Hungary
Because we’ve spent so much time in Hungary, maybe a bit of background would be useful. Hungary is about the size of Portugal with a population of around 10 million. Its capital is Budapest where about 2 million live.
Most people associate Hungary with paprika, goose-liver pate, the Great Plain and gypsy violinists. It’s not all like that. Hungary has areas of great natural beauty, fantastic wildlife conservation areas, thermal spas galore and mountains.
For great places to visit see our notes.
Language
Magyarúl (Hungarian) is one of the most difficult languages in the world. It is not an Indo-European language such as German or French, but a Uralic language. The words and the grammar are not like anything you will have experienced before. Hungarian grammar is very different from the grammar of Indo-European languages.
Hungarian has no grammatical gender. For example there are no separate words for 'he' or 'she', just one pronoun (ő).
Instead of prepositions (like the English 'from' or 'with'), Hungarian has suffixes (little words stuck to the end of main words).
'From Budapest' becomes 'Budapestről', and 'with Alexandra' becomes 'Alexandrával'.
Another feature of the language is vowel harmony. This means that suffixes must tone in with the vowel of the main word. To over-simplify it, if they have an 'a' in the word then the suffix will also contain an 'a' ('fa' - 'tree' and 'fával' - 'with a tree'), and if their word has an 'e' then its suffix too will get an 'e' (teve - 'camel' and 'tevével' - with a camel).
That’s enough technical stuff. Luckily most younger people speak some English.
Money
ATMs are very common. Filling stations accept credit cards.
The unit of currency is the Forint. However the smallest coin is 5 Ft. So if you see a price of 99 Ft, expect it to be rounded up to 100 Ft.
Driving
For a motorhomer the key things to remember are:
You must have your headlights on outside built-up areas during the day. You may ask why they insist on such nonsense?
You need a vignette to drive on a motorway. A vignette is not one of those pretty pictures with faded edges. The Hungarian name is matrica which means a sticky label for your car window.
But it is neither of those.
You must go to a filling station and ask for a matrica or vignette. The assistant asks a lot of questions about nationality, number plate etc. You are then handed a slip of paper which you have to sign and hand back. Then the assistant will give you slip of paper which “represents” the matrica. You also get a receipt for the piece of paper. You must keep the “matrica” in your vehicle for one year. Really, that’s what it says on the paper.
The minimum cost is 2,975 Forint for a 10 day period.
The alternative is to avoid motorways, but beware of the smaller roads, they can be in terrible condition.
Finding a Night Stop is not too difficult as you can see from our listing.
Balaton
In the Summer many people migrate to Lake Balaton, which is the largest freshwater lake in Europe. It is around 50 miles long.
To swim in the lake you should pay to enter a “Strand” where are there are all the facilities for a good day on the “beach”. There are also free strands which the locals know about.
The strand areas generally have a large car park such as at Balatonalmádi. With shade trees they make a good Night Stop area.
The Weather
The weather in Hungary can be extreme. In winter the temperature often drops below minus 20°C, while in the summer it can be in the plus 40s. A simple explanation is that the country is surrounded by mountains and the weather becomes “trapped”. For example, this year, there have been four heat-waves and just one day of rain since May, apart from a few thunderstorms.
Food and drink
If you are vegetarian, stay at home. Hungarians love their meat, especially pork. The key seasoning in Hungarian food is paprika. Paprika can be a fresh green veg with a kick like a horse or a similar looking veg that is very mild and sweet. Paprika is also the name of the red powder. That is also available in a range from sweet to “wow”.
Whichever paprika is in your food, there will be a lot of it. It is never sprinkled on food. The recipes insist on tablespoons of it.
Hungarian cuisine is very extensive and very good, but on the strand you will only get the standard offerings:
Pörkölt is generally a meat-only stew.
Gulyás (goulash) is actually a beef soup.
Galuska are little dumplings.
Langos is deep-fried bread batter with various toppings. Very tasty.
You can of course find pizzas and burgers.
Hungarians make excellent wines. The most famous outside Hungary are Tokaj and Bull’s Blood. Be bold and try everything. Most restaurants have their own wine.
For the hard stuff, try pálinka. This is a fruit brandy and can be smooth or like firewater.
There is also Unicum. This is a spirit infused with various herbs and spices. It soothes the stomach after a heavy meal.
Balatonalmádi
We’ve spent quite a lot of time in Balatonalmádi this summer. Many places around Lake Balaton have place names starting with Balaton. Balatonfüzfö, Balatonkenese, Balatonfüred for example. For that reason most people simply refer to it as Almádi.
Almádi is a small town of around 9,000 inhabitants on the north shore of Lake Balaton. In the off-season Almádi is very quiet, but in the summer Almádi becomes a lively place with a swimming strand area, a pleasant park, and various walks in the surrounding hills.
