It is symbolic that the heirs of the once great Austro-Hungarian Empire had to start at the European Championship in a face-to-face meeting. It was their confrontation that opened the struggle in group "F", for the teams of which the main championship of the continent began later than everyone else. At the same time, the result of the confrontation at the Matmu Atlantic arena in Bordeaux was of great importance, since the victory made it possible to seriously count on reaching the playoffs of the tournament. Thus, it was quite interesting to see what the teams would be capable of.

The Austrians were the favorites for the match. Marcel Koller's team won their qualifying group without losing a single match and losing points only once. "Eagles", who gathered a very combat-ready line-up, got ahead of the Russians, Swedes and Montenegrins and went to France not due to changes in the tournament regulations, but due to their own work and good results. As a result, the ambitions of the Austrian national team and its fans at Euro 2016 were not limited to participation. In addition, far from the most difficult lot in the group allowed Koller's wards to count on leaving the quartet. The Austrians had to demonstrate their own ambitions in practice, starting with the match against Hungary.

Opponent Austria, in turn, did not report on big goals. The Hungarians, who got to the European Championship for the first time since 1972, were already happy with this fact. And this was also their advantage - the team of Bernd Stork absolutely did not experience pressure, since they were considered an occasional guest of the Euro and an outright outsider. In case of failure, no one will blame the Hungarians, while any positive result will be appreciated. When a team has nothing to lose, it can come up with a big surprise - that's why the game in Bordeaux generated additional interest.

And the meeting began to match the expectations. Already at the thirtieth second, Austria almost opened the gates of Kiraya, who was not helped to reach Alaba's blow even by branded pants, but Hungary was saved by the post! Kleinhasler tried to answer for his team, but his attempt came out much more modest and Almer took the ball without any problems. It is worth noting that the debut of the meeting was held at a good pace and, most curiously, almost non-stop. The first violation in the match was recorded only in the tenth minute.

Alaba, who is the main star of the Austrian national team, was again in the spotlight when he burst into the penalty area, responded to a flank pass from Arnautovic and hit the bottom in touch - Chiraly was on the alert and played reliably. The Hungarians again tried to answer with a long-range strike, but this time there was nothing dangerous for the Austrians, because the game shell went much higher than the gate. In general, the team of Bernd Stock tried not to go deep into the defense, but tried to meet the Austrians higher and regularly carry out their positional attacks. At the same time, the players of the Hungarian national team kept the ball quite well and they even surpassed their opponents in the number of passes.

By the middle of the half, Hungary already had a territorial advantage, but Shtork's wards failed to extract any dividends from it. Austria did not make blunders in defense, and the Hungarian attacking players were not very creative, and did not set really difficult tasks for the Eagles' defenders. Koller's team was very active Alaba, who kept pace everywhere, but David's partners were much more inert and did not provide him with decent assistance in organizing attacking actions.

In the 35th minute, Austria managed to finally create an opportunity without the efforts of Alaba. It was Yanko who fought and threw the ball at Yunuzovich with his head, who did not invent anything and hit it bitingly, but Kiraly showed a good reaction and turned the ball to a corner! Hungary's answer was not long in coming: the Austrians were cut off in the middle of the field, a quick counterattack went on, which was completed by Dzhudzhak with a blow from the right side - the ball went close to the post! As a result, the first half ended in a draw, which looked natural against the backdrop of an absolutely equal game.

During the break, both coaches did without substitutions, and their teams with renewed vigor and emotions started the second half at a very decent speed. The rivals exchanged flank attacks, after one of which Yanko could strike from a good position, but he hesitated a bit and missed the opportunity. Austria tried to indicate its desire to seize the initiative, but Hungary did not want to give the threads of the game into the hands of the enemy. This was recalled by Dzhudzhak, who from outside the penalty area checked Almer's vigilance with a powerful blow - the goalkeeper dragged Balazs' shot!

Compared to the first half, Austria had a little more possession of the ball, but this was of no use, because Kiraly did not enter the game. And after an hour of the game, Hungary took and opened the account, shocking fans of the “eagles” and plunging their fans into ecstasy. Kleinhasler dragged the ball and opened the defense with a pass to Stsalai, who avoided an offside position and pushed the ball past the goalkeeper in the fall - 0:1!

But it was not the fact of a missed goal that was the most terrible for Austria, because after a couple of minutes Koller's team remained in the minority. In the course of the attack, “eagles” Dragovic so zealously fought for the ball that hit the defender of the Hungarians in the legs and saw a second yellow card in front of him. The position of the Austrians became extremely difficult, because they needed to recoup with one less player. While they were thinking about how to get out of a critical situation, Hungary almost scored the second - Nemeth famously shot into the far, but Almer reached out!

