Štúrovo

We skipped the Viking Explorer’s Society cocktails for repeaters tonight, but did go to Program Director [PD] Michal’s briefing for tomorrow ... most importantly, we wanted to hear what he had to say about our arrival in Budapest tonight. The details were still TBD, however, and all he could tell us was that an announcement would be made as the Rinda neared Margaret Island.

In any event, the briefing was rushed. With good reason, so no complaints. Turns out that we would be passing Esztergom around 6:45p and we would have a chance to see it. The name immediately rang a bell for Mui and me. It was one that we knew from our high school history books.

If you look at the Visit Esztergom website, it mentions Castle Hill and the Royal Castle. It describes briefly the important role they played in Hungarian history since the 10th century … how King Béla III laid the foundations of the palace complex on the spot where St Stephen, the first king, once had his residence … how walls from St Stephen’s time still stand … how reconstruction work saved invaluable cultural artifacts. But that introductory snippet makes no mention of the Ottomans … the part of the castle’s history that Mui and I studied in school.

What we learned in high school was ages ago — or so it seems to us. Not all of the details have withstood the passage of time. Just a snippet here and there … or a name dredged up from the recesses of our minds … dates reinforced by recent research into the ports of call on this cruise — the Ottoman conquest of Mohács in 1526; the sieges of Esztergom that followed … not always by the Ottomans, by the way; Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent’s 1543 attack, which put Esztergom under Ottoman rule and made it the centre of an Ottoman administrative center; the end of the Austro-Ottoman War and the departure of the Ottomans from Esztergom in 1699.

All that to say that we were excited to see a place resurrected in our minds from the pages of history books. Having something that we only know from our studies come alive during our travels never ceases to amaze me. I was neither a history nor a geography buff in high school … too much emphasis on memorizing dates of events, or which country grew how much wheat. But travel has changed that to a degree by giving me something/someplace real to put things into context … with focus on more meaningful information.

Anyway, we joined our shipmates on the Sun Deck as Rinda approached the Mária Valéria Bridge, which spans the Danube bend to link Hungary and Slovakia. Behind it —perched atop Castle Hill — stood the Basilica of Esztergom … formally the Primatial Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Adalbert. On its flanks were the walls of the ancient castle. Both were lit up, glowing golden against the deep darkness of the night sky. A very impressive sight.

As we slowly cruised by, PD Michal came on the PA with information about the basilica. He explained that the dome was some 330 feet high from the floor to the tip of the cross sitting atop it. And that the church is the largest in Hungary. It was built over the ruins of seven other churches, including the cathedral that was ruined during the Ottoman occupation. Apparently, a chapel that survived the occupation was dismantled into pieces and built into the present basilica as a side chapel. The building is known for having the thickest walls in the country … some 55 feet down in the Ancient-Egyptian style temple on the lower level. Another ‘est’ is the painting on the main altar … at 44 feet by 22 feet, the largest single-canvas painting in the world.

With Rinda reducing its speed slightly to give us the best viewing opportunity, we enjoyed the Castle Hill scenery for about 15 minutes. As the ship then continued into the night, we left the Sun Deck to go down to dinner with our new-found friends.

But our day was far from over.

By the way, disregard the fact that this footprint shows us in Slovakia rather than Hungary … where Esztergom is located. The river border between the two countries is such that the GPS kept popping back and forth between the countries.Read more