Shopping Spree in Hungaree

Day 10: The Danube Bend, Esztergom, Szentendre

Instead of spending another day in Budapest, my mom and I chose to take a daytrip to the Danube Bend. It was nice to take a break from seeing another 10 churches (although we did visit Hungary's most important church in Esztergom, which I'm going to skip over) and just have some silly light-hearted fun. :)

Firstly, here is the Danube Bend, where the river turns east-west to south-north. Not to sound like a downer, but I didn't find this natural phenomenon to be all that magical. It was scenic and all, but where's my pot of gold? Will someone tell me what's the big deal about a bendy river?

The Danube Bend.

You only need to look at it for 10 seconds, even though it took you an hour to get there.

Afterwards, the tour brought us to a Renaissance period-themed restaurant where people serve you in velvet flouncy outfits, call you Milady, and twang on lutes in the background. Think Medieval Times, but without the jousting. I was like, no way... seriously?! I LOVE THIS SHIT. :)

Each of us wore a Burger King-like paper crown. We had venison, potatoes, and endless refills of local wine. So. Freaking. Awesome.

I decree that everyday shall be Me Day.

Wait, where did everyone go? :(

After having our fill with fake Renaissance food and photo ops, we headed towards Szentendre, a small "artists' colony" just 30 minutes outside Budapest. It was basically an opportunity for the ladies to shop for really terrific souvenirs. If you walked down the street, you would see small groups of men shifting uncomfortably outside each store entrance, haha... suckers.

This was my favorite -- a handmade toy shop!!!

The artist is showing us a "secret box" that he made that has several hidden compartments. He supposedly crafted most of the wooden toys in this store.

I like how my mom is going "Oooooh..." in the back.

Fur hat!

Fuzzy pom-poms!

Wanted to get this so badly.

Settled for practicality and a picture instead.

:(