Eger, Hungary

First stop in Hungary, the little town that could....Eger.  If you look for it on the map, it's right up near Slovakia about two-thirds the way to the Ukraine.  Here's we're looking down on to Dobo Istvan Square and the Minorite Church.

Why is Eger so famous?  Back in 1552, the Ottomans were running rampant of Eastern Europe and taking Magyar (Hungarian for Hungary) cities.  But the citizens of Eger, led by Istvan Dobo held off the Ottomans and thereby became heroes to the Magyars! Notice the woman on the right throwing a pot of hot tar!!!  Everyone was in on the battle.

Another statue of the Eger battle

Senator Haz, the oldest building in Eger, and the location of our hotel.

A minaret, a leftover of the time when the Ottoman's ruled this part of the world.  We climbed to the top.  Look how skinny it is and you can imagine how claustrophobic it was.

The Eger Cathedral, Hungary's 2nd largest church.

Eger's Lyceum, one of the country's most important teachers college.  It has an amazing library (books ordered by size), an astronomical museum and a camera obscura.

Back to school to see the sites of the Lyceum....but all of the sites were closed.  Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the trip!!!

Playing on the cannons up at the castle complex.

D made me pose for this picture!!!

Hungary is famous for having thermal hot springs everywhere.  This huge complex out in the Eger countryside is the newly constructed Salt Hill Thermal complex.

Two and a half hours soaking, playing in the fountains and the bubble pool....

.....makes a boy tired so I ended the afternoon in the jacuzzi.

When the Ottoman's occupied the area, many citizens moved to houses dug out of the sides of hills.  These cave homes are now home to small mom and pop wineries.

In driving around, Zoltan here came out and was so cute he invited us in to taste his "sweet" wine.  It was actually gross.  BUT the only common language between us was GERMAN.  The Hungarians, being so long under Vienna's influence generally have German as their second tongue, and me, because I took German way back in high school.

Amazingly, I was able to pull out some of that rusty German and I was so psyched when something I said made sense to him and he would jolt his head and respond in kind.  The power of language.  Here he is asking me to try and translate some Chinese words in his guest book.  I had to tell him, sadly, that I can't read Chinese.

Look at this PILE of meat for dinner.

Eger's church at night.  Beautiful!