GENERAL INFO (Jump to Diary) The currency is Hungarian Forint, worth 0,0241 Danish krone and €0.0032. The GDP is US$125.297 billion. It is a rather flat country, with a peak of 1014 metres and no coastline. That causes for a rather homonym, typical European continental climate. Among the more interesting, larger mammals are the Wildcat (Felis silvestris), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), Gray wolf (Canis lupus), Golden jackal (Canis aureus), Brown bear (Ursus arctos), Eurasian badger (Meles meles), Boar (Sus scrofa), Moose (Alces alces) and the European otter (Lutra lutra). Despite Hungary has a very diverse flora, I have not found any species I would like to see in particular.
DIARY
Near the city of Boldogkőváralja, the huge and rather
impressive Boldogkő Castle take up an entire mountain top. I have a
hard time finding anyone, but finally, I get to pay. It is a
rather
intact castle, and especially the timberwork is nicely restored.
Here are several exhibitions with the blacksmiths work, the torture chamber, some coins through time and alike. The huge room in the top of the fortress is the war-room with different battles displayed in models. Despite the cloudy weather, there are some great views to the lower lands.
From
here, the huge flat wheat and grass fields are transformed into slightly
sloping vine fields - and a lot of them! The small towns are humble
I reach Tokay, which should be "a nice little town". I am probably spoiled but despite I walk quite a lot, I can't really find anything special about it - unless I compare it to the others I just passed of cause. But they have a tourist information office - a thing I have newer used before.
They speak English, and are able to tell me: The road tax
are bought at a gas station, and I get a dot on my GPS
I pass what look a bit like family tombs, but I later learn: It is vine cellars. Then I reach the large city of Eger, which have some nice old houses and a large fortress. It is the first time I see a fortress which have been cut through by a railroad! The fortress have a huge wall and a gathering of strange churches and remains, newer buildings and - stuff. I don't get it at all.
It feel wrong, going to bed and let all the nightingales and thrushes sing without enjoying it. Boldogkő Castle, vine fields, Tokay and Eger.
Then I set the GPS for Route 24, which should be a
great tour. It leads into the big hills, turning into mountains. The first
part is through oak forest, then the beech take over. There
are
only a few glimpses of the valleys along the road, and I have to stop and
walk a bit around, from time to time. I fail to see the greatness of this road, as it is mainly through forest, blocking the views. It passes some of the depressing small towns, but I can't talk my self into leaving the comfort of the car for them. The road end at either a ski resort or an old asylum. It is at Kékestető: The peak of Hungary with its 1014 metres. I do a walk in the forest, but fail to find anything, I couldn't see in Denmark. Then I head down the bends to Gyöngyös, and further on towards Holloko.
Holloko is truly a pretty little and old town. If
I should nag a bit: It is too "polished". Almost all houses are newly
painted white, the fences are mended, the red Pelargoniums fill the pots
and the lawns are mowed. Here are some discreet shops with craftsman ship, one
with pottery. I
Some of the houses in the end of town is a bit more
natural, and eventually, I reach the fields. On the way back, a nice
bell-play comes from a stand of bells. Real nice work!
The road is not really interesting: It look most of all
like the better parts of
I
can see a road on the GPS 50 kilometres back to where I came from, but I
rather not. I start driving back, and after around five kilometres, I see a
sign with a bridge. Well, it leads to a cable ferry, and it is just about to
cross the river. Visegrad should be a "Camelot-like castle", but I fail to see the magnificence. It is a nice little castle, and the views down over the big Duna river are great. I see it all, and then head on. The next target is the old town of Szentendre. It have truly been "discovered", and here are just too many souvenir shops, restaurants and alike. It is hard to imagine how the old houses are supposed to look.
Never the less, it is still cosy and interesting to walk
around in. Strangely
Rute 24, Kékestető mountain, Holloko village, Visegrad Castle and Szentendre old Town 19/5. I drive through a rather flat agriculture landscape with a few forests. The fields are huge, the villages scares and small. I only see a few huge farms, and wonder where the machinery is?
I find a place to park next to the huge lake, and pass
some of the old watermills on the way to the castle. The creek is crystal
clear and clean. The houses old and pretty well maintained, but here are
hardly
Then I see the first authentic camps. Apparently the
Turks, as they have water-pipes standing around. Most people I see are
really well dressed out, and their authentic costumes are really detailed and have
taken a lot of effort to create. The food lack a bit - and that might be a good thing. I find one stand with a guy talking English (rare around here!). He make a lot of different fruit/nut bars with organic ingredients. No preservatives - guess the share amount of sugar is sufficient. They all taste great, and I have to get a slice of the liquors and - other stuff.
