Just like it's location, the city itself is also a mix of old and new. The downtown is picture perfect. It is not a tourist town. Menus are only in Hungarian and it is rare to find someone over the age of twenty who speaks English. The rows of century old buildings are adorned with window boxes filled with Geraniums. There are dozens of churches, a bishop's palace, underground pubs and wineries. There is no rhyme or reason to the cobblestone streets, they twist and curve down and up and you can walk freely without fast cars or mobs of people.
There is not a lot to do in this city, except walk around and look at it. It lies at the intersection of the Danube and the Raba. Businesses, schools and people congregate on the river's edge.
The people of Gyor and of Hungary are some of the kindest and most generous people you will ever meet. They will feed you until you are full, give you drinks until you are drunk and smile at you until you cannot help but smile back.
If you walk one mile north, to the neighborhood where I used to live, the buildings become slightly more modern and then, just like that, you are amidst the remnants of a surreal time in the city's history. There is row after row of towering communist apartment blocks. The cement reaches towards the sky in hues of brown, gray, yellow, blue, even pink. Window and balconies are studded with clothes hanging out to dry, people sunning themselves or just looking down on the street. The first time I saw my building, my jaw dropped, but despite being on the 11th floor and having a tremendous fear of my elevator I grew to love that apartment.
When to go? Spring, summer or early fall. Tulips are planted everywhere and the city looks magical in the warm weather. Stop for the day on your way from Budapest to Vienna, or take a day trip from either city.
No comments:
Post a Comment