Gallivanding in Győr

Monika VS Hungary

Győr is a darling little medieval city, the outskirts are concrete and boring, but the inner city is a wonderful collection of labyrinthine cobble-stone alleyways, french neo-classical buildings and baroque palaces, all pastel colours and cream frosting. There is a lot of history here, and I enjoy learning the significance behind certain daily rituals. The bells toll at midday, a reminder of the fact Győr was the first town to oust the ottomans, after they only managed to capture the city for 4 years. Every hour a strange little song is played from the tower of the Town Hall, a melancholy tune that infuses the air with a heavy loneliness, particularly at dusk, as it softly floats across the town.

I am mainly left to my own devices, but am immensely enjoying wandering the streets, visiting decrepit little museums with a few musty badly framed artworks, drawing and painting in my sketchbook, eat icecream (at 80 cents a cone I am giving up all the other food groups).

 
Whilst wandering the quaint little back alleys I happened upon a hippy alley, complete with a little tree-of-life style shop, flags strung up in the narrow space between the buildings, and Hungarian hippies lounging about. Venturing further into the maze I found what has become my little haven, "Mandala" - a tea house filled with cushions, rugs, Buddhist shrines, a laid back bohemian vibe. There are kids smoking shisha's in a dark corner, and Cannabis tea on the menu (with a footnote stating "THC free, of course. Respect".) There are 15 flavours of hot chocolate on the menu, I am never leaving this place, heee. One late afternoon as a thunderstorm rolls in, I escape to Mandala seeking refuge. I curled up in a corner with a pot of Irish Cream Liquor-spiked tea, drawing and painting in my sketchbook.