Austria looked confused, constantly missed counterattacks, and if the Hungarians were a little more skillful, the outcome of the confrontation would have been decided in advance. And so we had to wait until the 87th minute, when the substitute Stieber ran away to meet with Almer almost from the center of the field and just shot into the far corner - 0:2! The arbitrator compensated for five minutes, but Austria was already defeated.

Hungary shocked Austria with an absolutely deserved victory.

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Igor Pavelko

Germany's ally - Austria-Hungary - was one of the largest states of pre-war Europe: 52.7 million inhabitants lived on an area of ​​​​625 thousand km2. Its political structure was peculiar. Austria-Hungary was a dualistic monarchy, the supreme power in which actually belonged to the House of Habsburg, i.e. Austrian monarch.

The relative backwardness of the economy of Austria-Hungary - in comparison with the leading European countries - was preserved by the extreme unevenness of the levels of economic development, the diversity of the ways of the peoples that were part of this, in many respects artificial and loose, public education. Acute national contradictions in Austria-Hungary, composed as a patchwork of patches of land, partly conquered, partly inherited, were fueled by a system of national oppression, the unequal position of the Hungarians in relation to the Austrians, the Czechs in relation to the Slovaks, the Poles in relation to the Austrians, etc. .d., held back socio-economic development.

Nevertheless, monopoly capitalism was developing in the empire. Thus, six large monopolistic associations have concentrated in their hands the extraction of almost all iron ore and 92% of steel production. In 1907 the number of joint-stock companies reached 648 (in 1896 - 449). Austrian capital was primarily dependent on German monopoly capital. Germany's monopolies exercised control over the most progressive, new sectors of the economy - electrical, chemical, machine-building and others, seized key positions in metallurgy. At the same time, German capital competed successfully in the zones traditionally controlled by Austro-Hungarian capital in the Balkans (Bulgaria, Serbia), Romania and Greece.

Early 20th century was marked in Austria-Hungary by the rise of the national liberation movement, the growth of the influence of trade unions, workers' parties, including the Social Democratic, and the strengthening of the labor movement.

The rise of opposition to the ruling regime led to the reform of the electoral law. In 1907, the Reichsrat approved a new law introducing universal suffrage (for men over the age of 24). Despite a number of restrictions (women were deprived of the right to vote, a residence requirement was provided for, electoral districts were unevenly distributed, etc.), the law was a step towards the democratization of the outdated system of socio-political relations in the country. The Social Democratic Party, which was the most consistent promoter of electoral reform, became an influential force in the empire's political spectrum.

Against the background of the growth of left-wing movements opposed to the decrepit monarchical regime, the struggle for the restoration of national independence intensifies in almost all parts of Austria-Hungary. So, 1905-1906. marked by an outbreak of national contradictions within the ruling elites of Austria and Hungary. The Independence Party and 1848 advocated a de facto separation from Austria, demanding the creation national institutions state power (the Hungarian army, the national bank, the establishment of clear boundaries of the state, including customs). These demands were supported by the Hungarian Sejm, threatening the authorities of the empire in case of their failure to comply with the refusal of the Hungarians from recruitment duty and the termination of the payment of imperial taxes.

Franz Joseph I

The Habsburg regime succeeded in every case in suppressing numerous nationalist movements, skillfully using the tactics of carrot and stick, tried and tested since Roman times, in combination with the “divide and rule” method.

Relatively backward economically, torn apart by internal contradictions, Austria-Hungary nevertheless actively prepared for war. Not having numerous colonies outside the state, she, like the Russian Empire, tried to keep essentially semi-colonial peoples in her state borders. The foreign policy of Austria-Hungary was expansionist, aimed primarily at neighboring states - Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, etc.

Exacerbation of the Balkan issue at the beginning of the 20th century. accelerated the process of militarization of the country, the growth of predatory sentiments in its leadership.

At the beginning of the XX century. Italy, formally allied with Austria-Hungary and Germany ( Triple Alliance, 1882), increasingly closer to the powers of the Entente. Italy had claims to both France and Austria-Hungary, so the Italian government did not know which military bloc to join. On turn of XIX-XX centuries Italy stood out for its relatively stable economic growth. The economic crisis of the early XX century. did not have a noticeable effect on her household negative impact. As in other countries, in Italy during this period an imperfect market regime is established. Monopolies arose and developed in the banking sector, heavy industry, and transport. The relative weakness of domestic capital, despite the very consistent protectionist policy of the state, contributed to the active penetration of foreign monopolies into the economy. Heavy economic crisis 1908 sharply accelerated the process of monopolization of the most advanced industries, such as engineering and especially the automotive industry, as well as old ones - metallurgical and textile.

In 1866, after the defeat in the war with Prussia, the country's authorities, headed by Emperor Franz Joseph I, came to realize the need for an internal reorganization of the state. Vienna refused to participate in the German state. As a result, the Austrians began to form into a community separate from the Germans, although this self-consciousness prevailed only after the Second World War.

