Beautiful Hungary

At Akktelekti in the Hungarian mountains, we drive further into the interior. It is now evening. The sky is grey, we are tired and soon disappear into the bus. The next morning we are awakened by the sound of rain on the roof. Really? Hhmppp - what a start! The leaves are falling from the trees, the fog hangs low - autumn has definitely caught up with us. We decide to leave the mountains behind and drive further inland.

Our first destination: The town of Eger in the far north of Hungary. Said and done... off we go to the city... and what can I say... Eger is a great little town. And there are actually three magnificent churches and a cathedral (in this small town). We stroll through the town and enjoy the day. In the evening we spend the night at a small campsite... and then we continue towards the interior. We pass through the Matra Mountains. Our destination: the Kekesteto... the highest mountain in Hungary with an astonishing height of 1014m!! The sun is shining again from the sky and everything is shining in beautiful colors. We pass through small villages with unpronounceable names. Horses and riding stables can be seen everywhere. You can tell that the Hungarians are a horse-loving people. I like it :) We come across construction workers again and have to smile. Many men... a few work... the rest have their hands in their pockets and contemplate how to do it better... that's what we call Hungarian mentality!!

Once we reach the top, we are allowed to spend the night for 3 euros. The view up here is magnificent. To one side the Slovakian mountains and to the other side south-Romania. When we arrive, it is 17 degrees and within an hour the thermometer drops to 7 degrees. A chilly wind is blowing. We retreat to the bus and turn on the heating (for the first time!).

The next morning, we want to leave the mountains and head to the flatlands where it is warmer. We decide to skip Budapest. What?? Many people are probably thinking... are you crazy??? Yes, we know that Budapest is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. But firstly, the campsites are always very expensive and outside the city, and secondly, it is always a limited pleasure to have a dog in such a crowded city... so we say: Budapest isn't going anywhere... who knows... we will definitely visit Budapest someday. So we prefer to drive towards the puszta in (again) bright sunshine. We drive along lonely country roads, through small villages. Countless pumpkin and pepperoni stands line the way through the villages. Everyone is selling something here. The landscape becomes flatter and noticeably warmer. The vegetation changes. It becomes completely flat and steppe-like. The endless mountains of Slovakia and Hungary come to an end... we are happy. The thermometer shows 22 degrees... the sky is cloudless... the sandy soil competes with the yellow steppe grass. We like it :) Hello Hungary :)

In Albertisa, we find a great secluded parking lot with a puszta temple. We see a stone plaque indicating that we are exactly in the middle of Hungary. That's a funny coincidence. We take a long walk with Amy through beautiful sandy forests and see a huge herd of deer. My goodness, the deer are big here!! Very different from home. Different shrubs, trees, and bushes grow here. There is an endless view of the puszta. Later, we sit in the sun by the bus and a friendly Hungarian drives by. He stops and we chat. He is an archaeologist and shows us the treasures he has found in the area with his metal detector. Old coins and an ancient earring. Apparently from the 18th century. He is bringing the items to the museum now. As the crowning glory of the day, we also find a fresh water well with drinking water. Suuupperrr... quickly get out the large canister and fill up with water in the bus. What more could a camper's heart desire??

We continue towards the puszta. In a small village, we go to the village shop. We need supplies. Hungary is relatively cheap. Shopping is fun. You can practically get wine for free. I treat myself to a bottle of Merlot for a whopping 1.50 euros. The people in the village are excited about our bus and stand in front of it laughing. Even the cashier is called out to inspect it.

Then we're in it: right in the heart of Hungary's puszta. One riding stable follows another. All the horses are well cared for and well-fed. Truly a horse nation... the Hungarians.

We drive deeper into the puszta on dusty roads. Steppengras as far as the eye can see. The sky is blue... the steppe is yellow... what a sight!! Everything is bone dry. Even the lakes that should be here are all dried up. Unfortunately, the dust (from wherever) gets back into our bus and at some point we can hardly see our hand in front of our eyes (in the car!!). There is a thick layer of dust everywhere again. Well, we're used to it by now. We park somewhere in the middle of nowhere and have breakfast first. Amy immediately starts hunting mice. The thermometer shows 26 degrees again. Once again, we are filled with enthusiasm. What a sight!!

