Looking over the town of Eger, Hungary (photo courtesy of
the Harvard women's water polo team).
Members of the Harvard women's water polo team will be
contributing to a blog and photo gallery during the team's nine-day
training trip to Hungary. For continued posts, check
GoCrimson.com.
The Crimson were also featured in a Hungarian news story, which
can be viewed here.
Friday, January 13
To our devoted readers,
Today was our last
day in Budapest, and it was truly a perfect end to our wonderful
trip. After a delectable breakfast in the hotel, we walked across
the bridge to Margaret Island for a morning scrimmage. On the way,
we took in the beautiful view of Parliament along the river. The
scrimmage was a tough battle with a particularly physical
team. Shayna Price's suit took one for the team as it ripped
on both straps, and in order for her to change into a new suit, we
had to use a Swiss army knife to cut her out of it.
After the scrimmage
we went to lunch at the water polo pizzeria. We were all quite
skeptical of the thick, cold, pink-colored soup because it looked
just like Pepto-Bismol. To our surprise it was quite delicious as
it tasted just like a strawberry smoothie. In fact, it was our
overwhelming favorite soup of the trip!
Following lunch we
visited the House of Terror Museum. The building is the former
execution headquarters for both the Hungarian Nazi and Communist
Parties. Interestingly, the location for this building was
purposely chosen to be on Andrássy Boulevard, which is named
after a famous Hungarian statesmen, as a symbol of these parties'
imposing authority. This museum was particularly sombering as it
was the actual location where Nazi and Communist officials held
their offices and where prisoners were held and tortured in the
basement. Additionally the House of Terror deepened our
understanding of Hungarian culture and knowledge of Nazism and
Communism during this period.
After the museum,
we took some time to shop for souvenirs before our farewell dinner.
Everyone was excited to buy some paprika after we tasted it at the
pizzeria. In fact we enjoyed it so much at lunch that the waitress
brought us all little cups of peppers so we could make our own
paprika at home!
Our farewell dinner
was held at Columbus Jazzklub, which is a boat docked on the Danube
River across from the fortress. We enjoyed a three
course meal of goulash, chicken and rice, and grundel pancakes for
dessert. It is probably safe to say that the dessert was the
favorite dish of the night - what could be better than flaming
crepes covered in chocolate ganache! While waiting for the bus to
arrive, we couldn't help but make like leprechauns and do a little
jig on the dance floor. Assistant coach Jessi
Wood caught it on video, so it is bound to turn up sooner or
later! Keep your eyes peeled.
At the hotel we
said goodbye to our awesome tour guide, Imre, who has truly become
part of the Harvard Water Polo family. We are now packing our bags
for our noon flight tomorrow. This has been such an amazing
experience, and we will cherish these memories for the rest of our
lives. We grew as a team both in and out of the water, and we
especially gained skills that we will carry through the rest of the
season.
We sincerely want
to thank everyone who has helped make this trip possible, it has
truly been an irreplaceable opportunity and an unforgettable
experience.
Now for the second
installment of preseason back in Cambridge!
Yours
aquatically,
Riley Kessler and Shannon Purcell
Thursday, January 12
Hi all,
Today was our first day in Budapest. We had our normal breakfast
at our hotel in Eger then packed up the bus with its trailer and
drove the 2 hours back. Once in Budapest we checked into our new
hotel - Hotel Csaszar, then we hopped right back onto a tour bus
for a city wide guided tour of the city.
Our first stop: Hero Square. This enormous plaza was built at
the end of Andrassy Street to commemorate Hungary's first millennia
as a state. Statues representing significant figures throughout all
of Hungary's history were were arranged around the plaza along with
a World War I memorial. The history and the design combined with
all the different styles of architecture in the buildings (the fine
arts and the modern arts museums) around were amazing to see.