In 1867, the Compromise was formalized, which meant the creation of a dualistic Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Austria-Hungary was subdivided into Cisleithania and Transleithania (Kingdom of the Hungarians). Cisleitania, in addition to historical Austria, included Silesia, Bohemia, Moravia, Gorica, Galicia, Bukovina, Dalmatia, Carniola, Istria and the port of Trieste. Both constituent parts empires had their own governments, foreign and defense policies and their financing remained common. The second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries became a time of significant economic and cultural development of the country.

Despite the stabilizing effect of the declaration of a dualistic monarchy, the principle of parity government was fraught with threats to stability in the future. The increase in the status of the Hungarians in the affairs of the administration of the empire caused an increase in expectations regarding a similar increase in the rights of other peoples, primarily the Czechs.

Concepts of federalizing the empire, or at least giving the Slavic population an influence comparable to the Austrian and Hungarian ones (trialism), began to emerge. All of them were extremely negatively received by the non-Slavic population, and representatives of the Hungarian political elite were traditionally among the most consistent and implacable opponents of trialism, which could deprive them of their privileged position.

The strengthening of the Slavic component in the empire created a threat of growing influence on the territories inhabited by the Slavs from Serbia and Russia. Serbia claimed to unite the South Slavs within the framework of one state (and after the occupation in 1878 and the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908, Austria-Hungary turned out to be the country with the largest South Slavic population). Russian empire however, she was traditionally perceived as the main defender of the interests of the Slavs as a whole and was accused by Austro-Hungarian propaganda of interfering in the internal affairs of Austria-Hungary.

The idea of ​​a "Slavic threat" became very popular in conservative and nationalist circles, and the elimination of this potential danger eventually turned into one of the most important tasks. foreign policy empire, and then to the main goal of Austria-Hungary in a great European war. The military defeat of Serbia began to seem the only chance to once again ensure long-term domestic political stability, and, realizing that new territorial acquisitions, in case of victory, would only lead to additional ethno-political problems in a country with an already difficult situation, the Austro-Hungarian authorities did not initially plan significant captures.

Austria and Austria-Hungary (1814-1914 pp.)

Territories administered by Emperor Franz I after the completion Napoleonic Wars, can be roughly divided into five main parts, inhabited different nations, with excellent control forms for each part.

1. The hereditary lands of the House of Habsburg, headed by the Austrian archduchy, are divided into 10 separate provinces (German-speaking).

2. Lombardo-Venetian kingdom inhabited by Italians.

3. The lands of the Bohemian (Czech) kingdom consisting of three provinces - the Czech Republic, Moravia and Austrian Silesia.

4. Galicia (including the so-called Western Galicia with its center in Krakow) and Bukovina.

5. Lands of the "crown of St. Stephen" - the Kingdom of Hungary, the principality of Transylvania, the kingdoms of Croatia and Slovenia and the Serbian province of Vojvodina.

Franz I managed this patchwork empire, in his own words, as follows: “I put the Hungarians in Italy, the Italians in Hungary. Everyone keeps their neighbor. They do not understand and hate each other. Order is born from their hostility, their enmity - common peace ".

For a long time this system was effective. revolutionary upheavals 1820-1821 pp. and 1830 almost did not affect Austria.

The overthrow of Louis Philippe in France in the beginning. 1848 had a huge impact on the awakening of oppositional sentiments in Europe in general and Austria in particular. On March 13, a mass demonstration took place in Vienna, as a result, Meggernich's government was forced to resign. On March 14, the National Guard was created. On March 1s, the emperor published a decree in which he agreed to the introduction of the Constitution.

The constitution, drawn up by the imperial government, was published on April 25, 1848. It proclaimed the "unity and indivisibility" of Austria. The emperor received all executive power and control of the army. The Austrian Reichstag was to consist of two chambers. Some of the deputies of the upper house would be nominated directly by the emperor. Elections to the lower chamber should be two-stage, a high property qualification was introduced. Workers, servants, invalids of war and labor were deprived of voting rights.

The constitution provoked a storm of protests. The government began to levy troops to the capital, announced the dissolution of the Central Political Committee of the National Guard.

An attempt at a republican coup on May 18 in Vienna was suppressed, in the evening of the same day the government banned the convening of meetings and the printing of leaflets. A week later, the university was closed, etc. educational establishments. This led to street fighting on May 26-27, after which the government was forced to make concessions. The troops were withdrawn from the capital, its protection was entrusted to the National Guard. On June 10, a new electoral law was issued, which allowed for elections in Reichstag workers.

The meeting of the newly elected Reichstag began on 22 July. The deputies included representatives of various nationalities (Germans, Czechs, Poles, Ukrainians, etc.) and social groups(in particular, 97 peasants).

On August 27, 1848, the Reichstag passed a resolution abolishing the feudal duties of the peasants. Dues, corvee and various servitudes were canceled for a ransom. The law of September 7 determined the procedure for paying redemption sums to landlords. Two-thirds of certain amounts were contributed by the peasants, another third by the state. The size of redemption payments was set in the amount of 20-year peasant obligations.

