We bend but it's not our knee, what's that?

Time is short and there are so many interesting things to do and see. How can you choose?

You don't have to! I know a place in Hungary where you can enjoy the beauty of nature with fresh air and hills to climb and also see historical monuments to learn about the story and the culture of a nation from its foundatino to modern days. And you can also relax and enjoy the taste of the region too.

Are you interested? So let's have a trip to the Danube bend! I'm sure you've heared or maybe even visited Szentendre, a lovely little trasure box north of Budapest. This town in sull of amazing crooked little streets so it's really romantic to take a walk there (believe me, I have the experience ;) ). I must admit it's crowded with tourists and souvenir shops waiting for them.

What about Esztergom, the ecclesiastical center of the Hungarian Catholic church. It has wonderful churches, including the biggest basilica of the country. It is also the home of the most important historical records of church and political history of the nation. There are many interesting museums that you can visit. Although the river is in the middle of the town also forming an island and you can also enjoy the thermal water of the region, still you feel a bit far from nature.

So what I recommend is a visit to a tiny little city, actually looking rather like a village: Nagymaros. You can choose to walk on the Danube bank enjoying the view of the Pilis hills opposite, or climb the so-called Calvary Hill and take pleasure in the scene as well as in your performance. During you rwalk you can find out a lot about history thanks to the old church buildings in the centre of the settlement. Once you climb up, start your way through the fileds and forest to get to the other end of Nagymaros and have a look at the political relics built in the 20 century. If you feel you have done enough, sit down for a lunch got from the river and a small handmade dessert produced locally.

Enjoy the bending of the Danube in front of your knees.

Safari in a castle

During a safari programme you can see exotic animals in their natural habitat. Is this really possible in a castle? Well, if there are some living with the owners of the castle...

Actually, there are quite a lot of interesting animals in the castle of Buda. Some of them are really exotic (this district is crowded with lions) while many of them hides an entertaining gossip or a fascinating chronicle on Hungarian history.

I myself am fun of nature - but only in form of a film on TV. Still, I like going for a walk among these creatures as they are all carved in stone or figured in bronze.

My Spanish, Italian and Turkish guests were happy to take this safari with me. When they arrived to the castle district they were prepared to listen to many numbers, dates, years as well as names they couldn't even pronounce or say why they could be important. However, the safari tour made their walk in the Buda castle enjoyable and memorable. Besides, they also learned something about Hungarian history.

Do you want to join and have fun?

Secrets of a castle - which is not even a castle!

Castles usually have many secrets. English castles are said to be inhabited by ghosts. Sounds fascinating, isn't it? How about a castle with a vampire - though it's not a real castle?!

That's also special when a city, which is a capital (!) has two castles, one of them being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Let me share the secret with you: this city is Budapest, the capital of Hungary. As its name shows, it has two big parts: Buda and Pest, both furnished with a caslte. The real one is on the top of a hill on the Buda side. It is a World Heritage Site and offer an amazing view of the city. The other castle can be found on the Pest side, in the heart of the town's lungs: the City Park.

There are quite a lot of secrets to be discovered here: 

what's in a name: the site got its label because of the similarity to the palace of Vajdahunyad, that can be found in Transsylvania.

infamous Vlad Dracula was imprisoned in Vajdahunyad but it has something to do with the Pest castle too.

at a closer look you will recognize that it is really a collection of different constructions.

the place offers enchanting experiences for all generations inside and outside the castle too.

Have you become curious? Try a play at the castle to find out more. They have already participated and had a great time: