The Danube Bend to Eger, Hungary

Monday, April 30, 2018

As we drove out of town, the streets of Budapest were quiet this Monday morning, as it seems that many in Hungary are turning their May Day holiday into a four-day weekend.  As the day went on, we probably encountered many  of the city’s residents out and about enjoying the towns along the Danube Bend north of Budapest, just as we were.

Our first stop was in Esztergom, where we drove to its Basilica, the largest church in Hungary. It sits atop Castle Hill, high above the town and the Danube, and is visible from miles away.  Celts and Romans found their way here and the town was the birthplace of Stephen I, the founder of the Hungarian State. He was crowned in the cathedral and the town served as the royal seat for about 250 years from the late tenth century.

We continued along the river to Visegrad, where the remains of a 13^th – century citadel dominate a promontory above the town and the river.  The citadel was drawing in busloads of visitors and all the nearby parking lots were full, so we satisfied our need for panoramic views at a roadside stop.  Across the river, the pretty town of Vac was spread out before us, with red tile roofs strung along the banks and climbing the green hills beyond. 

Szentendre is the most popular of the Danube Bend towns and the closet to Budapest. Its cobbled streets, narrow winding lanes, pastel buildings, and picturesque churches are a big draw in ordinary times; on this warm holiday, there were visitors galore.  With small shops, restaurants, beer stalls and street food galore, the historic center of town was packed from the riverside through the central square and beyond.  We were particularly struck by the lights strung across the main square. The lamp bulbs were decorated with large lampshades of many colors and patterns – wish we could have seen them lit up at night.

Leaving the Danube, we detoured off the highway to have a look at the town of Godollo, the site of a notable Habsburg Palace.  Then, it was on to our destination, Eger.

We had just rendezvoused and were chatting with the owner of our apartment in Eger when we heard sirens and saw flashing lights on the street we’d just crossed.  Suddenly, there loud crashing noises and a car spinning out of control.  The driver had entered the intersection and been hit by a police car that had been speeding to another emergency, along with several other police vehicles and an ambulance. Parts of cars flew everywhere, airbags deployed, tables and chairs in an empty sidewalk café were sideswiped, and the driver in the impacted convertible was immobile. It was a pretty frightening scene, and incredible that first responders were there to act almost before anyone could figure out what had happened.  What we did know, however, is that we were very lucky…

Our two-story apartment is very nice, and after settling in, we headed for Eger’s main square where holiday festivities were underway.  Food, drink and music filled the square and we had dinner in a restaurant with tables outside, so we had a bird’s eye view (and an earful!) of it all.

Tomorrow, we’ll see what Eger has to offer on the actual official holiday.  Everything may be closed, but I expect we’ll figure out something to do with our time here.

Budapest

Sunday, April 29, 2018

We began the day with a ride on the city’s newest Metro Line, with a station conveniently located on our corner.  Line 4 is just four years old and the stations we saw were spotless, accessible, and had clear directions at each station regarding which exits to use to connect to specific trams and buses – very sleek!

Thusly informed, we easily connected to the right bus to deliver us to  Memento Park, high in the hills above Budapest.  This open-air museum displays a collection of statues, plaques and monuments from the era of the Soviet occupation of Hungary. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, the statues, which had stood throughout Budapest, were gathered here, rather than being scrapped or destroyed.  Various Russian and Hungarian Communist leaders, soldiers and heroes are displayed in the park, along with plaques indicating where in the city the statues had originally stood.  The monumentality of several of the statues was a tangible statement of the force and power of the ruling Soviets. The museum also included some displays focused on the occupation, the 1956 Uprising and subsequent events, as well as a video compiled from Secret Police training films dealing with surveillance and spycraft.

It was sunny and warm in the midday sun, so we happily boarded the air conditioned bus down the hill to the Metro and then another bus through some lovely residential areas and up yet another hill.  Gellert Hill is just south of Castle Hill and is the site of the Citadel and the Liberty Statue, high above the Buda side of the Danube.  The views were lovely and it was nice to be at the feet of Hungary’s Miss Liberty; we’d become accustomed to seeing her from far below or across the river. 

We took the return bus back down to “earth” and found a tram that runs a nice ring around the city center.  We exited on the Margit Bridge for some photos (surprise!) south to the Parliament under a sky that was beginning to darken and some welcome breezes. 

Another short walk led us to another tram along the river and back for Happy Hour at “home.”

Budapest

Saturday, April 28, 2018

After purchasing a one-day pass for the transit system, we took a tram across the river to the Central Market Hall for a look around the cavernous, multi-level building, which opened in 1897.  The main floor is lined with vendors selling produce, meats (LOTS of sausages), caviar, wines, and varieties of the “national” spice, paprika.

