Szeged

October 28^th-29^th, 2026 

From Debrecen I caught a train to Cegléd, a small city of about 38,000 people, where I had a 12-minute window to catch the next train to Szeged, my destination for the next few nights.  Unfortunately, the train slowed down here, stopped there, and was running exactly 12 minutes late.  I resigned myself to missing my intended train but there would be another one an hour later.

 

While still on the first train, I noticed that beside every window seat was a sign with an arrow pointing down with a symbol that there should be a plug-in.  Well, I couldn’t find it.  I thought we were about ten minutes out from Cegléd, so I decided to get up to use the bathroom.  On my way back to my seat, I noticed a plug-in by some seats that lined the walls, facing inwards.  I grabbed my bags, plugged in my laptop, and pulled out a sandwich to eat.  From what I saw on the monitor in the car, it looked like our train was even later than I expected.

 

That turned out to be wrong.  We pulled into a station, and I noticed a parked train that said “Cegléd” on the front, and then I saw the sign on the platform: “Cegléd”.  Shit, we’re there already and I’m not packed up to get off the train!  I frantically unplugged my laptop, stuffed my sandwich and cords into my daypack but didn’t even have time to zip it up before hopping off the train.  Whew, that was close.

 

I looked up at the electronic sign at the platform I was on, and it showed that the train to Szeged was ten minutes late.  Oh, that’s what I misinterpreted on the monitor in the train.  Well, that turned out to be lucky…but I never like rushing to get off a plane/train or bus as you always worry about leaving something behind.  For a few minutes I couldn’t locate my sunglasses, but then found them in a pocket that I don’t normally put them in.  Another whew.

 

Arriving Szeged (when you have a “sz” combination in Hungarian, it sounds like an “s” in English), a city of 160,000, I had about a two-kilometre walk to reach my accommodation.  It was across the Belvárosi Bridge which spans the Tisza River, which is a major river in Eastern and Central Europe and is a tributary of the Danube.

The Szeged train station.

The route that Google Maps took me by the hospital.  I liked their helipad!

The Belvárosi Bridge.

That's a big crocodile down there.

Reaching the other side of the bridge.

The place I chose was fancy considering it was only $50 CAD per night.  It was already late in the afternoon, so I decided to lay low and take advantage of the little bar/restaurant on the main floor of the hotel, although the quattro stagioni pizza was nothing special.

For my full day in Szeged, I had five sights to visit which were all within a four-kilometre circuit. 

A park near my hotel.

That's a cool looking water park, which was also near my accommodation.

There's my first destination...the cathedral.

My first stop was the Szeged Cathedral which is located in the Dóm Square, one of the largest squares in Hungary and it is exactly the same size as Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy.  Construction of the cathedral started in 1913 but thanks to the outbreak of WWI, it wasn’t completed until 1930.  It is the fourth largest church in Hungary, and it was free to enter (which is not the norm).

I nice ferris wheel in the square, but it wasn't operating.

Nor was this carousel.

The cathedral with its tall bell towers.

Looking around the square.

It was different from the other cathedrals/basilicas/churches that I have seen on this trip in that there wasn’t a lot of ornate, gold-plated decorations. It was a bit more subdued.

The painting on the dome was beautiful.

Looking back towards the organ on the upper level.

I do like stained glass windows, too bad that my shitty phone doesn't usually capture them very well.

That's better.

Sure, why don't we have a nice painting of someone about to get impaled by a spear!

After a relatively quick 10-minute visit inside, I walked down some stairs on the outside to an exhibition area under the church to pay a small fee to climb up one of its 91-meter towers.  Two hundred and eighty-nine steps later, I was at the viewing platform and soaked in the view of the city and surrounding area.

 

Just before reaching the top, well, as high as the general public are allowed to go, there were some large church bells with the various motors, chains and hammers (that hit the bell from the outside versus the internal clapper that hangs on the inside of the bell).  While walking around the outer platform, I noticed that the clock on the other tower was showing that the time was 11:40.  Hmm…if I wait a bit, I might be able to see the bells ringing in noon.  I thought it was worth the wait.

Looking to the north.

I never did find out what that weird tower that looks like a satellite dish pointing straight up is.

A TV tower most likely.  There are a number of these in Hungary from the 60s and 70s.

Scanning the horizon.

Checking out Dóm Square from above.

Looking at the other bell tower.

That's the New Synagogue in the middle of the picture, stop #4 on my list for today.

And the wait for the bells going off was worth it.  I’ve never been in a cathedral’s bell tower as they go off, and oh my, was it loud!  The small bell started with its hammer, then the big one chimed off twelve hits with its hammer, but this was followed by a motor with a chain kicking in that started to swing the smaller bell back and forth until its clapper started to hit the inside of the bell.  This went on for close to three minutes.  I videoed it, while plugging one of my ears, which helped a bit…but it went on long enough that I stopped recording and plugged both ears.  Wow, it was quite something.

