Photos, finally

Here are some photos. Not the ones I promised of Transsylvania, though.

Instead I made them on the great plains of Hungary only a week ago.

The new camera has an awesome panorama function. Enjoy :)

This is a small bridge over a small river. It is not really an attraction or tourist site. The main road (not the highway) goes through the bridge and we stopped to see what there was to see. :)

 And finally, this is me, looking for stones to play in the water :)

This is for now.

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Summer has almost gone and although the days can be scorching hot, nights are cold. I like the commencing of Autumn.

I miss writing.

I miss the self that uses words to release the tension, to explore new futures and would have beens. I am part lazy. And part I am not really left alone, to my thoughts. And part I myself kind of lost connection with those little, harmless inner voices that used to tell me what to type... 

I'm in search of those... 

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Be well!

and the Danube keeps flowing on

my recent job sort of ended this tuesday. 

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this is good news, my friends.

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silly april

this night we had a slight recurring frost. it was minus 3 degrees centigrade. with all the cherry and apricot trees in blossom, this is not a promising fact at all :(

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yesterday we were hiking in the Pilis mountains. here is one photo of the beauties of spring around there. the mountains have special flora and fauna.

this one is an Adonis vernalis, otherwise known as the pheasant's eye.

more photos may come soon.

hiking near the capital

these photos were taken on 6 november in the buda mountains. the exact location is called 'szenasok', meaning 'hay fields' because the slopes were used for producing and collecting animal fodder.

it is within a one hour ride by car from budapest.

join us in this virtual tour and enjoy the photos!

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'intelligent people never litter, all the others are not allowed to'

a great view. you can see the limestone.
a lizzard. sorry for the quality.
juniper berries. they taste delicious. i only ate two, just in case ;)
boys enjoying fighting. they never seem tired of playing swordsmen with sticks. they pretend to attack and defend their imaginary castles. both these boys will turn 15 this december and next february. i'm so glad and thankful they have not lost their interest in playing normal, non-virtual games like real fighting.
on the way home. i'm wearing the green jacket that my son used to wear last year. now my son has gone larger than i. that's also great: i have a new jacket, just free of charge :)

my son and his friend with his dog. i love this phot very much.
my daughter walks in a valley and in this final picture, she makes a message out of stones. it reads 'we were here'.

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a short break

shortly after my fifth (is it the sixth???) bloggiversary, i'm taking a short break.

don't be afraid, i'm not going very far.

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on Saturday for once, i'm going on a one-day trip with my daughter to the Dobsi.na ice cave - it's worth to take a look HERE.

i found the trip via a newsletter i receive from an online hiking group i have recently joined. their main profile are inland trips and trips to countries around Hungary. this one trip aims at an interesting cave up north where Hungary's Uplands are. now they belong to a country that is younger than me.

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for a couple of days more, we are going to have quite a mess in the house.

beginning Monday, we are going to have the old oven renovated in the living room/bedroom.

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also, as the kids are getting older the need to have a separate room emerged. it is not easy as we have only four rooms.

let me break it down for you.

room 1.

the newest one, where a new oven was built this August. see the photo attached.

room 2.

the one with lots of windows.

due to the location and circumstances of the room, temperature goes below 10 or even 5 degrees centigrade in the winter, so this room can not be used all year round.

it's great to play or read as there are plenty of light there, but is unsuitable for sleeping. also, it is really small, so we can't place a cupboard or table there.

room 3.

also knows as : office.

it is rather small. two large bookshelves, and a large cupboard and a table under the window with two computers basically fill the room completely.

room 4.

the one room out of the four fit and large enough for all-year-round sleeping.

it is the largest room.

but now we must change the situation one way or another.

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memories of a memory card

while the fuji camera is still in koma, we discovered the memory card was alive.

here are some pictures. enjoy, enlarge or feel free to save on your pc for further family or personal enjoyment :)

on slightly related note:

i have recently joined the book with faces ;)

i post photos there and have confirmed relationship with some of my blogging buddies. i have asked them however, not to use my blogging name as i definitely want to avoid mixing the two faces of me. since i had posted photos of the canoe trip earlier on the fb and secondly here, i chose photos for the blog that were not posted over there.

back from a kenoe trip

good news:

we had a glorious weather and we survived!

whoo-hoo!

bad news: my camera may have not.

our kenoe tripped over when i was climbing back from the water.

i guess it all explains the lack of photograpic evidence.

it is an olympus revision: fuji one, a good one at that - and it is drying now :)

A photo update

Dear all,
So, we've returned safely and survived canoeing.

We had some rain and some sunburn, and we're back with sore muscles and dirty clothes. But most of all, with lots of photographs.

Since my Guess The Movies contest proved uninteresting, I quitted. I may return with it. For those who entered: Ropi, Aine, IllMan, Vesper and Ello - your points are stored and will be counted upon once the time is ripe enough to continue the series.

In the meantime I put up some pictures.

The ferry on River Bodrog at the small village of Felsőberecki, between 47 and 48 kilometres. The zero kilometre is at Tokaj, where Bodrog meets River Tisza.