Almádi is great place for sailing and has several harbours. The main one has a mole from which you can take pleasure trips or regular boats to other parts of the lake.
People fish in the lake to catch the various freshwater fish such as carp.
Grocery shopping is best done at Penny Market, which has a car park.
Restaurants abound where you can try Hungarian dishes. The main season is August when the town can be very crowded and noisy.
There are several car parks and they are all free.
To find the real Hungary drive into the hills. Within a few kilometers you will be in lovely villages surrounded by vineyards and forests. Luckily the roads around Balaton are generally in good condition.
Most people associate Hungary with paprika, goose-liver pate, the Great Plain and gypsy violinists. It’s not all like that. Hungary has areas of great natural beauty, fantastic wildlife conservation areas, thermal spas galore and mountains.
For great places to visit see our notes.
Language
Magyarúl (Hungarian) is one of the most difficult languages in the world. It is not an Indo-European language such as German or French, but a Uralic language. The words and the grammar are not like anything you will have experienced before. Hungarian grammar is very different from the grammar of Indo-European languages.
Hungarian has no grammatical gender. For example there are no separate words for 'he' or 'she', just one pronoun (ő).
Instead of prepositions (like the English 'from' or 'with'), Hungarian has suffixes (little words stuck to the end of main words).
'From Budapest' becomes 'Budapestről', and 'with Alexandra' becomes 'Alexandrával'.
Another feature of the language is vowel harmony. This means that suffixes must tone in with the vowel of the main word. To over-simplify it, if they have an 'a' in the word then the suffix will also contain an 'a' ('fa' - 'tree' and 'fával' - 'with a tree'), and if their word has an 'e' then its suffix too will get an 'e' (teve - 'camel' and 'tevével' - with a camel).
That’s enough technical stuff. Luckily most younger people speak some English.
Money
ATMs are very common. Filling stations accept credit cards.
The unit of currency is the Forint. However the smallest coin is 5 Ft. So if you see a price of 99 Ft, expect it to be rounded up to 100 Ft.
Driving
For a motorhomer the key things to remember are:
You must have your headlights on outside built-up areas during the day. You may ask why they insist on such nonsense?
You need a vignette to drive on a motorway. A vignette is not one of those pretty pictures with faded edges. The Hungarian name is matrica which means a sticky label for your car window.
But it is neither of those.
You must go to a filling station and ask for a matrica or vignette. The assistant asks a lot of questions about nationality, number plate etc. You are then handed a slip of paper which you have to sign and hand back. Then the assistant will give you slip of paper which “represents” the matrica. You also get a receipt for the piece of paper. You must keep the “matrica” in your vehicle for one year. Really, that’s what it says on the paper.
The minimum cost is 2,975 Forint for a 10 day period.
The alternative is to avoid motorways, but beware of the smaller roads, they can be in terrible condition.
Finding a Night Stop is not too difficult as you can see from our listing.
Balaton
In the Summer many people migrate to Lake Balaton, which is the largest freshwater lake in Europe. It is around 50 miles long.
To swim in the lake you should pay to enter a “Strand” where are there are all the facilities for a good day on the “beach”. There are also free strands which the locals know about.
The strand areas generally have a large car park such as at Balatonalmádi. With shade trees they make a good Night Stop area.
The Weather
The weather in Hungary can be extreme. In winter the temperature often drops below minus 20°C, while in the summer it can be in the plus 40s. A simple explanation is that the country is surrounded by mountains and the weather becomes “trapped”. For example, this year, there have been four heat-waves and just one day of rain since May, apart from a few thunderstorms.
Food and drink
If you are vegetarian, stay at home. Hungarians love their meat, especially pork. The key seasoning in Hungarian food is paprika. Paprika can be a fresh green veg with a kick like a horse or a similar looking veg that is very mild and sweet. Paprika is also the name of the red powder. That is also available in a range from sweet to “wow”.
Whichever paprika is in your food, there will be a lot of it. It is never sprinkled on food. The recipes insist on tablespoons of it.
Hungarian cuisine is very extensive and very good, but on the strand you will only get the standard offerings:
Pörkölt is generally a meat-only stew.
Gulyás (goulash) is actually a beef soup.
Galuska are little dumplings.
Langos is deep-fried bread batter with various toppings. Very tasty.
You can of course find pizzas and burgers.
Hungarians make excellent wines. The most famous outside Hungary are Tokaj and Bull’s Blood. Be bold and try everything. Most restaurants have their own wine.
For the hard stuff, try pálinka. This is a fruit brandy and can be smooth or like firewater.
There is also Unicum. This is a spirit infused with various herbs and spices. It soothes the stomach after a heavy meal.
