from Mariapocs to Frankfurt 2011: Szigliget fortress

Thursday 9 June

After all the beautiful weather we have had so far, we woke this morning to gray skies and rain. Amanda decided she needed to put some more time into her studies, so we left her sitting on the terrace and headed off to Szigliget fortress which is about 20 minutes drive away.

Eldorado Fogardo terrace

View from the terrace down to the lake

The countryside is so green and there is obviously no shortage of water around. The areas of Hungary that we have passed through are essentially agricultural with the main crops being sweet corn and wheat. Cherry trees grow by the side of the road and at this time of year are laden with ripe fruit.

Our first sight of Szigliget was from the road and it was quite impressive to see the ruined fortress sitting on top of the hill. We wound our way up the hill to the parking area and then donned our raincoats and set off up the cobbled pathway.

There has been quite a bit of restoration work done over the past few years and there are wooden steps and ramps to enable sightseers to get to the very top. There were magnificent views to be seen over Lake Balaton and the Tapolca valley although it was very windy and wet and not too comfortable.

It was lovely getting back into the car and warming up. From there, we drove south west to Kesztelly to have a look around the town. The rain was easing so it was more pleasant walking around. After a quick lunch, we walked up the main pedestrian boulevard to have a look at Festetics Palace. The construction of the palace commenced in 1745, built at first on the foundations of a ruined castle, and tripled in size over the next century. My favourite room would have to be the library which is housed in quite a large room with floor to ceiling timber shelving. There is also a little hidden door leading to a smaller reading room. The palace was very busy with lots of school children being taken on guided tours.