Szentendre and Visegrad

We left for Szentendre around 1:30pm. I made the mistake of not eating lunch before we left but my excitement to get out of the big city took priority over my hunger.

When we arrived in Szentendre, we immediately went to check into our hotel. The man at reception was incredibly nice and our hotel was very quaint, cute and clean.

After we got settled we began our walk into Szentendre. It was only about a ten minute walk and it was a beautiful day. It was like a European dream. There were cobblestone streets everywhere and churches over the shops and houses below. The best part of Szentendre was the food! there were food places everywhere. It felt like I had seen more restaurants in Szentendre than I had seen in my months in Budapest (this cannot possibly be true but sheesh).

The first place we ate was a Mexican restaurant. Inside, it was vibrant and colorful just as you would imagine places in Latin America would be. The food was like actual Mexican food. To be fair, I have never been to Mexico. I am basing this claim on time spent in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and etc. It was a fantastic first meal away from the big city.

Afterwards, we walked the streets of Szentendre. There really isn't much to do but admire the scenery around you. There is a street that features huge lampshades above your head and another street that features colorful umbrellas. It is an excellent place for a quick photo opportunity.

After a while it began to get pretty darn cold so we began our ten minute trek back to our hotel. The next morning, we were preparing to go to Visegrad. Our hotel would not let us leave without first having breakfast. I'm sure glad we did! I had fresh bread, strawberry yogurt, and a fresh made ham and cheese omelette all free of charge. Afterwards, we felt full and ready to storm a castle!

We walked to the bus station around 8:45am and soon we were departing on the 9:05 bus for Visegrad! The bus ride was very beautiful. For some parts of it we were right next to the Danube river. For other parts, we were driving through wooded areas or open fields. Even if you didn't feel like taking in the scenery, the bus also provided free wifi! I, myself, would look out the window until I got bored and then would play Pokemon Go.

We could tell that we were approaching Visegrad because we would see signs about the town. If you ever plan to visit, be careful not to blink or fall asleep as you may miss the town! It was tiny and I cannot emphasize enough how close we came to missing our stop. Even when we stepped off the bus I said "Is this really the place? There is nothing here!" Soon, we gathered our bearings and then we could spot the castle high on the hill.

First, we went to Solomon Tower. This was a watch tower located at the bottom of the hill to Visegrad Castle. It is super cool to think about how much history has happened at these locations. As we ventured upwards, it became unclear which direction to go for the castle. We had started down a well paved hiking trail that seemed correct but then it led out to the street. We ended up doubling back and finding a rather rugged hiking trail. It was covered in mud, looked slippery, and was certainly not well maintained. I loved it.

Once we started up this trail, we were quickly immersed in trees, bugs, and sounds of nature. It was such a great change from the hustle and bustle of the city. We trudged and trekked along until finally it seemed the trail was better maintained and even led to a stairway up. Once we reached the top of the stairs we could see that we had reached the castle! The castle was so cool! It had an amazing panoramic view of the area and especially the Danube river. There were many wax figures displaying common clothing worn for the time and suits of armor. There were many lookout points and it was a perfect day for being up on a high hill.

After the castle, we walked to a bobsled/roller coaster place and had a little bit of fun for ourselves! Overall, it was a great, relaxing weekend outside of the city!