In Dunapataj, we find the ultimate sleeping spot for the night. Right on the Danube. With our own sandy beach in front of us. A couple comes by on bicycles. He is Hungarian, she is German - and we start chatting (once again). He tells us that the Danube has reached its lowest water level since records began!! Wow!! Climate change says hello. But for us it's only great. We have endless sandy beaches and take a great beach walk along the Danube. One could walk like this for days (actually in the riverbed of the Danube). We see huge shells and impressive trees that are now standing in the dry. Our dog loves it too. She sprints up and down the bank like crazy. To top off the day, we get to see a sunset that is almost kitschy... it's so beautiful. A perfect day :)

The next day, we continue along the Danube. It is chili harvest time and we see fields as far as the eye can see, full of chilies. We drive to the town of Baja near the Serbian border and check in at the city campsite. We are right on a side arm of the Danube and are the only guests. Unfortunately, the side arm is almost dry and has very little water left. Only a narrow channel remains. We decide to set up our boat and paddle along the Danube. Said and done - dog packed (she can hardly wait to get in the boat) - and off we go. We paddle up one side arm, across to the next. We pass huge working barges and something like an industrial area. Admittedly, the water is more sludge than water - but we still enjoy it. We see beautiful houses along the shore... from the water you just have a different view. Then we pass by a Mexican restaurant (what a coincidence :) and decide to land here and have a meal. We are served the best Mexican food I have ever had and when we see the bill, we are amazed. 14.50 euros for two meals and two large beers!! You can't complain about that. Hungary... we like you more and more :).

Then, the next morning, we continue towards Lake Balaton. Our destination: Klein-Balaton. A small lake above the big one. But it turns out to be not so easy to cross the Danube. The odyssey begins. There is a highway bridge not far away. But we don't have a vignette, so that's out of the question. Our navigation system leads us further north to Kalocsa. There is supposed to be a car ferry there - well, what do you know - there used to be one!! We continue north (we actually didn't want to go that far up) to Uszod. There is also supposed to be a ferry there. There is... but only for people... not for cars. Hhmmppfff!!! In Solt, we finally find a bridge across the Danube to the other side. In Dunaujvaros, we decide to go back to a campsite (it is recommended here, gulp). Luckily, it only costs 8 euros now. The season is over... we are the only guests. We are overjoyed, sit in the sun, and play backgammon all afternoon. Everything is great - BUT: Hungary has a bug plague (we have since heard that Germany does too). There are thousands of them. They swarm around our heads and land all over our bus (do they mistake it for a flower meadow?). We seal it off completely (we think)... then we're good to go. In the evening, we want to take a shower and we're almost shocked!! Yes, oh no... those are the grossest bathrooms we have ever seen. The Hungarians apparently don't feel like cleaning anymore (for a while?), because the season is over. Toilet paper, dirt, and bugs bugs bugs everywhere. Dead ones, live ones... they are simply everywhere. For the first time, I practically throw in the towel - I can't shower here - NEVER!! We then use the 'small' shower in the bus. We have plenty of water. But then we also see bugs everywhere in the bus!! They are in the door seals, the curtain, the blinds!! They are everywhere!! Yuck yuck yuck... you can almost feel the creepy crawlies on your body. We try to get rid of them as much as possible and go to bed with a somewhat creepy feeling. The next morning, we just want to get away from here, pack up and find at least another 50 bugs inside and outside the bus. They have even crawled into the roof boxes. Oh man, what a mess!! - Hungary: WE HAVE A BUG PROBLEM!!

We arrive at 'Klein-Balaton'. The Velence Lake immediately appeals to us. We find a huge meadow area right by the water where we can stay for free. But unfortunately, bugs are here too! Not as many as yesterday, but still enough. But at least we can relax in the sun - and that's exactly what we do for the rest of the day. There are a few local anglers here... otherwise we are alone with our lake.

In Sukoro, we see a cool white tower standing on a hill in the distance. We decide to go there. For a small fee, you can climb up and have an incredible view over Lake Velence and the town of Sukoro, where many wealthy Budapest residents have their holiday villas.

