First Snow

If you could have gotten my preschoolers to tear their faces away from the window this morning, they would have told you: first snows are magical.

When it stopped snowing before we could go outside for recess, I thought I had missed out on wondering at the splendor. But lucky for me, the evening brought me another chance. Every winter, Varosliget (the City Park that contains tourist hotspots like Heroes’ Square, the Széchenyi Baths, and Vajdahunyad Castle), converts one of its lakes to an ice rink.My friend and I were mostly too busy laughing and holding onto each other for dear life to notice much at first, but sure enough, he and I were soon competing to catch snowflakes on our tongues (while, you know, still not falling down). And somewhere after my tenth lap I looked up and couldn’t believe it: here I was, living in Europe, gliding over ice in the shadow of a castle. Wondering how it all seemed so normal.Two hours later my friend and I steered our wobbly legs back through Heroes’ Square. Up near the road the snow had already turned to slush, the sound of skates cutting ice replaced by trundling buses and impatient cars. But now I know where to find some exhilaration when I need it. I can’t think of a better way to have played in my first Hungarian snow!