Balaton!

This past weekend, the school took us on a trip around the Balaton region in Hungary.  Apparently I got lost and ended up in the grassy knolls of Ireland, because it was rainy, damp, cold, and very very green all weekend.  But, despite all of these downfalls, I was able to find some perks, and by some, I mean many.

On Lake Balaton.

 
We began the trip by stopping at some Roman ruins from when Hungary was under Roman power.  Now, perhaps this is because I am not easily impressed, but Roman ruins are not exciting.  Nor are they thought provoking, and life changing.  Do you know what I saw?  A bunch of rocks outlined in rectangles, and the rocks were new (relatively speaking).  It was not impressive in any sense of the word, or at least the definition that I know.  I mean, it's neat to think that there were once Roman baths there, and maybe the cold and rain clouded my mind (pun intended) but, couldn't I just do that with my imagination?  It's not like the ruins showed me something terribly unique that I couldn't see in a book.  I feel slightly pessimistic, but at the end of the day it's how I feel, and that's not changing.  We also saw some frescos, which is something that I found impressive.  The objects and decorations used by the peoples of the time can tell just as much, if not more, than the ruins they lived in.  Note that the only actual artifacts are those pieces that look raised and slightly discolored.  The flatter part has been reconstructed (painted) by a modern human.

We then went to a small town on the coast of the lake and wandered around in addition to going to a Baroque style church, that is still functioning today.  There are a few pictures on my facebook, and I will post one here for your aesthetic pleasure.  Again, never have I really been impressed by the churches that are considered "great" in America.  But, I was truly taken aback by the beauty of this church the minute I walked in the door.  It is amazing to think that someone was able to create what I saw, because I couldn't even begin to think that I was experiencing reality at the time. The picture to the right doesn't even begin to speak a thousand words, and if it does, than the experience of being there spoke two thousand.

Saturday marked our adventure in cave boating, and while being short lived, was super super fun, and stunning.  My trusty captain Paula paddled us, but the cave is so small at points that you basically have bend completely at the waist (while sitting mind you) and push your way along, either by the ceiling, or by the walls.  The water is completely natural and comes through the ground and into the cave, and is so so pure looking.  Later that day we checked into our hotel and hung out for a bit until we went on a one hour pleasure boat ride...

What is pleasurable about windy, chilly, rainy boat rides, I do not know.  But it was a pretty view from time to time.  Unfortunately, not only was it not pleasant out, but to our disappointment, didn't involve anything of the pleasure variety that one might imagine, especially after living in Budapest.  Those of you who have been or lived here, know what I mean when I say this.  The school bought us all drinks, and most of us opted for hot chocolate with Bailey's, which may just be my new favorite drink.  My body is lucky that Bailey's is a tad out of my price range to purchase all the time, because my my is that a delicious choice.

The third and final day we went to a gorgeous French style Château that was basically the summer home for the members of aristocracy and the royals of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy during the 19th century.  Most of the actual pieces inside the building were pilfered by the Russians, but there are other pieces that are very similar to what would have been filled in the home.  I almost died when I went into the library, and am very sad to report that no pictures were taken due to the age of the materials throughout the Château.  We then, for some reason, went to an adjacent carriage museum, which was not very interesting really.  I mean, nice to look at for 15 minutes, but that's really it.  We wandered around the surrounding town, and the sun finally came out to play and warm our wet selves.  

Overall, a successful weekend, despite the awful weather, saw some cool things and such. The note that I will leave you on is this video of Gordy and Seth running into the freezing Balaton.