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My last journey in the old year might fit here...

The rebuilt Mária Valéria bridge (named for Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria) between Esztergom/Hungary and Štúrovo/Slovakia over the Danube.

The old bridge was blown up by the retreating Wehrmacht on 26 December 1944. A reconstruction was always seem as a future symbol of friendship, alas, it took until 2001, following a long bilateral dispute (mainly about the bridge's height, in connection with a dam downriver that wasn't built).

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Fri Jan 1st, 2010 at 04:15:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The cloud cover was changing constantly that day. Like the weather through the past days -- around Christmas, we had 13°C, then cold winds, then warm rain, then sunshine, then fog... and it should snow again tomorrow.



*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Fri Jan 1st, 2010 at 04:20:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Castle and Basilica of Esztergom from a nearby mountain. The background is Slovakia.

Here used to be the Roman border castrum Solva, flanked by a city. Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius have spent longer time here. Around 960, in the process of Europeanisation, the strongest Hungarian tribal chieftain built a castle on the ruins of the Roman castrum. As his son went on to subdue every other tribe and become Hungary's first Christian king, Esztergom became the capital. Later, the royals moved, but the prime archdiocese remained -- well, except for the Ottoman times. The castle saw lots of battles, so no wonder that the Basilica is failréy new: built 1822-69.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Fri Jan 1st, 2010 at 04:40:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Further downriver, crossing the Danube by ferry at Visegrád (one of the royal seats following Esztergom; see in Sarkozy attacks Visegrád Group).



*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Fri Jan 1st, 2010 at 04:43:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Let's close with some train blogging: a domestic Slovakian local train pulled by the aged but stylish ŽSSK 240 114 leaves Štúrovo station for Nové Zámky.



*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Fri Jan 1st, 2010 at 04:52:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]
A great selection of shots, thank you DoDo :)

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri Jan 1st, 2010 at 06:59:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Dodo,
I always love your selections.
Do you know of, "HOBO JUNCTION" or Hobo Times?
http://www.angelfire.com/folk/HoboBoxcar/hobo_links.html

The difference between theists and atheists is that the atheists don't set the theists on fire for refusing to agree with them.
by Knucklehead on Sat Jan 2nd, 2010 at 04:13:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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