Weekend in Eger!

We decided this weekend to spend our time in the beautifully baroque town of Eger. This town is known for being one of the best places to sample wine and marvel at its architecture. Its cobblestoned streets make for interesting walks after a few glasses too!

We traveled by train, which took about 3 hours from Debrecen to Eger. During our journey to Eger we had to switch trains (which made us a bit nervous), but it worked out just fine. Once we arrived in Eger, it took very little time to figure our way around. There were actually signs for the streets! This may not seem amazing, but in Hungary it seems to be rare for street signs to exist.

We found our way to our hotel, the Retur Panzio (which is what the guide book recommended and ended up being a great choice) and dropped off our backpacks. After that we headed to the main square to take in the sites. We first went to the Minaret, which is a tall Turkish remnant that people can climb. We chose to climb the Eger Castle instead. Beside we didn't feel like braving more claustrophobic old stairways again.

We went to the Minorite Church and then found our way to the Castle, which looks more like a fort. You can tell by just looking at the Castle why Eger has played such a key role in defense throughout Hungary's history. The view from on top of the Castle was beautiful. We felt transported back in time walking around ruins from the 13th century.

After our trip to the Castle we strolled around town and took in all the wonderful architecture. We then went to dinner near the main square and sampled some of the wine. We hope to visit Eger again and go to the wine cellars just outside of town.

Today we went to the Basilica where we accidentally ended up attending worship there too. We enjoyed the worship service despite not understanding a single word except "Amen and Jesus." But despite that it still may have been one of the most beautiful services I've been to in a long time.

Unfortunately, it was raining non-stop today so we had to cut our visit a little short. We highly recommend that you should visit this town if your in Hungary--we'll be your tour guides!

The Minaret.

A street in Eger.

The Dobo Square.

The Minorite Church, built in 1771.

Statue of Istvan Dobo and his comrades-in-arms fighting the Turks in 1552.

Inside the Minorite church.

Outside Eger Castle.

The view from on top of Eger Castle was beautiful.

Many houses surround the Castle.

Ben "holding" the Hungarian flag.

A view of the main square.

Honey roasted chicken with salad and potatoes. Yum! Finom! 

The wine in Eger is very good!

The dessert!

The Basilica, a neoclassical monolith completed in 1836.

Inside the Basilica.

The soaring domes created a great atmosphere for the organ music.

This is the second biggest Catholic Church in Hungary--
However,  Debrecen has the largest Protestant Church in Hungary. :)