Travelling in the Time of Coronavirus – Part 3

Both Austria and Hungary are so well known to most that I had to make a good effort to find a few gems quite close to the capitals of both countries, but you may not have heard of them at all.

In Hungary, the capital Budapest is the biggest magnet for tourists, so it makes sense to spend some time in the city, which consists of Buda on the right bank of the Danube and of Pest on the left bank of the river that separates the last hills from the almost endless plain. But so much is known about Budapest that in this travelogue I do not intend to focus on the capital, but merely hint to you that you can spend the night in Budapest in as many as three top youth hostels – Avenue, Maverick and Maverick City Lodge, and at a very reasonable price.

In this travelogue I want to introduce you to a city located a little further south – SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR. I believe the city’s name is hard to pronounce or transcribe, but the superlatives it boasts have simply taken me to this place that has had city rights for a good 1,000 years and has a population of just over 100,000. "City of Champions", "Cultural Wellness" and "Pampered by Beauty" are just three slogans that the city is proud of, and for a reason.

At the very entrance to the old town, we first take a walk along the ruins of the basilica, which was first mentioned in 1031 and in which exactly 38 Hungarian kings were crowned. The ruins are still reminiscent of the grandeur of this complex and were also the last resting place of both kings and other members of the royal family.

Not far away, another landmark awaits us, namely the fountain square, which symbolizes the Hungarian royal orb, which in front of the town hall has symbolized the status of the city for more than 1,000 years. The fountain records three important years, namely 1001, the year of the coronation of King Stephen, 1688, the liberation of the city from Ottoman occupation, and 1938, the year when the city celebrated its 900th anniversary of the death of King Stephen.

As befits any Hungarian city, Székesfehérvár also boasts a spa in its heart, built in 1905 in the Art Nouveau style and renovated in 2010. In the immediate vicinity is one of the most interesting and unusual buildings in the city – the watch making workshop and museum of wall clocks. For all of you who have already been to Prague and observed the astronomical clock in the Old Town Square, you will immediately understand that it is necessary to wait a full hour for it to start happening. But unlike Prague, the procession here does not take place every hour, but only at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., when as many as eight figures line up, starting with the trumpet and then St. Stephen and other Hungarian kings and saints.

However, this is far from all that is worth seeing in Székesfehérvár. Bory Castle is certainly one of the sights not to be missed, although it is not in the strict center, as is Gorisium, where we can admire the grandeur of ancient Rome. Outside the old town, there is also an open-air museum or Skansen, where you can admire local crafts and customs of previous centuries.

But before we set out to explore places near Vienna, we return to the city center, where we visit the Temple of Culture or the Vörösmarty Theater, Hiemer-house, where Baroque, Rococo and a clock made of flowers intertwine, and end the tour with St. Stephen's Church, which boasts remarkable frescoes and much more.

Of course, when visiting Budapest, you will not miss the gems of the Hungarian capital, but I do not want to break the promise of sowing goodwill in people in places we know less about, so I do not intend to talk about Budapest itself, as it deserves a separate travelogue.

On the way from Budapest to Vienna, at least if we take a boat on the Danube, we also stop in the Slovak capital of Bratislava.

Bratislava has been the capital of independent Slovakia since the 1990s, before that it was also the capital of Slovakia, but within the Czechoslovak Republic with the capital being Prague, which is still the capital of the Czech Republic today.

Considering that Bratislava is not unknown either, in this travelogue I dedicate only a few photos and a hint where you can spend a cheap and safe night in the very heart of the city. In Bratislava, I recommend the Youth hostel Patio. Of course, in Slovakia it is also necessary to use a face mask indoors, but we are obviously already used to that.

In a few days, you will surely sow enough good will in Bratislava to head to the next capital, which lies on the Danube – Vienna. But more about Vienna and its surroundings in the next issue.