Next we drove past the zoo which has 5,000 different animals
inside. The Szechenyi Baths were on our other side. Hungary is
known for its many kinds of natural spring waters which are thought
to be healing for many kinds of illnesses and ailments. We made a
quick stop at a castle which was a beautiful conglomeration of many
kinds of major architectural styles. It was here that we also saw
the statue of Hungary's mystery man, shrouded in his cloak. This
man was said to have brought old manuscripts of Hungary's early
history and the pen that he holds is said to give luck in the
coming year to whoever touches it (similar to John Harvard's foot,
though hopefully with significantly less urine). Needless to say,
we have a sweet flip video of us all touching the pen. Even head
coach Ted Minnis and assistant coach Jessi Wood.
Driving around town, we passed the largest synagogue in Hungary,
the US Embassy, Hungarian Parliament (where unfortunately we did
not stop to take pictures), and crossed the Chain Bridge from Pest
into Buda and the Castle District. The palace and a beautifully
designed and old Matthias Church were the key features of this
area. We had time here to walk around the winding streets, still in
medieval style, and buy more Hungarian desserts and coffee
(surprise, surprise).
Our last stop was the top of another hill. The monument here was
built by an old Austrian military fort that was converted for other
uses at the formation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The statue
here was of a woman, built by the Russians post World War II,
though her Soviet Russian features including the red star and the
names of the Soviet soldiers who died during Budapest's liberation
were removed. Other statues symbolic of Soviet occupation and
influence were removed and placed in Statue Park outside of
Budapest, where they joined nearly all other statues erected by the
Soviets during their occupation from the 1950s to 1990. The lady
figure still remains as a symbol of Hungary's freedom, much like
our Statue of Liberty.
We had our first practice on Margaret Island tonight. I say
tonight because it really was night when we got to play. The
national teams were using the pool before us (I'm sure Teddy was
hoping it was the senior men's team so he could meet Tamas Kasas
who is arguably one of the best players in the world). We played in
one of their outdoor pools under a bubble. The team we played
tonight was rough as well but I think with our newfound ability to
handle the physicality of other teams helped us to adapt quickly.
I'd say we were definitely the stronger team. Not really a
question.
Dinner was at this awesome water polo themed restaurant. Lunch
was there too earlier in the day and once again we amused ourselves
reading the history blurbs and calling dibs on various people in
the pictures (mostly of former men's national teams, let's be
honest) all over the tables and walls of the restaurant. Dinner was
pizza and dessert was berry cheesecake which I can safely say was a
nice change of pace, familiar, and an overall crowd pleaser.
Now here I am, finishing up my blog post for the day, struggling
to no end to type on Jessi's iPad. The sheer amount of history here
and the value this country has for water polo will never cease to
amaze me. I've been loving learning about everything historical,
including things like many of the buildings built to 96 meters
because Hungary celebrated its millennia in 1896, as well as all of
the ways and the extent to which water polo is ingrained in the
culture here. So, many many thanks again to Friends and everyone
who helped us to get here. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect
and fantastic way to start my senior season.
Cheers! (Or "egesegedre" in Hungarian, though I'm sure I spelled
it wrong)
- Lizzie Abbott
Wednesday, January 11
Hello again everyone!
It seems each day here grows upon the others; today was the best
day yet! Once again, we awoke to Eger snow-covered and gorgeous,
and a delicious breakfast (although this one was a bit earlier than
yesterday's).
Like every other day, we then walked down to the pool to
scrimmage the Eger team. This time was a bit different, however: we
gave up Devan Kennifer and Lizzie Abbott to the other team and enjoyed a bit more
difficult of a scrimmage.
However, half-way through our scrimmage, we turned to look back
at our coaches, and saw them searching the bleachers furiously for
some reason. We soon discovered that our locker key was missing,
and dropped everything to aid in the search. Both teams came
together diving around the pool for the key, but to no
avail—fifteen minutes into our search, we still hadn't found
it! Eventually, Shannon realized the key just couldn't be on the
pool floor (if 30 girls couldn't find it, it couldn't be there), so
she asked Devan for about the 10th time to check her suit. Devan
checked, checked again, and then sheepishly pulled the key from in
her suit- it had been there the whole time! We all laughed together
about it, and then finally finished the remainder of our
scrimmage.
