Dear Readers Terrible news... my bunny felt sick yesterday afternoon, since then she doesn't eat, doesn't drink and cannot move... The doctor said that if a bunny has an infection it can be fatal, and she is not that old to just die because of ageness, she is 6 years old. And she was good and cheerful in this moment then half an hour later she felt sick... This is unbelievable to me. She has got antibioticum and infusion. She is in some kind of pain, I don't know maybe she has really got some infection or I don't know, she always eat the same vegetables and pet food, nothing what can cause her flatulence, I never give her 'human food' or other stupidness. I clean her properly, she has always much hay. I don't know what I did wrong. Our tap water maybe? It's drinkable but I don't know... She is cold, I must heat her with heater in the near and I'm afraid of the night. I need to bring her to the doctor tomorrow again, if she will be alive, the doctor said this, I need to prepare myself, but I don't want to... I don't know what to say, the whole is so sudden. Please think of us... I think I hate September more and more...
Of course I was not starving in Eger as well. Looks like I need to buy some new trousers… this Summer was very busy again to my stomack… *blush* I should do some sports but I'm lazy as hell… I love my board, but I eat more often than do the skateboarding… *shame* But what is good I think that I always go on foot in the office! Only the bakery is in my way… okk nevermind
So as I wrote before the city is popular about its wine houses and you can find the restaurant what is the closest to your taste as well, there are various restaurants, fast food r., cafés, cookshops, cake shops and others. I chose by my taste and I will write about only those I tried out.
First. If you ever go to Eger and love pancake like me you must try the 'Palacsintavár' [Pancake castle?] restaurant! That was something wonder! Well the price was a little bit too much at first sight, but what we have got on the plate was totally worth every forint
Beautiful, beautiful, like a Bosch reinterpretation about the Garden of Earthly Delights Hahaha
Btw. this was Hortobágyi Pancake of course *grin*
These were very big and well-stuffed pancakes, so I was totally full after it… I even skipped the dessert, what is a big thing from me!
I liked the cozy enterior. Dali painting reproductions, coin, money, match, modelling ship collections on the walls beside the many strange pictures, old newspaper cuttings and the two aquariums with the coral fishes. But this lamp was my favourite
The restaurant is near to the castle, under 9 Dobó street.
Next!
Turkish teahouse or 'Egri Pasa Sátra' ['Tent of the Pasha of Eger', or something like that]
After they renovated the castle wall promenade, with the opening it opened this tea tent as well in 2015. The owner is Hungarian, but the head waiter is Turkish. They sell mostly hot beverages. The 'leading tent' shaped teahouse made from real handmade folkweaves
I drank Pomegranate tea. It was delicious but a little sirupy for me, but that is just me, because at home I drink the tea sugarless.
1552 Not only a year… but a restaurant too! It's in the center of the castle and was always full and many actors just ate there what was a funny scene with those big feathered hats, Shakespeare-like costumes and serious make up… Haha
It's not a historical themed restaurant, there were modern dishes, but they are mixing the Hungarian cuisine with the Middle Eastern. So I ate Hungarian Chicken Soup with small, snail-shaped noodles, then Eggplant-Chicken Sashlik with mint sauce
That mint sauce was frenetic… I love mint in every way.
Not a cheap restaurant either, but for at least one occasion, must try it.
Now I think I'm over the sadness about my ruined Summer holiday, so I can write about it at last. Or if you want, if you not I will write about Hahaha
Eger is the city where we wanted to spend a couple of days, but I fell ill, so for me there where only two days to remember.
There were the annual 3 days long historical festival what commemorate to our victorius battle in 1552. They usually hold this program in the middle of August. The usual things were there: folkware fair, historical performances, costumed actors, historical and festival foods, exhibitions, ancient music, weapon show, domestical animals to fondle… etc. If someone not into these kind of things can find it boring I know, as for me I love these kind of festivals very much, more than some beer fest or the Sziget Festival for example… I was there only once, but it was enough to me for a lifetime. Not my world, not my music [90%] and definitely not my people, I just didn't know that before I tried it... But that's just my opinion. But where I would go once is the W. Gothic Treffen festival in Leipzig. That would be much more my taste. Maybe one day.
