Update: Life in Boloton

Back in Budapest after two and a half days at Balaton, “the largest lake in Central Europe”. It was beaaautiful. I had a great time. The first night we arrived, had a delicious dinner of tomato salad and some egg stuff, which I can’t recall the name of. : )

Went “out on the town” for the night, which translated mostly to wandering in and out of the shops and pubs near the lake. Made for quite a merry evening in the end. :)

The second day we set off to visit the Festetics Palace in Keszthely, which was gorgeous--especially the library. It was spectacular--right out of “Beauty and the Beast”. Lots of artwork and history--quite glamorous. There was also a tour of the famous wine cellar, and yes, wine tasting. I was instructed how to hold the glass (i was doing it wrong!!!), sniff, ‘swish’, etc. Definitely a cultural experience in and of itself.

Lunch nearby, then we made it to Haviz, a “medicinal lake” which was filled with lily pads and other floating matter--it smelled funny and kind of freaked us all out a few minutes after we got in. We emerged soon afterwards, and as we sat on the bank we saw a snake swim by--yikes!

After the “medicinal bath” that left us all feeling somewhat slimey, we cleaned up and drove back to the lakehouse. After a dinner of bacon, onions, and tomato salad, we played cards, had brandied cantaloupe (only good for the first bite or two) and eventually went “skinny dipping”--in this case, wading into the chilly waters of the Boloton in our swimsuits. The view was breathtaking, especially as a storm rolled in over the mountains. Once the thunder and lightening began to get really close, we chickened out and ran ashore.

Today we took a ferry across the Boloton to Tihany, an island/peninsula full of old houses, quaint pubs, and tourist traps. We visited a gorgeous old monastery atop the mountain, strolled along the edge and took in the beautiful view, and had ice cream overlooking the lake. Oh, yes, and I had my first Hungarian goulash for lunch. Quite good, I assure you.

We made it home safe and sound, and had another cultural experience--cottage cheese noodles and Spaceballs. Haha, I hadn’t seen it, and the family wouldn’t have that. So there I sat, meters away from a historic church, in a house that had been passed down for generations, watching John Candy run around as "Mog". It was interesting. X-P

I love Hungary. Really. I love the history and the beauty at every corner--such a lovely break from the wasteland of suburbia I am so used to. :)