Today's post is mainly about Tihany, but not about the souvenir shops and the many tourists. I didn't go to a restaurant either, even though I was very hungry, but seeing the prices I quickly moved on. I spent less than an hour here.
From the top of the hill I could see the whole peninsula.
The trees are holding up well to the heat for now, but the grass is very dry, and there are only a few shallow patches of the Outer Lake left. The Tihany peninsula has two lakes, the Outer Lake and the Inner Lake. The outer lake is shallower and more overgrown with reeds. Both lakes are rich in birdlife.
According to the sign, I have only covered 2 kilometers from the ferry. But there was a much greater distance ahead of me, which promised to be pleasant.
Apart from the burnt-out grass, it looks like a garden of Eden. Not surprisingly, it has the highest real estate prices in the country.
I arrived in Tihany, which is more a colorful showcase for tourists than a living village.
Even in some parts of the hilltop, there are huge plots fenced off with vines and large houses with swimming pools. In these years of water scarcity, this has become unsustainable and to me is a symbol of human greed and stupidity.
In fact, these rich families have the most to lose!
Soon the water will disappear from here (or rather, it already doesn't, because they pump it up), and there will be none left not only for watering the lawns and the pool, but not even to drink!
This is a modest-looking house that fits in with its surroundings.
Behind the fence are jungles, behind the jungle you can only guess that there is something very wrong!
The Calvary
The Echo-hill. Tihany used to be famous for its echo, but the area has been built up and the echo has been lost forever.
There is a legend about the echo. Read it here: https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tihanyi_visszhang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tihany
Tihany Echo statue.
A little boy tried to shout loudly from the statue, but there was no echo.
On the way down the hill I made a circle and went back to the church and then to the Calvary. As it was still early (around 9:30), there were hardly any tourists. The church is now under renovation, and the area around it looks quite a battlefield, overgrown with weeds. So I was rather looking for small, beautiful details.
Fence of the Pottery museum.
Stairs with some pottery.
Sailing port
A miracle tree with a well underneath. And miraculously, there was water in it, so I filled my canteen.
I searched the main street for a quick meal, but all I found were expensive restaurants catering to foreigners. We ordinary Hungarians can't afford them. The red pepper jackets looked good, though.
Lavender is everywhere! They not only sell essential oils and lavender cushions and wreaths, but also flavor ice cream and lemonade with lavender. The lavender season is over. A month ago was the lavender harvest. I've never been to such an event and I don't think I ever will, because it's customary to pick lavender in the hot sun, which is often full of bees.
Flowers at the Mayor's Office.
Old Times Estate Skanzen and Restaurant. It was still closed, but I could admire the entrance for a while.
The firewood for the winter is kept outside by the wall of the house.
A mini forest of stonecrops on the top of a column.
Even the public toilets here smell of lavender! Yes, there is a toilet at the bottom of the house, next to the main road!
I photographed this beautiful relief on the wall of an old house.
Old lavender distillation equipment
