Wish You Were Here
HUNGARY: When San Jose residents Irene and Bob Shoberg took a river cruise last year, they added an extra day in Budapest so they could visit the nearby town of Sajoszentpeter. Armed with a packet of old, unidentified family photos, they hoped to find some trace of long-lost family, including Irene’s greatuncle, Jozsef Hamoros, and the church where Irene’s grandparents were married in 1901.
Their cabdriver not only took them to the church, he acted as translator and explained their mission to the priest. “I showed him the copy of my grandparents’ marriage license and my grandmother’s baptismal certificate,” Irene says. “After looking at the documents, the priest told us to get in the taxi and follow him. My heart started beating a bit faster.”
In a matter of minutes, they’d arrived at the home of Katalin Hamoros Szentivanyi — “my second cousin!” Irene says. The priest went in first and soon, “a woman was walking toward me carrying a beautiful wedding photo of her grandparents, Jozsef and Maria Hamoros. I brought out the old photos that I had from my dad. The first photo was of a young couple in traditional Hungarian outfits. Katalin left the room and returned with the very same photo I had!”
They spent hours together, poring over old photographs as Katalin supplied names and history and the cabbie translated. Since then, the two families have communicated via video chat and through Katalin’s son Peter, whose new job with a St. Louis hospital recently brought him to company headquarters for orientation in February — in Palo Alto. “What,” Irene says, “are the chances?”
Share your travels and staycation adventures with us! Send your selfies to jburrell@bayareanewsgroup.com. Be sure to tell us who’s who, where they’re from and where you are — and include travel tips.