toodling

Sep 02, 2006 20:11

We made a few day trips when Rebecca was here. We traveled to Esztergom, Visegrad and Szentendre, three historical towns northwest of Budapest along The Danube Bend.

Esztergom, the royal seat of Hungary from the late 10th to the mid-13 centuries, is where King Stephen (as in St. Stephen) was born and crowned. We went straight to the Esztergom Cathedral, high on a hill above the Danube River. We walked across the cobblestone parking lot, leaned against an old stone wall, and soaking in the expansive views of the Hungarian countryside.

Inside the cathedral, Rebecca and I sat in the front and stared up at the massive oculus. Then we had a long conversation with God. Michael took pictures of the white statues overlooking the pews, and a skeleton head in a glass case.

Later, we walked around the grounds of the cathedral. I took a picture of a busking, pied piper. Rebecca found a crystal shop. She got an aventurine stone. I got two jaspers and an aventurine. Michael took a picture of a huge bronze, warrior statue. We also visited a strand of merchant shacks selling souvenirs. Rebecca bought souvenirs for friends in the states.

After lunch in Esztergom (which included eating pork knuckle), we traveled to the Visegrad Citadel. We trekked up a steep hill and again enjoyed amazing views of the Danube and the countryside. The citadel was a stony, medieval maze, and only a shell of the original. A falconer asked Rebecca and I if we wanted let his hawk perch on our arms. We said no. Rebecca said she did that in Russia once. After we descended the hill, we bought something to drink and Michael saw a t-shirt he liked. It said Hungary on it, with a horse head. But they didn't have his size.

Before heading back to Budapest, we stopped in Szentendre, a famous outpost for artists in the early 20th century. We drank Dreher sor (beer) at a bar on the Danube. We didn't get a chance to explore the town because it was getting late. Michael and I hope to go back soon.

While Rebecca was here, we also went to the Szechenyi Baths, where the thermal waters apparently heal various ailments; and took a ride up the chair lift at the Niche Camping site next door. The lift drops you near the Elizabeth Lookout, a tower built in 1908 at Budapest's highest peak, 527 meters. We opted not to hike up to the lookout and instead bought some beers and found a spot in the woods with a good view of Budapest. We watched the afternoon wane, made rings with grass and talked about pretty much everything.




view froms Esztergom Cathedral





Esztergom Cathedral



(photo below: MW)



the oculus



pied piper



michael captures statue



(photo below: MW)



views from the Visegrad Citadel



(two photos below: RK)





Visegrad Citadel



Buda Hills







visegrad, esztergom, szentendre, rebecca, budapest, america, hungary

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