Author: Zhang Linchu Source: "Galaxy Reading", "Diplomats Say Things"
About the Author
Zhang Linchu was the Secretary of the Military Attache Office of the Chinese Embassy in France and Algeria, the Army Attache of the Chinese Embassy in France, the Military Attache of the Army, Navy and Air Force of the Chinese Embassy in Italy, and a senior researcher of the China Institute for International Strategic Studies. He is currently a researcher of the China Foundation for International Studies, a member of the 9th Council of the Chinese Society of Civilian Diplomacy, a senior advisor to the French Studies Association of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a director of the Beijing Society for Foreign Studies and the deputy director of the Center for European Studies.
He has published hundreds of current affairs papers and literary works in newspapers and periodicals such as Jiefangjun Daily, Global Times, International Strategic Studies, Foreign Issues Studies, Global Finance and Economics, Peace and Development, Geography and Energy, World Knowledge Expo, World Culture, Friends of Military Retirement, Chinese Geographical Names, World Literature, and other newspapers and periodicals, as well as International Network, China Social Science Network, Jiangshan Literature Network, and Galaxy Yue Reading Chinese Network.
Main works: "Remembering My Father and Mother", "Eternal Memory", "Traces of Time", "Mulberry Elm Shellfish", "Looking Back", "Towards Europe in 2000" (co-author), "Chronicles of Nations-Côte d'Ivoire", "World Knowledge Series" in 18 countries including Belgium, Algeria and South Africa, and "World Expo" in 4 countries including Portugal, Belgium and Monaco.
His main translations include the Biography of Algerian President Juari Boumediene (co-translation), The History of the Development of French Nuclear Forces, The War of the 21st Century, etc.
He has won many awards in essay contests held by "Jiangshan Literature Network" and "Galaxy Yue Reading Chinese Network", and has been named "Gold Medal Author" for four consecutive years, and has won the titles of May Day Model Worker, Excellent Party Member, Outstanding Galaxy Man and "Model Comrade-in-Arms".
Tourist resort Visegrad
After lunch, we leave Esztergom for a visit to the city of Vichégrad. Cars run along the banks of the Danube, the blue waters of the Danube are rippling, and ferries and cargo ships pass by, which is a busy scene. In less than half an hour we were in the city of Visegrad.
The city of Vichégrad is a historic city that was a military location in Roman times and was built in the 4th century. Later, the Goths, Germanic peoples, and Yavor people settled here.
During the reign of St. István, the founding king of Hungary, Visegrad was a royal castle, which was burned down after the Mongol invasion in 1241, and was rebuilt by King Béla IV between 1250 and 1258, becoming a national attraction in Hungary and enjoying a high reputation in Europe.
In 1320 King Robert Kaloe built a royal palace at the foot of the hill and became one of the palaces of the Hungarian kings. Monumentally, in 1335, King Robert Karloe invited the King of Bohemia and the King of Poland to hold the "Vichégrad Conference" in this small city, establishing the first Central European political and trade union.
More than 600 years later, in 1991, the leaders of Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia met again in Visegrad and signed the famous Visegrad Declaration. Vichgrad is therefore a city of political significance. During the reign of King Matthiš, Visegrad reached the pinnacle of its glory. King Matthias's royal palace has 350 rooms and has a fountain built of red marble.
The castle was destroyed during Turkish rule and later buried by soil and water that had collapsed from the mountain, so that for a long time it was known only from written records of history.
Excavations began in 1934 and began to unearth the courtyard of the Royal Palace, in which the remains of King Matthias's Renaissance-style Hercules Well, made by King Matthias in the Italian style, with the patron's emblem carved on the side walls of the red marble well. In the small garden near the king's palace, there is a lion's head as a wall decoration. Interestingly, the architecture of the palace is twofold: the palace is predominantly Gothic, but the decorations of the Matthithic kings reflect the Renaissance style of Italian court artists.