It's a bit of a long video, you may want to stop about half way...I didn't realize that the bell would ring for so long.

The end of the ringing (at least of the bells...maybe not of my ears!).

Back at street level, the second stop of the day was Kárász Street, which was only 4-5 blocks away.  I had read online that it was a cool pedestrian street with many architectural masterpieces.  I enjoyed my amble down the lane.

This retired yellow tram is actually a little cafe now, but it wasn't open for business.

I liked its matching planter beside it.

There was some nice architecture in the city.

Not sure if this fiddler was from some story or what.

Looking down the pedestrian-only Kárász Street.

This is from a Spanish show called the "Money Heist", which I watched a few years ago.

Yet another statue in a square.

Soviet tanks in the streets of Szeged in 1956.

Much more peaceful now...

Just a fountain with lions holding up a cross, your standard kinda stuff.

The next stop was pretty much a flyby.  It was the Reök Palace, which is a prominent Art Nouveau building constructed in 1907.  Housing a modern art gallery, I wasn’t interested in going inside (as I’m an “uncultured boob”), but the curvy lines of the outside reminded me of Gaudi’s building in Barcelona, the Casa Milà that I checked out last February.  Gaudi wins though…his creation is more impressive.

Alright, after that, stop number four of five…let’s go for another religious building, this time a synagogue.  Known as the “New Synagogue”, even though it was built in 1902 I guess relative to the start of the Jewish faith some 4000 years ago…it is still “new”.

It is an impressive building.

It is the second largest synagogue in Hungary after the one in Budapest, which I refused to pay $60 CAD to enter.  This one had a reasonable $11 CAD entry fee.  Men must wear a head covering, which is typically a kippah, the skull cap traditionally worn when in a synagogue.  After I paid, the lady behind the counter told me that I could either grab one of their black, cardboard kippahs from a bowl or I could just pull my hood over my head.  I chose the latter. 

 

The idea is that it is a sign of respect, humility, and the constant awareness that God is always above them.  Sorry, I’m an atheist and I dissect ideas like this…so why don’t the women have to cover their heads too?!?  Are they not worthy of being aware of God?  A quick search online led me to this: “By contrast, traditional thought holds that women possess an inherent, internal spiritual connection that does not require the same external symbols.”  That makes sense.  We men are just not in touch with ourselves internally like the ladies are.

The inside is impressive too!

Looking around the interior of the synagogue.

I think my "hood-ah" instead of a kippah was an obvious tell to the half dozen others in the synagogue that I was not Jewish.

I liked their individual fold down seats.

The Bimah, the raised platform or desk in the center or front of the sanctuary from which the Torah scrolls are read and services are led.

The view from the gallery, which is an elevated upper-level balcony or separate seating area traditionally reserved for women.

Looking across to the other gallery.

Looking up at the dome from the gallery.

Well this lady would get a bit of a crappy seat!

These stained glass windows represent Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Looking up at the dome from directly below it...beautiful!

Okay, my final stop on the list, was…drum roll please…a water tower located in St. Stephen’s Square.  Huh?!?  Seems like an odd sightseeing attraction.  Well, built in 1904, this water tower was once a critical component of the city’s water supply.  It has been given a unique industrial historical monument status and was reconstructed between 2005-2006 due to concrete corrosion.  The Art Nouveau style building has become a symbol of the city.  You can pay to go up and enjoy the view but since I’d already been up the tower at the cathedral, I didn’t bother with that.

An interesting building on my way to the water tower.

Kind of a spooky statue.  Soldiers from WWII I'm guessing but there were only the clothes, guns and bandages of the men.

A very 1960s communist looking building I passed by.

The water tower...it is pretty nice as far as water towers go.

Okay, time for a late lunch.  A place that caught my eye on Kárász Street was the John Bull Pub where I enjoyed a burger and fries well catching up on some blogging.

On my walk to the pub...

I passed through yet another "Szechenyi Square" (most cities in Hungary seem to have one).  This one was filled with statues.

It didn't turn out well with my camera, but I liked the contrasting autumn leaves on the tree behind the statue.

Cheers!

Starting my walk back to the hotel.

The Ferenc Móra Museum, which I didn't visit, but the outside was nice!

There was a similar fountain like this in Eger.

I saw this lovely older couple on my walk back to the hotel.

I was still full in the early evening from my late lunch that I didn’t even bother going out for dinner.  That allowed for a chilled evening in my nice room so that I’d be rested for the next destination tomorrow which was the city Pécs.