The Danube Bend and the 3 Jewels.......................

I was lucky to have managed to squeeze in a tour of the Danube Bend. I was lucky because I almost missed it due to the language barrier. I was lucky because I used my common sense.

Anyway, what is the Danube Bend?

The Danube Bend is a string of small riverside towns just north of Budapest and is a popular excursion spot for both international travelers and Hungarians.

So we drove from Budapest to Esztergom which is on the border with Slovakia. Esztergom was the capital of Hungary from the 10th to the mid-13th century when King Béla IV of Hungary moved the royal seat to Buda. It has the oldest Catholic Church in Hungary.

The beautiful ancient Cathedral

The imposing entrance.

This was in the courtyard outside the Cathedral

The view of the bridge to Slovakia

The Seminary

 
Visegrád is a small castle town in Pest County, Hungary. It is famous for the remains of the Early Renaissance summer palace of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and the medieval citadel.
 

The entrance gate

The walls of the castle

The Danube

The Danube Bend as seen from the castle

Life in the old days

The restaurant where we had lunch

Chillies / Peppers which are famous

View of the castle from the restaurant

Szentendre was the 3rd jewel that we visited on the Danube Bend. It is a riverside town known for its museums (most notably the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum), galleries, and artists. The town to this day is characterised by a south European atmosphere with much baroque architecture, churches of various faiths, narrow sidestreets, and cobblestone roads.

Quaint city square

Narrow and intriguing bylanes

Tiny churches

Cobblestone streets

Colourful decorations

Pickled gerkins

Picturesque street corners

A beautiful town