Matt's visit, part one

Matt and I had an incredible two weeks together. Even though sickness played a part, we still enjoyed the time we took together to get well--just relaxing, sleeping, reading, and watching films. 

Matt arrived on Saturday the 18th of September. On Sunday, Matt and I had lunch at the home of one of the families in the church. It was lovely, but I was struggling through the whole thing. We came back for the church service at four pm and by six o'clock, my fever was back up to almost 102.

On Monday evening, Matt was starting to get a slight sore throat. Tuesday, Jozsef and Csilla had planned to take us to visit the city of Eger for the day, and Matt and I really wanted to go. On Tuesday morning, we took Matt's temperature and it was 101.5 and his sore throat was severe. My fever was down, but I still felt weak and my sore throat was as strong as ever. Matt said he felt well enough to go, so we decided to take a chance. We really didn't want to miss Eger! So we set off with Jozsef and Csilla for what turned out to be a fantastic day.

Eger is one of Hungary's oldest cities and is also considered one of the most beautiful. I definitely agree! The weather was gorgeous and every corner of Eger was breathtaking. We strolled the charming streets and stopped to have langos, a traditional Hungarian fried bread, for lunch. We visited a museum at the University and saw Europe's oldest original camera obscura, which is still working to this day. We had our own private "tour" of Eger with the camera from the tower of the University.

We then walked to the city center and visited some magnificent cathedrals. Our final destination was the ancient castle of Eger, which is famous in Hungarian history for defending itself from the Turks. The walk to the castle was enchanting and I was falling in love with the city. Much of the castle is still intact and we toured a wax museum there, also.

In the evening, Jozsef and Csilla drove us outside of Eger to fields and fields of vineyards. There we ate at a restaurant of a beautiful winery: Egri Korona Borház. The scenery was beyond breathtaking as we watched the sun set over the vineyards while we ate our savory meal. Unfortunately my camera battery had died by this point, so no photos. :(

After the meal, we walked to the car, pulling our jackets around us as we felt the crisp autumn evening. Beauty had enveloped all of our senses that day, sickness or not. It was a fabulous day we shall never forget, thanks to our dear friends Jozsef and Csilla.

First glimpse of Eger.

So happy to be together again!

The lovely walking streets.

Fresh produce for sale--yum.

Eger charmed me...

The roof tops of Eger.

Matt and Jozsef deep in discussion.

Eger's city center with the castle in the background.

Oh, a pink church! {happy sigh}

I never tire of the beauty of European cathedrals.

Beauty in all the details...

If only pictures could capture one's feelings upon seeing something so magnificent.

  

More charms of Eger...

The sicklies.

The streets looked much like this walking uphill towards the castle.

Outside the castle walls.

A gorgeous view of Eger from the castle.

In the tunnels underneath the castle.

The ramparts.

{I apologize for the scarcity of "Matt and Deanne" photos...but I wasn't feeling much like being photographed that day, with my sickness and all. More will come, though, I promise!}