So Eger is another famous historical city of Hungary and popular by its wines as well. The famous local wine speciality is the well-known Egri Bikavér [Eger Bull's Blood]. At this time of the year usually begins the more than one week long Autumn and wine festivals. It's definitely worth for a visit! And the surrounding countryside and forests are soo beautiful in Autumn.
The Castle of Eger was the scene of the big triumphant battle in 1552. That was the time when the Ottoman Empire attacked our country. They occupied half of the country already but the people of Eger beat the ottoman army and won the battle, what was a huge victorius winning internationally too, because the ottomans withdrawn for decades. Hungary was just the gate in their plans...
The castle [now half part ruins] was only a smaller fortress in the 13. century. This was an Eastern fortress and episcopal castle under the reign of Bela IV [I wrote about him a couple of times, he reigned from 1235 to 1270]. The castle went through many changings during the centuries. In the 14-15 century they built horsemen's lodges, horse stalls and some onsteads there. In 1475 they built the bishop's palace and cathedral in late gothic style.
The siege of Eger shortly:
1551 The
Sultan Suleiman I waited patiently for the perfect time. Finally in
September the ottoman horde came into action against Hungary. This was
the time when Germany was noisy from another religious war so Ferdinand
I, Holy Roman Emperor withdrawn his army from Hungary plus they were in
war with France as well and the French King Henry II is provoked the
sultan to run down the Habsburgs as well... [Thanks Ferdi and Henry, you
were a wonderful pair!] The real intent of the ottoman offensive
was to occupie the castles what lies by the rivers Danube-Tisza-Maros.
Then they can close upper Hungary from Transylvania where from they
counted revolts and attacts. Suleiman for his plans insuranced five
armies…
1551/1552 They occupied the castles of
Veszprém, Buják, Drégely, Szécsény, Temesvár, Lugos, Karánsebes,
Pancsova, Versec, Arad, Lippa, Solymos, Csanád.
[About a
decade before the commandmend of the hungarian army, Péter Perényi
perceived the possibilities of the castle. He thought that this castle
is capable of stopping the ottoman armies. Ferdinand gave the allowance
to Péter to be the castellan. Then they rebuilt some parts of the castle
to be more stonger, inaccessible and untakeable as it just could.]
1552 On 15 August István Dobó and Ferenc Zay had been the new castellans.
On 24 August the ottoman armies gathered at Szolnok at last. Eger was the next on the list. Ahmed,
the leader of the ottoman army send a letter to the castellans that
they can choose, they give up the castle without fight and can run away or die. What was our castellans' answer? The turk postman ended his service for good.
So on 11 September
the ottoman army started the offensive against the castle, first with
its infantry. Their first plan was to seize the land, the dungeons, the
bastions and the old gate. But they failed. The long siege begun… Legendary
story that the Hungarian soldiers and citizens poured hot black pitch
onto the enemys' head from the baileys during the siege!
On 12 October the ottoman army started their last trying to seize the castle. Then
on the next days they just withdrawn and the Hungarians didn't
understand it why. They prepared themself for another battle, but the turks really went away, they gave up. They say
Ahmed's army was the invincible battalion of its time… Well, not on that
day.
❀✿❁
So the festival started with a costume+battle performance in the forum of the old town. The entry was fun
They played down a short battle performance in the street before everyone went back to the castle where all the programs taked place. The battle on the street was really funny... they fought with too much enthusiasm Haha
The scene in the castle
There is always a hunting performance with our honoured bird, the Hungarian falcon, the Kerecsensólyom [Falco cherrug]. Beside some crows and owls… Gorgeous and clever birds, I love all of them
This little owl was found in a really sick condition. The crew adopted the poor thing, they cared and loved it so now everyone can see that it is a beautiful little owl anyhow. My mom has the braveness to fondle her
My new hat. This was very modish in the 11. century and I like being old-fashioned… No, it's from plastic, not from the museum vitrine… unfortunately… anyhow, there were too much security cameras…
They were the 'Gábor Bethlen Tradition Keepers' theatre group. The actors lived their "historical life" in the scene on those three days.
At that moment they ate something very delicious paprika smelling yummyness… but I didn't see what was that ~Hrrr
There played three old-music bands there, but I enjoyed the Szelindek Régizene band the most, why? Here them and will know
I like this band from a couple of years ago. I heard them for the first time in Gyula also on a historical festival.
