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We picked a beautiful day to visit picturesque Dunaföldvár. After just a 40 minute drive, with clear roads, we arrived at this historic riverside town. On the approach road, I could not help but notice this VERY pink coffee shop!
Established in 1988 named Marcipán Cukrászda meaning Marzipan Confectionery.
I have visited here before and ate sumptuous icecream and drank delicious coffee. The outside area is lovely and comfortable perfect for people watching come rain or shine.
This is their exquisite website, beautifully photographed creations.
In most of the villages and small towns we have travelled through there are these hearts placed in a prominent place on the roadside. I was curious to know why they were there and the purpose of the bottle tops. I discovered that the plastic caps are collected and sold for recycling with the money going to disadvantaged children in Hungary. Excellent idea!
Recently I have noticed that screw caps on plastic bottles are now attached to the bottle… I read this on Google:
“The move to attached caps is an important step in making recycling easier for everyone. The new design ensures that the cap stays connected to the bottle after opening, so that it is less likely to be littered and making it easier to recycle both parts together.“
I think it is a gallant idea to recycle but I worry the disadvantaged children will no longer benefit from the collected caps in the hearts. Just my thoughts!
Leaving the coffee shop we headed towards the castle. The wooden castle gates leading up to the castle area were made in 1994 by the woodcarver István Csepeli. It gives a rather dramatic entrance to the castle.
I particularly liked the simplicity of this photo. The blue sky made a fabulous backdrop.
Dunaföldvár castle was built during the 14th/15th Century. This map shows what it would have looked like many years ago.
The Dunaföldvár bridge (built 1928–32) pictured below, is the only bridge over the Budapest-Baja section of the Danube. It is called the “Beszédes József” Danube Bridge.
Situated in the castle courtyard is a super restaurant with spectacular views over the Danube. We ate a delicious meal here.
Take a look at their website, easily translatable to English
This vintage car was displayed outside the restaurant for everyone to admire.
And this was painted on the outside of the restaurant.
A statue of the famous geographical explorer and African researcher László Magyar is situated in the castle courtyard. He is recognised and remembered because he studied as a scholar in Dunaföldvár.
The Castle of Dunaföldvár built on the banks of the River Danube.
Dunaföldvári Evangélikus Templom – Dunaföldvár Evangelical Church, next to Foldv Art Gallery.
Leaving the castle we decided we wanted to get down to the banks of the Danube. There were pleasure boats taking people out for excursions.
We spotted jet skiers enjoying the river with the water cruisers.
The Danube has been given a number of different names: The British say River Danube, Dunăre in Romanian, Donau in German, Dunaj in Slovakian, Duna in Hungarian and Russian, Dunav in Serbian and Bulgarian.
Looking upriver industrial factories lined the banks. I think the white domed building is a toilet paper maker!
I do enjoy “People Watching”…these two caught my eye with their matching towels and wearing bathrobes? Bear in mind this is a pier….and she was ambling along pointing to the water, the River Danube…perhaps suggesting a quick swim??….he does not look too convinced!
The excellent restaurant “Rakpart” overlooks the River Danube. We sat in the outdoor dining area just chilling and chatting. This was my view from where I was sitting. The boys with the football balance this shot very well. I love the flash of red from the boys’ shirt and the potted geraniums.
I read that this restaurant was under new ownership and was getting great reviews, they have a Facebook page and a website but it is currently under construction.
https://www.facebook.com/rakpartetterem/
The outdoor seating area was very pleasant, the service was quick and the food fantastic. I even managed to capture a little dog on his travels!
People watching again….What is this guy so deep in thought about? He has paused his eating…must have been important!! I liked the playground in the background added some needed colour.
My last “People shot”. I rather liked this mans casual stance, looking out over the river, hand on hip, waiting perhaps? The dog has pricked his ears…maybe she’s coming back!
Time to move on crossing more bridges over into another county. I noticed this car and trailer in front with his non matching number plates. I have got used to seeing different sights in Hungary. It is a common sight to see bike riders with no helmets, motorbikes with no number plates and many unroadworthy cars.
The bridge shot in black & white, I love the framing and the lighting, an atmospheric shot.
We made a turning off the road and came across these “Fishy Signs” attached to a tree. When it came to translating them Google was not at its best!
With Google’s strange translation!
I opted for the pier direction and admired the floating fishing piers and numerous boats on the River Danube.
I spotted this man peacefully fishing totally oblivious to me taking photographs.
This stork was foraging for food and we just happened to be driving past the field he was searching in. He had caught a lizard and was presumably on his way back to his hungry babies. Notice the tag on his back leg. This was a sort of tracking device and could identify where the stork lived and how frequently he returned to his mating nest from his long annual migration. After some research and inquiries, it turned out this particular chap had returned seven times to the same spot for mating and nesting. Amazing!
Here he is again taking off with his prize lizard in his beak.
After my excitement of spotting a close-up stork AND getting decent photos, we made our way back through the pretty town driving (or slowly bumping) down the tree lined cobbled streets!
Floral arrangements on front doors gave the area a quaint opulent look.
Finally, as is the case in most towns and villages, decorated bicycles can often be spotted dotted around cheering the place up.
Once again thanks for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed my photos and will return again soon to read more blog posts.
Making Hungary Home 