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Published: April 6th 2010
After a convenient 1 hours train ride from Vienna, we arrived in Sopron. Sopron is 9km from the Austrain/Hungarian border and 60km from Vienna and is one of Hungary's tourist destinations.
We were staying at time share accommodation at the Solar Club Hotel, whilst situated a little out of town it was a comfortable 20min walk. The accommodation itself was fine and provided all the amenities, although I had to sit out in the garden to have wifi access.
My first impression of Hungary was somewhat mixed. Hungary certainly was not as affluent and wealthy as its Austrian cousin, everything was just a little more run down e.g. buildings, roads etc. We also quickly found that very few Hungarians speak english (many spoke German), however there was ample tourist information written in english.
On our first morning in Sopron, Mum and I ventured into town in search of a grocery store. We were mortified by the extent of drinking, we found several drunks on the streets (at 9.30am on Sunday) literally skulling wine and spirits from the bottle and the local pubs were still humming just like the Octagon during O-week.
However at 2pm in the afternoon
the drunks had left, the pubs had closed for the morning, and the bakeries and cafe's opened....and I was in creamy, pastri-fied , caffinated bliss. Custard squares for $0.75 NZD and gourmet coffee shops. The restaurants are also fantastic and cheap, huge meals, huge drinks, Bryan is now known around Sopron as "big beer." Sopron shopping didn't take me by storm...until I found the crystal store. Mum and I visited the crystal store on several occasions...$300 later and I have no room in my pack.
Sopron also has an abundance of Dentists and Optometrists to cater for the Austrians who cross the border for cheap medical care. Bryan decided to sample this service and managed to find a Dentist who could speak english. Despite the language difficulty being overcome, this did not prevent the dentist from giving Bryan a firm slap across the face to determine whether the anaesthetic was working. The two fillings he received for $40NZD are still going strong.
Sopron has quaint romantic little streets, cobblestoned pathways, arched gateways, courtyards with gothic and renaissance architecture. Some of the buildings are dated from the 13th and 14th century! It is also home to quite possibly the
most boring museums of all time: Mining and Forestry museum, pharmacy museum, bakery museum and the goat museum. Sopron also has lovely gardens and parks and really cute old people.
I feel one of Sopron's main attractions is the tramping and hiking in the Loverek Hills which are situated just out of the main city. The tracks are well marked and have huge viewing towers that overlook the city. However it was the forest where the Nazi's executed several Jews during the war. Sopron is also surrounded by several well maintained, flat, cycleways that connect to other small towns around Austria and Hungary, which are no further than 20km apart. There is also canoeing available at the large lake.
Overall Sopron is a cheap, relaxed quaint and pretty Hungarian town with plenty to do if your into your fitness!!
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Michael Robertson
non-member comment
Sopron
Gee, I was interested in the Goat Museum. Not even one picture? The other pictures are very good though. I will be interested to see how the crystal in the backpack works out.