Our adventures weren't over yet though! The day continued with a
trip to the basilica and a private organ concert. The organist was
incredible—his fingers and toes flew over the keys. We were
all stunned! After about five pieces (some Bach, some others), we
learned a bit about the organ. It was the largest organ in Hungary,
with over 8,700 pipes! The largest was over 36 feet long, while the
smallest was barely three millimeters. We heard the three different
types of pipes, the softest sound, and the grandest sound the organ
could make—you could feel the room vibrate as the sound
poured into the church.
After our concert, we briskly walked over to a crystal shop to
buy some souvenirs – hand crafted crystal and jewelry -- and
then hurried back to the pool to make our afternoon practice. This
time, we were able to practice in the outdoor pool, naturally
heated by the sulfur springs. Although the quick trip from the
locker room to the pool was frigid, the pool was actually quite
warm—the steam was so thick you couldn't even see the other
side! We intermixed teams and began the most enjoyable "scrimmage"
yet. Between not being able to see half the pool, girls popping out
from under the water, additional "rules" to make things more
challenging, and a questionable nine field players (and perhaps an
additional goalie) in at a time, the game was anything but boring.
We laughed and laughed, and dreaded saying goodbye to our new
friends. But the time soon came, so after many pictures and
attempted exchanges of words, we bade farewell to the other
team.
The day continued on with a quick trip back to the hotel, and
then another brisk walk back to the pool to watch the pro teams
scrimmage a bit. We were quite impressed with their skill, and
hated to leave only after the first quarter, but we still had more
to do!
As a last adventure, we all piled into a small bus, and drove
about 10-15 minutes out of town to visit a local winery. Eger is
famous for its wine—above all the iconic "Bull's Blood" (a
mixture of red wines). Our host took us down into her family's
cellar, where we walked among the thousands of barrels deep in the
volcanic-caves. I never knew that wine making was so
complicated—she had so many different types of barrels, all
marked with a specific age and type of wood or metal that would be
used for each different type of fruit and wine. Smelling the new
Hungarian oak versus the three-year old wooden barrels on the other
side, however, we could tell the difference. After our tour, we
were escorted into the home, where we were treated with a three
course meal, more delicious than anything we had tasted yet! It
began with made-from-scratch breads and cheeses, continued with a
pork/onion dish, roasted chicken, vinegary salad, and of course
potatoes, and ended with a traditional bread-plum dessert. After
everything was over, our guides bade farewell to us as well
(although Imre will be staying with us in Budapest) and passed out
small gift bags to each of us. We will miss them!
It has been a long day, but we loved every minute of it! We miss
you all; thank you again for the support! Looking forward to our
adventures in Budapest!!
- Jasmine Griffin
Tuesday, January 10
Jo napot (Hungarian for good day!)
John Ruskin once said, "Sunshine is delicious, rain is
refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is
really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of
good weather."
True to that sentiment, today was definitely the most
exhilarating day so far! Waking up to a beautiful,
snow-covered Eger and another delicious breakfast was
absolutely wonderful (especially since we were lucky enough to
have an extra handful of minutes to sleep in).
Like our past mornings, we scrimmaged the local Eger team. We
both played hard, but like every other scrimmage, we couldn't
quantitatively conclude which team was the victor (that comes
later in the afternoon). The scrimmage was fun and rewarding
nonetheless and we can't wait to scrimmage the girls again
tomorrow!
After another lunch at the local restaurant (where we all
finally perfected our 'thank yous' in Hungarian), one of our
wonderful guides, Imre, brought us a harvest of sweet,
delicious Hugarian oranges and showed us pictures of his
daughter's wedding (which was held at the Castle of
Eger!).
After seeing Imre's lovely photos, we were all excited to tour
the castle. In addition to the incredible view of the
snow-capped roofs of Eger, we were also treated to an amazing
history lesson of the castle.