Balatonalmádi
We’ve spent quite a lot of time in Balatonalmádi this summer. Many places around Lake Balaton have place names starting with Balaton. Balatonfüzfö, Balatonkenese, Balatonfüred for example. For that reason most people simply refer to it as Almádi.
Almádi is a small town of around 9,000 inhabitants on the north shore of Lake Balaton. In the off-season Almádi is very quiet, but in the summer Almádi becomes a lively place with a swimming strand area, a pleasant park, and various walks in the surrounding hills.
Almádi is great place for sailing and has several harbours. The main one has a mole from which you can take pleasure trips or regular boats to other parts of the lake.
People fish in the lake to catch the various freshwater fish such as carp.
Grocery shopping is best done at Penny Market, which has a car park.
Restaurants abound where you can try Hungarian dishes. The main season is August when the town can be very crowded and noisy.
There are several car parks and they are all free.
To find the real Hungary drive into the hills. Within a few kilometers you will be in lovely villages surrounded by vineyards and forests. Luckily the roads around Balaton are generally in good condition.
NOTE
In the following text you may find accents on some placenames and not on others. The Hungarian language is very, very difficult and If I cannot recall the spelling I leave them out. I apologise to all Hungarians. Ian.
Friday 3 August 2012
Stork's nest
After months of house renovating and many visits to dentists, we are off on our travels again. Early morning we headed towards Budapest on the M7. We already had a few days remaining on our motorway Vignette. A vignette is a sticker for the car window. That way the authorities could see if you had paid.
Now they still sell the Vignette at filling stations, but they do not issue a Vignette. You have to give them your nationality, number plate and your name. Then you have to sign a piece of paper. The attendant then gives you 2 pieces of paper. One is the motorway “ticket” and the other is the receipt. You may gather that Hungarians like paperwork.
Once you are on a motorway they use automatic number plate recognition and teams of people in vans who may stop you to see if you have the correct paperwork. Incidentally the motorway ticket should be retained in a safe place for one year!
The SatNav prefers to take you through the middle of Budapest. It’s shorter and interesting, but busier; and we lived in Budapest for 20 years! So we went over Arpad Hid (bridge), to meet the motorway. After negotiating Budapest we took the M3 East in the general direction of Debrecen and turned off for Tiszafured.
Now they still sell the Vignette at filling stations, but they do not issue a Vignette. You have to give them your nationality, number plate and your name. Then you have to sign a piece of paper. The attendant then gives you 2 pieces of paper. One is the motorway “ticket” and the other is the receipt. You may gather that Hungarians like paperwork.
Once you are on a motorway they use automatic number plate recognition and teams of people in vans who may stop you to see if you have the correct paperwork. Incidentally the motorway ticket should be retained in a safe place for one year!
The SatNav prefers to take you through the middle of Budapest. It’s shorter and interesting, but busier; and we lived in Budapest for 20 years! So we went over Arpad Hid (bridge), to meet the motorway. After negotiating Budapest we took the M3 East in the general direction of Debrecen and turned off for Tiszafured.
Tisza Lake
Ian floats in Tisza Lake
This area was man-made in the 70s and it is very pleasant. However if you want to drive around the lake you will find that the road is several kilometers from the water except for three or four places. Ian was disappointed that after reading 20 pages in our guide book about the wonders of the area it was not possible to see the water except at these 3 or 4 paying places.
After going round the lake 1.5 times we stopped at a car park for the strand (“beach”) at Abádszalók. The grassy area is reasonably flat, if a little bumpy; but it’s free. We paid for our Night Stop by listening to a pop concert and then a disco throughout the night!
After going round the lake 1.5 times we stopped at a car park for the strand (“beach”) at Abádszalók. The grassy area is reasonably flat, if a little bumpy; but it’s free. We paid for our Night Stop by listening to a pop concert and then a disco throughout the night!
Saturday 4 August 2012
John's garden
In the morning we paid our entrance fee for the strand and had a swim before using the facilities and having a burger for lunch.
We were lucky to retrieve Bessy from the car park as it was already filling up. Our route took us over the Hortobágy towards Debrecen. The Hortobágy deserves more words than I can find space for. In brief it is a massive flat area that is almost totally wild and very much protected. You must take a guided tour on a horse drawn cart to see the real wilderness.
From Debrecen North towards Nyíregyháza after a brief stop in a roadside bufé for a drink and a lángos ( a type of deep-fried bread dough). We must add that the temperature has been above 30°C since we arrived in Hungary at the end of May. Often the temperature was in the low 40s.
There is now a motorway that takes you round Nyíregyháza to the Vásárosnamény road and then onto the road through Csaroda to the Ukraine border. The road tempts everyone to speed... take care.
