"DABAS - Not where I intented to go" Dabas by CJD68

Took a side-trip from Budapest to see if I could do a little genealogical research on my father's side of the family. Before heading to Europe, I searched for the town of VINGA in Hungary. The website I used found a match right near Dabas. So, like all good adventuresome travellers, I jumped onto a local train with my wife & sister-in-law and we heading into the Hungarian countryside.

The train station at Dabas has two rooms - the ticket office with a few plain benches and a small tavern. Unfortunately for us, all the signs were only in Hungarian and none of the locals could communicate in English, German or Russian. We were completely on our own.

We ventured off on foot down a dirt road, but had to keep our eyes on the wild dogs scurrying in the overgrown grass and shrubbery. There were no signs as to where the town was, and it was not obvious from the train station. With some good fortune, we made a correct guess and found ourselves on a paved road with signs. The town was within sight, so we turned right and marched off in that direction.

One of the larger hotels that we came across on the edge of town displayed a "Coke" sign and a few other English words. We went inside to see if we could get a little local assistance in finding the mysterious town of Vinga. The staff was friendly and helpful, but we both lacked the language skills to make much headway. In the end, I borrowed the phone books and we copied family surnames, addresses and phone numbers onto paper to carry back with us.

Since we were in Dabas, we decided to walk further into the town. What a nice surprise. The sidewalks were being completely rebuilt with decorative bricks that made it quite attractive. The stores were all in the process of remodelling and updating to be more "western" friendly. Many still did not carry much merchandise, but it was a start.

Road crews were out patching holes in the streets while children laughed and ran around playgrounds. After the initial disappointment upon our arrival at the train station, we felt so much better about the town and people.

We only spent 4 or 5 hours in Dabas, but it left us with some wonderful stories and memories.

I need to mention one last thing - The town of Vinga that my family came from is now in Romania, not Hungary. The border changed in the early 1900s and I was recalling my great grandparents being of Austro-Hungarian descent.

• Pros:Making major improvements on its appearance.
• Cons:Not mush around or to do.
• In a nutshell:Experience the "real" Hungary