Hungarian Travel -- My Hunky Story

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It was the trip of a lifetime for us -- My Hunky Story of our Hungarian Vacation Travel.

Ah, the start of the adventure -- the start of a Hungarian story, my Hungarian story -- my trip of a lifetime!  We originally flew into Venice, Italy, where we spent several days before embarking on the night train into Vienna, Austria.  The train ride itself was an adventure worthy of its own lens; well, perhaps when I have some time!  From Vienna, we caught a regional train into Hungary--the commencement of this memorable pictorial!

To get a real taste for Hungary and Eastern European travel, I highly recommend that you take a regional train and go for that night train!  Trust me, you won't soon forget it.

I've written several related lenses, showcased below, which complement this particular lens as a pictorial of our vacation in Eastern Europe in May 2004. P.S. You'll get to see much of my personal photography from this trip in the various text modules and as a slideshow!

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First Leg of the Journey :: The Night Train to Vienna 

Getting out of Venice, Italy

On Saturday, May 22, 2004, we took the night train with a sleeper cabin from Venice to Vienna. The train ride was approximately 7-1/2 hours.

Treno nr. ICN 771. In 1A classe prenotazione obbligatoria; Carrozze-letti; Carrozze-cuccette.
  • Venezia S. Lucia
  • Venezia Mestre
  • Udine
  • Pontebba
  • Tarvisio Boscoverde
  • Tarvisio Centrale
  • Villach Hbf
  • Klagenfurt Hbf
  • Leoben Hbf
  • Bruck a. d. Mur
  • Wiener Neustadt Hbf

Next Leg of the Journey :: The Day Train to Keszthely 

Leaving Vienna, Austria for Hungary

Arriving in Vienna, Austria, on Sunday, May 23, 2004, we literally had to jump off the train as it was a quick stop. We grabbed a little breakfast and made arrangements to catch another train over the border to Sopron. There we were escorted to a train that surely must have run during the first or second World War. Another 4 hours and we ultimately arrived in Keszthely, Hungary.

Treno nr. ER 7761. Solo 2a classe.
  • Wiener Neustadt Hbf
  • Mattersburg
  • Sopron
  • Buk
  • Szombathely
  • Sarvar
  • Celldomolk
  • Sumeg
  • Tapolca
  • Keszthely

Hungary 

The regions of Hungary include:
Budapest
Central Danubia
Central Transanubia
Lake Balaton
Southern Transdanubia
Western Transdanubia
Northern Hungary
Northern Great Plain
Southern Great Plain
Lake Tisza.

Club Dobogómajor: Hungarian Timeshare 

RCI Exchange ~ Club Dobo

Club Dobogómajor
Hevizi Utca 1, Cserszegtomaj, Hungary
Phone: (36) 83.531.991
Abbazia Group

Cserszegtomaj is a village between the town of Keszthely and the famous spa town Hévíz. The resort is situated 800m from the largest thermal lake in central Europe, where you can swim year round due to the water temperature.

Lake Balaton, with all its water sport facilities, is only 6 km. away. The area north of Lake Balaton is famous for its landscapes and vineyards. The town of Keszthely offers shopping facilities and a picturesque castle.

Please be sure to visit my lens on Club Dobogómajor as I've added more pictures there of the club and grounds.

Club Dobogómajor: Cabins 

What a wonderful place to stay in western Hungary. We were very fortunate to find this through a timeshare exchange.

It's not often I give a place a 4-star recommendation, but I'm highly endorsing this place.

Our cottage actually looked just like the one in the picture.

Cserszegtomaj at a glance 

Cserszegtomaj is a village in Zala county, Hungary.

Festetics Castle - Keszthely 

Keszthely is a Hungarian town of 23,000 inhabitants located on the western shore of Lake Balaton.

Though settled since at least Roman times, the first historical evidence of the town Keszthely dates from a 1247 document. Since 1421, Keszthely has been a market town.

Of interest to sightseers are Festetics Castle, built 1745, and the Balaton Museum, displaying geological and archaeological exhibitions.

My hubby took this particular picture.

Keszthely at a glance 

Keszthely (; ) is a Hungarian town of 23,000 inhabitants located on the western shore of Lake Balaton.

Though settled since at least Roman times (the Keszthely culture of Romance pannonian language), the first historical evidence of the town Keszthely dates from a 1247 document. Since 1421, Keszthely has been a market town.

Of interest to sightseers are Festetics Palace, built 1745, and the Balaton Museum, displaying geological and archaeological exhibitions.

The Faculty for Agriculture of University of Pannonia is located in Keszthely.

Keszthely pics 

vihar előtti csend by rozsagab

vihar előtti csend

Szigetfürdő, Keszthely by rozsagab

Szigetfürdő, Keszt...

