We arrived at Karavan City in plenty of time for our 10:00 appointment, to be greeted by two bits of bad news – the unit was unrepairable and they were unable to obtain a replacement unit because the CBE factory is closed for their Summer holiday. They were terribly apologetic but there was nothing that they could do about it. We had to resign ourselves to the fact that we will be without a battery charger for a few weeks and will probably attempt to get a replacement in Krakow, Poland where we know that there are a couple of potential garages.
We plotted a route to Slovakia via the 'Danube Bend', north of Budapest, which was supposed to be very pretty. This took us on the congested ring road around the eastern side of the Pest, over the Danube and then north on the Buda side. We arrived at Gran Camping (obviously designed for elderly ladies but they let us in) only a short distance from an old-looking bridge over the Danube. It was a great relief to see the bridge as it was the one that we hoped to take into Slovakia but there was some doubt as to whether it existed. Our AA map of Europe showed a road across the Danube on one map but on its more detail map of the Budapest area it only showed a ferry and our old guidebook talked only of a ruined bridge, blown up by the Germans and they retreated in the Second World War. The mystery was solved when we walked into the town via the bridge. The old Maria Valeria bridge had been rebuilt in 2001 in the same style as the original.
We came across a stage and posters announcing the Esztergom Summer Festival and noted that there was a performance that night. We then took the 'Cat's Stairs' from near the Royal Palace next to the Danube up to the castle and cathedral on top of a hill with a commanding view of the Danube and Slovakia on the northern shore. It is easy to understand why the Romans had so many problems defending this border once the Empire had become weakened, it would have been so easy to cross the Danube. We visited the cathedral, the largest church in Hungary, and I couldn't resist the option of climbing to the top of the cupola to see the view. A sign at the bottom warned people with agoraphobia not to attempt the visit but they really should have included claustrophobia (I suspect that that is what they actually meant) and sufferers from vertigo. Nearly 400 steps later, including many on a very narrow two-way spiral staircase made of slippery marble, I arrived at the bottom of the dome that dominates the cathedral. The views were fantastic with the whole of the Danube Bend laid out below.
We strolled down through the town, purchasing wonderful ice creams in a pretty fountained square before walking over a pedestrian bridge spanning part of the Danube and onto Primate Island where the campsite is located.
In the evening we walked to a restaurant just a few minutes walk from the campsite and had dinner on the terrace watching the Danube flow past and the police stopping cars on the road between us and the river. They didn't seem to catch anyone without the correct documents and the breaks for cigarettes or chats seemed to become more and more frequent.
The sound of strong bass notes suggested that the entertainment had started, so we walked for a couple more minutes to the square. The band seemed to be a Bob Marley tribute band all wearing Bob Marley tee shirts although they were all white and did play other music including one Santana number (I wanted more!). At 10:30 they finished and we made our way back to the camp.
Photos: The Danube Bend from the cupola of the Esztergom Cathedral; The Maria Valeria Bridge with one of the many Danube cruise boats; The castle and cathedral at night – note the cupola that dominates the cathedral.
No comments:
Post a Comment