The ruins of the royal palace on the castle hill offer a picturesque view of the Danube Bay, and you can also see the peaks of Berzheny on the other side of the Danube and the medieval houses of the city of Nagy Maulos.
The summer resort of St. Andrew
Descending the ancient castle of Vichégrad, we drive to Sant'Andrea. St. Andrew, also known as the "South Gate of Danube Bay" by Hungarians and "Shandandan" by Chinese, is a famous tourist attraction in Danube Bay. It is a scenic place and a summer resort and a water sports center.
It has been inhabited since the Stone Age, and was once inhabited by Illyrians, Celts, Romans, etc. In the 14th-17th centuries, the Serbs came here to escape persecution from the Ottoman Empire, and churches were founded here, and there are still several Orthodox churches today, making the city famous for its unique Serbian culture.
When we visited the city, we found that the streets, minarets, shops, signs, etc. in the city have a nostalgic connotation. The city's many churches reflect the cultural, ethnic and religious diversity of St. Andrew, and what attracts us the most is the charming Mediterranean-style architecture. In the central square of the city, there is an Orthodox double cross built by merchants with donations and built in 1763, with the character "four" on it indicating the acquisition of wealth by legitimate means, and the iron anchor as a symbol of luck.
An Orthodox double cross built by merchants in the central square of the city
St. André is a famous summer resort in Hungary with its beautiful weather and scenery, and in recent years many weekend cottages have been built on the hillsides that surround the city. During the peak tourist season, a large number of tourists flock to enjoy the sunshine and air provided by nature.
Sant'Andre is not only a tourist destination, but also a famous city of art. As early as the end of the 19th century, many Hungarian painters flocked to this small and chic city. At the beginning of the 20th century, the famous Hungarian modernist artist Zobel Bella proposed to establish an art village in Sant'Andrea, attracting a large number of painters and establishing the Sant'Andrea Painters Association. Today, the Sant'Andrea Art Gallery showcases the work of the city's modernist painters.
A growing number of museums provide a rich cultural content for more and more tourists, the most popular of which is the Kovac Margit Museum, a master of folk ceramics.
St. Andrew's writers and theatre artists are also known in Hungary, with exhibitions, festivals and performances held throughout the year. When it comes to the artistic atmosphere, St. Andrea is unique in Hungary.
However, what attracted us the most was the shops selling a wide variety of art and local products, with a wide variety of goods and the hospitable owners. Perhaps in recent years, there have been more Chinese tourists to St. Andrew, and many shopkeepers will communicate with us in simple Chinese to promote their products. Some shopkeepers even haggled with us in Chinese.
The heroic ancient city of Eger
Facing the rising sun, we drove to Eger. Under the blue sky and white clouds, among the vast green fields, pastures one by one, cattle and sheep grazing leisurely, horses running freely, a pastoral scenery.
Eger is located 130 km northeast of Budapest, in the valley of the Eger River southwest of the Bek Mountains, flanked by some of the most beautiful scenic areas of the northern Hungarian highlands. Pre-baroque architecture gives the city a laid-back Mediterranean feel, and the famous "Ox's Blood Wine" and the famous Hungarian writer Kartoni Gezol's factual novel "The Star of Eger" have made the town of Eger famous all over the world.
As early as the 11th century, the founding king of Hungary, István, established a diocese here. In 1241, the Mongols invaded the west, destroyed the city and rebuilt it, and in the 15th century it became an important cultural center of the Hungarian Renaissance. It was severely damaged during the Turkish occupation until it was fully restored in the 18th century.
The author took a photo in the ancient city of Eger
Once in Eger, we take a stroll through the small city. More than 170 protected buildings and monuments are within walking distance of the city centre to every corner of the city, notably the Eger Cathedral and the 40-metre-high minaret that leads by a 100-step spiral staircase to the top. Today, the city's monuments are second only to Budapest and Suprang, and are known as "Hungarian Art Treasures" and "Hungarian Athens". We climb up to the 13th-century Eger Castle and look out over this ancient and beautiful city, with its red houses that look particularly charming in the sun.
