No, you're not imagining things. This is a small plane going at top speed under the Chain Bridge in Budapest. The bridge is only 10 meters above the water and the plane is going at full speed.

August 20th is St. Steven's day in Hungary. Istvan (in the local tongue) was the first king of Hungary and became a saint due to the fact that he converted the country to Christianity. Today, his day marks the national holiday of Hungary and believe me that the Hungarians - mostly known for their solemn mood - do know how to celebrate! The day started with a boring event at Heroes Square with a speech by the president about some trouble with the Slovaks. However, it soon "warmed up" when the Red Bull Air Race entered high-gear. For this air race, pilots steer small planes UNDER a bridge and in between floating poles, all over the Danube river in the middle of the city! If you haven't seen this one before, you have to check it out on YouTube below. And just to keep things interesting, the bridge happens to be loaded with explosives. Yes, you heard right! During the race, the bridges were already loaded with the fireworks to be used for the half-hour show that would close the day. In fact, they placed fireworks on two bridges, on barges on the river between the two bridges and on a neighboring hill for a 360 explosa-palooza of an event. If you have a 1/2 hour "to burn", check it out. And oh yes, in the Cathedral of St. Steven is stored his mummufied right-hand. Once a year, on this day, it is taken for its annual walk followed by a long procession of priests and followers.

Visegrád is a small town on the riverbanks of the Danube. The town, which used to be the royal seat of Hungary, rests to the foots of the ruin of a medieval castle that enjoys a commanding view of the river bend.  This weekend was Visegrád's annual Medieval Fair and the town's main street was lined with stands selling anything from handcrafted art to traditional foods. The star attraction of the day was without doubt the recreation of a medieval battle in the small arena. Actors in medival clothes were battling eachother with horses, archers, crossbowmen and even cannons. Apparently, the bad knights "kidnapped" a lady and she had to be rescued.

The Neusiedler See is a small and shallow "sea" on the border between Austria and Hungary. It is mostly a natures reserve but, as you can see from the picture, you can still go boating on parts of it. If you go, make sure to visit the nearby town of Rust which is well known for the numerous storks who make their home atop its chimneys.

Kecskemét is a lovely town about 1hr south of Budapest. It's the 8th largest city in Hungary (which means it is quite small) and has a beautiful central square surrounded by interesting architecture.

Just like that, out of the Rimini blue, this song became one of my favorites... :)

I don't care who you are, Jibjab's spin on the upcoming US election is funny right there!

June 24 was la festa di San Giovanni, which is the patron saint of Florence. The corteo storico (historic parade) paraded through town with 500 people in costumes, a few horses and even one cow! Can you imagine walking slowly in the sun in those heavy silk costumes? I got too much sun and I was just standing there taking their photos (they are still in the camera). These past weeks have seen 35c plus every day... After the corteo, there was the annual calcio storico (historic soccer) game at Piazza Santa Croce. The game commemorates the fact that the early version of soccer was invented in Florence back in the Roman days. At the time, fouls were not yet invented and the punching was very much part of the game. Check it out on YouTube. It's quite entertaining. At the end of the day fireworks were shot from Piazzale Michelangelo just above the river. The riverfront was packed with thousands upon thousands of people! It was VERY nice to behold. In Italy is seems, there are more fireworks in the day of the city than in any national day. Italians for some reason, don't like celebrating being Italian but do like celebrating their regional identity. And speaking of firewoks... Happy 4th of July to my American friends!