2021年暑假的旅游内容是“多瑙三镇”。
多瑙三镇是指匈牙利境内，多瑙河右岸的三个城市：埃斯泰尔戈姆（Esztergom）、维谢格拉德（Visegrád）和圣安德烈（Szentendre）。由于多瑙河在匈牙利北部转了一个华丽的弯，而这三个小镇又连接了多瑙河匈牙利境内最美丽多姿的一段，因此这三座小城通常又被叫作：曲湾三镇（Danube Bend），这一段的多瑙河也被称作“多瑙河之膝”。
对于一个旅居匈牙利已经四年的家庭来说，多瑙三镇并不陌生。之前的日子我们也曾去过其中的两镇。可去圣安德烈（旅匈华人们，更喜欢叫它“山丹丹”）时，儿子在罗马尼亚比赛，并未参与；去维谢格拉德时，未能完美看到多瑙河的曲湾，也没能留下旅游印记，总觉得不完美。所以今年暑假，当决定不进行长途旅游之后，多瑙三镇并成了全家一致的选择。
第一站，便是圣安德烈。在匈语里，小镇名字的发音和“山丹丹”确实非常接近。这里的华人把它亲切地叫做“山丹丹”，多少也有一些思乡情结。尽管它实际的名字，取自耶稣的第一个门徒。作为耶稣的十二个使徒之一，安德烈当年主要在小亚细亚沿黑海传道。因此当十七世纪后期，大批逃离土耳其战火的塞尔维亚人、希腊人，来到这里，便被这个亲切的名字所吸引，并定居了下来。因此小镇留下了很多美丽的东正教堂。事实上，我们这个年龄的国人，对这个小镇都不陌生的。当年蔡依林的一曲《马德里不思议》的MV就是在这里拍的。只是那时候未出过国门的我们，傻傻分不清马德里，与“山丹丹”，看过MV也就只有一句：“欧洲真漂亮”，便一言以蔽之了。小朋友自然是不认识蔡依林，也没有听过这首歌的。因此在出发前，特意搜了这首歌，先给他在脑海里留个映像。虽然，现在的小镇与2006年MV的场景比起来，还是漂亮些许。但对于几百年如一日的欧洲来说，这里仍然保留着18世纪巴洛克式的浓墨重彩。
漫步在富有岁月沉淀的石板道，可以品味到两旁复古欧式建筑里，散发出带有历史沉淀的浓郁咖啡香气。即使是一家小的甜品店，亦或是一家卖着入口即化的冰激凌商铺，你都能感觉到岁月在口感上精美作用。美食随着岁月的痕迹，变得更加精细与完美。
这里的店铺都很友善。游人可以在任何一家摆设精美的小店门前拍照留影，而不需任何消费。夫人看中了一家餐厅门前摆放的鲜花。刚在门前的餐桌坐下准备拍照，热心的服务员便就递来菜单，当得知我们只是想拍照时，更是热情的配合挪开影响画面的桌椅。有着岁月沉淀的商家，都会有相同的宗旨，便是：赚钱不是我的目的，你开心才好。
小镇离布达佩斯市中心也就20--30公里。因此19世纪末大量的画家、艺术家、手工艺人都来到了这里，使得小镇色彩异常丰富。各色的雨伞，灯笼，哪怕就是锅碗瓢勺，经过艺术家之手，赋予色彩，挂在空中，人也就进入了画家们的调色板。小镇也因此变得复古而不沉闷。除了来自于中国义乌的旅游纪念品之外，商铺里更多的是本地手工艺人亲手做的食材，瓷器与木器。小店的老板往往便是怀揣手艺的工匠本人。儿子买了一个机关重重的木制魔术盒，老板便亲自拿出刻刀，在木盒上为小朋友刻上了名字。作为一个国际化的旅游胜地，这里的老板往往都会多种语言。我们如果要刻中文名字，他也是可以刻出来的。事实上，不光是刻字这样照葫芦画瓢的活，中午时分走过饭店，面对中国游客，服务员一样的会操着欧式中文，喊着“牛肉汤、鱼汤，土豆”来招揽客户的。
细品圣安德烈也就用了2-3个小时。疫情对于小镇还是有着不小的影响。关门的，待转让的店铺倒也随处可见。希望今后新入驻的商家，还将能继续起这些建筑的辉煌。
从圣安德烈开车只需40多分钟，就可以到达埃斯泰尔戈姆（Esztergom）。这40多分钟的车程里，约有30分钟，是在蜿蜒曲折的山中行进的。匈牙利的山，主要是丘陵为主，埃斯泰尔戈姆最具代表性的地标建筑：埃斯泰尔戈姆圣殿就依着山，建在山顶。车刚开进埃斯泰尔戈姆，远远的便可以看到圣殿。这时即使不看导航，沿着最宽大的主路，一路便可以开到圣殿所在的小山。山脚下有个很大的停车场，从停车场边的垂直石阶，也就三四十阶台阶，便可以来到圣殿前的广场。可能是台阶设计的太陡，几十阶台阶居然让人有点气喘。不过这里景点的设计都非常人性化，即使不走台阶，也有电梯可供选择。这样坐着轮椅的老人们，也可以轻松欣赏美景。
圣殿广场的四周和中央有很多雕像，儿子给我讲解着雕像中人物手中所持物件的含义。雕像人物形态各异，但其手持之物，却都与武力和权力相关。感觉应该都在讲述着匈牙利王国的首任国王：圣伊斯特万的相关故事。伊斯特万，本名沃伊克（Vojk），就出生在埃斯泰尔戈姆。之前，作为游牧民族的马扎尔人一直以部落为单位，哪里牧草肥美，就在生活在哪里。直到他们来到了这片位于匈牙利西北部的潘诺尼亚平原，长期漂泊的人们，内心还是向往平静的。打算定居于此的十个部落，之前自然都有各自的图腾与首领。沃伊克掌权后，第一项重大改革便是统一大家的图腾。最高的图腾自然是神。沃伊克率先引入了天主教，并在全国加以推广。沃伊克自己也开始使用教名伊斯特万。大家有了共同的信仰，原先各自部落的小图腾，自然就可以悄然淡化了。代之以“主权在君，君权神授”的伊斯特万国王。据说匈牙利的国名，就在来于斯拉夫语系里的“十箭联盟”（每支箭代表着一个部落，七个马扎儿部落和三个可萨部落）。“君权神授”的过程，自然也不可以太随意，公元1000年，圣伊什特万一世（I. (Szent) István）即位，教皇西尔维斯特二世亲自为其加冕，匈牙利升格为王国。伊什特万在位时期积极推动封建化进程，百姓们不再以之前的部落为聚集单位，而代之以国王省的行政区划。在他的带领下，马扎尔人完成了由游牧部落向封建国家的转变。
可以想象，1000多年前的那场加冕仪式一定声势浩大。有幸参与的民众，必心甘情愿的臣服于眼前的主教以及授予君权的国王。眼前这座外部高100米，内部高71.5米的建筑，虽不是当年加冕仪式所在的教堂，但可以想象，当年的辉煌也一定不在此之下。
这里是匈牙利最高的建筑物，匈牙利第一大教堂，世界第18大教堂。迎面的8根22米高的石柱，便让人感觉到在神的面前，人，自身力量的渺小。教堂的主入口，门并不大，平时也都是关着的。这个门应该是在盛大仪式时供主教及其他身份显赫的人士出入的。作为游客，可以从侧门进入。因为这里地势很高，教堂的顶部便可以俯视整个小镇。教堂登顶是需要额外购买门票的，而教堂参观则是免费的。事实上这个教堂原名叫作：圣母升天圣阿达尔贝特圣殿都主教座堂，装饰祭坛的圣母升天图（13.5 × 6.6米）是世界最大的单幅油画。但与教堂外的恢弘相比，教堂内部的装修略显简陋。相比于，之前在捷克参观过的诸多教堂，这里更是朴素了许多。因此，我们并没有在教堂里做太多停留，而把剩下的时间都留给了教堂边的城堡博物馆。
城堡博物馆就是之前的皇宫，来到入口时，博物馆只剩1小时就要闭馆了。工作人员耐心的与我们确认了参观时间，确保我们能有充足的时间可以参观，并告知其中一些配有特殊图标的展品是不可以拍照的。事实上，博物馆并不大，让我觉得当时的国王生活其实也很朴素。皇宫也有个观景台。可以鸟瞰整个埃斯泰尔戈姆。多瑙河就在城堡山下川流不息，河上横跨着马利亚·瓦莱里亚桥（Mária Valéria Bridge），而桥那边便是斯洛伐克了。在这里多瑙河也成了国界线。事实上，匈牙利辉煌时，河对面的斯洛伐克也是在匈牙利的版图范围内的。欧洲大多都是天主教国家，当年都是打着“君权神授”这统一的教义。神也许授权的时候，就没有对与疆土问题授得非常明确。以至于各个国君在扩大自己的势力范围时，不知是否会有悖于当年神的授权。事实上，部分教皇也确实参与到了授权的过程中。
神其实永远不希望有人代言，而人总是希望能有神加持。
城堡博物馆，主要陈列了皇宫各个时期的主要物件。与国内的博物馆不同，这里的展品多以实物为主，并没有很多当年的文字资料。不知是不是由于造纸术较晚才传到欧洲的缘故。而且作为马背上的民族，是不是匈牙利人也不没有记录历史的习惯。倒是埃斯泰尔戈姆圣殿1856年重建完成时，钢琴家李斯特在此初演并指挥了弥撒曲，以音乐的形式对历史做了记录。
如果说多瑙三镇是得名于多瑙曲湾的话，最占曲湾地理优势的要属维谢格拉德了。身处另两个小镇，看多瑙河时，只是觉得清澈的河水从身边静静的流过，波光中带着两岸的历史沉淀传递。但在维谢格拉德山顶，将会明显的看到多瑙河在这儿形成了一个巨大的S形弯。可能也是因为这里的山更高一些，山不转，只好水转了。拐了弯的多瑙河为小镇带来更为肥沃的土地，和更郁郁葱葱的山林。难怪十三世纪时贝拉四世会迁都于此，十五世纪时马加什一世又将夏宫建在了这里。从夏宫留下的断瓦残垣，我们不难感受到十五世纪时匈牙利雄厚的国力。白色的宫墙威严的高耸，而在宫墙内部庭院深深，喷泉、花园错落有致。相比于刚建国时伊斯特万的皇宫，权力在几经易手之中得以壮大。身为国王的国君们也更懂得如何玩味手中的权力，享受生活了。
维谢格拉德山脚下有一家文艺复兴主题的餐厅，餐厅依然保留着中世纪的装饰。餐具与餐食依然可以感受到当年的骑士风范。一家三口点一份骑士套餐，居然吃不完。餐厅还提供骑士服装和道具，吃到兴起，也可以来一场中世纪对决，消消食儿。饱餐之后，爬爬山绝对有利于消化。不过维谢格拉德的山很野，一路跟随餐厅后的指示牌上山，过了山门，没走两步，便不再有水泥路的踪影，石头台阶更是找寻不到。要不是偶尔在树上看到几个箭头和禁形的标志，真以为是走错了路。沿着土坡，爬野山的感觉也是不错的。手脚并用间，早已忘了中午的饱食，看来这骑士套餐相对于当年骑士的运动量，也就刚垫个肚子。
随着树上的指示牌，大约三四十分钟的光景，终于来到了山顶。山顶已是一块非常平坦和巨大的停车场。旅游团的车辆往来不绝。随着近年维谢格拉德四国集团在欧洲政坛的不断活跃，这个十四世纪便孕育了联盟雏形的小镇，自然吸引着各国游客。穿过停车场，位于山顶的西尔瓦努斯酒店，才是我们此次维谢格拉德之行的重点。酒店的室外泳池正面向着多瑙大弯，多瑙秀色尽收眼底。
泡在泳池里，阳光洒在身上，正好中和了池水的丝丝寒意。看着满山翠绿，一条宽宽的银带湾流而下。湾流与一千多年前并没有不同，而行赏着这美景的人们，和城堡里的权力一样已经早已物是人非了。
小朋友做了此文的英文版：
The three towns of the Danube river
Our summer vacation plan was to visit the three towns of Danube.
They are the three cities on the right side of the Danube river: Esztergom, Visegrád, and Szentendre.
Because the Danube river makes a gorgeous bend in the northern part of Hungary, and the three towns of the Danube connects the most beautiful part of the Danube in Hungary, these three towns are also called the three towns of the Danube Bend, and this part of the river Danube is called the Danube Knee.
As a family who has lived in Hungary for four years, we are not unfamiliar with the three towns of the Danube river. My family had been to two of them before, but when my family went to Szentendre (Which Chinese people in Hungary call “Shandandan”), I had a competition in Romania, so I couldn’t join my family. And when we went to Visegrád, we couldn’t see the complete Danube Bend, and we didn’t buy any souvenirs, we didn’t really consider it as a perfect trip. So in this summer vacation, we decided to go to the three towns of Danube.
Our first stop was Szentendre, which really sounds like “Shandandan” in Chinese. So as I mentioned before, Chinese people in Hungary prefer to call it Shandandan. Though it was named after one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. As one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, Szentendre mainly preached at Asia Minor along the Black Sea. So in the late 17th century, tons of Serbians and Greeks who were running from the Turkish warfare came and were attracted by this familiar name, so they settled down. Therefore, the town has left many beautiful Orthodox churches. In fact, Chinese people at my dad’s age are all familiar with this town. Because the music video for Jolin Tsai's "A Wonder in Madrid" was shot here. Those of us who hadn't been abroad that year weren’t able to distinguish Madrid from "Shandandan". After watching the MV, the only thing we could say was: "Europe is so beautiful". However, I didn’t know Joslin Tsai, and neither did I know this song. So my dad showed me the MV before going to Szentendre to get familiar with the MV and the town. Though the town looks way better by now, it still has the 18th century Baroque style.
Strolling along the stone road with rich history, you can taste the retro European buildings on both sides, exuding a strong coffee aroma with history. Even in a small dessert shop, or a shop selling delicious ice cream, you can feel the effect of time on the taste. With the traces of time, the food has become more fine and perfect. The shops here are very friendly. Visitors can take pictures in any beautifully decorated shop without any consumption. My mom liked the flowers in front of a restaurant, so we sat down at the dining table to take pictures. The enthusiastic waiter was just about to hand over the menu, and when she learned that we just wanted to take pictures, she helped us to remove the tables and chairs that affected the picture. Businesses with years of accumulation have the same motto, “making money is not our purpose, the point is to make you happy.”
The town is only 20-30 kilometers away from the center of Budapest, so a large number of painters, artists, and craftsmen came here at the end of the 19th century, making the town extremely colorful. Umbrellas and lanterns of various colors, even the pots, bowls, and spoons, are painted by artists and hung in the air, making people enter the palette of painters. Which makes the town retro and exciting. In addition to tourist souvenirs from Yiwu, the shops sell more of the ingredients, porcelain, and wood made by local craftsmen. The owner of a small shop is often a craftsman himself. When I bought a wooden magic box, the owner took out the carving knife and engraved my name on the wooden box. As an international tourist destination, the owners here are often multilingual. The owner told us that if we wanted to engrave the Chinese name, he could also have done it. In fact, they can do more than just copying words in Chinese, but when we walked through the restaurant at noon, facing the Chinese tourists, the waiters could even speak European Chinese like "niu rou tang, yu tang, tu dou" to get the customer’s attention.
It only took 2-3 hours to go through Szentendre. The pandemic still had a huge impact on the town. Closed shops that were waiting to be transferred could be seen everywhere. I truly hope that the newly settled businesses will continue the glory of these buildings in the future.
It only took over 40 minutes to reach Esztergom by car from Szentendre. During the 40-minute drive, about 30 minutes of it was traveling in the mountains. The mountains in Hungary are mostly dominated by hills. So Esztergom’s most representative landmark: the Esztergom Basilica was also built on the top of a hill. You can see the temple right after entering the city. Even if you don’t look at the navigation, you can still easily go straight to the hill where the Basilica is located with the main road. There is a large parking lot at the bottom of the hill. There are only 30 or 40 steps to the square in front of the temple from the stone steps on the side of the parking lot. Maybe it’s because the steps are too steep, it was quite tiring going up the steps. However, the design of the place is very user-friendly, and there are also elevators to choose from if you don’t want to take the steps so that even if you are in a wheelchair, you can still enjoy the view.
There are many statues around and in the center of Temple Square. I was explaining the meanings of the objects they are holding to my dad. The statues have different shapes, but the things they hold are nothing more than force and power, it feels like they are all about the first king of the Kingdom of Hungary: St. Stephen. Stephen, whose real name was Vojk, was born in Esztergom. Before the Magyars, as nomads, had always lived in tribes, and they settled in fertile lands. Until they came to this Pannonian Plain in northwestern Hungary, the people who had been wandering for a long time still wanted peace in their hearts. The ten tribes who wanted to settle here had their own totems and leaders before. After Vojk became the leader, he naturally wanted to unify everyone's totems, and the highest totem was God. Vojk took the lead in introducing Catholicism and spreading it throughout the country. Vojk himself also began to use the Christian name, Stephen. Everyone had a common belief, and the original totems of their tribes naturally faded quietly. It was replaced by King Stephen, who spread the idea of the "divine right of kings". It’s said that the name of the country of Hungary comes from the "Ten Arrows Alliance'' in the Slavic language family (each arrow represents a tribe, seven Mazar tribes, and three Khazarian tribes). The process of “divine right of kings” wasn't naturally too easy. In 1000 AD, Saint Stephen I came to the throne, Pope Sylvester II crowned him personally, and Hungary was elevated to a kingdom. During the reign of Saint Stephen, he actively spread the process of feudalization, when people no longer used the previous tribes as the gathering unit, but replaced the administrative divisions of the King Province. Under his leadership, the Magyars completed the transition from a nomadic tribe to a feudal country. It can be imagined, that the crowning ceremony more than 1,000 years ago must be huge, and the people who participated were surely willing to surrender to the bishop and the king who granted the monarchy. Though this building with a height of 100 meters on the outside and 71.5 meters on the inside is not the church where the crowning ceremony was located, it was surely greater than this.
This is the tallest building in Hungary, the largest church in Hungary, and the 18th largest church in the world. The eight 22-meter-high stone pillars facing us really make people feel the insignificance of man's own strength in front of God. The main entrance of the church has a tall door that is not usually open. This gate should be used for bishops and other important persons to enter and exit during the grand ceremony. As a tourist, you can enter from the side entrance. Because of the high terrain here, the top of the church can overlook the entire town. An additional ticket is required to reach the top of the church, while you can visit the church for free. In fact, the original name of this church was: Saint Adalbert church, decorated with The Assumption of the Virgin (13.5 × 6.6 meters) which is the largest single oil painting in the world. But compared with the magnificent view outside the church, the interior decoration of the church is a little too simple. In fact, compared with the many churches we visited in the Czech Republic before, this place is much simpler. Therefore, we did not stay in the church too much and left the rest of our time to the castle museum next to the church. The castle museum is the former palace. When we came to the entrance, we were told that the museum would be closed within an hour. The staff patiently confirmed the visiting time with us, ensured that we had enough time to visit, and informed us that some places with special icons cannot be photographed. In fact, the museum is not that big, which made me think that the life of the king at that time was actually very simple. The palace also had an observation deck. Where you can get an aerial view of the entire Esztergom. The Danube River flows constantly under the castle hill, crossing the Mária Valéria Bridge, and on the other side of the bridge is Slovakia. Here, the Danube has also become a national boundary. In fact, when in the time of Greater Hungary, Slovakia across the river was also in its territory. Many Catholic countries in Europe used the unified creed of "divine right of kings" back then. Perhaps God didn’t tell them so clearly when he authorized them so that when the monarchs expanded their influence, they didn’t understand that what they were doing wasn't good. In fact, even some popes participated in the authorization process. Actually, God never wants someone to represent, but people always want God to be with them.
The castle museum mainly displays the main objects of the palace in various periods. Unlike museums in China, the museums here are mostly physical objects, and there aren’t many textual materials from those years. I don't know if it is because the papermaking technology arrived too late in Europe. Or is it as a nation on horseback, Hungarians don’t have the habit of recording history. However, when the reconstruction of the Esztergom Temple was completed in 1856, the pianist Liszt performed and directed the Mass for the first time, recording history in the form of music.
If the name of the three towns of Danube is because of the Danube Knee, then the luckiest town would have to be Visegrád. When we were at the other two towns, we only saw the Danube river floating beside us, telling us the sedimentary history of both sides of the river in the waves. But at the top of Visegrad, it will be obvious that the Danube has formed several huge S-shaped bends here. It may also be because the mountains here are higher and they don’t want to turn anymore, so the river has to turn. The turning Danube river brings more fertile land and lush forests to the town. No wonder that in the 13th century, Bella IV moved his capital here, and in the 15th century, Matthias I built his summer residence here. From what’s left from the Summer Palace, it is not difficult for us to feel Hungary's strong national power in the 15th century. The white palace walls are majestic and towering, and the inner courtyard of the palace is where fountains and gardens are placed. Compared with the Stephen Palace at the time when the kingdom was found, power had grown after several kings. The monarchs began to know how to enjoy their power and enjoy life.
There is a renaissance themed restaurant at the bottom of Visegrad Mountain. The restaurant still retains medieval decorations. Tableware and meals still have the spirit of knighthood. As a family of three, we ordered a classic knight set meal and we couldn’t even finish it. The restaurant also provides knight costumes and props. Whenever you wish, you can also have a showdown to digest your food. After the meal, climbing mountains definitely helps with digesting it. However, the mountain in Visegrad is very wild. We followed the signs to the mountain from the restaurant, after passing the mountain gate, there is no more concrete road after a very close distance, and the stone steps are not easy to find. If it wasn’t because of a few arrow-shaped signs on the tree, I would have thought it was the wrong path. Along the soil slope, the feeling of using hands and feet to climb is also very good. After climbing the mountain, we already forgot the meal we had. It seems that the meal we had definitely wasn’t enough for a real knight.
Following the sign on the tree, about thirty or forty minutes later, we finally came to the top of the mountain. There was a huge parking lot on the top. The traffic of traveling vehicles has increased. While the power of the Visegrád Group is increasing in European politics in recent years, the 14th century gave birth to the embryonic form of the alliance, which naturally attracted tourists from all over the world. Passing through the parking lot, the Silvanus Hotel on the top of the hill is the most important thing of our visit to Visegrad. The hotel’s outdoor swimming pool faces the Danube Bend, and the beauty of the Danube is unobstructed.
While soaking in the pool, the sun shines on our bodies, just to neutralize the chill of the pool water. Looking at the green mountains, a wide silver belt flows through. The river is the same as it was more than a thousand years ago, but the people who admire the beauty are no longer the same, just like the power in the castle.