In 1552, two thousand Hungarians held off over 40 thousand Turks
from the castle. The story of this epic battle was told in the
book "Eclipse of the Crescent Moon" (which some of us bought
to read during the rest of the trip!). During the tour we
enjoyed learning about Eger's history, sipping hot beverages
in the chilly weather, and exploring dark tunnels beneath the
castle with blazing torches.
After the tour we were mostly frozen but completely thrilled and
ready to play the Eger team in our official game. After four
suspenseful quarters we managed to pull ahead and win by one
point (15-14).
Tired, sore, but excited about our first win of the season, we
walked back to the hotel for another perfectly prepared dinner
and our beds. Even though we are all ready for bed, we can't
wait for the adventures tomorrow will bring!
- Elise Molnar
Monday, January 9
Happy Monday! Today we continued building upon our
knowledge and understanding of Hungarian politics, history and
culture by attending a reception with the Vice Mayor of Eger after
our morning scrimmage. He gave us insight into the inner workings
of local politics and discussed the trifold importance of the city
as a cultural, educational and athletic center. With pride, he
spoke of the quality of the wine produced in Eger and we look
forward to our upcoming visit to the cellar of the Winemaker of the
Year. Next we descended into the "City under the City" where, in
the Middle Ages, about 13 million liters of wine were stored by the
Catholic Church to provide income for the operations supporting
this county, which at the time constituted one fifth of Hungary's
land mass. The cellar stretches 90 miles underground and now serves
as a historical exhibition. Upon returning to street level we had a
real European cultural experience in a cafe sampling delectable
Hungarian desserts and we were running on sugar for the rest of the
afternoon :) For the last time before our official game tomorrow,
we scrimmaged the Eger club women's team and they stepped up their
level of aggression giving us some good practice/scratches. Thanks
again for all the support back home, we are truly enjoying our
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
- Jelena Cyr and Monica Zdrojewski
Sunday, January 8
Szia! (hello in Hungarian)
Today was a sporty day. We woke up to a wonderful breakfast
buffet once again. Not knowing what to expect with the
food we have all been surprised with the delicious meals from the
hotel and local restaurant. We have had some great
soups, pasta, meats and of course seasoned jelly. After
breakfast and an attempted dry land session we got in the pool for
our first scrimmage. We faced once again the local Eger
team and worked on our man down and man up plays. It was
another close battle in the pool but we have been working hard
allowing us to grow as a team. Following lunch we went
to the sports museum. It opened in 1993 to commemorate
the Olympians that played, coached, and trained in Hungary with a
focus on players from the Eger area. The building was a
renovated prison that had been used throughout the
1800s. The most popular sports in Hungary are water polo
and swimming and it showed in all of the items in the
museum. Right when we walked in we were stunned by the
items collected by the museum. The first room held 9
torches from every Olympics since the games in Berlin in 1936, when
the torch was first introduced. Even more impressive, he
pulled out the Vancouver and Beijing torches for us to hold like
true Olympians! The subsequent rooms held vast amounts
of medals, awards, pictures, and clothing from the
Olympics. It was really cool to see because the majority
had to do with water polo which is such a shift from what we are
used to. We learned about the "Blood on the Water" game
which was the semifinal game between the Soviet Union and Hungary
in 1956. The Soviets had just sent tanks into Hungary,
and the players reflected the animosity between the two
countries. The game was so brutal the water turned red,
and when the captain left the pool with a bloody eye he became a
symbol of the Hungarian resistance during the Cold
War. The game had to be ended early by the refs when it
basically turned into a brawl. The museum had
documentation not just from recent games but from the very first
competition in Athens. It was very inspiring and
interesting to see first hand such amazing
accomplishments. After a quick, well deserved nap we
went to the pool to play again. Once we finished we ran
home to ensure we all got the good desserts from the hotel
buffet. I wish we could tell you what we ate but the
labels are not in English. However, we have confirmed
the desserts are excellent whatever they are. Everyone
seemed ready for a good nights sleep and to continue our
Hungarian adventures tomorrow. So far it has been an
amazing experience and we can't wait to see what else Hungary has
to offer. We are so appreciative of everyone's efforts
to provide us with this chance.