Budapest (t. N. Pest Revolution). Power has passed into the hands Committee of Public Safety. Within two days, the Sejm of the nobility approved the basic laws of the bourgeois transformation of Hungary. Serfdom and serf duties were abolished, church tithes were abolished. The issue of redemption payments was deferred to the future. On March 17, the first independent government of Hungary was formed, headed by Lajos Bettiany. It included representatives of the liberal nobility, supporters of moderate reforms and agreements with the Habsburgs. The left was represented by Finance Minister Kossuth.

Ferdinand I, on March 27, made an attempt to deprive the Hungarian government of the right to dispose of the military and financial affairs. The emperor also refused to approve laws on the abolition of corvée and church tithes. But protest rallies in the Hungarian capital forced him to cancel his decree at the end of March. In the first ten days of April, all the laws of the Hungarian Sejm were approved by the frightened Ferdinand I.

After the beginning of the work of the general imperial diet, when the situation in the state seemed to have somewhat stabilized, Ferdinand tried to return to the Hungarian problem. On September 22, 1848, he issued an official statement condemning Hungary's aspirations for independence and the policies of its government.

In response, the Hungarian National Assembly on the same day decided to create Homeland Defense Committee. Ferdinand I declared the Hungarian National Assembly dissolved. From October the Austrian government officially declared war on revolutionary Hungary. But already the first attempt to send the Vienna Grenadier Battalion to suppress the Hungarian revolution caused an uprising in Vienna itself.

The Emperor was forced to flee own capital. On October 28, the Hungarian revolutionary units made an attempt to break through to Vienna to help the rebels. However, it was on this day that the Austrian counter-revolutionaries launched a decisive assault on the capital. Imperial troops captured Vienna on November 1.

On December 2, 1848, Franz Joseph I came to the Austrian throne. He called for "the restoration of the unity of the Austrian Empire."

On the night of March 7, 1849, the Austrian Reichstag was dispersed. military force. The government announced the introduction of a new constitution. According to it, all executive power was transferred to the emperor. Legislative power was vested in the all-imperial bicameral Reichstag.

On April 14, the Hungarian National Assembly, on the initiative of Kossuth, proclaimed state independence Hungary and the overthrow of the "treacherous Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty". On May 2, 1849, the Committee for the Defense of the Motherland was replaced by the Council of Ministers. Kossuth became the ruler of Hungary.

Franz Joseph I began negotiations with the Russian Tsar Miko

Loy And about intervention. About 100 thousand tsarist troops invaded Hungary, another 40 thousand - in Transylvania. From the north, the Russian army under the command of Paskevich advanced, from the southwest - the Austrian troops under the command of Gainau. The Hungarian government and the National Assembly moved to Debrecen. On August 13, the Hungarian army capitulated near the town of Vilagos, laying down their weapons and banners. Kossuth emigrated to Turkey on August 10th.

Among the achievements of the Hungarian revolutionary government should be noted the law of July 28, 1849 on the equality of all nationalities inhabiting Hungary. Unfortunately, it was adopted too late and did not have time to exercise due influence on the course of the Hungarian revolution and the fight against the interventionists.

The absolutist monarchy in Austria was saved with the help of Russian bayonets.

On December 31, 1851, a decree was issued on the repeal of the constitution of 1849, the rights of the provincial diets were reduced to a minimum. The oppressed peoples of the empire (78% of the population) felt the national oppression even harder. The territory of Hungary was divided into 5 governorships, which were ruled by Austrian officials. The Hungarian parliament was dissolved. Transylvania and the Slavic lands in the south were separated from Hungary.

The military budget has grown sharply. In 1851, it amounted to 126 million guilders - twice as much as in 1847. Expenses for the police quadrupled. The cost of the bureaucracy forced the government to introduce new taxes, both direct and excises - on sugar, liquor, etc.

October 20, 1860 was published so-called. October Diploma - government decree introducing a federalist constitution. According to this decree, the emperor was to exercise legislative power jointly with the Landtags (Seims) of individual lands and with the general imperial Reichsrat.

In February 1861, the new Austrian constitution was published, which was based on the strengthening of Austrian centralism. Protests against this constitution led to the rejection of elections to the Reichsrat by the representative assemblies of Croatia, Transylvania and Venice. In Hungary, a state of emergency was introduced and elections did not take place at all. The Czech, and then the Polish delegates left the corps of the Imperial Reichsrat, after which instead of the envisaged 343 members, 120 remained.

In June 1866, the Austro-Prussian War broke out. In July, the Austrian troops were defeated at Sadovaya. On July 26, an armistice was signed with Prussia. The military defeat weakened the Habsburgs and exacerbated the political crisis in Austria.

