**Diamonds**

For the seven months that we have been in Hungary, I have been admiring all of the beautiful jewelry in the jewelry shop windows downtown. Finally, we decided to step into a few shops and take an up-close look at the gorgeous gems! It was then we realized that all of the "diamonds" are fakes!! There is not one diamond in the small town of Pápa! After speaking to a sales woman, who spoke English, we learned that there is not a market for real diamonds in town. The real stones that are offered, a few natural gemstones, are under lock and key. It is amazing to see this huge difference in the jewelry market. Back home, real diamonds fill jewelry cases and shops are crowded with people making purchases. Here, if you desire a diamond, you buy a zirconia.