Sopron, Hungary (Sopron, Magyarország)
With limited time, we decided to only briefly pop into Hungary before continuing on to Slovenia. Sopron was our town of choice, yet on the way we could already feel the differences in the air. For one thing, we entered a shopping mall in order to find an ATM, and among the usual shops you may find was a store that exclusively sold fur coats. Another was that Hungary isn't called Hungary here - it's 'Magyarország', which I had never before heard of, making me feel very ignorant.
Arriving in Sopron, we found that the museum Fabricius House we had our hearts set on visiting was closing in less than an hour. With that in mind, we hightailed it over there (this was hampered slightly by not being able to find it even though it was quite obviously on the main square).
When we approached the front doors, we were greeted by a man leaning against the wall, looking out onto the square while eating baked goods. He jovially brought us over to the ticket desk and then guided us through all of the rooms of the museum. As time was so scarce, we literally had to run through parts of it. Permanent exhibitions covered the history of Sopron including Roman, Celtic and Hungarian finds. Above was a displayed photograph of an excavated horse skeleton. Look how intact it is!
The second and third floors showed what everyday (wealthy) people's houses may have looked like in the eighteenth century. From bedrooms to salons to kitchens, we got a good idea of how a whole household came together.
The final segment of the museum (apart from a temporary exhibition which we were unable to see) was down in the dark cellar. Roman foundations enclose an array of sarcophagi and tombstones that were unearthed under the town.
Many were incredibly well preserved, allowing us to see ornate carvings of the deceased and perfectly legible engravings.
As we were leaving, the kindly man who showed us around the museum was also heading off for the day. He told us that we should return the next day, as it was the national day of Hungary and there would be a festival in Sopron with much eating and drinking all day long. He also pointed out a wine cellar that provided excellent local red wine in a setting as old as the basement we had just come from in the museum. He was so friendly and hospitable, and really sold me on the idea of the festival. Unfortunately we had already planned to continue on to Slovenia. Perhaps another year.
Judging from the menu outside the wine cellar, we expected to pay 3000HUF (Hungaian forint), which works out to be about €9.60. For three glasses, that seemed to be about normal or on the slightly pricier side, but for a local specialty we were prepared to fork out a bit extra. Upon entering, we performed a long miming sequence with the bartender as she spoke no English and we no Magyar. Eventually we sorted it out and she served us from odd metal canisters with a ladle into little containers more like shot glasses than wine glasses. She found it hilarious when we tried out the one word we knew: köszönöm (thank you).
We had grossly misinterpreted the menu and instead of 3000, we paid just over 350 forints. That's about €1.11 total, or 37 euro cents per glass! We sipped the strong liquid on our comfy seats as locals stood around barrel-tables drinking from the large sized wines. If you find yourself in Sopron, ask about this place at the museum. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the bar as it was quite Hungarian, but the wine to ask for is kékfrancos.
In the dimming light we strolled the streets, which was our main aim for Sopron. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a plethora of attractive doorways and windows which you will now be subjected to like a schoolchild glazing over while their Chemistry teacher flicks through photographs of dykes from their recent trip to the Netherlands (this actually happened to me and it lasted fifty minutes - we were never more pleased to hear the lunch bell ring).
This is a pink window with art nouveau detailing and Christmas trees outside. No smoking please.
This is a window that shows a warm and inviting home inside. As I took this photo, I was being watched with amusement by an elderly lady from the floor above. I hadn't noticed at the time - Fabienne told me as we walked away (try to spot her in the title photo).
Here you can see windows
and a door atop an ivy-laden balcony. Szívesen (that's 'you're welcome' in Hungarian - I just looked it up).
While this window was falling into decrepitude, it was one of the best because of the cat chilling inside.
Windows aside, the streets were full of beautiful and interesting pieces of architecture and art, and even sizeable remnants of Roman walls. We stumbled upon a square with an intriguing central statue, and as we snapped this photo we overheard a passing couple say "who are YOU?" to each other in English even though their whole conversation was in Magyar.
Leaving Sopron (we couldn't find accomodation in the town - because of the national festival day no doubt), I told Yannick he should pay for parking with a 2000HUF note so we could receive smaller change back that was easier to use. Little did I know that the machine would rain coins like we'd won at a slot machine. Lesson learnt.
Buying a vignette for Slovenian roads was also a lesson - this time in languages. Again they spoke no English, and it turned out that German was our best common language! The petrol station cashier spoke to us entirely in German accompanied by miming and we understood everything. Köszönöm! Thank you is definitely the best word to know in a foreign language, even if you know nothing else.
Instead of driving straight out of Hungary into Slovenia the next day, we took a scenic drive through the countryside. A thunderstorm was rolling in and we were struck by the sight of a bricked up farmhouse with trees growing through holes in the roof. We only got the tiniest taste of Hungary, but I've written it down on my list to explore further. Much further. Budapest, hello!
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