In May 1867, the Austrian Reichsrat discussed and approved the terms of the Austro-Hungarian agreement, and in June of the same year the Hungarian parliament joined it. On the basis of this pact, the Austrian Empire pre-

rushed to the dualistic monarchy - Austria-Hungary. It was further divided into two parts, separated by the Leyte River - transleithania And Cisleithania. Cisleitania included Austria, the Czech Republic, Moravia, Silesia, Dalmatia, Galicia, Bukovina, Krajina, Hertz, Istria and Trieste. To Transleitania - respectively Hungary, Slovakia, Transcarpathian Ukraine, Croatia, Slovenia and Transylvania.

The emperor of Austria was placed at the head of the dual Austria-Hungary, who at the same time bore the title of the Hungarian king. Hungary received the right to have its own parliament and a separate government. Austria and Hungary had three joint ministries - foreign affairs, military and naval and the ministry of finance. Trade and customs agreements established between both parts of the empire had to be renewed every ten years.

The conclusion of the 1867 agreement was accompanied by liberalization public life. Thus, the Austrian Constitution adopted in December 1867 expanded the powers of the Reichsrat, introduced universal military service, legal recognition of civil marriage, etc. However, the emperor retained the right to issue emergency decrees between sessions of the Reichsrat (Article 14 of the Constitution). The upper chamber of the Austrian Reichsrat consisted of hereditary and life members, the lower chamber was elected on the basis of the reactionary curial system and a high property and age qualification. The Hungarian Diet was unicameral.

The legislation of the two parts of the Empire differed, in some cases - very significantly. For example, the minimum marriageable age in the Kingdom of Hungary was 16 years for the bride, 18 years for the groom, in the Austrian part of the empire - 14 years for both sexes.

On the basis of the Austrian Constitution of 1867, he was elected and Galician Seim(autonomy to Galicia was granted since 1869). Galicia was ruled by a governor who was destined for Vienna. By 1914, this position was occupied by one of the representatives of the Polish aristocratic environment - Count Badene, Holuchovsky, Count Potocki, prof. Bobzhinsky. Elections in Galicia took place according to the curia of voters, the artificial inclusion of ethnic Polish lands around Krakow into the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria (Volhynia) led to a large numerical advantage of Polish ambassadors in the Galician Seim (for example, in 1895, there were only 14 Ukrainian deputies out of 150).

To control the activities of the all-imperial ministries and to resolve all-imperial issues (mainly financial), joint delegations from the legislative bodies of Hungary and Austria were convened annually in Budapest and Vienna - 60 people each.

With minor changes, this dualistic monarchy lasted until the end of the First World War.

Europe has always attracted me with its beauty, famous countries and cities, which, in my opinion, everyone should visit in their lifetime. At the beginning of 2015, due to the difficult situation in the country, the reduction in the issuance of travel visas, I seriously thought about traveling to Europe, because. I have a completely empty passport and before that I was only in Turkey. And in order to go to America, to the best European countries, you need a “visa active” traveler's passport. In this regard, I decided to combine business with pleasure. Soon we managed to find the optimal solution for the first trip - an inexpensive bus tour through several European countries.

If you are interested to know how my trip around Europe took place, what cities I managed to visit and how much money was spent on such pleasure, click "Read completely".

At first, I had to think about what format of trip to choose. b:

• by car? – for the first time in another country, no experience, you need to apply for a visa yourself;
• by plane? - expensive;
• by bus? – not expensive, the travel company does the documents for you.

It was the last option that appealed to me the most. The next day, when I saw a led sign on the street advertising bus tours from $60, I talked to the manager travel company"Bitsko", I was sure that in a month I would ride on the good roads of real Europe ... My choice fell on bus tour called "Hungarian Csardas!". These tours are organized by the famous Lviv tour operator "Accordtour".

The advantage of bus tours is enough low price and accessibility for most people. The cost of the cheapest bus trips starts from 70-80 €, they last from 2 to 4 days. For the cost of 140-200€ you can get a trip from 3 to 7 days. And by paying from 200 to 400 €, you can visit Europe from 7 to 15 days. As a rule, the cost of bus tours includes bus travel, overnight stays in hotels, breakfasts and several sightseeing tours.

My European bus tour was in the first category and cost about 80€. At first glance, the amount is not large and every resident of our country can afford it, but given the devaluation of the national currency, even the cheapest tours have become not as affordable as before. In addition, you need to remember about paying the consular fee and the services of the visa center to obtain a visa in your passport. Sometimes the price of such a procedure can be up to 60% of the cost of the minimum tour. In my case, the cost of the tour is 80 €, obtaining a visa is 57 €.

After all the bureaucratic components of any process in our country and obtaining the desired visa in the passport, my girlfriend and I went on a trip. Since the beginning of the tour was in Lviv, we drove to our destination by car from Kyiv.

To compensate for the cost of fuel, I published offers for fellow travelers on the website blablacar.com a month before the trip. and in the very first days I received a notification from two girls who needed to get to Lvov.