We walked along the pedestrianized shopping street, Vaci Utca, to Vorosmarty Square to meet a walking tour group.  Our young guide, Dora, first led us through some of the notable squares and streets on the Pest side of the Danube, all the while giving us a sense of the history, geography, and culture of the city.  Like scenes from Make Way for Ducklings, we followed her to the banks of the Danube and then across the Chain Bridge to Buda.  It was an unseasonably warm day, so our trek to the top of Castle Hill didn’t feel exactly like a walk in the park; no doubt, if we’d been on our own we could have taken the bus or the funicular.  Nevertheless, the hilltop views across the river to Pest were lovely, with the bridge at our feet and the Parliament Building and Basilica of St. Stephen before us.

After the tour ended at the Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion, we had our lunch in a shady square, and then used a series of steps and staircases to get back to river level again. Our plan was to take one of the boats that travel up and down the river as part of the municipal transit system across the water to the Parliament.  Though Dora had said our passes would cover boat passage, we were told that the passes couldn’t be used on weekend boats.  We boarded anyway and when arranging to purchase tickets, we discovered that there was no charge for anyone over 65 – an unexpected perk of our advancing years!

After a few photographs of Parliament, we walked along the quay to view Shoes on the Danube.  This moving memorial, an assemblage of period  shoes sculpted of iron, honors the Jews and others who were shot into the Danube by the Arrow Cross militia in 1944, lines the river bank between Parliament and the Chain Bridge.

The cool breeze as we’d crossed the river had been a welcome relief on this very warm afternoon and we were starting to feel the effects of hours of walking, so we decided to take the boat south back to the dock right near our apartment for a little R and R before venturing out again later on.

After an extended Happy Hour and dinner in the apartment, we headed out to enjoy the beautifully lit city by night.  We used a combination of trams and shoe leather to cover both sides of the river from our digs north to the Margit Bridge and back.  The Parliament Building, Chain Bridge, Palace, Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church, and Liberty Statue were all illuminated and proved to be a pretty good match for the full moon above on this warm, clear night.

 

Padova to Budapest

Friday, April 27, 2018

Though we spent most of the day in the car, it was far from dull, a lost day, or drudgery.  We again found ourselves in three countries today (no saints, though) and the scenery on this beautiful day was just glorious. 

We continued our trek across the top of the Italian “boot” and entered Slovenia shortly after leaving Trieste.  In Slovenia, we purchased a vignette, a method an increasing number of European countries are using in lieu of highway tolls.  Similar to the EZ Pass system familiar in some parts of the US, vignettes eliminate the need to stop for toll collections.  Rather than the EZ Pass assessment of tolls for certain usage or events, the vignettes are purchased for unlimited use for a certain period of time.  In some countries, a windshield decal is used; others use a system of license plate registration and highway cameras.  We’ve collected three so far on this trip, and there are others yet to come.  All in all, it seems pretty efficient, which could explain why neither the French nor the Italians have yet adopted the idea.  In any case, the tolls on Italian autostrade are so steep, the government would surely lose revenue if they went to any palatably-priced vignette.

Enough about logistics, and on to the experience!  We spent much of the day in Slovenia and the countryside was just beautiful.  Small clusters of red tile-roofed homes, nestled on and among rolling green hills, peaceful small farms going about the business of Spring, small churches their steeples topped with sloping roofs, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and fields blanketed in the yellow flowers of rape seed (canola) plants, trees clothed in the pale green that only Spring brings – it was all stunning.

We were struck by the amount of traffic flowing in the opposite direction – toward Slovenia’s small coastline and Italy – many cars topped with bicycles or other gear, camper vans and motor homes, boats on trailers.  We theorized that early May Day holidays were underway, an idea that was bolstered when a little research revealed that this is a “Insurrection Day,” a national holiday, and that Slovenia celebrates both May 1 and 2 as its Labor Day holiday(s).  So, with a pesky Monday standing in the way of a six-day weekend, it appears that many Slovenians won’t be showing up for work on Monday!

The roads in Slovenia and Hungary were new and in great condition, as were some sections of the Italian highway, so the drive was an easy one (especially from the passenger’s seat!).

Living room and entrance hallway

We found our apartment in Budapest without any difficulty and the owner was there to meet us.  Our digs are fabulous – huge living room and bedroom and terrace all overlooking a main drag, two bridges over the Danube, and the famous Gellert Hotel and thermal baths across the street.  A large hallway opening onto the building’s interior courtyard, a kitchen and TWO bathrooms complete the accommodations.  Throw in an elevator, markets on the same block, several tram lines that stop at our front door, the fact that the owner saved us a (free) parking spot right in front of the building, reliable Wi-Fi, English-Language TV, and this would be hard to beat!

After getting settled, we walked across the Danube on the Liberty Bridge, whose towers are topped by sculptures of the Turul, the mythical bird that is the symbol of Hungary.  We were joined by lots of others out to enjoy the late afternoon sun as we walked along the Pest banks of the river, then back to Buda on the Elizabeth Bridge, with fine views of Gellert Hill, Castle Hill, the Chain Bridge and Parliament. Along the Buda banks, we passed the Rudas thermal bath complex and Gellert Hotel and baths before stopping in a market to pick up some provisions for our kitchen.  We enjoyed dinner in the apartment, happy to contemplate the next couple of days’ sightseeing here.