Eger

Because we went back to Budapest to see off John and Cindy, we decided to take advantage of our central location. We took the train up to Eger in the northern part of Hungary, a far piece from Pecs. It is about a three hour train ride from Budapest and a must see Hungarian town. Paul Swann, a Hungarian Fulbright friend who teaches at Temple, lives in Eger. He and I had been on the 9/11 panel together with Margaret.

Paul met us at the train station and showed us around this absolutely lovely place.

Eger is a romantic spot. It has a large green park with a fountain in the center, the second largest basilica in Hungary, charming pedestrian streets lined with baroque houses and all of this is dominated by an imposing, historically significant castle. Hungarians tell us that every school child in Hungary comes to see this castle at some point because of its historical relevance. In 1556, 2000 Hungarians fought off 100,000 Turks and won. It is their version of the Battle of the Alamo. Although it was a rainy day, we found the castle fascinating.

We ended our day at the Valley of the Beautiful Women. Outside of town, this wine venue is completely unique. Paul led us on a 20 minute walk into the countryside. In a valley between green hills is horseshoe of wine cellars with outdoor tables. Eger is known for its red wine called Bull’s Blood because of its rich red color. I got a glass for about a dollar. One could do major damage here. We had great conversation, visited with one of his colleagues who came to see us, and inevitably were serenaded by gypsy fiddlers.

This morning, before our six hour train ride back to Pecs, we had the opportunity to see the “camera obscura” in town. It blew our minds. It was built in 1776 and is incredible. After climbing up many stairs (8 or 10 floors) we were led into a small room at the top of the Lyceum. The dark room has the original smooth white table that can be raised or lowered by turning it (like a piano stool). With all of the lights out, our guide opened the periscope mirror which allowed a digital quality image of the town to be projected on the table. He could rotate the mirror 360 degrees and vary the angle for a complete view of the town. We were mesmerized and awed by this device. The image quality was amazing – however there are no zoom capabilities – people are safe from prying eyes in their apartments. He told us, however, that on a clear day they can read license plates on cars.

What a great trip to Eger and we are now on the last hour of our long trek back home to Pecs. Boy – will we ever be glad to get to our second home.