Our Little Getaway
Dec 7, 2020 13:38:36 #
My wife and I lived about 45 miles from the town of Sopron Hungary for some years. Sopron was an established community by Roman times. Luminaries such as Liszt and Bartok called it home.
We soon found the benefits of visiting this city. One was we could purchase American products there (including Oreos which were rare in Austria at the time). Another attraction was its very inexpensive facilities. We could spend the day at the Communist Era thermal spa in Buk, eat a wonderful Hungarian dinner and attend a first run movie complete with popcorn in Sopron all for $20-$25. Also it has the title of the dental center of Europe. First class dentistry can be had at a fraction of what it costs in Austria.
Often when we visited we would walk around the old walled city center and I would take pictures of this charming place. The attached photos were taken over several years and with a point and shoot camera.
We soon found the benefits of visiting this city. One was we could purchase American products there (including Oreos which were rare in Austria at the time). Another attraction was its very inexpensive facilities. We could spend the day at the Communist Era thermal spa in Buk, eat a wonderful Hungarian dinner and attend a first run movie complete with popcorn in Sopron all for $20-$25. Also it has the title of the dental center of Europe. First class dentistry can be had at a fraction of what it costs in Austria.
Often when we visited we would walk around the old walled city center and I would take pictures of this charming place. The attached photos were taken over several years and with a point and shoot camera.
Dec 7, 2020 13:42:53 #
Shootist wrote:
My wife and I lived about 45 miles from the town o... (show quote)
Looks like a lovely place thanks to your fine images. Thanks for sharing.
Dec 7, 2020 13:56:40 #
Absolutely wonderful captures. I Especially enjoy how you maintained the White Balance even though these photos are presented in Monochrome
Dec 7, 2020 14:00:05 #
Thank you for sharing your beautifully done photos. It looks like a wonderful getaway. Where are the tourists throngs that we usually see in touch old cities?
Mark
Mark
Dec 7, 2020 14:34:22 #
Amator21
Loc: California
Shootist wrote:
My wife and I lived about 45 miles from the town o... (show quote)
There is something about European old towns. Wherever you look there is a picture waiting to be taken!
Dec 7, 2020 16:12:24 #
Dec 7, 2020 17:24:51 #
PixelStan77 wrote:
Looks like a lovely place thanks to your fine images. Thanks for sharing.
Isn't Memory Lane made to share? I am glad to have shared it with you.
Dec 7, 2020 17:25:53 #
Scruples wrote:
Absolutely wonderful captures. I Especially enjoy how you maintained the White Balance even though these photos are presented in Monochrome
Thanks, Scruples. GIMP and NIK can work wonders.
Dec 7, 2020 17:28:40 #
Dec 7, 2020 17:32:50 #
mffox wrote:
Thank you for sharing your beautifully done photos. It looks like a wonderful getaway. Where are the tourists throngs that we usually see in touch old cities?
Mark
Mark
At the time of the photos (1999-2004) only local Hungarians and folks from Vienna had "discovered" this gem. Since then it has become a major "Medical Tourism" site. Good for the local economy but bad for the locals due to rising prices. Doing a Google Maps fly over I can see that much of the city has been "renovated".
Dec 7, 2020 17:36:19 #
Amator21 wrote:
There is something about European old towns. Wherever you look there is a picture waiting to be taken!
Absolutely! One of my regrets concerning our time in Austria was that I was very intent on why we were there and missed out on a lot of opportunities to see the countryside. However, I would not do any differently today.
Dec 7, 2020 17:38:38 #
UTMike wrote:
Beautiful tour!
Thank you. Should you ever visit Vienna, Bratislava or Budapest, Sopron is only about an hours drive away from each.
Dec 7, 2020 17:46:25 #
joecichjr wrote:
What an atmospheric place!
Yes indeed. When we were there they were just recovering from Communist rule and tourism was just beginning to take off. The border crossings, complete with guard towers were still intact. There was little at the time that was renovated to suit tourist tastes so you got the real deal. The only thing that was "out of tune" were the local watering holes decorated and named to suit an American cowboy motif.
Dec 7, 2020 20:19:03 #
Dec 7, 2020 22:27:02 #
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