The weapon show was also interesting – at least for me -, because the 16. century was the time when the Hungarian soldiers started to evelope new things [due to the continuos battles with the turks], such as a new kind of sabre, what was similar to the Turkish sabre. Then they started to use a new kind of cavalry sword called 'pallos' and of course moderner and bigger cannons. I regret I didn't bring earplugs with me...
But not unimportant the fact that during the siege they used arrows, balls, anadems, clubs even cooking pots as well… No kidding and don't laugh! We won the siege but not only because of our soldiers but also because of our brave ladies! They beat the enemy anything what they found in the kitchen or elsewhere exept those who could use real weapons and fought like a man. Don't underestimate the Hungarian women! How is that graffiti says? "A woman's place is in the kitchen. Just remember, that is where all the knives are!"
The big battle performance started in the evenings. The actors played all the prequel story as well as the battle till the victory. It lasts about 1 ½ hour, but it was fun. Well now it was fun to watch the whole story as an outside observer with chocolated popcorn in my hand, although once this wasn't a party at all…
I was behind the ottoman army, but not with them of course…
Some costumes were from an earlier or a later era, but we don't have to be that schoolmasterly… Hahhaha
The actors were from everywhere.. I mean not only from Eger, Budapest, Szombathely, but from Austria, Krakow even from London! So this was an international performance. I really enjoyed it.
The performance has ended for a while but the "dead soldiers" were still lied there... or they died of heart-attack caused by firecrackers...
❀✿❁
About an author and his book The main and the prequel story of this battle is very caothic and I don't think I could told it correctly [hard for me to translate]. But if you are interested in this historical event and like to read, I can recommend you a Hungarian classic, what was translated in many languages, "Egri csillagok"/"Eclipse of the Crescent Moon" or "Stars of Eger" or "The Lost Talisman" by Géza Gárdonyi [published in 1899]. It's a fantastic novel still today, I read it two times, beside I watched the movie many times. The book follows the story of two Hungarian children, Éva and Gergely. When they grow up they will be two famous characters [from the many] of the battle. The book accurately follows the real historical events and the characters based on real people who fought in the siege of Eger.
Gárdonyi was a serious sick man when he moved to Eger from the noisy and polluted Budapest. He didn't like the city of Eger at first, but then he bought a small cottage up on the hill next to the castle. He fell in love with the view and the castle. He was inspired by the landscape and the story of the castle as well and started to write his monument book. The cottage is not a big thing from the outside [as he said once too] but I liked the enterior. Beside he was a writer, journalist, playwriter and educator he liked to paint so half of his cottage is full of books the other half was his private room and it's decorated with his own paintings even on the wardrobes. I liked that room. The cottage is open to the public and is straight behind the castle, up on the hill under 28 Gárdonyi Géza street [on his own street, quel surprise]. The grave of the author is in the castle. In Eger almost everything is around him, but he definitely worth it.
My favourite scene from the movie adaptation is Eva's dance, what is a wedding dance before the wedding [I don't know how they say it]. The guy is dressed as a turk [not very accurately, but who cares this is like a theater play…] and the girl symbolizes the brave Hungarian girl, who dare to fight against the enemy with pleasure [as you will see Haha] or something like that. It's just a simbolical dance in the movie and I don't know whether this was a real dance once in the court or not [I doubt it, but who knows]. In this scene Éva, the girl must accepts the guy, the turk dancer [who is Ádám Fürjes, lieut] as husband although she loves Gergely. But the girl's parents and the queen [Isabella Jagiellon] insist this marriage
The queen said at the end: "You fought well, you deserve the bridal veil."
Although it's a kind of bizarre choreography I like it and Eva's character as well. So feminist yet so loyal to Gergely, she doesn't want to marry anyone else really… and I'm going to cry... T.T
Finally the sad conclusion: Our triumphant cannot lasted long. In 1596, 42 years after the siege, the ottomans now with a new leader [Sultan Mehmed III] and new plans, succesfully occupied the castle and the whole country during the 'Fifteen Years War' and started the 150-year Turkish Occupation … ~Yeehaw…