We had no problem finding a Night Stop because we were able to park in the garden/orchard of our good friend John. Thanks John and Zsuzsa.
We were lucky to retrieve Bessy from the car park as it was already filling up. Our route took us over the Hortobágy towards Debrecen. The Hortobágy deserves more words than I can find space for. In brief it is a massive flat area that is almost totally wild and very much protected. You must take a guided tour on a horse drawn cart to see the real wilderness.
From Debrecen North towards Nyíregyháza after a brief stop in a roadside bufé for a drink and a lángos ( a type of deep-fried bread dough). We must add that the temperature has been above 30°C since we arrived in Hungary at the end of May. Often the temperature was in the low 40s.
There is now a motorway that takes you round Nyíregyháza to the Vásárosnamény road and then onto the road through Csaroda to the Ukraine border. The road tempts everyone to speed... take care.
We had no problem finding a Night Stop because we were able to park in the garden/orchard of our good friend John. Thanks John and Zsuzsa.
Sunday 5 August 2012
John with our old Land Rover
John has a farm and collects old Land Rovers and military vehicles in one of the large barns. We toured the area with John in our old Land Rover! The surrounding villages are very pleasant indeed and seem to have recovered well from the great flood of 2000.
Monday 6 August 2012
Jánd swimming area of the Tisza
John lent us our old Land Rover and we drove to Jánd for a swim in the Tisza. The village people have a free strand. The bottom is sandy and the water is clean. There’s a shower and a small buffet. All quite simple, but a great place for a Night Stop. We did not stop as we had a formal dinner to attend with the Police, Border Guards, Prison staff, John and the Swiss Ambassador.
Tuesday 7 August 2012
Tokaj area
Today we said our goodbyes to John, Zsuzsa and the Ambassador and made our way to Northern Hungary. The area is well kept, but the roads are terrible... memories of Bulgaria. Through Kisvárda where we saw the steam railway museum. In fact we followed the narrow gauge track for many miles, almost to Tokaj but it does seem neglected.
Tokaj is the town that gave its name to the local wine, which is worth a few words. One of the French Emperors (my historical knowledge is letting me down!) said that Tokaj wine is the King of wines and the wine of Kings. The volcanic soil of the Tokaj range of hills is partly responsible for the quality. The other is the technique. In brief, they allow some of the grapes to remain on the vine after picking the good ones. Later these dried, almost raisins, are picked and added to the wine. The quantity that is added is measured by puttony. A puttony is the basket carried on the back of wine grape pickers. Therefore when you buy the wine it will state 1 puttonyos all the way up to 6 puttonyos.
There is clearly more to it than the above, but the result is a range of excellent quality wines, probably the best in the world.
We had a quiet walk around the town before heading South towards Tiszalök. At Tiszatardos is a ferry and luckily a space at the side of the road near a basic kocsma (pub). We parked there and had a bottle of the local beer, Borsodi. The ferry stops when it’s dark and starts again at 0600, so we had a very peaceful night.
Tokaj is the town that gave its name to the local wine, which is worth a few words. One of the French Emperors (my historical knowledge is letting me down!) said that Tokaj wine is the King of wines and the wine of Kings. The volcanic soil of the Tokaj range of hills is partly responsible for the quality. The other is the technique. In brief, they allow some of the grapes to remain on the vine after picking the good ones. Later these dried, almost raisins, are picked and added to the wine. The quantity that is added is measured by puttony. A puttony is the basket carried on the back of wine grape pickers. Therefore when you buy the wine it will state 1 puttonyos all the way up to 6 puttonyos.
There is clearly more to it than the above, but the result is a range of excellent quality wines, probably the best in the world.
We had a quiet walk around the town before heading South towards Tiszalök. At Tiszatardos is a ferry and luckily a space at the side of the road near a basic kocsma (pub). We parked there and had a bottle of the local beer, Borsodi. The ferry stops when it’s dark and starts again at 0600, so we had a very peaceful night.
Wednesday 8 August 2012
Tokaj wine museum
A 6-point turn took us back through Tokaj and North to Sarospatak (translates as, “Muddy Stream”). This pleasant little town boasts a fantastic old house and castle in a lovely park. We bought the full ticket and went round all the museum and had a guided tour of the Red Tower. Very good indeed, but you have to pay to take photos inside ! Why?
The attendant of the nearby free car park (!) gave us directions for a Night Stop. Before going there we paused at the newly EU renovated thermal strand in Sarospatak where we could soak in 36°C water. Very nice but it cost 1000 Forint each and that was after 1700. In Balatonalmadi it is only 400 for pensioners.
The attendant of the nearby free car park (!) gave us directions for a Night Stop. Before going there we paused at the newly EU renovated thermal strand in Sarospatak where we could soak in 36°C water. Very nice but it cost 1000 Forint each and that was after 1700. In Balatonalmadi it is only 400 for pensioners.