In Velence itself, we immediately find another great meadow directly by the lake. This has to be mentioned here: we haven't found so many free parking spaces since Scandinavia. There is a great spot on every corner. Once again, we park right by the water and decide to set up our boat. The lake is full of huge reed islands. And between these islands, there are open waterways where you can paddle with the canoe. What fun!! We paddle out onto the lake and into the vast reed labyrinth. Again and again, we have to turn around because the reeds suddenly close off. It's a real maze and lots of fun. Back at the bus, we eat something and when the sun is lower, we decide to paddle out again - a sunset tour, so to speak - and it is definitely worth it. The sun shines on the dry reeds in the evening and it glows in bright yellow. Add to that the blue water and the blue sky - unique!! And when it sets huge and glowing red on the horizon - we are simply happy. What a paddling tour!! (Our dog slept through this spectacular sunset in the boat - the rocking put her to sleep :)

The next day, we drive to the outskirts of Velence again and go for a long walk. Just behind the mountain of the town, the steppe begins again with its sandy soil. A pleasure to hike. Then we check into the campsite in Velence for two days. Finally, a proper hot shower (it is needed) and in two days we will continue to 'Groß-Balaton'. That's when my mother and her husband are coming and we will spend a week together in a (real) house (happy happy).

Then the time has come. We make our way to 'Groß-Balaton'. We can already see the great lake from a distance. The water is invitingly light blue (so beautiful compared to the brown sludge at Lake Velence). We arrive in Balatonfüred. The place to be at Lake Balaton!! Everything here is geared towards tourism. One hotel follows another... but that doesn't matter to us at the moment. We drive to the rented house and finally meet my mother and her husband Fritz again after 6 months. The reunion is beautiful... it has been a long time since we last saw each other. And when we see the house, we are amazed. It is beautiful with a fenced garden (a joy for our dog Amy). A small pool, a barbecue area, a terrace, a great kitchen, separate bedrooms AND: a private bathroom for everyone. Hooray!!! Pure luxury. I can already imagine myself taking a long hot shower without any time limit. We have a welcome glass of champagne and then head to the lake. The plan: to celebrate the day, we will eat original Hungarian goulash. And it is delicious. A great start to our week together. Then back home means unpacking packages. One from my aunt and one from my grandma. And many things like spare parts, etc. that my mother brought with her. We feel like celebrating Easter, Christmas, and a birthday all together :) Kilian gets his new shock absorbers, I get clothes, socks, sweets and more. Thank you grandma, thank you grandpa, thank you aunt, thank you mom and Fritz, thank you Rosi :)

The next day, we stroll along the harbor in Balatonfüred. It's beautiful here. ALSO because there are almost no more tourists. Okay, many things are already closed, but that doesn't matter... having fewer people is more important to us. And yes: it's really nice here. Everything is nicely prepared. We see expensive sailboats in the harbor and enjoy a drink in a café. We could stay here. The blue lake sparkles in the sun. We like it once again :) In the evening, my mother cooks a pork roast for us (happy happy)... and yes, it tastes just like it should when it's cooked by mom. And then we play games until late into the evening.

On Tuesday, I go to the dentist. A crown broke off (already in Czech Republic). He fixes it as best he can... I have to get it redone at home... but he says that it will last for at least another year. Well, that sounds good. Cost: a whopping 10 euros!! Then we drive to Tihany. A beautiful peninsula on Lake Balaton with a super church at the top of the hill. Of course, everything here is also geared towards tourism. One souvenir shop follows another. But it's beautiful, this little town of Tihany. We see many houses with thatched roofs, all nicely done up and with a fantastic view over Lake Balaton. And here too: hardly any people. October at Lake Balaton... can only be recommended. The next few days are beautiful, we are lazy, we play a lot and enjoy being together. Far too quickly, it's time to clean the house and say goodbye. Take care, you two, and thank you very much for everything. It was nice to meet you.

We continue along Lake Balaton. Our plan: the town of Heviz. Here there are supposed to be hot thermal springs and we dream of bathing in them. But it remains a dream, because dogs are almost everywhere prohibited in Heviz - so we just take a city tour and then continue... In Ballatonmariafürdö, we find a great meadow spot right by the water. The weather is (still) nice, so we sit in the autumn sun and enjoy the warmth. The weather forecast predicts bad weather, but we have noticed that this doesn't mean much in Hungary. But then, indeed, the next morning a chilly wind is blowing. We only have 12 degrees left (which feel like 5 in the wind!). The lake is rough and colorful leaves are falling.

We visit the town of Fanyo. Here you can climb up a tower and have a great view over the entire Balaton. Up here, there are old abandoned villas, many for sale and dilapidated, and almost all of them are empty. Do the people who lived here no longer have any money? Or do they have even more money now and live right on the lake? Questions upon questions - nobody knows for sure.