Thanks and we hope you enjoy our blog!
- Kalina Grabb and Ariel
Dukes
Saturday, January 7
Today was our first full day in Eger, and boy, were we busy! We
have been walking all over the town so far, which gives us a really
great feel for it. It is also really convenient to walk from our
hotel to our lunch spot, the pools, and all of our touristing
sites.
This morning we started at Dobo Square, where two statues stand
to commemorate the defeat of Turkish invaders by a severely
outnumbered Hungarian force. This force included women who sprang
into action, dumping hot oil and soup on the enemy from ladders!
We're trying to keep that tenacity in mind for our upcoming
scrimmages : )
Next up was the Minorite church that towers over the square. It
was built in the Baroque style and has very impressive pillars to
prove it! Inside was even more beautiful, with a very intricate
fresco ceiling and handmade pews. It was built in 1771, and shows
it's age in some ways, but still obviously a living church, as it's
Christmas trees and lights were still up on the altar.
Our first scrimmage was against a team from Budapest (BVSC), which
was stiff competition for us. They were a women's team in their
mid-twenties with some national team talent. It was our first test
of teamwork, and we learned a lot from their great anticipation. As
is common in international play, we gave Harvard pins to each
member of the other team, and they gave us some local chocolates.
It is so great to have the opportunity of this kind of water polo
experience so early in our season in order to get a jumpstart on
our learning curve.
Speaking of which, this evening we played the same team that we
did last night, and tonight we were significantly more dominant
over them. Perhaps a mix of our increased experience and sleep, we
enjoyed some solid success in the pool.
In between games, we toured a candy museum, but none like you've
ever seen before. The owner and head confectioner has won a number
of titles in "Confectionary Olympics" and is world renowned for his
edible creations. The museum was set up in an exhibit style with
over 200 pieces, and some of our favorites included a 10 foot tall
wall bottle, (Eger is the wine capital of Hungary), an oversized
set of Babushka dolls, a Picasso painting, and an entire fancy 17th
century style room of his sugar creations. It was absolutely
amazing!
After the museum we went over to the minaret. Built in the 17th
century, we learned about the minaret's colorful history including
it's origin as part of an Ottoman mosque, then converted to serve
St. Joseph's Catholic church, and finally as a symbol of Eger.
Lastly, we got to climb the 97 steps of the minaret and view the
Eger skyline at sunset. At 26 meters high, (the entire minaret is
40 meters) the panoramic views from the lookout were
incredible!
Even with all of what we covered today, the bird's eye view of the
town made real how much more we have to explore on this awesome
water polo trip!
Thanks for your continued interest and support!
All our best from Eger, Hungary,
- Devan Kennifer and Victoria Frager
Friday, January 6
Leaving Boston at 8:30pm, it took a six hour flight to Munich and
then a hour flight to arrive in Budapest, Hungary. We were
excited about the in-flight meals and personal movie screens, which
kept most of us up all night. From Budapest's airport we were met
by our guides who drove us two hours to the city of Egar while
passing through the country side. Right away we were taken to eat
lunch at a local restaurant where we ate a mysterious soup and
pasta. After our lunch, which was really our second breakfast since
Hungary is five hours ahead of EST, we crashed in our hotel rooms
for a quick nap. With not much sleep under our belts, we were
escorted to the local indoor pool that included our own private
locker room that's ours for the duration of our stay. We scrimmaged
a girls team who looked to be about our age and gave our tired
bodies a run for our money. There were no scoreboards so the
final score is undeterminable, but let's just say we won. We
ate a buffet dinner back at the hotel with a lot of unknown items
on the menu, but it was scrumptious all the same. Now everyone is
sure to fall asleep right away and be prepared for what lays ahead
for us tomorrow. Love and miss you all!
- Shayna Price and Aisha
Price
