This was the only day of the trip that had any significant climbing, so i predictably took a zillion pictures of the view from hills. In the morning, we climbed from Tata to a Danube viewpoint, where we got a wine tasting and snack/lunch. Then we rode back down into Esztergom, a town with a very vertical center and an iconic basilica. Scott, Joe, and i took off right away to climb the basilica, then wandered around town, touring a disappointing museum (it had a few rooms of artifacts, but no labelling or other information). We walked across the bridge to Slovakia, then came back for dinner. The restaurant that had been recommended to us was booked for high school graduation, so we found another place near the hotel.
a ceiling in/near our hotel in Tata |
a clock tower in Tata |
plaque by the clock tower |
horses! |
a very green morning |
the bike path next to the road |
a round tree |
the group approaching |
more green |
looking back at Tata (i think) |
Bill, approaching |
Bill, underway |
Lisa and Tim, approaching |
Lisa and Tim, underway |
riders on the road ahead |
for once, this bumpy dirt path is not our route |
we've reached the climbing portion of this ride |
another road which is not ours |
looking downhill |
obligatory bike photo |
sign by the road |
a house |
more horses |
high enough to get a view downhill |
houses and fields on the hillside |
a wall by the roadside |
door in the wall |
so we stopped here |
and of course i wanted to climb on the wall to get a better view |
the road, from above |
the group, from above |
Tim, Lisa, and Scott, from above |
...time to get back to the path |
vineyard and hillside |
Tim, about to be underway |
lots of vineyard |
green hillside |
the group appreciating the view |
the road behind |
Hungarian for 'just so we're clear, this is a vineyard' |
distinctive mountaintop |
hill behind vineyard |
you can see the Danube from here |
a nearly-invisible cameraperson behind a window |
don't panic; it's David. He says hi |
bends in the Danube |
houses in the valley |
entrance to restaurant |
vineyards and river |
more bends in the Danube |
one more view before we go eat |
good to know |
the aforementioned view |
the wines were good; i don't have a detailed review at this time |
also there was cheese |
also a big glass cylinder full of corks |
you knew there'd be one last view of the Danube |
heck, maybe two |
exterior of the restaurant, where we left our bikes |
time to head downhill |
more vineyards |
sightseeing at a curve in the road |
Scott on bike |
that mountaintop again |
a building protected by trees |
very pointy trees |
water through trees |
Scott, approaching |
back to the Danube |
ferry terminal across the Danube |
stairs go up |
World War I statue |
next stop, Budapest! |
across the train tracks |
the path ahead |
hillside across the tracks |
path ahead with trees |
roadside sculpture |
Tim, Lisa, and a thatched roof |
fields and mountain across the road |
Tim and Lisa on the road ahead |
town across the highway |
the domes of Esztergom |
riders approaching |
sometimes it's easier to go around |
getting close to Esztergom |
wooden boat on a canal |
purple trees near our hotel in Esztergom |
round building near our hotel |
flowering trees |
statue near the basilica |
ruined walls near the basilica |
hey, look, the dome |
approaching the basilica |
not a bad view |
this wall wasn't built in a day |
more domes |
inscription on a bell |
a lot of bells |
arch to Esztergom Castle |
semicircular window |
getting closer to the dome |
scale model of the castle |
this sign doesn't provide a lot of context, but it's in English |
an enormous iron door |
carving above a door |
bridge across the Danube to Slovakia |
a church between the basilica and the Danube |
east along the Danube |
(construction tube not original) |
dome two |
a park with trees and dandelions and stuff |
a line of roofs |
some serious columns |
part of a clock tower face |
religious art |
some kind of art |
stonework inside the dome |
dome arch interior |
dome interior, complete with dome net |
art whose nature is unclear to me |
hey, it's King Saint Stephen again |
chapel floor |
organ |
chapel ceiling decoration |
beginning of our journey up the dome |
danube view from the dome climb |
across the river to Stúruvo, Slovakia |
a head |
inland view from the dome climb |
getting closer |
another inland view |
some outdoor stairs |
our familiar Danube view from higher up |
buildings across the river |
another inland view |
that's a nice roof, though |
dome columns up close |
dome two |
sculpture visible from the dome |
view past dome two |
looking down at an arch |
the stairwell down |
at the top of the dome |
the view east |
the view inland |
at this point, we started to realise there was some event involving a lot of people |
the walkway around the dome |
fields in Slovakia |
the buildings look like ants from here |
the buildings between here and the bridge |
haze and mountains |
inland mountains |
one last shot of the bridge from up here |
more Eszgerdom from above |
statue from above |
castle courtyard from above |
the Hungarian shore of the Danube |
more Esztergom from above |
what is up with this huge crowd of people, though? |
turns out it was a graduation |
mountainside across the river |
yellow fields in the distance |
Lisa, Tim, and BDan, on their way up to the basilica |
Scott, on the stairs |
a ledge to a window, accessible from the stairs |
Scott, checking it out |
back to the stairwell |
looking at the courtyard and park as we descend |
more stairwell |
closeup of statue |
another view of statue |
Scott is tall |
we leave the basilica via a path down the hillside |
worth noting: we were not actually confident when we went down this path that it was going to let out anywhere useful |
looking back up |
looking back up |
Scott, on the hillside |
probably this is the right way? |
Scott checks it out |
wall graffiti |
uh oh |
snail |
looking back up at the old castle |
how about this path? |
Scott and Joe check it out |
wow |
a bit of a view |
we find a tunnel |
wall with ivy |
Scott in a tunnel |
view back up towards the basilica |
statue on top of a library |
no parking, yes art |
building in Esztergom |
tiles at the Balassa Bálint Museum |
religious art |
wooden molds |
things made using wooden molds |
spearheads and other objects (there was zero labelling in this museum) |
interior of a chest |
books |
statues and other stone objects |
plaque about Balassa Bálint |
channel feeding into the Danube |
walking across the bridge to Slovakia |
column inscription about the EU |
plaque about the bridge |
view east |
the bridge's point over the water |
look, the basilica again |
that sculpture on its hillside |
the bridge itself |
entering Slovakia |
a dock |
view along the river |
learning more about the path we took down from the basilica earlier |
that mountain in Slovakia with the cool moss pattern |
probably a fire station |
more about the bridge |
entering Stúruvo |
the bridge, from the Slovakian bank |
this is a pretty good roof too |
a path on the Slovakian side of the Danube |
heading back |
along the bridge |
the river |
entering Hungary again |
the mountain behind the bridge |
BDan on the bridge |
more river and dock |
a soccer game |
building seen heading back from the bridge |
building whose roof is half blue and half pigeon |
a canal |
the Harry Potter room |
the event we saw from the dome turns out to have been graduation |
street in Esztergom |
a former synagogue building, now a cultural center |
inscription on the cultural center |
street sign and wall |
dinner at Csülök Csárda |
beer, some assembly required |
paprika hot sauce |
soup with toasts |
a plate of meat |
lamb, i think |
duck, i think |
good night, basilica |