Lamp from a tale by gregoriosz

Lamp from a tale

az első idei. by tutuka

az első idei.

terepasztal by tutuka

terepasztal

terepasztal by tutuka

terepasztal

terepasztal by tutuka

terepasztal

terepasztal by tutuka

terepasztal

terepasztal by tutuka

terepasztal

terepasztal by tutuka

terepasztal

terepasztal by tutuka

terepasztal

terepasztal by tutuka

terepasztal

Hévíz at a glance 

Hévíz is a town in Zala county, Hungary.

Category: Image - :Hévíz fürd?.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Aerialphotograhy: Lake Hévíz

Tofurdo in Heviz 

Tofurdo is the well known spa located in the town of Hévíz which is near Lake Balaton.

Tofurdo Flowers 

The grounds surrounding and leading up to the Tofurdo spa, were beautifully-kept.

It was amazing to see the amount of organization that went into planting all these flowers.

Heviz pics 

Inside. by Jacob Last

The blue church in H?z.

Stained glass. by Jacob Last

All of this was done in 2003 I think.

Ahhhh by Jacob Last

A very new and beautiful church. by Jacob Last

We were just walking around H?z and found this.

The organ. by Jacob Last

Was being played.

Tavirózsák háborúja by Naphátú

A h?zi csata k?i k?.

White Egret - Lake Balaton 

According to an old legend, deep in the middle of Lake Balaton, there is a church with a girl inside, who is feeding the silky waters of the lake with her tears.

Lake Balaton at a glance 

Lake Balaton, located in Hungary, is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the foremost regional tourist destinations. Due to Hungary being landlocked, it is often affectionately called the "Hungarian Sea". The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and the canalized Sió is the only outflow.

With a surface area of 592 km² has a length of 77 km and a width ranging from 4 to 14 km. The lake's surface is 104 m above sea level, and its depth varies up to 12.2 m (mean depth is 3.2 m).

Lake Balaton pics 

Prohibited! by Gribiche

Prohibited!

The balmy shores of Lake Balaton by Gribiche

The balmy shores of...

Dinner by psalmi76

Dinner

fireworks at siofok by psalmi76

fireworks at siofok

fireworks at siofok by psalmi76

fireworks at siofok

Sofas by psalmi76

Sofas

strange colours by Füred Kemping by psalmi76

strange colours by F...

fireworks at siofok by psalmi76

fireworks at siofok

Jurij by psalmi76

Jurij

fireworks at siofok by psalmi76

fireworks at siofok

fireworks at siofok by psalmi76

fireworks at siofok

Armenian music by psalmi76

Armenian music

Budapest at a glance 

Category: File - :Buda Schedel.jpg|right|thumb|265px|Buda Castle during the Middle Ages.

Category: File - :Budai Vár este.jpg|thumb|right|265px|Buda Castle Quarter

Budapest (, also or ; ; Category: Names of European cities in different languages - : B|names in other languages) is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation center and is considered an important hub in Central Europe. In 2008, Budapest had 1,702,297 inhabitants, down from a mid-1980s peak of 2.1 million. The Budapest Commuter Area (or Greater Budapest) is home to 3,271,110 people.History of the Budapest Commuter Association (English))Settlements of the Budapest Commuter Area (Hungarian) The city covers an area of within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with a unification on 17 November 1873 of right-bank Buda and Óbuda with left-bank Pest.Molnar, A Concise History of Hungary, Chronology pp. 15.

Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement, was the direct ancestor of Budapest, becoming the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Magyars arrived in the territory in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241-42. The re-established town became one of the centers of Renaissance humanist culture in the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule,Molnar, A Concise History of Hungary, Chronology pp. 15 development of the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became an alpha world city after the 1873 unification. It also became the second capital of Austria-Hungary, a great power that dissolved in 1918. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust in 1944, the Battle of Budapest of 1945, and the Revolution of 1956.

Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, its extensive World Heritage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes' Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest in Europe. Other highlights include a total of 80 geothermal springs, the world's largest thermal water cave system, second largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building. The collections of the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts are also significant.

The city ranked 3rd (out of 65 cities) on Mastercard's Emerging Markets Index (2008), and ranked as the most livable Central/Eastern European city on EIU's quality of life index (2009). It attracts over 20 million visitors a year. The headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the first foreign office of the CIPA will be in Budapest.

Budapest View 

During our stay at The Marriott in Budapest, on the River Danube, the view was incredible.

This is a bit over-exposed view of Capitol Hill at night from our room!

Budapest Train Station 

This is the outside view of the train station in Budapest. We crossed under the street on our way to check out one of the major cemetaries.