Then we go to Balatonlelle and find (once again) a great meadow spot right by the lake. Fortunately, there are no more tourists here, otherwise it would be impossible to camp so close to the lake. Here in Balatonlelle, too, hotels, restaurants, holiday homes, and campsites are lined up next to each other. But absolutely everything is already closed. The season is definitely over, and in autumn (apart from us) no more tourists come here. The only people we see are a few local anglers - and they are all super friendly and relaxed (probably because there are no more tourists).

Then we continue towards Sifork, but shortly before that, we turn off into the countryside. Away from Lake Balaton. And as soon as you get off the beaten track, you see many old dilapidated houses in the small villages. While everything is nicely done up and chic at Lake Balaton, everything here on the outskirts is rather poor and old. One thing is clear: the money is at Lake Balaton.

Our odometer shows that we have now covered 20,000 km. We cruise through the countryside, climb a castle ruin in the forest, and then decide to drive back to Lake Balaton. The sky is cloudless again and everything shines in red-yellow-brown tones. One more night by the big lake, then we head towards Kis-Balaton. A small lake next door, which is almost completely a nature reserve. A 3,500 sqkm swamp area here is home to rare birds such as the silver heron and many other bird and crane species. Only a small peninsula is accessible to tourists. There is a large parking lot where we are also allowed to spend the night. Then we start exploring the island. There are two observation towers that our dog bravely climbs. You have a great view over the lake and we see many birds and cranes. The Kis-Balaton is also a natural purification system for Lake Balaton, as it lets in clean water, which is probably necessary because Lake Balaton is already extremely built up. One village almost seamlessly transitions into the next and everything is continuously geared towards tourism. So it's good that all the bird species have a refuge here.

After a stormy full moon night, we drive 30 km further to our friends Stephan and Dani. We head to their house, which they bought last year. What a nice reunion after over 6 months. We are overjoyed to see the two of them again. We start by touring the huge property and the old little house from the 1920s. It's amazing what the two of them have already accomplished here. There is now a large pool, a big fish pond, a vegetable garden, seating in every corner and for every weather, a new bathroom with a large corner bathtub (yay) and much more. Our little dog is also beside herself. After all, there are the two big dogs Lou and Mariechen here, and the property is fenced in. That makes a dog's heart beat faster. The three of them soon frolic through the garden. We look forward to a nice week with our friends. Just lazing around is not on the agenda. The two of them always have enough to do here with the huge garden, and we also have to change shock absorbers, change oil, change the water pump, and desperately unpack and clean the entire bus (it desperately needs it). We only realize how much when we start unpacking. Everywhere, the dust from the puszta has invaded. We have to completely unpack and clean everything. Nevertheless, we enjoy the days. The two of them cook delicious meals for us on their wood kitchen stove. It feels rustic to sit in the old kitchen. The fire crackles in the oven and it smells delicious.

At lunchtime, a horse-drawn carriage arrives. Sinti and Roma collect bulky waste, scrap metal, etc. here with horse-drawn carts. They either dispose of the things or recycle them themselves. You feel like you're set back centuries here. We like it. The neighbors are all super friendly too and apparently have no problem with Germans (temporarily) living here.

After a few days, it's time to move on. Rooms cleared, car packed, wanderlust in our blood, and off we go. Thank you two for the invitation.

We continue towards Romania and after a few hours, we find a nice lake near Pecs. We can spend the night here. In the evening, we take a two-hour walk around the lake at still 25 degrees outside. A warm foehn wind blows across the lake... and this is the end of October. Totally crazy. We receive pictures from home with the first snow!! Yuck... a broad grin spreads across our faces.

Then we head east. We cross the Danube. We have noticed (multiple times) that here in Hungary, there is an EU sign at every construction site, every construction project, simply almost everywhere. Which means: sponsored by the EU!! It must be billions of euros pouring into this country, because there is a lot to fix. Hungary is a very poor country and without the aid, there would still be as bad roads everywhere as in the hinterland. On the one hand, great... on the other hand, it makes you think a little. After all, the Hungarians completely refused to accept refugees (we didn't see a single one in five weeks)!!

In the afternoon, we check in at the campsite in Baja again. We were here five weeks ago. Baja is a nice little town and we park right on the Danube. The weather forecast predicts cloudless weather for the next day... so we decide to stay here for two days and relax in the sun before tomorrow, or at the latest the day after, we will enter Romania.