Budapest is only about an hour from the Slovakian border. So, I’m on a mission to visit Slovakia today. I’m a compulsive country collector. If I’m within an hour of a country I haven’t been to before, take it to the bank – I’m going to try to get there. I’m not sure when or if I’ll be back in this neck of Europe, so I need take advantage of my current geography.

I booked a private trip (through Get Your Guide). Transportation only – no guide – from Budapest to Szentendre, Visegrád, and Esztergom, which is just across the Danube River from Štúrovo, Slovakia. It is more expensive to book a private trip, but it offers way more flexibility – I knew I would be asking our driver to add an unscheduled stop to Slovakia, and (bonus) we didn’t have to figure out the Hungarian bus/train situation.

First stop: the Danube town of Szentendre, which is supposed to be an artists colony. Felt more like a tourist colony. We were there at 10am, which is apparently too early for artists (but not for tourists), so almost everything was closed. Found a marzipan store (I love marzipan) and a bathroom, but that’s about it. Oh, and paprika. Paprika is everywhere.

Just about everybody has lived in Szentendre at one point or another, so the town has many different names: The Hungarian name is Szentendre; the Croatian name is Senandrija; the German name is Sankt Andrä; in Serbian, it’s Sentandreja/Сентандреја; and in Slovakian, it’s Svätý Ondrej. So, pick your favorite.

Went off the main drag a block and found an embroidery store run by a woman who spoke perfect English and gave us some insight into the Hungarian language. It’s damn close to impossible. There are 44 letters in the Hungarian alphabet. And 14 vowels, which, by any reasonable standard, is too many vowels.

Here’s what we learned:

S = Sh (the h is invisible)

So it’s not Budapest, but Budapesht.

Sz = S (the z is silent)

So it’s not Szentendre, but Sentendre.

I bought this beautiful piece of Matyó embroidery, which is one of Hungary’s most famous folk art styles. It’s recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage (the living traditions and practices that communities recognize as part of their cultural identity and pass down from generation to generation). So many of these traditions are a dying art – new generations don’t want to learn skills like embroidery.

I always try to buy myself a piece of jewelry when we travel. Was super pleased to find a jewelry store that was open, and bought this hand-painted pendant – a Kalosca style floral painting. We will visit the town of Kalosca (in southern Hungary) once our cruise gets underway.

Sidebar: No lemon Fanta yet, but I did find this. EXOTIC flavor tastes like fruit salad. Not bad. But also not lemon. I really should start keeping track of all of the different Fanta flavors I find while we’re traveling.

Next: a stop at Visegrád Castle, the 13th century home to a bunch of important 13th century Hungarian people. For a couple of centuries it was *the* address in Central Europe. Now? There some very large rocks and very steep stairs. Ken was fascinated. Me, less so. Still, he would like me to point out that he was only inside for 38 minutes. The view from the castle is pretty impressive.

Next stop: Getting hungry, so a stop in Esztergom, one of the oldest cities in Hungary. Our driver dropped us off in town so we could forage for lunch. Definitely not as touristy. Looking around for a place to eat, we walked by something called Cilantro Restaurante. A whole restaurant of Satan’s Weed? Hardest of passes. Kept on walking. Didn’t even break step.

Found another place – Nem Semmi, and had goulash soup (forgot to take a pic) and Austrian weißbier for lunch. Some of the pieces of meat in the goulash were a little, um, chewy. Ken: that’s how you know it’s authentic. Also: no English menus (usually, one look at us and English menus just appear), so we used Google translate – you just hold your phone camera up to whatever you want to translate and voila – English. Works like a charm.

Sidebar: On our way back to meet our driver, we walked past a gaggle of Hungarian middle school students. Ken gives them a “Six-Seven”. Immediate return: “SIX SEVEN!” Ken: very pleased with himself. The 6-7 nonsense has bridged the Atlantic.

One more stop: the Esztergom Basilica, which is Hungary’s largest church and one of the tallest domes in the world at 100m high. Super impressive from the outside. The inside is completely under construction, so photos are a bit underwhelming.

Is there a creepy relic? Of course there is. This is the femur of Saint Gerhard, a Benedictine monk, considered the Apostle of Hungary, for helping convert the nation to Christianity under King Stephen. He was martyred around 1046 during a pagan uprising. He was put in a barrel lined with metal spikes and thrown down a hill (now Gellért Hill in Budapest). Shudder. Talk about a bad way to go.

This is where it’s great to have the flexibility of a private driver. I explained to our driver that I really wanted to set foot in Slovakia. He thought I was crazy (Why? There is nothing to see in Štúrovo), but agreed to drive us across the bridge. He warned us we would be underwhelmed. He was right. Nothing to see here. The view looking back into Hungary was way more picturesque than Štúrovo itself. Got out of the car and took a couple pics. Stepped in Slovakian dog poop while taking said pictures. And now Ken says this is how he will always remember Slovakia.

But . . . Slovakia: Mission Accomplished.

We board the river cruise tomorrow. Totally uncharted territory for us. Stay tuned.

Travel day: October 14, 2025.