Budapest Cemetary 

We were blown away by the magnificence of this particular monument.

It was probably the most ornate, and expensive, of all the monuments in this particular Budapest cemetary.

Budapest pics 

Buddapest by Akajos

Buddapest

img_6868 by Akajos

img_6868

Parliament spires by keepwaddling1

Parliament spires

Budapest (Hungary 1997) by hdport

Budapest (Hungary 19...

Millennium Monument (Budapest 1997) by hdport

Millennium Monument...

Budapest (Hungary 1997) by hdport

Budapest (Hungary 19...

Budapest Tram (Hungary 1997) by hdport

Budapest Tram (Hunga...

Chain Bridge.. by Roy G.

Chain Bridge..

ING part #2 by GyakornokPotyautas

ING part #2

EEA in Budapest by GyakornokPotyautas

EEA in Budapest

Dózsa György út. by GyakornokPotyautas

Dózsa György út.

137.. by Roy G.

137..

Hungarian Church 

The churches in the Hungarian countryside were usually pretty old and relatively gothic in structure. We came upon this particular church chapel quite by accident.

Hungarian Violinist 

Budapest Marriott Hotel

We stayed in Budapest at The Marriott on the River. Throughout our stay there, we'd sit at the open air cafe out back.

This particular violinist was there every evening playing his violin. I feel this picture truly captures the Hungarian feeling.

Girl with Babushka 

This is another picture that I feel captures the Hungarian "mood" in that this little girl is wearing a babushka!

The Sunday we were in Budapest, there was a festival at The Parliament building. A big area had been filled with sand where many children brought their buckets and shovels.

Hungarian Pictorial :: Satu Mare slideshow 

I took these photos when I visited Satu Mare

Hotel Dacia - Satu Mare, Romania 

Situated in the old center of the city, the Dacia Hotel. It was built in 1902 upon the old City Hall location and the Royal Court. The Dacia Hotel complex is an architectonic jewel realized in Secession style, awarded in 1903 at a architectural exposition in Vienna.

I took this picture which won second place in a photo contest for a Fuji Film company!

E-mail: office@hoteldacia.ro
Phone: 0040.261.715.773

Villa Bódi - Satu Mare, Romania 

Situated in the historical center of the city, the building recently renewed shelters recently this villa endowed with air-conditioning, sauna, mini bar, souvenir shop. Classic and elegant, the villa is entirely furnished with XIX century style antic furniture.

We stayed at this hotel and give it a HIGH recommend!

E-mail: villa_bodi@datec.ro
Phone: 0040.261.710.862

Tiled Building - Satu Mare, Romania 

We found this artistically-interesting, tiled building a block or two from the center of the city of Satu Mare. It was near a marketplace and hub of activity. I'm currently researching more information about this building.

I took this picture which won third place in a photo contest for a Fuji Film company!

Info: Hungary 

Go to Hungary
The official website of the Hungarian National Tourist Office, New York.
Lake Balaton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Lake Balaton Tourism
Balaton Regional Touristic Project Office.
Keszthely
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Pictures of Hungary
You'll feel like you are actually there visiting Hungary, some of these pictures are that good.

Info: Satu Mare, Romania 

Satu Mare City Hall
You'll be amazed at what you can learn from this website about the city of Satu Mare!
History of Satu Mare City
At the end of World War I and as a consequence of the conditions created by the achievement of the 1918 Union, Satu Mare enjoys a significant development in all domains of the economic, social and cultural life.

Hungarian / Romanian Hotels 

Marriott Budapest
Apaczai Csere Janos Ut. 4, Budapest 1052, Hungary
It is ranked #11 of 217 hotels in Budapest. Average price: $231.
Hotel Dacia, Satu Mare
Piata Libertatii nr. 8, Satu Mare, Romania
Satu Mare was formerly Szatmar, Hungary, until after WWI, when it became part of Romania.
Villa Bodi, Satu-Mare
Liberty Square nr. 5, Satu Mare, Romania 440014

Hungarian Art 

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Drop me a line ... 

I've shared a few of my many pictures of Hungary and its beautiful countryside. I hope you've enjoyed this lens, and maybe some day you will also have the pleasure of traveling to Hungary.

dc64 wrote...

What an adventure! Budapest looks ancient and historical, I would love to visit it. The legend of Lake Balaton is sad. The Dacia Hotel looks like a Grand Palace. There are so many beautiful places in the world and so little time (and money)...sigh.

ReplyPosted May 27, 2009

thesolowriter wrote...

just discovered this! I want to take my Mom to Hungary someday and this inspired me to do it sooner rather later. Great job!

How have you been? Happy New Year to you!

ReplyPosted January 10, 2009

 
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