Judit with Géza at Károlyfalva
Our Night Stop was next to a very small village called Károlyfalva (“Charles Village”) . Head down a road with a sign for Tengerszem and after about 500 yards there is a grassy parking area next to a pince (wine cellar) and two fishing ponds/lakes. Once parked, Peter the owner plied us with free samples of his local wine. There is water, a budi (earth toilet) and electricity. No charge for parking for the night, but a bottle of his own Tokaj at 1500 Forint each is a good fee. By the way, in the shops the same wine would cost over 3000 Forint.
For those wary of dogs we must add that Peter owns the largest Vizsla we have every seen. But he is also the best trained. Geza is a real hunting dog so his first action is to check you out with a good sniff. He bounces up and down a bit bit, simply wanting to play. Stand tall and ignore him and he gets the message.
For those wary of dogs we must add that Peter owns the largest Vizsla we have every seen. But he is also the best trained. Geza is a real hunting dog so his first action is to check you out with a good sniff. He bounces up and down a bit bit, simply wanting to play. Stand tall and ignore him and he gets the message.
Thursday 9 August 2012
Ian at Károlyfalva Tengerszem
After a very peaceful night we walked to the top of the hill to see the Tengerszem (translates as “Sea Eye”). The 1.5 kilometer uphill walk was a bit sweaty but the toil was worth it. The Tengersem started life as a volcanic outlet. The locals found that the granite bearing tufa made excellent millstones and they quarried some 300 a year from the hole. Now it contains 6 meters of water and looks quite dramatic.
In the evening we “shopped” in the pince (wine cellar) and bought a Muskotaly wine and a palinka made from quince apples.
In the evening we “shopped” in the pince (wine cellar) and bought a Muskotaly wine and a palinka made from quince apples.
Friday 10 August 2012
Today was a short distance drive to have a look around Sátoraljaújhely. There are some strange Hungarian place names and this is one of them. Literally translated it means “Under the tent new place”. There’s also a town called “My big problem” and one called “Knickers”. We've also passed "Hot" and "Pain". Really.
One place not to be missed by Hungarians is the balcony where Lajos Kossuth made his first political speech demanding independence from the Hapsburgs. If you want more details ask a Hungarian; it gets pretty complicated after that.
In town we looked into the prison where they have a small museum. Pretty good and only 200 Forint each.
Onwards to the adventure area where we took the longest ski lift in Hungary to the viewpoint at the top. 30 minutes to the top. Worth the trip as the views over the plains of Hungary, the Tokaj hills and into Slovakia were fantastic.
On the way down you can stop halfway and take the 2 kilometer long "Bob-track" to the bottom.
A trip to Lidl was also on the itinerary before returning to Karolyfalva for a third night. Why look further when we didn’t travel far... and we like it?
One place not to be missed by Hungarians is the balcony where Lajos Kossuth made his first political speech demanding independence from the Hapsburgs. If you want more details ask a Hungarian; it gets pretty complicated after that.
In town we looked into the prison where they have a small museum. Pretty good and only 200 Forint each.
Onwards to the adventure area where we took the longest ski lift in Hungary to the viewpoint at the top. 30 minutes to the top. Worth the trip as the views over the plains of Hungary, the Tokaj hills and into Slovakia were fantastic.
On the way down you can stop halfway and take the 2 kilometer long "Bob-track" to the bottom.
A trip to Lidl was also on the itinerary before returning to Karolyfalva for a third night. Why look further when we didn’t travel far... and we like it?
Saturday 11 August 2012
Kökapu lake
A short trip to the Hungarian Language museum at Széphalom. There we learnt that Kazinczy Ferenc was the leader of the movement to bring the various dialects of the Hungarian language together in the late 1700s.
From there it was another short trip to look around a grand country house in Füzérradvány; the Karolyi Kastély.
To continue our busy day we stopped at the next village of Pálháza where we viewed the Perlite Museum. The mineral is quarried locally and shipped all over Europe. Across the road was a narrow gauge railway so we took a ride to Kökapu. This was the middle stop and we had time to walk around the lake and admire the lovely scenery.
As it was getting towards evening we drove to Füzér where there is a very dramatic castle ruin. After a very wiggly ride up the hillside we stopped the night in the sloping car park. It was VERY quiet.
From there it was another short trip to look around a grand country house in Füzérradvány; the Karolyi Kastély.
To continue our busy day we stopped at the next village of Pálháza where we viewed the Perlite Museum. The mineral is quarried locally and shipped all over Europe. Across the road was a narrow gauge railway so we took a ride to Kökapu. This was the middle stop and we had time to walk around the lake and admire the lovely scenery.