By the way, a great startup that in less than a year has become very popular both in Europe and in the CIS. Through this application, drivers can compensate for the lion's share of fuel costs and have a fun ride, communicating with pleasant fellow travelers, and this project allows fellow travelers not to overpay for train tickets and leave their city at any moment in any direction. To date, so many people know about blablacar that there can be 10 or more trips in the direction you need in a day.

The first day. Lviv, moving abroad.

And so, with three nice girls, we went on a trip along the beautiful roads and cities of our country, which ran along the way to Lviv. In Ukraine, there are only three directions of roads, famous for their quality and lack of pits: Kyiv-Odessa, Kyiv-Lviv, Kyiv-Poltava. After 6 hours of travel and a sunny road, we were in the city most beloved by most Ukrainians. We left the car in a guarded parking lot and went to meet the group.

The road from Kyiv to Lviv is excellent. There are no pits at all.

In the process of communicating with local residents, we heard excellent reviews about the Accordtour company several times, which, to our surprise, almost every third person here knew. As it turned out, this tour operator has existed for a very long time, and its business model is interesting and profitable.

In fact, they do not have their own buses, extra costs for drivers, fuel and maintenance of vehicles. Everything is outsourced. There is only a central office, a call center and an accompanying person on the bus. Even the guides are outsourced - they live in the cities where the tours take place. Since this particular tour operator comes up with a huge number of tours, there are no problems with sales, tour. companies and travel agents offer their customers and sell Accordtour products. This business model is capable of generating good profits.

My last thought was confirmed after, before going abroad, the whole group was brought to a special “Terminal A” where you can do everything from taking a shower to a delicious lunch and shopping for essentials. As our accompanying Yuri, with pride in his voice, said: “This complex was built several years ago by our company for the convenience of tourists.”

After all the necessary procedures, we went for the most desirable - impressions, travel, photographs of places never known before. The road to the border passed by high mountains and dense forests. The bus was moderately comfortable, new, clean, but there were no conditions for a good sleep, in fact, as in the case of a flight on a regular class plane. (the distance between the seats is not large). For the first night, I had to admit the first minus of bus tours - the inability to fully sleep. But at the same time there were pluses, a new environment, new people. Our guide turned on an interesting movie that was broadcast on the central TV at the beginning and middle of the bus.

Second day. Hungary. Walk around Budapest.

At about 2 am, our bus drove up to the border, customs control was waiting for us. This process lasted about 40 minutes. In the case of moving by car, this procedure can take several hours due to the queue. Tourist buses always have priority and are allowed through special gates without a queue.

Since I went through this process for the first time, I was very interested and I think this information will be useful to readers.

This is what Ukrainian customs looks like

There are some rules to follow while in the customs area.

As the guide told us, once the group was detained for 5 hours at the border due to the fact that the question from the customs officers: - “Are you transporting something prohibited?” The tourist answered jokingly: “Yes, drugs and a Kalashnikov assault rifle.” People with serious faces and weapons began to carefully search the entire bus to teach the joker a lesson :). It got to the point that the entire bus was raised on a lift to check the lower part and chassis for hidden things. In general, I don’t know if this is really or a fictional story, but that person had a hard time from the rest of the people in the group.

After 4 hours of sleep, the most pleasant thing happened, at least for me. I woke up in another country. These inspired feelings are simply impossible to convey ... This is happiness, this is joy. In fact, I realized another dream of mine. I was standing on a completely different land, on which my foot had not set foot before. There were other people around, they spoke a different language, simple cars with Hungarian license plates drove along the roads, new brands of European gas stations met. It's so great to see another country that is palpably different from yours in almost everyone.

Perhaps you will understand me, remembering your first trip abroad.

Our first sanitary stop was at the MOL gas station.

As it turned out later, this is the largest oil and gas company in Hungary with more than 400 gas stations in different countries. Beautiful design, modern gas stations, polite staff — I was immediately reminded of the leader of our gasoline business — the WOG company. Later, walking around Budapest, I had to be very surprised when the logo of the MOL oil and gas company was on the bike rental points. It would seem that the company generates the main profit at the expense of car drivers, but at the same time, the management supports and promotes free movement by bicycle. It deserves attention and respect!

After a couple of hours, the whole group already had the opportunity to walk along the central square of heroes on the left bank of Budapest. Most often, it is from this place that all study tours begin. The creation of this square with monuments was timed to coincide with the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarians finding their homeland.

Directly behind this complex of historical monuments, on the left side, there is a huge and world-famous bath complex with thermal, healing water. There are legends and many stories about the "baths of Szechenyi". Water that shoots out of the ground helps many people to recover.

The tour program was quite rich, many excursions were scheduled, but most of them, like visiting the baths, were paid. The cost of excursions not included in the European tour ranged from 10€ to 50€. Personally, I didn’t want to get hung up on information from the guides, which you still can’t remember all of. My friend and a few guys and I went for a walk in the park, which was located behind the Heroes' Square on the right side.

