Last stop in Hungary: E pur si muove
Saturday June 29, 2013
We weren't finished with the spa scene yet. An hour's drive from Sárvár is the town of Hegykö, another spa. From here we would be able to take some more interesting little outings on our bikes and partake of the thermal bathing culture. So we got packed up - we are very efficient by now - and were ready to roll around nine. We were quite perplexed to see that the car wouldn't roll. It wouldn't budge. The front wheels spun in the gravel and the rear wheels were locked. What now? It's very convenient in Hungary to be able to speak Hungarian. Janos quickly contacted a garage in town and two car mechanics appeared - not quite so quickly.
By the time they came, Janos had already diagnosed the problem, but he couldn't fix it. Since we were parked on a slight incline we used wedges, I believe the technical term is wheel chocks, under two wheels to level the van. We then pulled the handbrake so as not to roll off them, usual procedure. However, it had been raining when we arrived. After the sun had dried everything nicely, it seemed that the handbrake mechanism (google says brake drum) had developed rust and couldn't be released. The two mechanics got to work with some simple tools and were able to loosen the rusted parts, and the wheels moved again. E pur si muove!
Hegykö is a smaller town than Sárvár and the thermal baths are also on a smaller scale. The campgrounds are smaller, cost half as much and are very pleasant - except for the excessive number of mosquitoes. In the evening I cooked up a nice pasta dish. The sauce included all of my odds and ends in the pantry - onion, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and tuna fish. And it tasted great.
I like cooking while we are traveling but here in Hungary I cook less. A meal in a restaurant costs half as much as at home, and Janos also enjoys eating traditional Hungarian dishes familiar from his childhood. I like them, too, by the way, perhaps it's in my genes inherited from my Hungarian grandmother.
Here I am going to give you a peek into our kitchen. It has everything - including the kitchen sink. It has a tiny fridge, plenty big enough for our needs and little cupboards for a few non-perishables. I have two gas burners, but usually only use one for my one pot meals. We almost never use the sink since it is more convenient to wash up at the camp's facilities.
We weren't finished with the spa scene yet. An hour's drive from Sárvár is the town of Hegykö, another spa. From here we would be able to take some more interesting little outings on our bikes and partake of the thermal bathing culture. So we got packed up - we are very efficient by now - and were ready to roll around nine. We were quite perplexed to see that the car wouldn't roll. It wouldn't budge. The front wheels spun in the gravel and the rear wheels were locked. What now? It's very convenient in Hungary to be able to speak Hungarian. Janos quickly contacted a garage in town and two car mechanics appeared - not quite so quickly.
By the time they came, Janos had already diagnosed the problem, but he couldn't fix it. Since we were parked on a slight incline we used wedges, I believe the technical term is wheel chocks, under two wheels to level the van. We then pulled the handbrake so as not to roll off them, usual procedure. However, it had been raining when we arrived. After the sun had dried everything nicely, it seemed that the handbrake mechanism (google says brake drum) had developed rust and couldn't be released. The two mechanics got to work with some simple tools and were able to loosen the rusted parts, and the wheels moved again. E pur si muove!
Hegykö is a smaller town than Sárvár and the thermal baths are also on a smaller scale. The campgrounds are smaller, cost half as much and are very pleasant - except for the excessive number of mosquitoes. In the evening I cooked up a nice pasta dish. The sauce included all of my odds and ends in the pantry - onion, peppers, tomatoes, garlic and tuna fish. And it tasted great.
I like cooking while we are traveling but here in Hungary I cook less. A meal in a restaurant costs half as much as at home, and Janos also enjoys eating traditional Hungarian dishes familiar from his childhood. I like them, too, by the way, perhaps it's in my genes inherited from my Hungarian grandmother.
Here I am going to give you a peek into our kitchen. It has everything - including the kitchen sink. It has a tiny fridge, plenty big enough for our needs and little cupboards for a few non-perishables. I have two gas burners, but usually only use one for my one pot meals. We almost never use the sink since it is more convenient to wash up at the camp's facilities.
I love my little water kettle that came with our Trangia cooker set that we used when camping on bicycle tours. Here I have incorporated it into a couple of still lifes I've done here. We haven't needed the little lantern yet since at this time of year the days are long (and we go to bed so early). We put hot water in the thermos for our morning coffee - instant - which we make at the table. The simple life.