As it was getting towards evening we drove to Füzér where there is a very dramatic castle ruin. After a very wiggly ride up the hillside we stopped the night in the sloping car park. It was VERY quiet.
Sunday 12 August 2012
Füzér castle.
It is a short but steep climb up to the castle. It was also rocky and slippery because today we had rain. This was the first really rainy day since entering Hungary in May (except for a few thunderstorms). We had magnificent views of the cloud shrouded hills and mountains.
Our journey took us next to the Hollóháza porcelain museum. On the way we could see clearly that if the country wants people to visit this area they should repair the roads, ensure a good mobile phone connection, a TV signal and decent internet. Instead the EU is wasting our money (my pension!) on cycle paths and village halls. All very nice but does not do your suspension much good. The everlasting memory is that Hungarian roads are getting worse.
The museum was pleasant and Judit found it very interesting. The free wifi in the cafeteria did not work.
Our next stop was at Miskolctapolca where there is a magnificent thermal baths inside a cave. A lot of somebody’s money has been spent on it since we visited the place some years ago. However we managed to pick up a parking fine. Sundays are usually free, but not in the holiday period!
So we moved on a kilometer to a free car park for buses, where we spent a peaceful night. Also our little dongle was on top form. That’s when we managed to update the website.
Our journey took us next to the Hollóháza porcelain museum. On the way we could see clearly that if the country wants people to visit this area they should repair the roads, ensure a good mobile phone connection, a TV signal and decent internet. Instead the EU is wasting our money (my pension!) on cycle paths and village halls. All very nice but does not do your suspension much good. The everlasting memory is that Hungarian roads are getting worse.
The museum was pleasant and Judit found it very interesting. The free wifi in the cafeteria did not work.
Our next stop was at Miskolctapolca where there is a magnificent thermal baths inside a cave. A lot of somebody’s money has been spent on it since we visited the place some years ago. However we managed to pick up a parking fine. Sundays are usually free, but not in the holiday period!
So we moved on a kilometer to a free car park for buses, where we spent a peaceful night. Also our little dongle was on top form. That’s when we managed to update the website.
Monday 13 August 2012
Diosgyor Castle.
Diósgyör Castle is well hidden but worth searching for on the outskirts of Miskolc. Fantastic views of the surrounding countryside and peaceful streets. One of the four towers can be visited, but the steep staircase is not for everyone.
We drove past Lillafured on a forested mountain road. Then we actually went through the villages of “Hot” and “Pain”. We eventually stopped for the night in a little lane at Bélapátfalva. There was a notice just a few yards down the lane to beware of “méhek” which means there are beehives in the area. The “bee man” visited the place later but said we were OK to stay there. We had good views of the steep and dramatic Bélkö quarry.
We drove past Lillafured on a forested mountain road. Then we actually went through the villages of “Hot” and “Pain”. We eventually stopped for the night in a little lane at Bélapátfalva. There was a notice just a few yards down the lane to beware of “méhek” which means there are beehives in the area. The “bee man” visited the place later but said we were OK to stay there. We had good views of the steep and dramatic Bélkö quarry.
Tuesday 14 August 2012
Just a few kilometers North of Bélapátfalva is Szilvásvárad where there is a well presented and much visited valley. There’s a narrow gauge railway, a lookout tower (built for the Millennium) and a beautiful valley to walk or cycle along. A round trip in the valley is about 14 kilometers. As we were early the man said we could drive up to the lookout. It was steep and windy and narrow. Luckily we met no other vehicles on the way up or down.
Later in the day we took the narrow gauge railway to see the waterfalls. Sadly there was no water... not even a trickle. We walked back down the valley and treated ourselves to trout and chips. Very tasty even if the trout was so over cooked it resembled a biscuit! I am told that this is intentional to make it crispy.
The car park attendant said that if you have a day ticket you can stay all night in the guarded and "security camara-ed" car park but must leave before 0900 or have to pay again. Good to know.
Time to find a night stop. We drove through the industrial town of Ózd (surprisingly interesting) to Arló where there is a strand (beach) and a pretty fishing lake in beautiful surroundings. Our car park is basic but serviceable.
Later in the day we took the narrow gauge railway to see the waterfalls. Sadly there was no water... not even a trickle. We walked back down the valley and treated ourselves to trout and chips. Very tasty even if the trout was so over cooked it resembled a biscuit! I am told that this is intentional to make it crispy.
The car park attendant said that if you have a day ticket you can stay all night in the guarded and "security camara-ed" car park but must leave before 0900 or have to pay again. Good to know.
Time to find a night stop. We drove through the industrial town of Ózd (surprisingly interesting) to Arló where there is a strand (beach) and a pretty fishing lake in beautiful surroundings. Our car park is basic but serviceable.
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Egerszalók pools.