Varosliget Central Park

Looking ahead, I want to say that the trip to Hungary I most of all remember the nature of Budapest. Moreover, I just fell in love with this city, it is truly rich in beautiful nature, many parks and squares. There are spacious streets, beautiful architecture, and very few modern buildings. Most of the houses are historical heritage, which attracts all tourists. In addition, this city is similar to Kyiv in many ways.

For example, many parks saturate chestnut trees. Previously, it was believed that the chestnut tree is a symbol of Kyiv, but as it turned out, there are no less such trees in Budapest.

And here is another photo that confirms that Budapest is similar to Kyiv. Doesn't it remind you of anything? Postal area! This is how she looked 15-20 years ago on the hem in Kyiv.

In Budapest, as in Kyiv, the banks are connected by 8 bridges. The right bank is higher than the left one due to relief mountains and slopes. People in this city live very modestly, judging by the cars that we noticed around the city. Most often these are Skoda, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Seat and Pegeot of 2000-2008 of release. Cars costing from 1000 to 5000€. All this made me fall in love with the capital of Hungary. There is no pathos, there is equality, all people are very calm and kind. Our group noticed the first indigenous people at 8 in the morning, when they were riding their bikes around the city center. Later, the first cars began to appear.

Such cars are located 100 meters from the government quarter in the city center

You will not believe! But for the whole day I managed to see only a few premium cars! Once it was a Porsche Cayenne and a couple of times the new Range Rovers. It's hard to believe, but you will understand me when you visit Budapest.

Later we were brought by bus as part of an excursion to Matthias Church. Apparently, this is the place where every tourist must visit, because. there were a lot of people here.

This church was built in the 13th century. It survived many eras and attacks, the coronation of Charles IV was held here in the 20th century, before that, in the 16th century, the temple was captured by the Turks, and Buda turned it into his mosque.

Having climbed one of the towers near the church, I managed to take a good photo, which shows the building of the Hungarian Parliament, built in neo-Gothic style.

Across the river you can see the huge parliament building in Budapest

The tour of Budapest was quite rich, our guide told a lot of useful and interesting information. So, in 2 hours we walked from the church to the government quarter where the building of the President of Hungary was located - the Shandor Palace. During the tour, our group went through so much that we just wanted to get on the bus and go, go, go.

Unfortunately, as part of our Hungarian Czardas bus tour, there was no time to stop by and see the Budapest Parliament nearby, but everyone who chose free time instead of an additional, paid excursion had the opportunity to visit any corner of the capital within 4 hours. Personally, my guys and I decided to have lunch at Burger King and get lost in a long walk through the streets of mysterious Budapest ...

The next few hours were the best in a long time. I decided to be alone with my thoughts. That day it was just wonderful sunny weather, evening was coming, people were walking somewhere, talking, doing their own thing, and I just sat on a bench on one of the main streets and watched everything that was happening. Enthusiastic words swept past from the lips different people on different languages, and it was especially great when a familiar Russian dialect of tourists was recognized in a series of foreign words. So another hour of my trip to Europe and walks around Budapest passed unnoticed.

Such points with bicycles under the brand of the oil and gas company "MOL" are located on almost every street.

Before leaving for the hotel, my friend and I refreshed ourselves with snacks in the SPAR supermarket, which are plentiful in Hungary. In the evening, our group was taken to the long-awaited hotel. There we were waiting for a good rest, a warm shower and a sound sleep. After two days of moving, such a rest was priceless.

Day three. Moving to Austria. Walk around Vienna.

The next morning the weather was no worse. Our overnight stay was at the Panda Hotel on the right bank of Budapest. Not 5 stars, but the conditions for good sleep were excellent. And here attention, an important point

Most often, the Hungarian Czardas bus tour provides a buffet breakfast early in the morning. If you like to sleep longer, you risk being left without breakfast. I had to find myself in a similar situation, hungry vacationers crushed almost everything on the tables, and I came at the end of the meal.

View of the mountains from the room at the Panda Hotel. On the right is our comfortable bus.

Our bus tour to Europe had two development scenarios for this day: you could stay in Budapest until the evening and get to know this city to the end, or go for an additional fee of 43 € to the capital of Austria - Vienna and enjoy a 6-hour walk through the center there cities. Most of the group chose the second option and within an hour we were driving along spacious highways, enjoying the nature outside the window.

The road from Budapest to Vienna ran through rapeseed fields, on which stood tall windmills They are also called wind generators. These devices are quite popular in Europe and America. They are able to transform a large number of kinetic energy air masses into electrical and other forms of energy.

View from the bus. Bright yellow rapeseed fields are visible on the horizon.