Boarding at Sárospatak. Please note the castle at the other bank.

The clock tower on the innermost yard of the castle. Some part of the castle is left ruined, some are restored - those serve as a museum.

The main entrance.

A railway bridge accross River Bodrog somewhere below Sárospatak.

Morning lights at Bodrogolaszi, where we camped the second night.

The second day was mostly sunny. This photo above was made hours before a short shower came. It depicts a canoe and a friendly bank with lots of summer sky.

This is me swimming in one of the backwater branches of Bodrog, near Tokaj.


We are approaching Tokaj, my daughter is in the front of the canoe, the other kid and is mother are our friends.

The face on the wooden door

Foreword: This ruined gate used to serve as an entrance to a village manor of some Hungarian nobleman. His name turned unimportant, the house is abandoned and in bad condition and there are guardsmen behind the fences.

The stone-gate is still there.

There is a beautiful carving at the top of the armor of Hungary.

The gate witnessed the coming and going of horses, oxen, carts and countryfolk. All but memories, faint whispers now.

The gate is still a witness, a keeper of time.

I saw it on the June 14.

It spoke to me - hear the words I captured this very day, on 25 June.

Have you seen the face
Of mold
Tissues disappearing beneath
Every breath than comes along
Takes you deeper within
To let you out
Into

Where I used to be

Where there is but a door
An aged wooden surface you touch
With naked fingers
To hurt the skin
And soothe the soul

Butterflies stupefied
Ramble in the mist
Hissing of puffs
And they blunder how feeble
Their wings are

Ever wondered….?

Take the mirror
And take it now.

Guess The Movie - #2

This is the second round in the series. You can still go back and cast your guess(es) for the first part HERE.

NEW RULES

The rules have changed. Due to the peculiar habit of some of my honest readers who, having a similar approach to temptation as the late and nonetheless brilliant Oscar Wilde, check the hints before even guessing, no hints will be published here.

Also, do NOT cast your entries (guesses) in he comments section.

Instead, drop me a mail at toth[dot]f[at]invitel[dot]hu either to send me your guess(es) OR request for a hint.

All other rules, including the collection of award points remained the same as described HERE.

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So here goes the second installment:

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I am here and also I am somewhere else. I’m floating in some sort of dream. A dream to find her. This subtle drive has been gaining more and more strength during the past hour within me. How come I have this feeling that I might find her, might see her again?
I find it crazy that our dreams do not change over the years.
Will I notice her, after all? Will all my fantasies about finding her in her hometown come true? Does she still live here, after all? Nine years have passed. Does she remember me at all?

The reading is almost over. I’d like to keep it as long as possible and some more. I’d like to meet her. To get a glimpse of her shoulders. To catch a smell of her hair. Man, I’m going mad. It is really heard to focus on those questions. Autobiographical? I don’t think I could even spell that word. Of course my life is autobiographical. She is my life. Oh my.
What we see of the world is just a peek we have through our tiny keyholes, that’s all we have. And when it comes to a person, it’s just the sum of the moments and emotions of his life.
Where is she? Am I talking articulate? Do they comprehend? Where is she? When I look at my own life I see that I’ve never been much of my life around guns and violence, you know, not really, no political intrigue, or a helicopter crash, right?
I see my agent’s friendly smile and reassuring nod. It surely means I’m making sense, after all. Where is she? I don’t have much time before I leave this town, for God’s sake.
But my life’s been full of drama you know… Oh yes, I’ve had some of those. And the next one’s right around the corner if I have to leave Europe again without having seen my little Frenchie.

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And two more photos of the puszta:

Pictures from the 'puszta'

Some places, if not all, have their special atmosphere you either like or dislike.

I tell you my experience in this field.

Back in 1991, I was fascinated by the majesty of the Black Pine Forest. I found it almost mystical. It definitely had a draw on me. I spent 2 or 3 days there, and the charm was gone. A menacing presence took over. I felt I had to leave, just had to leave or I might get hurt by some unseen harm. To this very day, I can still recall the shiver (and ...was it fear?) I felt.

It's not that I dislike forests, not at all - it's just that that type of forest was not welcoming and friendly. At least, not for me.

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And now, about another site that is quite a sight: Hungary, the present-day, amputated area of Hungary is famous for its lowlands. The middle region of the Carpathian basin consists of flat areas, where the soil ranges from salty clay to loose sand, with various types of flowers and insects. This is called the 'puszta' (pooh-s-t-uh).

The one we visited last weekend is called Kunság (koo-n-sh-uh-gh; meaning home of the Kuns). The Kuns are a long forgotten nation that had an enourmous influence on the agriculture, folk art and genetics of the Carpathian basin.

This was the second time I spent some time and slept in the puszta.

Vast meadowlands are hardly, if ever, interrupted by farm houses here and there. This one below used to be a shed for sheep I guess.

The canal was suitable for a quick dip, but not much for a swimming, due to the high number of water-dwelling plants. The bed of the canal was a feet-welcoming clay.

The flowers of the puszta are not unlike to those found in and among rocks. The soil is salty and the availability of nutritive materials is low.