The most famous monument in this small town is the Eger Castle. Underneath Eger Castle, there is a huge system of underground castles. We follow the winding tunnels and visit a small part of the castle fortifications for tourists. The castle system is more complex and changeable than the tunnels in the Jizhong Plain during our Anti-Japanese War. In order to resist the invasion of the Turkish army, the people of Hungary fought bravely in this castle, writing the most heroic history in the history of Hungary.
Eger's "Ox Blood Wine" is famous all over the world. It is made from high-quality grapes, sealed and preserved for a long time, and its aroma is rich and fragrant, and the color is like fresh ox blood.
"Ox Blood Wine"
There is also a legendary story about the origin of ox blood wine. In September 1552, after the Ottoman invaders occupied most of Hungary, they surrounded the northern city of Eger with heavy troops, in an attempt to seize this strategic fortress and annex the whole of Hungary. At that time, the Hungarian soldiers and civilians in the castle were not afraid of violence and resolutely fought bloody battles against the invaders.
In the heat of battle, the warriors, in order to increase their courage and strength to kill the enemy, drank red wine, so much so that their beards and armor were dyed red. When the invaders saw these warriors with red beards and armor, they were taken aback and said in a loud voice: "Amazing! These Hungarians are going to fight hard after drinking the blood of oxen, run! Otherwise, they will trample us to death like cattle! In this way, the invaders were frightened by the so-called red "ox blood wine". Since then, Eger's ox blood wine has become a popular drink among Hungarians.
Princess Sissi's favorite castle of Gedler
After saying goodbye to Eger, we visited the town of Gödödeler on the way back to Budapest. In this quiet town, there is a magnificent castle manor house nestled in the midst of greenery. Originally built as a castle by Count Andorra Graskovic in 1730, it became the place where Princess Sisi, Emperor of Austria-Hungary and wife of King Frenz Joseph, lived for many years in 1867. The town is famous because of Princess Sissi. This unique queen played an important role in the modern history of Hungary, leaving a far greater name in Hungary than her husband, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Ferenc Joseph.
Gödler Castle
When we enter the gate of the castle, we are greeted by a two-storey baroque palace, which is the opposite of the layout of the Palace of Versailles in France, not in the shape of a horseshoe with a concave front and a convex back. With a total area of 17,000 square meters and a total of 136 rooms in the palace, 103 of which are directly used for the royal family, it is one of the largest Baroque complexes in Hungary. Behind the complex is a large garden with lush green lawns, seasonal flowers, majestic tassons and dense forests.
There is a hall at the entrance to the palace with a door at the back that leads to that large garden. Several solid columns support the ceiling above the hall, symbolizing the impregnability of the Austro-Hungarian Empire ruled by its master. There is a marble staircase on either side of the hall that leads to the hall on the second floor.
We followed the tour route to the second floor, and on the left side of the outer room on the second floor is a dining room with a dining table and sideboard. The room is small in size, but it is very soft and comfortable. From the dining room, walk through a door to the left and you will enter the apartment of Emperor Frentz Joseph. There are three rooms that are not very spacious, and which Frentz Josef does not come here often, and which are usually unused.
Central Hall
Adjacent to Frentz Joseph's bedroom is the central hall. Back then, it was a place for balls and banquets. Intricately shaped floor-to-ceiling glass windows and lavish giant crystal chandeliers are a unique feature of this hall.
Princess Sissi's room
On the right side of the central hall is the world of Princess Sissi. There are four rooms, including a living room, a study, a dressing room, and a bedroom. The décor in Princess Sissi's room is a dreamy shade of violet, her favourite colour. The furnishings are simple and devoid of jewelry, but the precious paintings, carvings and chic furnishings all show the high taste of the owner. The photos of life hanging on the wall add a bit of warmth to this room. Princess Sissi has told people more than once that she loves the castle manor of Gödler, and she loves the autumn of Gödler, especially the oak forests bathed in the golden sun.
