A bit of Hungary and quite a bit of Poland
It must be a virus! As dangerous as Ebola or bird flu, because no matter what “antidotes” are used, you still don’t know when you will catch it. Yes, in fact, you are not trying to protect yourself. Because this virus is travel. It doesn't matter what it is: a transatlantic flight to the islands, a vacation on a cruise ship, or a trip to a neighboring region. You change the situation, the familiar environment, even for a short time, and this charges you and gives you new strength.
After all, admit that this has happened to everyone: when you return from another trip, and your fingers instinctively reach for the keyboard, to the Web in search of new places or attractive offers. And even if the next vacation is still far away, but after reading a couple of “articles” about a successful vacation, without realizing it, you give an impulse to the brain, which, like a starting pistol, sends you on the road. And you are already starting to take notes on other people's stories, highlighting the must see, at the same time thinking about the “way out” before management and work, and, which seemed urgent matters yesterday.
Here I am, as one of the “sick”, having not had time to digest the New Year holidays http://www.turpravda.com/pl/blog-157435.html, I have already outlined a plan for the May holidays. I don’t know why, but it is Europe that attracts me the most now. Despite the fact that the distance from home to the Polish border is 1.000 km, I am ready to overcome it in order to once again plunge into the unhurried rhythm of small European cities, to see the smiling faces of passers-by walking towards me. No matter how trite it may sound, I am interested in driving along their roads, reading incomprehensible and sometimes funny names of settlements, crossing the “rings” of intersections, looking around at the flickering landscapes.
The main purpose of the trip, in addition to a change of scenery and unwinding, was the resort town of Miskolc-Tapolca with its well-known cave bath Barlangfü rd? .
And the additional bonuses in this place were Lillafured, Gyosgyor Castle and Miskolc itself with its small historical center.
But before that, there was a road through the territory of Russia, Belarus and an overnight stay in Poland. How sad it is to realize, but from year to year nothing changes in this direction from my country in the direction of Gomel. All the same narrow patched roads, on which, at a speed of 90 km / h, the fight against fat deposits in the bodies of car passengers begins. The only positive thing was the roads of the native Orel region - they became better than in Bryansk or Smolensk (comparing the sections we drove on).
Leaving the house around 4 am and making a couple of stops for technical issues, after 11-12 hours we got to Brest. We ate at the frequently mentioned Pit Stop cafe in the Korona shopping center and soon were the only car at the barrier of the Domachevo border crossing. A bored young border guard, with his hands behind his back, with the air of an experienced teacher, asked: - Do you have a truck?
From bewilderment, I could not even smile in greeting: - No!
- Then why did you stand in the truck corridor? You need to go back and drive within your pocket on the road for cars.
It looked like this. We turned around, drove back about 50 meters, turned around again and, having zigzagged on the road, again found ourselves in the same place where we had been a minute earlier. Presenting my passports, I asked: - Is your border crossing only for cars?!
Yes!
Letter of the law - nothing to say. Making these, as it seemed to us at that moment, unnecessary idiotic gestures, we missed one single car in front of us. And when he was sent for a full inspection, we mentally thanked the "corrosive" border guard. And, although we didn’t have anything forbidden, we would have lost an hour or two. For the first time in my practice, the entire border crossing took 15 minutes, after which we slowly drove to the small town of Vishnice, 25 km from the border.
Here we booked a room at Zajazd Avangarda for the first night of our trip.
This is a roadside hotel that combines a restaurant, where at the time of our arrival there was a solemn event. But it should be noted the almost absence of extraneous noise and any inconvenience. Polite pleasant employees showed us the room, asked what time is best to serve breakfast.
Leaving our things in the room, we walked to the center of Wisznice, meeting people returning from the evening service. Since the shops were closed, we returned to the hotel, where we had dinner in a restaurant.
Mineral water in the room, good internet, beautiful grounds and a delicious breakfast only added to the positive impressions of the hotel.
May 2 is Flag Day in Poland. Therefore, the morning began with a sense of celebration and with a visit to the fair, which is located next to the hotel. After hustling among the malls, we bought honey, some sweets and apples for the price of 1 zl/kg.
The traffic congestion in Poland should be taken without undue nervousness and do not try to quickly cover distances. But, apparently because it was a holiday, we relatively quickly got to Rzeszow, where we had lunch. We visited the CCC shoe store, where we left with new clothes.
In Slovakia, the toll motorway was bypassed by secondary roads. On the crossed borders of the EU countries, as before, without stops and inspections.
We arrived in Miskolc-Tapolca in the evening. Here we booked Kikelet club hotel for three nights.
The price included parking, a fairly good breakfast, access to the sauna and jacuzzi in the basement of the hotel.
Unfortunately, apart from these additional options, the hotel did not make the right impression. Lack of basic toiletries, ants in the bathroom. Cleaning, apparently, was only a change of towels. The number in plain, nondescript tones gave a gloomy look. Therefore, the desire to spend as much time as possible outside the hotel only intensified. Among the guests of the hotel, judging by the parking of cars, there were tourists from Russia, Ukraine, Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria.
As I said, the main goal is cave baths.
By the way, I think this place is very familiar to tourists from Ukraine. Most bus tours pass through this region, and as a result, Ukrainian is among other languages on the information stands. The summer holidays of my wife's childhood with her grandmother in Bobrovitsa, Chernihiv region, were not in vain. To study the necessary information, we used a stand with a yellow-blue flag. A ticket for 4 hours cost 5000Ft for two. We took bath towels, slates and water with us. Speaking of food, there is a cafe where you can grab a bite to eat.