I find the 'puszta' friendly and welcoming. I can well imagine myself living in a farmhouse, taking care of sheep or cattle, collecting hay for the winter, managing poultry and collecting herbs. The movement of the eye is free, there's no obstacle of whatsoever to the wondering mind either. One feels safe and home.

Hiking in the hills

Starting point: Tokod, a small city in the Gerecse Mountains.

Destination: Kesztölc, a small city in the Pilis Mountains.

Distance covered:15kms - convert from metric HERE.

Highest peak: Nagy-Gete 455m.

Weather: clear, sometimes sunny, 5-8 degrees centigrade.

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Worst experience: My son complaining about how dull and pointless hiking in general is. Later he exclaimed he wished to eat one of the berries he knew were poisonous so that he would die.

Best experience: The view from the top. Also, my son saying at the end that it was an interesting day.

Worst hiking experience: Having to go uphill at a 25-40 degrees slope for 90 minutes.

Best hiking experience: I was just as much panting as anyone in the group. Plus, I did climb it, after all. Also, the mactro shots I made.

Enjoy the photos.

on horses, drugs and the state of my ankle

As my kind readers have surely noticed, I'm back from that survival trip I referred to in my last post. There were about 200-250 fellow hikers, some of them covered 20 kms, like we did, some others went 35, and behold - some opted for the 60kms version.

I went for this trip for various reasons. I wished to brush off my melancholy - check, well done.

I wished to spend hours, uniterrupted in the autumn forest - check, well done.

I also came down with a periostitis, which was an unfortunate addition to my check-list.

At this moment some old people enter my imagination, who, with hazed eyes, marvel into the upholstery and start sentences with...when I was young...

And at this moment, I'm joining their club....

When I was young(er), walking 20kms was not a big deal. Now I seem to have fallen out of practice, which is a shame, and I must render the situation right. I must return to the habit of having a 10-25 km walk in every month or two. That keeps one in shape and avoids nasty things to one's ankle.

In fact, my ankle was quite allright after the tour, but a mis-step on the floor of the bathroom proved wrong. I was unable to place my weight on my left ankle and had to keep limping. For the sake of getting things done at home, thanks for the question.

What painkillers I did take?

You must be joking.

This is exactly one of the cases when one should NOT take any.

I took none, but to avoid pain, I rested my leg. I simply HAD TO rest it. I even wrapped it into a sack made of wool. That thing kept my ankle warm. If the sensation of pain had been taken away by drugs, I wouldn't have been able to rest. Now, 3 days after the trip my leg is almost back to normal.

All right, let's hear about our 20km trip.

It started in the middle of the town and after some wondering into the nearby valleys and forests, the route went right back to the starting point.

The location of the town I live in neglects any high mountains and/or dangerous rocks/waters...Some might say it's dull. Others might say it's comforting and gives you the feeling of a friendly environment. Those who feel there's no challenge in a surrounding like this should try walking 60 kms within it. 20kms took less than 6 hours for me. I walked in a pace that is rather relaxing than exhausting. For honesty, I have to add that the total elevation during these 6 hours was about 200-400 metres.

A six-hour walk in the High Tatras is something of a completely different experience. An enjoyable one at that, but different. We plan to get there in 2009, btw.

Each participant was given a map of the tour. We were following various forest trails. We followed the red for a while, than switched to the yellow mark and so on. Tourist trails are quite well marked throughout Hungary - most of the trails go in and out forests, through meadows but some lead to famous places in towns. I said well marked, and if you click to enlargen this particular photo you'll see the red sign and above, a green dot. The red is a line, which means trail, dot means a natural/artificial well/spring of a water, a cross means intersection of different trails and so on. I said well marked, but those who painted those lines upon trees trusted the tourists and have definitely left something for the imagination. At some places the tourist need to rely on his/her compass, map or instinct. Education at its best, hm?

But as there are settlements practically everywhere in the country, noone can get completely lost and eaten by angry wild animals - mainly because those are extinct.

The well I referred to is here below - sorry for the quality. Those two kids are my son and a friend. Fortunately, most of the time we were alone in the forest. I went with my girlfriend and we both had our elder sons with us.

This is a trap the boys found. They were really excited about it. Our trip at 13-15 kms wandered around a famous horse-farm. In fact this is where one of our four-time world champion coach-driving team is located, and is called an Equestrian Park. This is where they keep their animals and train horses and drivers. They run shows for the public as well. This little lady here was training, but judging from the way she was sitting, she was rather having fun, than a serious stress. I bet this girl in the seat was younger than 18. And she managed this drive of four horses.
Besides horses, said farm keeps cattle. There are two varieties, both endemic to the Carpathian basin. The brownish ones in the front are Hungarian Speckled ones, while the lighter-colored ones are Hungarian Grey Cattles. While the speckled variety is a good milker, the more sturdier-built Greys have excellent meat qualities. The trip went right beside the farm's boundaries. A coach pulled by four black horses was driving near the tourists.

We arrived home safe, with some normal pain in our muscles :)