The author took a photo of the castle of Gedler, which Princess Sissi loved
After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the First World War, the castle estate changed hands several times. In 1919, the leader of the Hungarian Soviet Republic lived, from 1920 to 1944 it was the retreat of the Hungarian ruler Khorty, in December 1944 it was occupied by the German army, and after 1945 it served as the headquarters of the Soviet army, a military warehouse and a nursing home. In the meantime, the buildings in the park have fallen into disrepair and a large number of original items have been lost, and restoration began in 1990, and now Gödler Castle is gradually restoring its original appearance.
Lake Balaton, a famous scenic spot
Hungarian friends said that if tourists don't go to the famous scenic spot Balaton Lake to have fun, the trip to Hungary will definitely be over. Lake Balaton is a tourist attraction in Hungary, receiving tens of millions of foreign tourists every year, and is known as "not visiting Lake Balaton means not going to Hungary". So we took advantage of the last day of our visit to visit the beautiful Lake Balaton.
In the morning, we drove southwest from Budapest and out of town onto the highway. The morning fog has subsided and the sun is shining. The road is lined with greenery and manicured bushes and meadows. Out of the suburbs, and then go forward is the endless flat and fertile wilderness. In less than two hours we arrived at Lake Balaton.
Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton is the largest lake in central Europe, with a length of 78 km, a width of 1.5 to 15 km, an area of 596 square kilometres, an average depth of 4 metres, and a maximum depth of 11 metres. It is a world-famous tourist attraction with attractive lakes and mountains.
Although Lake Balaton does not have the characteristics of the rough sea, whenever the wind is beautiful, the blue waves are rippling, the white sails are dotted, and the white gulls are circling, like a moving seaside landscape painting. The climate on the lake is also sometimes as unpredictable as the sea. The westerly wind from the Atlantic Ocean can cross the mountains and reach the lake, causing temperatures to drop and storm the lake. Lake Balaton, which was originally calm, will suddenly be stormy and thunderous. As a result, Lake Balaton was given the nickname "Hungarian Sea".
The northern shore of Lake Balaton is covered with mountains and trees, like a green barrier; The south shore of the lake is wide and flat, forming the longest shallow and fine sandy lakeside in Europe, and is a good natural bathing area. In summer, thousands of tourists flock here to enjoy the sunshine and air that nature has to offer.
On the north shore, the Tihani Peninsula juts into the middle of the lake, almost splitting the lake in half. The peninsula is about 100 meters above the water, with ancient trees towering to the sky, and the scenery is quiet and beautiful.
Lake Balaton with a secluded and beautiful view
We came to a small town on the south shore of the lake. This is one of the dozens of tourist spots along the lakeside. On both sides of the boulevard are rows of beautiful buildings and gardens, which are all lakeside hotels and some units and corporate sanatoriums. We crossed a street to the lake, and as far as the eye could see, the lake was full of smoke and white sails in the distance.
We walked along the shore, sometimes looking at the lake, sometimes enjoying the lake, and we felt refreshed. Tourists by the lake, men and women, bare-chested and bare-backed, some bask in the sun on the sand by the lake, and some fish in the grass. People are playing freely. In those secluded places, the water's edge is covered with all kinds of flowers and lush reeds. In the woods on the shore, couples and elderly couples stroll along the path. On the grass, there are also picnics for adults and children as a family.
At noon, we went to the restaurant that specializes in the local dish Balaton fish soup. This restaurant resembles a farmhouse courtyard, with a pergola melon stand in front of the eaves and a few strings of red peppers hanging by the door. The fish soup is made from live fish from Lake Balaton, served in delicate glassware and topped with chili peppers and tomato juice. After lunch, we also visited the historic city of White City and Balaton Ryde, the city of mineral water.
Although the trip to Hungary lasted only a few days, we were impressed by its rich history, beautiful scenery and Hungarian hospitality.
[Picture and text transferred from: "Galaxy Joy Reading"
Author: Zhang Linchu
Editor: "The Diplomat Says Things" Jia Jia]