It was a lifetime wish to visit the land my grandfather left over a hundred years ago, a wish I thought would never come true. But circumstances changed and in 2018 we had the opportunity to take the Fall Wine and Culinary Tour operated by Magyar Marketing. Liz Szabo-Vos, the amazing owner of Magyar Marketing, organized and conducted a tour that took us to ancient wineries and fine restaurants, new wineries and beautiful churches, large wineries and palaces, and small wineries and old factories producing cloth and porcelain with time tested methods. It was a smorgasbord of history and culture. Despite a full schedule, the pace was leisurely with ample opportunity to sit in the park or shop in the numerous quaint shops and markets. The transportation was always comfortable, the accommodations were very nice, and the local guides were simply great. It was all so well done.
Liz goes above and beyond the call of duty. Learning that we were also planning to search for relatives, she volunteered to arrange a driver/guide/interpreter to assist us. As a result, we were able to return to the small village my grandfather left a century ago. We found the house he lived in, the church he attended, and the old cemetery with the names of my ancestors on the headstones. By sheer good fortune we also found my cousin, Bandi, the same age as I, and a complete stranger for 75 years. We are now in regular contact by mail, and we were able to attend his 50th wedding anniversary last October. We have found a whole new family!
András és Kathleen, Virginia