Hotel Karat Komarom

... to be built around 1000 AD but have been destroyed multiple times (by warfare or fire usually). They are then built up, presumably of similar architecture as the original. Entire "old town" areas have been rebuilt like this. The result can be a beautiful area that feels so much like it must have been at its peak. The core of the question is not the aesthetic quality but whether this is truly the old town and its historic buildings.

Sharon leaves ...

... of buildings from the 1700s plus and a river that sits at its walls. Nothing remarkable but a decent place to chill for a day or 2. Very few people makes it a little dreary. Since we can't find any nightlife, we go to a very nice restaurant (no English menu) then call it a night. Sharon is filling queasy so it is probably the right move. We are staying at a nice hotel which makes for a nice change.

... Basilica on the top of a big hill, in what seemed to be a small town. We decided to take a break from driving and stop to take a walk up to the basilica. Eszertagom was the name of the town and after a steep climb up the hill we came to a beautiful Basilica with gardens and a small forest. At the back of the Basilica there was a lookout over the river into Slovakia. After enjoying a break from driving and stretching out our legs we hopped back in the car to Budapest!

We've been biking through Czech, Slovania, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria. These countries are so tiny and so close together, you turn your wheel and you're in another one. The remarkable thing is that each of these countries have their own language and currency... but there's no real check-in or customs. We just ride our bikes across the border and our guide says "that was Slovania."

Some areas look like what you would have imagined a former Eastern Bloc country ...

Today was Saint Istvan Day in Hungary -- their national holiday similar to Canada Day but without the national pride apparently.

We started the day by visiting some of Attila's old friends. They were lovely people and typically Hungarian... even though I kept refusing more, they kept refilling my glass with homemade wine! We had a great visit. It was nice to talk to people who adapted their ...

... around (in the rain) until we found someone who worked there. He said that because the museum was open the day before for the holiday, it was closed today. Wonderful. So we hopped back in the car and drove to the southern outskirts of Budapest to Szoborpark or Statue Park (where it was no lobger raining -- Yay!). Statue Park is another outdoor museum; one where an enterprising collector has stored a vast number of ...

... lately, the cars sporting a thin coating of mud. Out the window I see three kids waiting for the bus. As the bus pulls up, they take one last drag on their cigarettes and flick the butts away in unison. They will no doubt exhale into the bus driver's face. Funny what you remember about school. What little of the Hungarian countryside I've seen in the daylight looks a lot like Eastern Washington in the Winter, if they replaced the tract houses with ...

... stops and I get off. Walking up and down the platform I finally locate a small brass plaque on an office door. Komarom. Here the language gap gets critical. The lobby here isn't nearly as seedy as Keleti station, but there's nobody in it. The action appears to be on the street side. Three guys sitting on the steps bundled up against the cold, wisely consuming antifreeze. I'm always a little suspicious of people sitting around drinking out of paper bags, but these guys seem happy ...

... pits but that was it for sight seeing. The rest of our time in Chesky was filled with eating beautiful meals, drinking, and floating down the river on a raft, stopping in at bar after bar on the way. Our experience of the Czech people has been really good. They all have been friendly and helpful, which adds a special touch to the place. We only decided to stay at Ceshy Krumlov at the last minute but once we were here we didn't want to leave. Such a great place and we recommend to all.

... Basilica in Esztergom, which overlooks the Danube



Overview of Danube Bend

The Danube Bend (Dunakanyar), a string of small riverside towns (-in particular, Szentendre, Visegrád, and Esztergom) just north of Budapest, is a popular excursion spot for foreigners and Hungarians alike. Inasmuch as the name "Danube Bend" suggests a single change in the river's ...