Weekend in Badacsony – Lake Balaton

Hah! Another wedding of course! Wedding number 4 was organised around Lake Balaton. On the north side of the lake in Badacsonytomaj. But instead of only going for the wedding day, I already arrived on Friday evening. We drove like 400km and my accommodation was the Borbaratok Panzio, which is a newly refurbished modern place, with super staff and food! We had dinner and breakfasts there too and really loved the home made apricot jam in the morning! Be aware that the food is real Hungarian sized portion, which is massive!

If you are hungry for some Hungarian specialities then go for the ‘Mangalica Schnitzel’! This is a kind of pork, which is very common in Hungary! It is expensive and I think has leaner meat than normal pork, so it is actually said to be healthy to consume ‘Mangalica’. Another great choice is the ‘Camembert with blackberry sauce’.

My friend the bride had organized the accommodation in a way, that I could meet with some other guests as well beforehand and since they proved to be so friendly and welcoming, we quickly became friends J and before the wedding, we woke up early on Saturday to have a walk in the village, to the beach of Lake Balaton, the Hungarian sea. Balaton has lots of nice beaches, but be prepared to pay around 1.5-2£ for entry, but once you are in, you can stay as long as you want to. Since we only wanted to take some pictures, the cashiers were nice enough to let us in for free.

BALATON THE HUNGARIAN SEA :)

When we finished we were taking a big detour before going back to our room to discover more and found an old, abandoned and decaying small pier with two boats, but only one of us dared to jump in them! Fishermen must have left them behind for the weekend.

We were already content with the village and its small roads, and the lake, but on the other side the Badacsony hill/mountain was looking at us. It’s a nice target for anyone, as you don’t need specific gear to climb to the top.

Badacsonytomaj is also famous about a big stone, so called Rose Stone (Rózsa-kő) where according to the superstitions, a young couple should sit on it with their back to the lake and then if they think about each other they will soon get married and will have a beautiful life! Singletons, not to worry! If you sit on it also facing the mounting and not the lake, and think about someone you love (Udo) then your loved one’s heart will also spark and fall in passionate love with you immediately :) 

It seems the stone has magical powers not only for making people falling for each other, but dividing my hair so precisely in the middle too :DD haha

I’d advise to go up to this place by car, because in the summer it’s really hot here and the route is steep and long! So you are better of either driving up at least half way or taking the safari style taxis to the stone and to another sight, the Kisfaludy House.

Anyhow, the last five minutes to the stone can only be taken by foot on a very rugged stony way, but it’s worth it! Well, let’s see if the magic spell works or not, but even if not, there is the gorgeous view over Lake Balaton and the vineyards!

In case you are hungry or thirsty there are a number of inns on the way up. One of them even serving the typical Hungarian hangover cure: bread with fat and red onion JJJ

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