American in Budapest

A Year of Living Extemporaneously

Mazel Tov

We met a young couple while waiting to get in one of our favorite restaurants here in Budapest, Mazel Tov. They were ahead of us in line and when we heard them speaking English with the “greeter,” Marsha asked them where they were from. “Vilnius, Lithuania,” they responded. Well, that kicked off a flurry of conversation, as three of Marsha’s grandparents were from that city. We had travelled there during our first stint in Budapest just a few years ago. But they were soon called to their table and we continued to wait in line…Soon, we were having dinner and toward the end of our meal, the couple came by and asked to join our table. Kasper, 34, is a lawyer in Vilnius, and his fiancé, Gabrielle, is an international model and also sells Korean cosmetics across Europe. They are traveling the continent here and Kasper had just proposed to Gabrielle on The Charles Bridge in Prague…While we were having a lively discussion, a small group of musicians started performing just behind us, consisting of only two–a fantastic saxophone player and a talented violinist. Their first song of the evening caught my attention, Sting’s An Englishman in New York. So it was: 2-Lithuanians and 2-Americans hanging out together, in a Middle-Eastern restaurant in Budapest, Hungary, while An Englishman in New York was pouring over us. Couldn’t help but savor the global pedigree of that moment in time… 

One response to “Mazel Tov”

  1. Beautiful foursome. Mazel Tov to the young couple on their engagement and to those other two for the openness to always speak up!

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