When we stopped in Vienna, a slight surprise appeared on my face. This city was radically different from Budapest. Vienna is a modern, modern, rich city, everything is new here: new cars recent years release, modern public transport. Expensive SUVs flew past us: X5, Caen, Range Rovers. The simplest cars in this city, people considered Mercedes 2010s. During the first 15 minutes of driving around the city, I immediately formed a clear idea of ​​​​Vienna as a wealthy, expensive city. As far as I remember, the minimum pension and salary here is around 500-600 euros. Average - 2-3 thousand euros. The simplest, used car can be bought from the first salary

The bus dropped us off near the Palace of Maria Theresa, in the center of Vienna near the boulevard ring, along which the tram runs. We were met by a woman tour guide, who kept repeating about historical facts, dates and different eras, which with great difficulty were invested in the head at the sight of such beautiful buildings with which the center was oversaturated ...

We walked for a long time along the spacious streets of the central part of Vienna, hundreds, thousands of tourists passed by, the best boutiques of famous brands, popular fast foods and small souvenir shops were located in the houses on the first floors. For the sake of interest, I went to one of the McDonald's and found out how much food costs in terms of our money.

Pictures are clickable

Poppy menu costs 6.49€. A sandwich similar to Big Tasty costs 7.49€. Translated into our money at the rate of 27 hryvnia per euro and 71 rubles per euro, we get a standard menu for 175 hryvnia and 460 rubles. For such a price at home, you can buy 3-4 such poppy menus. But you will be surprised if you read further and find out for how much I dined at another restaurant. McDonald's turns out to be cheap fast food by Austrian standards.

Most great impression today was waiting for everyone ahead. Our group approached St. Stephen's Cathedral. This is the object, near which everyone who came on an excursion to Vienna should visit. To describe my admiration for this mighty one, huge building, I will say that it simply did not fit into the lens of my camera, it is so high and massive. In this regard, I will post a photo of a third-party author.

Stephansdom (Wien). St. Stephen's Cathedral in the center of Vienna.

After a long excursion, we were offered to have lunch in a restaurant where Ukrainian-speaking people work. The set lunch menu consisted of soup for the first course, Viennese schnitzel with potatoes for the second, and Viennese pie - apple strudel for dessert. Such a lunch in Vienna costs 15€. And this is within the norm as I understand it. Transferring to our money with a bottle of water, such a dinner cost me 400 kopeck hryvnias or 1000 rubles. I have to admit, this is the most expensive meal I have ever eaten.

After the tour, most people went for a walk around the city, and I, without changing my traditions, again spent the last couple of hours alone with my thoughts. I really like to think about life in such remote places from my homeland, remember the past and make plans for the future. In such places you understand that a person has one life, that there are no boundaries and frameworks for development. You need to do what you love, so that it gives you pleasure, and the product of your activity benefits other people. At such moments, you understand how beautiful and big our world is, and how many countries, cities and corners on the planet you have not explored.

Travel helps to understand the beauty of space and the pricelessness of time.

The Danube flows through Vienna. Near its bay, I could not help but capture the beautiful modern buildings.

There are many branches of Raiffeisen Bank Aval in European countries.

And here is confirmation of my words regarding expensive, new cars, which are saturated with the central streets of the main city of Austria.

Locals are not even surprised by the latest models of automakers Tesla and Mercedes Benz, which cannot be said about travelers and tourists from Russian-speaking countries.

This is how our third day of traveling by bus tour Hungarian Czardas passed. I have good reviews about the trip. There was a moderately comfortable and new bus, polite drivers, sociable and always ready to help guide Yuriy, who speaks Ukrainian well.

Day four. Return to Ukraine

After Vienna, we had a long 12-hour drive to Budapest, and from Budapest to Ukraine. In these short 2 days, I gained impressions for a whole month in advance. Definitely in these countries it is worth staying longer. I can say that, despite the impeccable modernity of Vienna, I liked Budapest the most. This city is not so technological, but it has more soul, more love and, most importantly, a lot of nature (parks, squares, slopes). For me, these factors are decisive.

Sunrise in the Carpathian mountains...

If you have not been abroad yet, be sure to try to go, your first impression will forever remain in your memory and you will again want to return to those places that your foot has already set foot on. Well, if you organize your first trip to Europe in the format of a bus tour, be sure to read reviews about it before that. Personally, you read my reviews about the Hungarian Czardas tour right now. I hope you liked it.

European travel costs

The costs were slightly higher than expected. Due to fellow travelers found on the blablacar, it was possible to fully cover the cost of fuel from Kyiv to Lviv and back.

As a percentage, the standard cost of the tour is almost 50% of the total cost of the trip. An unforeseen expense for me was a paid move to Austria. (Probably inattentively read the program of the bus tour). I think that if you get to know the cities we were in better and have more time, then you can find more budget options for lunch, and in general, minimize additional costs.

Write in the comments what else is interesting to see in Budapest and Vienna? What do you remember most about your first trip abroad?