken

22,892 average number of steps each day

I'll try tom come up with some other stats as I write blog posts. May we both enjoy the ride.

Budapest Day 4: Sights Along Our Way to Heroes' Square

After touring Parliament we enjoyed the nice weather and walked up to Heroes Square. Along the way we visited the sites we saw on the Politics Tour the night before, but this time with daylight. Much of Budapest glows at night, but not everything. 

United States Embassy

Stumbling Steps

Holiday Decorations are starting to go up

Opera House

Just as awful as one would expect
fried dough with sour cream, garlic,
and cheese to be

After passing more embassies, we made it to Heroes' Square. Rather than crossing one or two streets to get there, we decided to cross at least three. The next day we learned from our mistake and did it the right way.

Heroes' Square was built in 1896 to honor the 1,000th anniversary of Hungary. I just can't imagine. It represents major times in their first millennia, and rightfully deserves a real tour.

Off to the side I noticed the statue of the Archangel Gabriel was missing from the top of the tallest column. There was a sign pointing us a mere few hundred meters away to see a replica for free inside of a building. Of course we made it into a bigger ordeal than necessary, including walking three quarters of the way around the building. The back of the building is sloped with a park in it. Reminded me of the opera house in Oslo in that way, but as that was a trip I took without Don I had no one to share the experience with.

Inside we found the model, which was pretty cool. But even more fun was it had a camera shining on it that if you position yourself correctly, it takes a sepia toned image of yourself with it looking down on the streets of Budapest. There was a mom with two pre-school age children playing with the screen. The mom was sweet, but spoke as much English as I speak Hungarian. She pointed me through the Hungarian language screens until we created our own image. We all redid it because life was quiet and we weren't happy with the first round. It turned into a unique and free souvenir. If only they also let us use the bathroom for free when we were there. The trouble with traveling to a country that uses a unique currency is you often do not not money to pay to use the bathroom. Some places now allow credit cards for the fifty cent to one dollar equivalent fee. Some places accepted euros or even dollars. But often in Hungary and later in the Czech Republic it was local currency or nothing.

From here we hopped on the historic Metro 1 to a bus to the Buda side of the Danube. We were aiming for the Veli Bej Thermal Bath, but decided we needed a better lunch first. The Langos was not sitting well with either of us. After crossing the Danube we spied a Thai restaurant that was about to close for the weekend. The owners, who also did not speak much English, helped us through the ordering process and encouraged us to relax and enjoy our meal. Next to us was a family with a baby. That experience was just as relaxing as we expected the thermal bath to be.

Budapest Day 3: Lumina Park

When I plan a vacation, I try to find things to do that fall far away from the normal tourist path. My greatest coup was going to the Magic Water Circuit in Lima this past February. When I learned about the Lumina Park Alice in Wonderland themed holiday light show I felt I found another winner.

Looking around in the dark, I suspect Lumina Park is a water park during the warmer months. As we entered the park we passed another thermal bath, I suspect this one is more medicinal since it did not appear on my list of places for us to visit.

From the end of October through March 7, 2027 Lumina Park is transformed into a winter wonderland. We saw families with children bundled in snow suits running around from one light display to the other.

Being big fans of Alice in Wonderland since Ashley was three and chasing Alice and the Mad Hatter around Disneyland, it was easy for us to melt into this fantasyland. Of course the characters were not exactly like the Walt Disney versions, but close enough we fell under the magical spell.

Here are my pictures:

Don also took some pictures I need to find and add later.

Budapest Day 3: Szenchenyi Thermal Bath

Another day in Budapest, another thermal bath. My initial research showed three thermal baths, each with their different feels. 

Rudas Thermal Baths boasts beautiful views of Budapest. 

Gellert Thermal Baths have amazing art deco architecture. 

Szenchenyi Thermal Baths are the most famous ones, easy to get to via mass transit. Famous for the old men hanging out in the water playing chess in the morning.

We soon learned there are also ones I would classify as local, such as the Lukacs Thermal Baths we visited on our second day.

The Gellert Thermal Baths are closed for renovations until 2028, encouraging Don and I to revisit Budapest. 

The Rudas Thermal Baths are single gender one day each a week, leaving only five days we can attend together. By the time I narrowed down the day and tried to book a ticket, it was sold out. It was also Halloween weekend, which might have something to do with it.

On our third day in Budapest we took the UNESCO metro 1 line to visit the famous Szenchenyi Thermal Bath.

I am glad we went. Once. That said, we are not likely going to return. It has such a different vibe from our visit to Rudas. The place is filled with tourists and Instagrammers taking selfies (yes, we did the same). Many had their cell phones in the water with with, making me more than a bit nervous for them. 

There are three main pools outside. The center one is a lap pool that is 28C (82F). Even on a brisk fall day, (16C=61F) it is very enjoyable being inside the 38C degree water (100F), and manageable to travel outside the pool to either go inside or go to the other warm pool (36C=97F).

There were also at least six pools inside. Most people visit for the outside views,
so the indoor ones were fairly quiet for the most part. They also have a couple of cooler pools, the appeal of which has not grown on me yet, and a couple of saunas. Downstairs was a clothing-free zone I did not visit.

Szenchenyi Thermal Baths had one feature I have not seen at other places: an athletic circular loop inside the 36C outdoor pool. The current of the water pushes everyone around in a counterclockwise circle. The inside felt faster than the outside. In the center there are people hanging out in a hot tub.

When I spotted the retired men playing chess, I couldn't help but smile. These are the same demographic of men one sees in Italy playing bocci. I wanted to interview their wives. Do they kick them out of the house so they can get things done? Do they have their own coffee klatch activity? Do the same men come back every day? Every week? Do they have a local pass that us tourists are not allowed to purchase? While there do they do anything other than play chess in the 38F pool and pose for tourists pictures? Seeing it in person was worth the trip. I did notice that they play next to the medical booth that is armed with a difibulator and other tools.

Everything this beautiful, including the locker rooms. The changing areas have cabins big enough for two. The doors lock when the benches are lowered, thus blocking them from opening. I saw this same mechanism at a local spa. The simplicity of it impressed me. It makes it nearly impossible to get locked inside the cabin, or lock your stuff inside of it and taking it out of use for others. It is locked when you are inside, and that is it.

We spent about three hours inside before heading to our next adventure: looking for lunch, and a political tour. The visits to the thermal spas were just enough to convince Don we had a relaxing vacation.

Some more pictures: