Gyor, pronounced g-yeur, which is something I clearly can't say correctly.

I can't decide if my entry to Hungary through Gyor was the best way to start or not.  Don't get me wrong, it was awesome, however it was quite an experience especially after the more Westernized part of Europe.  In Gyor nobody speaks English.  And I mean nobody.  It was amazing.  I found my pension thanks to the handy dandy map of Lonely Planet and was greeted by a very nice older lady who was wearing a sack dress.  You know, those old Polish looking garbs.  She spoke not one word of English- well- maybe one or two words revolving around food.  So we spoke German.  Now ask me if I speak German?  Nope.  But Julie you will be so proud, I understood most of the basic words that she said to me.  Crazy...

Anyway, Gyor is a really cute little town.  Its colorful and has nice buildings and sits right at the merge of some river with the Danube.  It was ungodly hot on the day I arrived but I went out anyway to explore.  I found the old Synagogue that is no longer used (because I doubt that Gyor has even one Jewish person left) and I got to take a look inside because there is an art exhibit in there.  Also the music school uses the space for concerts and stuff so there was a girl playing piano when I was in there which made the experience so much cooler.  It was gorgeous.  Apparently it is the second largest synagogue in Hungary.  There were big Jewish communities along the Western side of Hungary.  Pre-Holocaust.

I enjoyed my day in Gyor and it was an interesting introduction to Hungary and Hungarians.  Keeping in mind that I couldn't really communicate with the people my sole introduction to them was based on observation. Not a smiley people. Terrible (and I mean terrible!) fashion trends. But people who enjoy being in the plazas and in the streets, sitting in outdoor Cafes, and enjoying summer.

Day 2- I took a day trip to Pannonhalma (surprisingly easier to pronounce than Gyor).  Lonely planet suggested this trip to see the 1000 year old Benedictine abbey, also a UNESCO world heritage site.  I took a normal bus out of Gyor and tried to pay attention as best I could to what seemed like the closest spot to the abbey (which was located atop a large hill so it was quite easy to spot)   My favorite part of the bus ride was when I pointed to the Abbey and then pointed down to the ground (meaning here), I was trying to communicate with a cute old Hungarian Grammy on whether I should get off the bus now?  She asked the driver a question and then shook her head no said a whole bunch of gibberish in Hungarian and then motioned to the hill. I understood that to mean "the bus will take you there"- luckily, I was right!!

It's quite incredible how not one word is decipherable in Hungarian!! Makes it a little complicated. I can normally learn some words quickly. Not here.

Anyway, back to the Abbey.  What a gorgeous place! See below:

The view from the top was quite pretty too, the Hungarian landscape being lush...

The coolest part of the Abbey was the library. It actually reminded me of the one I saw in Prague (which in my mind is still the most beautiful place in the world).  Funny to note that last summer when the Bachelorette aired with Emily Maynard she got to roll around with Jef Holm in that gorgeous library as they picnic-ed on its floor.  No fair, the closest I got was to take a picture from the doorway.  Anyway, here's a pic of the library:

The return to Gyor was quite interesting... I found a woman who spoke English (semi!) and she drew me a map of where to catch the bus. It was pretty accurate and after waiting an hour the bus finally came. I skipped dinner that night and ate this amazing monstrosity!!!

DELICIOUS!!

I probably ate about 1/6 of it but oh well. Leaving Gyor was fine. The pension owner gave me such a nice goodbye, she blessed me in some language and gave me a huge smile!  Apparently I was an easy guest.  Off to Budapest!!