Our next stop was meant to be in Eger, where the famous Bull’s Blood wine comes from. Parking was a nightmare so we moved out of town to a thermal spring we remembered from about 25 years ago. It was just a meadow with a 10 meter diameter pond. At one end a mound of calcite and other minerals from the hole where the water comes from (there must be a word for that).
What a shock to get to Egerszalók and see a multi-story hotel and a giant outdoor swimming pool. The calcite is promoted with the wording that Pamukale in Turkey resembles the Egerszalók pool. It is also said to be a “symbol of Europe". I think they are stretching the imagination somewhat. On closer examination it was clear the rock pools were man made. If you didn’t like the spa there was a smaller version 1,100 Ft per day. The good thing is, it is possible to stay 24 hours in the surfaced car park.
So we had a wallow in 38°C water before parking for the night.
What a shock to get to Egerszalók and see a multi-story hotel and a giant outdoor swimming pool. The calcite is promoted with the wording that Pamukale in Turkey resembles the Egerszalók pool. It is also said to be a “symbol of Europe". I think they are stretching the imagination somewhat. On closer examination it was clear the rock pools were man made. If you didn’t like the spa there was a smaller version 1,100 Ft per day. The good thing is, it is possible to stay 24 hours in the surfaced car park.
So we had a wallow in 38°C water before parking for the night.
Thursday 16 August 2012
Mosque in Eger
As the parking was so cheap we took the bus into Eger (UK bus pass works just fine). Lovely old town with a giant cathedral that’s worth a quick look. However, opposite is a hidden treasure, the Lyceum. The Lyceum is the main building of Károly Eszterházy College. Two museums are in the building. One of them is the Diocesan Library. The painting named "Convocation of Trident" can be seen on the ceiling of the library. The other one is the astronomical museum. The Camera Obscura is at the top of the tower of Lyceum (53 meters). There is also another room with scientific demonstrations you can play with. Judit never saw anything like this when she was at school, which explains a lot.
After that we roamed around Eger. We did not visit the castle as we’d “done it” some years before. The bell foundry museum was a let down as it was not a foundry, just a few pictures.
Another fun part of the day was to sit in one of those “trains” that chug down the street pulling 3 or 4 carriages. It took us to Szépaszonyvölgy (beautiful woman’s valley) where there are lots of wine cellars set into the hillside. It’s quite commercial so it pays to shop around, as I found to my cost. We first went to a really scruffy/original wine cellar where we had 2 glasses of good wine for 100Ft from a nice old man.
Further along was a modern version with modern furniture, etc. I asked for a glass of Merlot to compare with the old man’s Merlot. One glass cost me 800 Ft. and it tasted sour so I demanded another that was not much better.
We went back to the old man and bought 2 litres of Merlot for 820 Forint. Granted it was in a plastic bottle, straight from the barrel, but a bargain and very tasty.
In the evening we had a wine drinking session with our new Polish friends in the motorhome next door. Dorota and Tadeus were great fun and we have an invitation to visit them in Poland. We will.
After that we roamed around Eger. We did not visit the castle as we’d “done it” some years before. The bell foundry museum was a let down as it was not a foundry, just a few pictures.
Another fun part of the day was to sit in one of those “trains” that chug down the street pulling 3 or 4 carriages. It took us to Szépaszonyvölgy (beautiful woman’s valley) where there are lots of wine cellars set into the hillside. It’s quite commercial so it pays to shop around, as I found to my cost. We first went to a really scruffy/original wine cellar where we had 2 glasses of good wine for 100Ft from a nice old man.
Further along was a modern version with modern furniture, etc. I asked for a glass of Merlot to compare with the old man’s Merlot. One glass cost me 800 Ft. and it tasted sour so I demanded another that was not much better.
We went back to the old man and bought 2 litres of Merlot for 820 Forint. Granted it was in a plastic bottle, straight from the barrel, but a bargain and very tasty.
In the evening we had a wine drinking session with our new Polish friends in the motorhome next door. Dorota and Tadeus were great fun and we have an invitation to visit them in Poland. We will.
Friday 17 August 2012
This was marked as a "B" road on our maps.
In the morning we had a walk round the corner and found an apartment block and camp site. Daily charge for 2 people in one motorhome is 7,800 Forint. It includes electricity water and wifi. On top of that is the tourist tax of 300 Forint per person per night (yes, the Hungarian government charge extra for tourists... how kind and welcoming). The EU and the government paid 173 million Forint towards the campsite and apartments.
The plan is to visit Judit’s cousin on Saturday, so we need to be within striking distance tonight. Our maps and Sat Nav took us on the worst road in Hungary. First gear, walking pace for 12 kilometers. Why don’t the EU help to pay for roads instead of an expensive campsite at the Spa.
