Who said Hungary is flat? Alps they ain’t, but the soft, rolling hills of north western Hungary were a most pleasant surprise for me. We are weaving our way eastwards along the Slovakian border, our first stop being Dömös where we have found a great campsite directly on the banks of the Danube.

Yet another myth can be dispelled immediately. Like any great body of water, and believe me, this is a great body – it’s huge – the Danube is every colour under the sun. Green, brown, steely grey, gold, mustard, black – but I’ve only rarely caught glimpses of the famous ‘Blue Danube’. It is beautiful though, whatever colour it is, and we sure have been waltzing alongside it. Since we got off the motorway, His Lordship has had to weave the car along the roads to avoid the potholes. The brand new motorway was a dream to drive on but the local roads can be quite tricky to negotiate, with potholes ranging in size from slight dips to yawning chasms, big enough to swallow up a small car. Great fun!

We are on the knee of the Danube, the point where it changes its steady progress eastwards to a dramatic turn southwards. One of our first ports of call is Szentendre, a small riverside town of narrow cobbled streets, gorgeous cafes, cosy taverns and quaint boutiques selling a variety of local handcrafts. I counted no fewer than four church steeples in the town centre. So much to see, so much to do, but Her Ladyship’s sweet tooth won out. First stop, the Marzipan Museum. Okaaay…. It appears that there is no limit to what you can make out of this versatile confection. Dinosaurs, furniture, scenes from Disney movies, cribs, Michael Jackson… Why you would want to do so is another question altogether.

Another outing took us to Esztergom, only about 50 km from Budapest and directly on the border with Slovakia. The former capital of Hungary and centre of the Hungarian Catholic Church, Esztergom is dominated by its famous basilica. The Basilica lives up to its promise. It truly is phenomenal, both in scale and beauty. I was afraid that Her creaky-jointed Ladyship might develop a case of ‘Danube knee’ as we set about climbing the 413 steps up to the dome but, incredibly, she hardly whinged at all and pronounced the views well worth the effort. If it weren’t for all the pesky pigeons, I’d have stayed up there myself all day!

Apart from the basilica itself, the dome, the treasury and the crypt, a visit to the bell tower was also included in the tickets, meaning even more steps for the Oldies to negotiate. I got the impression that they were feeling the strain at that stage and had finally started to slow down. We were just admiring this six ton monster, however, when His Lordship realised that it was just a few minutes before noon. The pair of them took off like the clappers back down the stairs to avoid being deafened by the bells. The elderly warden below, however, persuaded them to go back up in time for the show, promising that it wouldn’t be too loud. The Oldies seemed to enjoy it, but it was far too much for me. Luckily, I have taken to bringing my noise-cancelling headphones with me wherever I go these days. Once bitten, twice shy.

There is no danger of going hungry in Hungary. At least for Her Ladyship. She only left the dregs of this goulash soup for me, and I barely got a sniff of her pint! Thank goodness His Lordship suggested afterwards that we take a stroll across the bridge to Slovakia for an ice-cream. As you do.

Prices in Štúrovo appear be lower than across the water, judging by the number of shops and restaurants there, all obviously cashing in on the border trade. At least the extra scoop of ice-cream for me didn’t break the bank.

Back in Dömös, we are settling into the campsite routine. The locals are easy-going, friendly and helpful and the language barrier is proving to be not too much of a problem. I don’t understand a word of course, but I could listen to the Hungarian language all day, it is so melodic.

It all fits together so well. Soft and gentle hills, soft and gentle language, soft and gentle people.