Now that the summer is over, it is the prime time to think back on things that have happened during this beautiful season.
Summer has never been my favourite season. Back in Saint-Petersburg it didn’t make any sense: the wind was too cold, the sun was nowhere to be seen, it was never hot enough to wear short dresses, and, frankly, way too windy to wear them properly. And then, I’d always move around, for work or other stuff. In India it was the opposite, it was hot, so I’d just be around AC, and I have developed strong feelings for it only then.
So, when I had to take a summer vacation…it was something new and exciting. What to do? What do normal people usually do for their summer vacation?
Well, I haven’t considered one small notion. We are far, far from normal. Besides, the circumstances of life in general wouldn’t let us go wherever we wanted. So, we have decided to travel around in Hungary. At that time Hungary’s situation with the pandemic was relatively good.
So, let me fulfill one of the purposes of the blog, this now strange and unknown word that you can see in the name…Let’s talk about travel.
Even though the main vibe of this trip was “Soooo, west of the coutry then?”, the first stop was Debrecen. Keeping in mind that this trip to Debrecen was in the summer time, it was an adventure from one fountain to another in the beautiful city of Debrecen. We’ve seen my all time favourite classic: “students doing random stuff” fountain complex near the University, chilled in the park beside it, were stalking turtles and fish in the pond, wowed at the beautiful “flower” fountain nearby.
There was a lot to do in Debrecen.
But…I don’t have a TARDIS, and don’t have an ability to freeze the time around, so we had to move, and use our precious vacation time to the fullest.
And the first stop in our adventure was lebegő falu, the floating village in Bokod, Hungary. If you don’t have a car, you have to change a couple of trains to get there from Budapest. But the pictures looked nice, so nothing could change our mind. We took a train, and then another one, and ended up in Oroszlány, the town with a punny name, as it is the same as Orosz lány, which is literally traslated as “a Russian girl”. So, after arriving into the Oroszlány, we went to Bokod. I cannot say many things about this place, as it is literally just a floating village with private houses, but it would be nice to rent a house there and spend a weekend to just chill. The view is great, but as a visitor, there’s nothing to see.
Having spent a day surrounded by nature, we have decided to move to the town of Székesfehérvár. Ah, I wish I could hear you pronounce that beauty. I am totally messing up the vowels still…and I have spent a lot of time on this task.
Székesfehérvár is a town just an hour away from Budapest. So, if you are in Budapest, and you want something new and exciting, this place is quite easy to reach, and a very good day-trip. Now that I have to think back on it, I am dragging memories from my head. And two things which I would mention if someone asks about Székesfehérvár are the Bory castle and the small tower clock.
The Bory castle is a beautiful structure built in 20th century by Jenő Bory, who was performing all the roles on his own. Architect? Sure! Foreman? Okay! Mason? Yup! Even keeping this in mind, I can surely say that it is absolutely worth it. The intricate details of the castle, windows, stairways, gardens and sculptures – all are made with a delicate touch, inspiration, and dedication. Architect’s family is still living in the castle, and they are the ones running the museum and maintaining it. I really hope that one day this will be a historical monument of what only one person is able to do, what kind of beauty people were able to do in 20th centiry.
The small tower clock I am talking about is located near Saint Stephen’s Basilica. You’d have to get lost a bit in between the houses to find it, or simply follow the music. The music starts calling the audience at 10 a.m., and then every two hours during the day, right until the last performance at 6 p.m. The doors of the clock open up, and the legends from Hungarian royalty start showing their story. Unfortunately, I cannot retell you the stories which they told us, you’d have to see it for yourself. But one I can say for sure.
It’s mesmerizing to watch.
And this was just the beginning of everything. The journey led us to explore the Eastern city from a different perspective, and the time spent in the centre around Budapest, gave a chance to be creative and go beyond the city life. But the journey led us further, to the western side, but everything shall be said in it’s own time.
to be continued…
Adventures of a random volunteer 