So as we have a 10 day road vignette (what you need to use motorways) for Hungary and I was keen to see more than Budapest on Sunday we drove from the lake to Eger, about 100k east of the capital. We arrived in the dark which was tricky but we found the site up and over a hill, just a little out of the town centre. Tulipan Camping, or Kemping as it's spelt here.
We had rain showers on our journey in and the lightning flashed over the hills as we got set up. Set up means bikes out the back of the van, electric plugged in, covers on the front windows and passenger seat spun round to face the back...then go camp.
The next morning was cool and a bit cloudy, weather we currently revel in! In the morning light we found ourselves on a small site, mostly tents and a few vans. They had about 5 old caravans they were renting out too. They had the excellent combination of people being able to choose where to camp but with some demarcation made only be trees and bushes. There were also picnic tables with roofs (rooves! How do you write that!) scattered about where people had there breakfast, dinners and did Bulgarian lessons-or maybe that last one was just me.
Eger is popular for it's small town centre with varied architecture, and it's wine production and selling in the valley of beautiful women (or nice women as one signpost translated it). The town is impressive with a huge Basilica, a minaret where the mosque used to be (ottomans we're fought off once but came back and moved in), a castle, and cobbled streets to wander and not forgetting the statue of the fight against the ottomans; one of the most animated sculptures/statues I've ever seen. I love the little streets but you cannot comfortably ride your bike on them! We cycled and pushed a bike round the town dodging a few sharp showers in antique shops and under trees.
The cycle home was a good challenge with the hill to contend with but the view of the valley helped your heart stop trying to escape your chest at the top. After a few hours, and lunch at the van we cycled off again and down the hill the other way to the valley. Essentially a tiny village with a horse shoe shape road lined with wine cellars on the outside and a park in the middle. You choose your cellar go in try a wine and then if you like buy a glass or bottle of your favourite. They all had indoor and outdoor seats so you could choose how musty you wanted your air while you drank. We decided to go to the ones that were mainly just a cave with an old man or lady outside and avoid the shiny signs and decor of the more modern places. After two or three of these we had tried 6 different mainly red wines and had a 2 litre plastic container of the old man's musty cave wine. This is how it goes: you go in say hello and the lady says "red white?", you choose one and then she says "dry, semi sweet, sweet?" and then you choose. You try a few sips and then buy a glass (about 200ft or 60p) or try something else. At the end you can choose a beautifully shaped plastic bottle and get 2 litres for from 1000ft or £3.
We tried one of the more modern places and with an actual wine list and wider selection we could try different things, including the famous bulls blood wine. I found a new favourite grape, which we will call K for now as this is what the word started with but I don't remember the name! This place also did snacks, so bread and dripping it was (garnished with onions and paprika) to soak up the K.
After an average dinner, this valley does not specialise in food, we found our final cave, it had a three piece string band and a lovely, if a bit drunk, old lady to introduce us to her family wine. She joined in the tasting and tried to encourage me to down the tasting wine (about two mouthfuls) and then you open your mouth wide and go ahhhhh. She was ace. As was her wine which came in an actual glass bottle so we had one of those for another day.
So here's some pictures of the Eger experience....
Ps. I hear it's complicated to comment on the blog which is annoying! We would love to have your comments. I have no idea how to change this though so use fb if you can and I will keep looking at the settings to try and work it out. X
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