The Hungarian's Mediterranean: Lake Balaton

We drove by orchards overflowing with pink spring blossoms to Tihany, a small historic vacation village perched on the hillside above the shore of Lake Balaton.  The village itself is named for the Tihany Peninsula it sits upon, jutting out into Lake Balaton.

Balaton lake is the largest in Hungary and the micro-climate of the region is so similar to the Mediterranean that it has been a wine growing area since Roman times.  The types of wines produced in the area include, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noire, Kekfrankos, Riesling varieties, Muscatel varieties, Irsai Oliver, Little Princess, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and the famous Balatonboglar "BB" sparkling "Champagne".  The region is particularly know for its white wines which have soaked up particular local aromas and tastes.

In the fall if you drive away from the lake through the rolling countryside, you will see the rich ripe grapes of the great Balaton wines ripening on their vines, but we were there in early spring so the vines were still stark and bare.  I would love to come back in the fall and sample some of those Balaton vintages! 

The Lake developed as early as Roman times as a resort for aristocrats and in the 18th century, spas and villas were built for the upper classes, but in the 19th century, railways began to bring the middle classes to enjoy the lake.  All summer long, people sail, kayak, windsurf and swim, some enjoying the south shore with its 1970’s style beach resorts, where parties last until the wee hours, and others enjoy the historical beauty of the north shore hill towns and quiet beaches.

One of the best aspects of hiring a local driver is that they can give you a personal insight into Hungarian life.  Illes told us about his life growing up in Hungary, cut off from the rest of Europe and how families like his that had been separated by Soviet rule would meet up once a year at Lake Balaton for a vacation.  Amazingly, Western Europeans would be allowed to visit Lake Balaton.  He also told us about the two passports each person would carry.  One was for very limited “international” travel and could only be used once or twice a year with prior permission, and the other which allowed unlimited travel through eastern Soviet Bloc countries.  It was hard for us to imagine living under such strict rule but Illes was filled with such optimism for the future of Hungary, we were swept along with him.

The most noticeable building in Tihany is the Benedictine Tihany Abbey with its onion dome spires towering over the village.  It was at this abbey, that the first record of the Hungarian language in existence was found.  This charter is now kept at the Pannonhalma Archabbey.

An abbey has been on the site since 1055 AD, but the one you see today was built in the Baroque style in 1754.  It is at this abbey that the last Hapsburg Emperor, Charles 1st of Austria, was held prisoner after he tried to take back the Hungarian throne at the end of the WWI.

As you can imagine, since Tihany is a tourist area, the shops are packed with colorful pottery, embroidered clothes, and table cloths, painted glassware, and many other Hungarian arts and crafts to lure your tourist euros from your wallet.  As we had at least 30 minutes to wait for the Ferry to take us and our car across the lake to Szantod so we could drive on to Budapest, I was easy prey for the shop owners. 

The ferry from Tihany to Szantod is the only ferry crossing on the lake.  The ride itself is fun and for most people from the U.S. an unusual experience.  

The Szantod side of the lake is where we were to catch the main road to Budapest, so we zipped on out to the autobahn and a couple hours later we were back in the beautiful city where we began our Hungarian adventure.