Eger Castle

The last item on my Eger agenda was a visit to Eger Castle, perched over top the city (and my Hotel Senator-Ház).

Eger Castle plays an important role in the Hungarian national psyche. As I said before, it was the site of an important battle in which Christianity defeated Islam (woo hoo!), I mean, the Magyars defeated the Ottomans, in 1552, temporarily stopping the Ottoman advance in Europe.

As seen above. It is for that reason that the castle grounds are lousy with Hungarian schoolchildren.

Here's a group of about 6514 (give or take a few) who came into the castle courtyard making an unholy racket. Quiet down, you kids. And stay off the castle lawn.

I walked up to the castle.

For some reason they keep putting these up steep hills, instead of down in nice pleasant valleys. What's up with that? (I know. I know. I'm just being crotchety.)

Excellent views of the city from up here.

Say, isn't that the rum spice-colored Minorite Church down there?

That's the view looking south, while this is the view looking west, into the city:

That's a higher view facing westward, where you can see just a smidge of Dobó Square. And in this one, you can see the Minaret.

It doesn't look quite as crooked, but I'm definitely glad that opted not to climb the 97 stairs to the top. I don't know if you can from this picture, but the viewpoint is a very thin looking metal balcony around the top of the Minaret. It is open and it doesn't look all that strong to hold my 250 pounds of [insert noun]. Discretion. Valor. I know minarets are where the calls to prayer are made from and if I tried to climb that, I certainly would have been calling out some prayers. And speaking of me ...

Here I am. And isn't that the rum spice-colored MInorite Church over my left shoulder?