The place is expectedly beautiful, but crowded. In the labyrinths of the cave, visitors dance around until they find a suitable shelter in a pool. At the time of the visit, the water and the ambient air in the first (open) hall were invigorating. Particular discomfort was felt when leaving the internal, warmer pools. Prudent visitors were armed with bathrobes.
Many visitors were with children, despite the fact that the bath is more health-improving than entertaining. The inner round cave, where the light and sound effects, as well as the starry sky, did not "hook". The external pools were not in operation, they were actively repaired. Therefore, it was not possible to fully enjoy the entire bath. Either they didn’t finish it, or we got stuck))
A few words about lockers for personal belongings. In past bath reviews, it is highly recommended to stock up on a 20Ft coin to close the locker. Now this “problem” is partially solved: there are lockers of both the old type and with a key, as well as new ones that work from an electronic bracelet. But at the time of our visit, they were not yet working.
On the first day, at the exit from the territory of the bath, we met a large group of Ukrainian tourists. In confirmation of the above words about the popularity of this place among Ukrainian tour operators.
Barlangfü rd baths? located in a park with a small pond where a swan swam alone. Emboldened squirrels ran among the trees.
Here in the park is an attraction for children and adults, which we went to by the wild screams coming from the forest. It was an impromptu bobsleigh track.
For 450Ft you are invited to test your nervous system. First, your bob is pulled by a cable to the top of the hill, and then you rush down the winding track among the trees, convulsively pulling the brakes on the turns. Feelings can not be expressed in words! Great!
Another hallmark of this region of Hungary is the Bü kk National Natural Park, in which Lillafured is comfortably located. The dam of the Sinwa River in the 18th century led to the formation of Lake Hamori, on the shore of which, surrounded by mountains and forests, the Palota Castle Hotel appears.
Surrounded by a park with terraces and hanging gardens, it welcomes visitors not only to live, but also, like us, to walk around the territory. To visit this place, it is necessary to put on comfortable sports shoes and warm clothes. Photos, as well as possible, convey the atmosphere of this place.
The hills surrounding Lake Hamori are formed by lime deposits, so there are many caves in the vicinity of the lake. At the foot of the waterfall is the entrance to Anna's stalactite cave, open to visitors in the early 20th century. Unfortunately, we could not get into it because of the late time.
You can get to Lillafured like us by private car or regular bus. We parked our car along the road in a free place. Many tourists prefer to use the narrow gauge railway from the center of Miskolc among dense forests, mountains through tunnels.
Returning from Lillafü red to the hotel in the evening, we saw signs to another must see - Gyosgyor Castle.
The next day, of course, we took advantage of the free time to see the inside of this creation. Once the castle was located outside Miskolc, but due to the expansion of the city, it ended up side by side with the private sector of the city.
The first buildings on the site of the Gyosgyor castle were in the 12th century, but during the Mongol raids they were completely destroyed. And the castle, which now comes to our attention, was founded around the 13th century. It played a very important role in the 14th century, as a stronghold on the road to Poland.
The castle began to be restored in the middle of the 20th century and now it is an unrealistic beauty and power of a medieval fortress surrounded by a deep moat. Excavations related to Gyö sgyor are currently being carried out along the entire perimeter and have affected the private buildings of local residents.
In our time, the main events and festivals of Miskolc are held on the castle grounds. Tourists are offered performances: jousting tournaments and fairs in the style of the Middle Ages. In one of the rooms, visitors are shown an interactive reconstruction of the events that have taken place around the history of the castle since its foundation. To completely bypass the fortress and look into all corners of the castle, you will have to spend a couple of hours.
The small historical center of Miskolc Belvá ros is concentrated near the Sinva River and Szé chenyi Street.
Walking around it will not take much time, but it will be a pleasure to visit one of the many places where you can eat something from the national cuisine or ice cream, or drink coffee. We enjoyed sitting in Café frei.
Returning home, on the way to Poland, we made an hour-long stop at Boldogk? vá ralja, an hour's drive from Miskolc. The reason for this stop was a fantastic picture seen on one of the tourist resources, in which a castle towered on a mountain among flat, well-groomed fields.
This is one of the well-preserved medieval castles in Hungary - Boldogk? Vara, tentatively founded in the 13th century, passed many times from the rule of one noble family to another. Heavily damaged, but thanks to the wisdom of the authorities in the 2000s, they began to restore it.
Waiting was rewarded in full by the panorama of the area seen. For some reason, I immediately remembered the words from the cartoon of my childhood about Puss in Boots: - And whose fields are these? - Marquise of Carabas!
And with every minute that brought us closer to the goal, the feeling of pleasant anxiety intensified.
Of course, the views of the castle and from the tower of the castle itself to the surrounding fields were worth it to make a forced detour along the local rural roads.
The last look at the frozen Middle Ages.
We spent the last night of our trip in beautiful Lublin, at the Lavender Yard Hotel. Here we were warmly welcomed by a girl at the registration from Lviv, who was amused by the name of my city. The hotel building remotely resembled the estate of Turgenev I. S. in Spasskoye-Lutovinovo, Oryol region.
The interior decoration of the room corresponded to the style of the hotel - just as sophisticated. Only the black rectangle of the TV is clearly a foreign element. Mineral water and apples were waiting on the table in the room. Again - nice!
I really liked the old part of Lublin, but the uncharged camera battery let me down in time. The result is just a few memorable photos.
New customs rules of Belarus introduced on April 14 for imported goods “. . . if an individual imports a unit of goods that exceeds the customs value of 300 euros or 20 kg, it will have to be declared. But only if a person crosses the border more than once every three months. When calculating the limits for the import of goods for personal use into Belarus through road and rail checkpoints, goods purchased in duty free will also be taken into account... ”we were not affected in any way, despite the slight hysteria in various tourist forums. We safely passed through the green corridor.
Thanks for reading! Have a good trip!
