After visiting Galyatető I still had almost half of the way to go, but I thought it would be easy. I walked on with light steps, enjoying the pleasantly cool, friendly weather. Here I got my fifth or sixth stick to ease the way down. So far I've only met tourists on Galyatető, and there weren't many after that. Then I was helping a scout troop to plan the route.
The entrance to the Piszkéstető Observatory. http://piszkesteto.konkoly.hu
I would like to go stargazing here one day.
A natural lookout place near Mátraszentlászló
The green of the forest dissolves in the blue of the distance
Forest butterfly on wild oregano. I took some of these herbs. It is also an excellent herb for tea and spice for pizza, and its oil has antibacterial properties.
Green Tara Pension in Mátraszentlaszlo. It seems a very friendly place, but a bit deserted.
I wonder why? I saw that all the resorts and guesthouses are closed. There are few tourists during the week, but on weekends the place is overrun with motorists and motorbike riders.
Bell tower in Mátraszentlaszlo. Just 1 or 2 kilometres away there is a church with a small calvary, but I didn't go there this time.
Directions of tourist paths. How nice not to have to go uphill anymore!
Mátraszentistván. All restaurants and buffet are closed! But on weekends they open and fill up with tourists in cars.
It is good that the village is not neglected, you can see beautiful flowers everywhere.
These small houses are not inhabited by permanent residents. The only people who would come to live here permanently are those who want to live a hermit's life, or who are trying to make a living from tourism. But you can't do that here!
The city dweller longs for a bit of peace and quiet, so he goes out for a weekend to his holiday home and then goes home. I don't think that's normal! Cities should be made more liveable!
Old road signs. They are truly unique and beautiful. Sadly, they will age with time.
Mary shrine. The Virgin Mary is particularly revered in this region.
The ski slope in Mátraszentistván. Because of the skiing facilities, tourists tend to come here in greater numbers in winter. But with the snow season getting shorter, they may have to give up this passion.
A well-trodden path on the ridge. Leaving Mátraszentistván, I approach Ágasvár.
From here you can still see the houses of Mátraszentistván
All along the ridge. It is quite steep on two sides, but not dangerous.
The rocky side of Ágasvár. I didn't go to the top of Ágasvár, I'll make time for that next time. There used to be a castle on it, built in the early Middle Ages, but now there is hardly any trace of it.
There are also some special places nearby, such as Csörgőlyuk (Rattling Hole Cave) or Szakadás-árok (Rift Valley). I hope to return in the autumn.
The entrance gate of Ágasvár tourist house. Closed.
A hungry cat, begging some food. As I stopped to stamp in my notebook, a small, skinny grey kitten sat next to me and looked at me questioningly. I could tell by the look in her eyes that he was hungry, so I offered her a few treats. For me it was nothing, but for her it could be life!
I gave her some roast liver.
Ágasvár tourist house from the backyard. It was closed, due to water shortages.
The road was very dusty and the forest was very dry! It got on my sweaty skin with the salt and it itched, but at least the insects couldn't bite. Here I was moving relatively easily, I didn't feel tired..
Here you can see the smaller hills of Cserhát. The view helped me forget that I was getting tired. I'd been walking downhill for hours, and it was putting a serious strain on my knees and ankles. But I was more bothered by the heat and the drought.
Mátraverebély very closeup. Coming out of the forest, after 5 pm, I had to walk on in the hot sun. In the morning, it was barely 12 degrees at Kékestető.
Shadow-selfie on the field. You're better off not seeing my haggard face. Everything from the waist down was aching here, but especially my feet.
A sweet moment: deer, gazing at me. I thanked her for showing herself.
Mátraverebély, railway stop. This was supposed to be the end of my tour, but I intended to take the bus home instead of the train. So I walked another kilometer on the hot tarmac between the houses. Meanwhile, I completely forgot to stamp at the train station.
That was the end of this section. By the next day I was fully recovered and I'm still resting today because it's awfully hot outside. Instead I'm organizing my photo gallery and writing posts. Tomorrow afternoon I'll continue, my next destination is Tata, but it's not the Blue Trail.