Lake Balaton is "shaped like a 50-mile-long paprika, of the pointed piquant variety,"(according to a New York Times travel article), and is a very lovely vacation spot. The lake itself is very shallow so the water is usually pretty warm. Since we went at the end of the season, the water wasn't quite as comfortable as I imagine it can be, but we had a great time any way. Fai, Elara, Arolyn, and I took the train from Budapest to Balatonfüred on Saturday morning, enjoyed a lovely second breakfast of palacsinta (Hungarian crepes) and espresso, then took the ferry to Tìhany, on an island in the middle of the lake. In Tìhany we strolled about looking at ceramics and beautiful tablecloths, and toured around the Bence's apa'tsa'g (Benedictine abbey) on the island. The abbey was pretty cool - it was established in 1055 by King Andrew I (Andra's kiraly I.), and his remains are buried in the crypt there. I found myself moved by the sheer history of the place.
And as an added bonus, I got a picture of a contemporary statue of Andras and his wife Anastasia of Kiev that's a tad reminiscent of American Gothic. Heehee.
After wearing out our footsies in Tihany, we took a swim in the (now freezing) waters of Balaton, then caught the ferry to the southern shore and the town of Siofok. Siofok is widely recognized as a good place for "party time" in the summer, but it was pretty low key this weekend because school is starting for Hungarian students everywhere and they can't have any more fun.
Living in Budapest is great so far, and I am enjoying being in an apartment again with my own kitchen, however small and oddly equipped. I cooked eggplant/mushroom/tomato sauce bake stuff! Be proud of me Mom, I don't hate eggplant anymore! On another note: I have just been informed by my roommate that I will soon be eating the best soup ever made by an Asian person who is 21 years old. Yesss!
No comments:
Post a Comment