The Danube Bend and Western Transdanubia

Transdanubia. It sounds like a fictitious kingdom dreamed up by an American soap opera writer. No, this is a genuine place, a large region in Hungary, and it's beautiful. You've got plenty of colorful towns to visit, friendly locals to meet, and some more weight to gain from all that wonderful Hungarian food!

WHAT TO SEE: From Budapest, take the HÉV train to Szentendre (St. Andrew). An artsy community, this town merits a visit for a couple hours, which busloads of geriatric Germans have already known for years. Accommodation here is difficult. Take your pictures and move on. From Szentendre, take a bus that roams along the Danube. You'd think you were in the middle of the Catskills, but the architecture sort of gives it away. If you have time, stop in Visegrád, where the thirteenth century citadel dominates the scenery. From here, continue on to Esztergom, an historic town that has its origins in the second century A.D. The Esztergom Cathedral, the largest place of worship in Hungary, towers over you. If you have time, Sopron, once part of Austria until 1921 when the locals decided by plebiscite to become part of Hungary, is an engaging town. Gyor (pronounced "jyer") is an industrial city that most visitors skip, but its also rich in history and gives you a great snapshot of Hungarian life. If you've got even more time and you want to relax for a few glorious days, stay at Lake Balaton, the largest freshwater lake in Europe. We didn't go because we were pressed for time, but travelers with whom we've chatted raved on and on about it.

WHAT TO DO: Based on how much time you've got, each of the above towns will claim a night's stay. You may fall in love with Balaton and stay a week! By now, you're probably bored with me saying, "just walk around the town," but just walk around each town. All of them have a distinct flavor, just as goulash varies from restaurant to restaurant.

WHAT NOT TO DO: Don't be silly and say that all these towns, churches, and squares look all the same! We're not talking about Wal Marts: we're discussing towns that are centuries old, and each have Turkish, Balkan, German and/or Slavic influences.

WHERE TO EAT: Restaurants close early, so plan to eat well before the sun sets. This isn't a country like Spain, where people gorge themselves at midnight. You're always safe with goulash, so if that's the only word you recognize on the menu, you'll do okay. One of the best restaurants in Hungary is Csülök Scárda in Esztergom, on Batthyány Utca 9. Eat outside and savor the home cooking.

WHERE TO STAY: Again, you're better off doing a homestay. Each town has an information or tourist office, or if you arrive on a Sunday (which we try not to do but sometimes it's unavoidable), look for zimmer frei signs. In Esztergom we stayed in an old woman's home on Debozi Mihály Ut, and she was an absolute sweetheart. She had a daughter who had emigrated to America, about whom she loved to talk, and she gave good tips about where to go and eat.