Hey there – I guess it’s my birthday today, yay! How better to celebrate than with a post of my latest flash trip to a fave spot on Lake Balaton.
So, our mini vacation didn’t just take us into the forests sometimes resembling those of Middle Earth, oh no. As anyone who grew up in Hungary knows, we need to check on our fave iconic lake at least once a year. You know, to see if it’s still there and if it’s still as beautiful as we remembered. So we did just that.
I promised I would show you one of my favourite spots at Lake Balaton, the largest freshwater lake in Eastern Europe. It’s a cute town called Tihany, located on the Northern shore, spread over its own tiny peninsula. Now, why do I love Tihany so much?
The view: priceless
First of all, the walkway behind the famous Abbey offers the best view – and such a unique one – of the lake. Depending on the season and the sunlight, the colour ranges from watercolour blue or green to an almost neon kind of turquoise. This time, the sun was beating hard so the water looked more neon than anything. However, I remember passing this way a few years ago. There were fewer tourists, less direct sunlight and a lot of moisture in the air, hanging over the lake. That made it look the palest watercolour blue ever. With small yachts dotting the surface as always – it was surreal and simply breathtaking.
Tricks of the eye
Second, its geography is anything but boring. If you face the side of the abbey, to your left you see the Northern shore of Balaton, and a bit of the Southern shore. Looking right, you have land, then a smallish inner lake called the Inner Lake 🙂 It’s a darker and cooler shade of blue than the colour of Balaton. And finally, looking beyond that, there is the Northern shore again, stretching west into the distance, all the way to distinctively shaped Mount Badacsony.
Intriguing, but quite natural, standing on a narrow peninsula, right? Still, the vistas play tricks with your mind. It feels a bit like climbing the hill in Pyrgos village on Santorini and looking down on the island. Suddenly you’re acutely aware of where you are on the map, of how small everything is, and how you could fall off the map just by taking a wrong step. Maybe it’s just me but still, phew.
Fairytale village life
Anyway, third is the beauty of the town itself. Full of old, traditional Hungarian country houses, beautifully restored. Millions of flowers, the home cooked style food, the vineyards, the local arts, the decor, the navy-white prints, the pottery. Oh, and lavender everything, from candles to ice cream.
Check out the off-shoulder outfit I wore in Tihany for the long walk and scampering around town – got to run now to join my birthday celebrations 🙂
