Blog by Steve Laug

I have the pleasure of travelling to Europe at least once a year for work. It is a great time to connect with colleagues and enjoy the food and fellowship of the visits to each city on the circuit. But honestly it is always an opportunity to visit some local pipe shops – many of which I have been to in the past and reconnect with the owners and pipemen there. This year my first stop out of Vancouver, Canada was Bologna, Italy. I love the architecture and feel of the city as it it is a beautiful feast for the eyes. Last year when I visited there I went to Bonfiglioli’s pipe shop and picked up a pipe and 8 grams of Alberto’s special blend of tobacco. This year I visited again and bought 90+ grams of the tobacco to bring home. I jarred it when I got back home. It is a great blend. The next pipe shop I visited was in Budapest, Hungary. It was a shop that I had visited last in 2015. It was an old shop call Gallwitz Pipes & Walking Sticks. My Hungarian friend took me there on this trip as well. When I visited it this time I spent time with the current owner and proprietor of the shop, Viktor Zollner (the grandson of the last Gallwitz owner). We had a great visit talking about the current state of pipes and pipe repair in Hungary since the previous time that I had visited. Viktor had carved many pipes but was currently focusing his attention on pipe repair and estate pipes. He said that he loves the challenge of pipe and stem repair more than pipe carving – just as I do. He showed me a lot of estate pipes and we had a great visit.He showed me many different pipes, brands I had heard off but not seen in person before. There were some stunning examples of unrestored estates and finished ones. There was a fascinating freehand pipe that had a definite Danish flair to it that caught my eye. There was also something different about the design as well that I could not put my finger on. We talked about it and I could not quite catch the name of the pipe. When I worked on it I was able to decipher that it was a Tatu Pipe 1126 Freehand. I have done the restoration on it since I have been home and it is a beauty. Here is the blog link to the pipe that shows my restoration. (https://rebornpipes.com/2023/11/06/restoring-a-budapest-purchase-a-tatu-pipe-1126-freehand/). I am really pleased with how it turned out. At that point in the process my Hungarian friend told me to choose a pipe that would be a gift from our group in Budapest. I decided it might be a nice touch to make it a Gallwitz hand carved pipe done by the owner and proprietor, Viktor Zollner. I asked him to show me one of his pipes so he took one out and showed me it. The choice was made for a stylized straight Bulldog. It came in a nice suede leather bag bearing the Gallwitz logo. The two pipes and the tobacco I came home with are some nice ones and also hold some great memories. The Hungarian Hand Made Gallwitz is one that will always bring back memories of my friends in Budapest who gifted it to me. The Hand Made Tatu is a unique one that provided a fun challenge for me. The tobacco is a blend I have tried before and enjoyed – combining some red Virginias and Kentucky that is flavorful. The pipe portion of the trip was as successful as the rest of the trip. It definitely contributed some great pipes and tobacco to enjoy! Thanks for reading the blog.