It was a hot day.
We packed our stuff in the car and we hit the road, direction Őrség national park, in the western part of Hungary.
After three hours drive, we arrived in front of a traditional house that was surrounded by green tall grass. The key to open the entrance door was the size of my hand and it felt like entering a secret place in a fairy tale.
Inside, the thick mud walls kept the air cool, the kitchen had an old wood burning stove and the door frames were large and low. It was like stepping back in time.
We unpacked and got familiar with this rustic house, our base to discover the region.
This journey will be remembered as the days we cycled up and down hills on small country roads from one village to another. As the region where apple trees laden with fruits were commonly found in people’s garden or by the side of the road. As the place where meadows filled with wild flowers were beautiful, specially at sunset. And as the area where we spotted a herd of szürke marha lazily resting in the shade, a stork going back at dusk to its nest perched on a chimney top and countless of butterflies everywhere…
Besides the bucolic landscapes and tranquil atmosphere, the medieval church with its frescoes in Velemér, the ethnographic open-air museum in Szalafő and the traditional pottery added a cultural touch to our discovery of the region.
After spending most of our holidays in cities – Fehérvar, Paris and Budapest- this escape in the country was good.
Őrség was a lovely place to end our European journey.