A stage is set up behind the castle, but the poor girls
sinning and dancing there, don't even have their own mothers as audience. On
the other side, I can hear gun and canon fire, and that does seem more
Apparently, the Turks have invaded, and enlisting is going on. Here are several hundred extremely well dressed-up men, horses, canons, banners and everything else, which can be supposed to be found at a battlefield. Muskets and canons are fired, and while the smoke clears, battles on sables and swards are going on. Several are actually bleeding!
I believe this goes on for days, and people are really into it! Despite the Turks haven't get their ass kicked yet, I head on. I did get to see some watermills, the lake and the castle, and the medieval market was a huge and unexpected bonus.
I don't really see many animals at all. In 1000
kilometres, I see one herd of sheep, two small groups of cows, five horses
and nothing else. Well, a fox runs along the road, and here are quite some
wild birds like swallows and storks. I guess some of the huge farms have a
lot of dairycattle inside the big buildings.
I
reach the edge of the high plateau, I have been driving on for a long time,
and another hill lies ahead. The area is a bit moor-like, and I find some
nice flowers. I also find a single silk-plant, which I had forgotten was
here.
It is a bit hard to find parking, as a wedding is going
on. I find half a place, and squeeze the Lupo in. Then I do some loops
around town. Once, it had been a rich and magnificent
I have yet another long drive, but the perfect summer weather make it a nice drive. Again, I choose the route on the minor roads, through the countryside. It still look like the best parts of Denmark, only here are no small farms scatted around at all. A few villages, which by the way have two name signs: Either two in Latin letters, but different names, or one in Latin and one in what resample Runes - and another name. Some names are a bit strange for a Dane: Mor, Papa and Brandmajor. Others are too Finish to be remembered.
Just before six, I reach Sopron. I passed a camp 21, 12
and 7 kilometres before town, but I got one within - I though. When I have
passed right through the old centre of town, I reach a closed camp.
It guards me through some real narrow alleys, one road is
literally going through a barn! Then I end on a gravel road in a forest, and
later on copplestones in what could be a pedestrian area? But eventually, I
end at a camp - which also is closed. Plan C is one 18 kilometres out of
town. Before I reach it, I see some signs for another, and despite is is
rather primitive and without Wi-Fi, I call it a day. 20/5. I head straight for the nearby medieval town of Sopron. It have seen better days, but a lot of renovation is going on in the back alleys, and some houses have been renovated. I do several loops around the old town, and see several churches, single towers and a castle.
Then I head for Koszeg, which is an even more
pretty medieval town. I guess they have started the renovation a bit
earlier - or at least finished it before Sopron. The houses are a bit smaller, and it is a real cosy
town
centre. As it is Sunday, only in front
I walk the centre and even get out to some outer areas. The remains of a fortress and a huge monastery lies here, along with some small humble huts. Guess there were not money to go around these days - either. When I have seen it all, I set the GPS for Örseg National Park, and enjoy the drive.
It
is still rather flat, with huge fields. I only measure one, and it is a 1800
metres of rape! Others might be bigger. Here are no small farms I reach Örseg, but not much changes at all. Well, there might be a bit more nature, but here are still farmland and small villages. I stop at a little pond in a forest, and here are a lot of green frogs along with some others. I also find a few flowering plants, and it is a real nice spot.
As
I head on, I find a little meadow with a herd of long horned cattle. I
really
I reach the castle of Sumeg, and it is perfectly
located on a hilltop. The road winds it way around the hill, and the sides
is covered in herbs.
Here are quite some activities for children; horse
riding, bow shooting, "riding" on planks, torture instruments and cages and
alike. Pretty popular, but here are not crowded; just perfect.
I
really enjoy the visit, until it start to drizzle. I guess all these
excellent summer days create some mushroom clouds, creating local showers. I
have a long drive ahead of me, and head off. The first 100 kilometres is
though more fine farmland, Hungary have been a nice country to visit, but the nature and farming is not different enough from Denmark, till I will come back. I have driven 790 kilometres and taken 1117 photos. I have spend €176, €55 on diesel alone. The rest pretty equal on camps, food, admission, souvenirs and road tax. |