Traveller

We also had such a system a decade ago. However, it was abolished for reasons of personal data protection. Now we have separate ID numbers for tax, social insurance and personal ID purposes.

Well, if I were an Armenian woman, I would be surely lesbian as there's nothing more tempting than the beauty of Armenian women.

Perhaps you refer to "paprikás csirke" which is chicken with gnocchi-like garnish ("galuska"), served with spicy sour cream? Balatonfured is nice indeed, it's the only inhabitable town at the lake during summer... oh yes, and lángos, that's fine, too :-) don't mention it to your trainer or doctor, though. I heard that Armenia has a special kind of vodka, mulberry vodka? Is that true? In "good old" Communist times, Armenian cognac was relatively easy to get but I haven't seen any stuff for years. Well, I hope to get my share when visiting there.

Hi Arpa, thank you very much for the helpful links, I'll check them out. Actually, the planned visit is part of a long-term project of mine. I have a soft spot for Armenian culture and history - perhaps as we share a lot similarities in our history - and after covering ancient Armenia (Ani, Akhdamar, Van...), it's time to go to Armenia proper. If u care to see, here are my images from my last trip: http://mappa.prim.hu/Pataky - Armenia gallery. I hope to collect enough images to make up a nice black-and-white photo book. (Photographically seen, Armenia seems to be THE country to go to for marvellaous BandW shots.) OFF There's an old university town in Hungary called "Sárospatak" or "Patak", and Pataki means "the guy who came from Patak". On the other hand, "patak" also means "fragile little girl" in Hindi, something that caused lots of funny moments on my trip to India as I'm a fat, big and ugly male. :-) Regards, Trav [ June 20, 2002, 07:38 AM: Message edited by: Traveller ]

Heyya all, I want to visit Armenia during September this year, any ideas what to see? (Sure, I am aware enough of Etzchmiadzin, Ambered etc....) Do you have any ideas of highlights off the beaten track and in Yerevan? Are there any church events or other popular festivals in Armenia at this time? THX. Trav [ June 20, 2002, 03:51 AM: Message edited by: Traveller ]

Hi Steve, Present-day Moldavia is actually one former Roumanian principality, occupied by the Soviets after WW2. When changes came in the '90s, Moldavia decided to become an independent state and not to join Roumania. Walachia is the other of these two ancient Roumanian duchies from which the Roumanian Kingdom was formed in the 1870s. Transsylvania, on the other hand, is across the Carpathian mountains and can be called the last outpost of Western culture in Europe, as it was always under the influence of the West (Roman-Gothic-Renaissance architecture, Protestant and Roman Catholic religions). Until the recent decades, Transsylvania was home to a large and prosperous Armenian community, too (who migrated there from Ani). Transsylvania has had its share of Byzantine and Orthodox influence (due to immigration of Roumanian - Walachian - settlers), but it's justified to refer to it as Western, and to the provinces of Walachia and Moldavia (east of the Carpathian Mountains) as Eastern culture. Anyway, it was Transsylvania which belonged to Hungary since the country was founded in the 10th century; that's where the best of Hungarian culture comes from, and it's something to us like Anatolian Armenia to you. There also were a lot of German and Armenian towns and communities there but it's now all gone, thanks to the joined efforts of Communism and Roumanian chauvinisme. Regards, Trav

Dear Steve, unfortunately I wasn't able to find anything on this matter on the Hungarian net. I collected my info from a slide presentation by a student of architecture a year ago. One remark, though. Moldavia is quite far from historical Hungary, and there are all but no cultural, religious, architectural or whatever links between Hungary and Moldavia countries. I'll let you know when I get any more info on this matter. Regards, Trav

bellthecat wrote, "... there was no influence on European architecture!" Well-informed on Ani as he is, bellthecat is wrong here but I can't blame him for it :-) There is a signifant Armenian architectural influence on early Hungarian church architecture, especially in the X-XII centuries. The finest examples are now in Rumania (which we lost after WWI to the Rumanians just like you did Ani etc. to the Turks). The reasons therefore might be twofold. First, some Armenian architects may have made their way to Hungary through Byzantium, which is likely since the south-eastern parts of Hungary were under strong Byzantine influence at that time, and Armenian architects were the best in the Empire (it was them who renovated Hagia Sophia after the first quake brought down its dome). The other reason might be that on their long trek from the Ural steppe to present-day Hungary, the ancient Hungarians might have learned one or two things from Armenians who where at the height of their power at that time. As a matter of fact, a significant number of Armenians migrated to Hungary - Transylvania - in the XII-XIII century, at the time when Ani begun its decline. Almost all Hungarian Armenians are descendants of those settlers from Ani. However, they arrived later than when those churches with Armenian style-elements were built, making the first the most probable explanation for this influence in our architecture. Regards, Trav

Yes, Virtualani, isn't it a wonderful site? I had made extensive use of it when I prepared the info material for my exhibition in the Armenian Cultural Centre in Budapest. Wrote them a thanxgiving letter, but didn't get any reply, though :-( Thanks to you all for for your interest! I hope I can post more pix in a couple of days. Regards, Trav

Hi all, I am a Hungarian photographer, and I'm currently working on a long-term project to capture the spirit of Armenia - landscapes, history, people. Recently, I made an extensive trip to the Armenian heartland in now-Anatolia, visiting Akhdamar, Van, Ani, Ararat. Please let me share my photographs at http://mappa.prim.hu/Pataky with you. Check out the Armenia gallery. It's a free site, no banners or commercials! I do not get anything for doing this project or visits to my gallery. I do it only to share my impressions with you. For the time being, I plan to continue my project in Armenia proper, sooner or later. Finding friends there would be great, one day we could be meeting in Yerevan, sipping wine and telling stories :-) I'd appreciate pen-pals or anyone who would like to write to a Hungarian guy who fell in love with your homeland. Feel free to download the pictures, they're yours after all. All the best, Trav