Ashley is an American Expat living in Budapest, as her spouse was recently relocated for work. She and her spouse had the opportunity to visit Szeged last weekend to join friends at the wine festival and in general, potter around.“Thanks to our good friends from York, England, Neil and I just returned from our first weekend hop down to Szeged, Hungary. Considered the 3rd largest city in Hungary, Szeged is a beautiful city that plays host to an impressive annual wine festival. The Szeged Wine Festival lasts 10 days each year and welcomes thousands of attendees, all who clink their glasses with friends and taste hundreds of types of Hungarian wines. In addition to the wine vendors, those attending can enjoy local cuisine at the various food stands, live music and an array of locally produced crafts and keepsakes.
We departed Budapest on Friday and took a short train to Szeged. Despite the rainy arrival, we were welcomed by the friendly staff at the Tiszavirág Szeged, a 12 room “house” that makes you feel at home. We spent two nights here and loved the staff and accommodation. Should we visit Szeged again, we will certainly enjoy another stay at this very central, boutique style hotel.
We joined in on the wine festivities that evening and I was surprised to find large crowds and an amazing selection of wine options. All guests can purchase a keepsake glass or you can easily sample the wines at the stands directly. Prices are very inexpensive as well. As many know, I do not drink at all so unfortunately, I am not able to speak to the best vendors. However, I do know there were several types available, whether you preferred red, white, rose, etc. I was able to enjoy time with friends and the tastes of local vendors. I sampled one or two but stuck to my bottled water in the end!
On Saturday, we enjoyed a lazy day roaming the streets of central Szeged and found a few gems in town. My favorite was the Votive Church, an impressive cathedral that was rebuilt in the 1930’s. It is considered the 4th largest church in all of Hungary. While the exterior structure of two symmetrical tower clocks draws you in, the interior of the cathedral takes your breath away. We happened to walk in at the moment the organ was playing, which has over 9000 pipes! Just amazing.
The remainder of the day was spent near the festival with vendors selling local cheeses, woodworking items, clothing and textiles, soaps and bath items, hunting equipment and pottery, among other items available. I was able to pick up a gift for mom and a vintage style shoulder bag for me.
The trip culminated by watching the Champions League final, Real Madrid vs. Liverpool in a cool pub in Szeged. It was really exciting to be surrounded by fans of both sides and to see the game in its entirety. Yes, that is something you get used to when married to an english man…watching some proper footie!
That is a wrap on our mini hop to Szeged and we are back in Budapest now until our next getaway. If you are interested, you can check out some of the links below.
Thank you as always for reading and following along!
Ashley”
Click here to learn more about the Szeged wine festival
Click here to see where we stayed, Tiszavirag Szeged
Click here to learn more about the Votive Church
Ashley’s blog is available here.
Photo: www.pixabay.com