Our route changed several times because of bad roads and we eventually ended up in Vác down by the river Danube. See the routes link.
The plan is to visit Judit’s cousin on Saturday, so we need to be within striking distance tonight. Our maps and Sat Nav took us on the worst road in Hungary. First gear, walking pace for 12 kilometers. Why don’t the EU help to pay for roads instead of an expensive campsite at the Spa.
Our route changed several times because of bad roads and we eventually ended up in Vác down by the river Danube. See the routes link.
Saturday/Sunday 18/19 August 2012
Danube at Vác
After a peaceful night we were woken at 0715 by the local park gardeners trimming some trees with chains saws. After 10 minutes they moved on. Thanks for that.
We had a lazy morning walking along the bank of the Danube and then moved on to Nötincs where a cousin of Judit lives. Zsuzsa fed us very well. Her family where there and we had a good natter catching up on family news. The village has a lovely fishing lake with new buildings for a bar and cafe (paid for by the EU).
We took our leave of Zsuzsa and family in the evening and drove all the way to Balatonalmadi where the family have a weekend house. This weekend is the long weekend to celebrate the forming of the Hungarian State by King István and the constitution; so the Balaton area is very busy indeed. Once there we made use of the washing machine, water and mains electricity.
We had a lazy morning walking along the bank of the Danube and then moved on to Nötincs where a cousin of Judit lives. Zsuzsa fed us very well. Her family where there and we had a good natter catching up on family news. The village has a lovely fishing lake with new buildings for a bar and cafe (paid for by the EU).
We took our leave of Zsuzsa and family in the evening and drove all the way to Balatonalmadi where the family have a weekend house. This weekend is the long weekend to celebrate the forming of the Hungarian State by King István and the constitution; so the Balaton area is very busy indeed. Once there we made use of the washing machine, water and mains electricity.
Tuesday 28 August 2012
Enjoy the water at Lake Balaton.
Left Almadi at around lunchtime after spending all morning cleaning up the weekend cottage!
First stop was at the local filling station. We noticed that they had LPG and one of our bottles was empty. Interestingly the attendant said that he was not allowed to fill two bottles that were connected. He then went on to say, “What the hell”, and filled us up anyway. We could have got gas later on at a few forints cheaper, but “What the hell.”
The drive down the north side of Lake Balaton was very pleasant as most holiday makers had left; the season has finished. Instead of taking the motorway to the border with Croatia we went cross country. This is a very nice part of Hungary that is forgotten in most guide books. First of all there is Kis Balaton. This is a smaller lake than Balaton but very, very attractive. There are also some towns with thermal waters. I have doubts about the curative properties but it is certainly pleasant to have a dip.
We stopped off in Nagykanizsa to restock at TESCO. Civilization has arrived; they stocked crumpets and muffins (real muffins not those cake things). My joy was not to last long as I wanted some beef mince. They only stock pork mince or beef and pork mixed... “What the hell”.
After TESCO it was time to start looking for a Night Stop but there really was nothing in the border area that appealed so we went to Letenye near the border. There is a small campsite next to the relatively quiet road with 3 thermal pools, very clean toilets and showers, a bar (not open), a spotless kitchen with fridge cooker and microwave, and 3 hours of free wifi per day. As we were not using electricity we got the price down top 5100 Forint (about £15). Another good thing about the camp is that we are just a couple of miles from the border.
First stop was at the local filling station. We noticed that they had LPG and one of our bottles was empty. Interestingly the attendant said that he was not allowed to fill two bottles that were connected. He then went on to say, “What the hell”, and filled us up anyway. We could have got gas later on at a few forints cheaper, but “What the hell.”
The drive down the north side of Lake Balaton was very pleasant as most holiday makers had left; the season has finished. Instead of taking the motorway to the border with Croatia we went cross country. This is a very nice part of Hungary that is forgotten in most guide books. First of all there is Kis Balaton. This is a smaller lake than Balaton but very, very attractive. There are also some towns with thermal waters. I have doubts about the curative properties but it is certainly pleasant to have a dip.
We stopped off in Nagykanizsa to restock at TESCO. Civilization has arrived; they stocked crumpets and muffins (real muffins not those cake things). My joy was not to last long as I wanted some beef mince. They only stock pork mince or beef and pork mixed... “What the hell”.
After TESCO it was time to start looking for a Night Stop but there really was nothing in the border area that appealed so we went to Letenye near the border. There is a small campsite next to the relatively quiet road with 3 thermal pools, very clean toilets and showers, a bar (not open), a spotless kitchen with fridge cooker and microwave, and 3 hours of free wifi per day. As we were not using electricity we got the price down top 5100 Forint (about £15). Another good thing about the camp is that we are just a couple of miles from the border.
