Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2001 (13. évfolyam, 2-43. szám)
2001-08-14 / 32. szám
AMERICAN Hungarian Journal Vacation Spots in Hungary: L a k e/ B c d x x to n/ The “Hungarian Sea” - so this lake 77 km long in the centre of Transdanubia with its opalescent, yellow-green, silky-smooth waters is known, and which is one of the country’s most precious natural resources and most visited resort. With a surface area of 600 km2 it is Central Europe’s largest lake, the shoreline runs for 195 km in total, at its widest it is 14 km, and at its deepest 12.4 metres. The southern shore’s shallow water is ideal for young children, while the northern shore suddenly deepens and also has long beaches. In summer the water temperature is between 20-26°C, making it even warmer in the morning and evening than the air. The silky mud and water are good for nervous complaints, anemia and exhaustion. TIHANY □ Recognizable from a distance because of its twin-towered church, this volcanic-origin peninsula jutting out into the lake has been inhabited for almost 1000 years, and is covered with a variety of rare flora and fauna. From the Benedictine ABBEY which was founded in 1055, only the CRYPT - one of Hungary’s most precious architectural treasures - has survived in which the tomb of King ©TllsflTON Wing Giuidg Grapes were brought to this part of the world by the Romans 2000 years ago. This sensitive plant likes the soil and climate of the region very much so the lake and the wines have become inseparable. The BADACSONY wine is a real legend. The reasons of its excellent quality are the soil containing decomposed volcanic rocks, the Mediterranean-like climate of the protected southern slopes and the so-called secondary radiation reflecting from Lake Balaton which doubles the power of the sunshine. Fullbodied, strong wines - sometimes with a spicy aroma - grow here. To taste them on the balconies of the Classicist or "Peasant baroque" cellars while taking delight in the magnificent view is an experience that the visitors will remember as long as they live. The bestknown wines of this region are the Badacsony Szürkebarát (Badacsony Grey Monk) and the Badacsony Kéknyelű but the Olaszrizling, Rizlingszilváni, Ottonel Muscat and Tramini wines are also very tasty here. The FÜRED-CSOPAK wine district resembles the Badacsony one in many aspects. The climate is also Sub-Mediterranean here, the bunches of grapes are ripened by the light reflected from Lake Balaton too, but the soil here is different, actually it is quite limy. Although the wines of this area are strong and fiery too, their character is lighter than that of the neighbouring areas. Characteristic species of grapes: Rajnai Rizling, Olaszrizling, Chardonnay. On the hills of Tihany grow black grapes too: Merlot, Zweigelt and Cabernet Franc. The grapes are old guests on the southern shore of the lake too. The species do not really differ from the ones on the northern shore but the sandyloessy soil gives them an absolutely different taste. Here we can find mild, aroma-rich wines smelling of fruit in the cellars. The only exceptions are the wines that grow on the slopes of the Fonyód and Boglár Castle hills because these small hills, just like their big brothers on the opposite shore, were built by volcaninc forces. The biggest homogeneous vineyards can be found around Balatonboglár where they are grown in the framework of large-scale farming. As for the surroundings of Siófok, on the Kiliti and Szabadi hills there are individual farmers dealing with viniculture. It is good going to their wine cellars! §ports and fitness When the Balaton Bath Corporation opened its bathing place in Siófok in 1893, there were the following offers in the services: covered bowling alley, croquet, lawn-tennis ground, rowing, yachting... Indeed, Balaton bathing life has included sporting activities from the beginning and it is still so. The huge water surface, the reeds of the lake and the meadows and woods of the country also offer special possibilities. Dr. Teller receives the "Corvin Lane" By Eva E. Voisin Dr. Edward Teller has been honored last Tuesday, August 14th, at his home in Stanford, California, where he received the Hungarian Corvin Award, (Corvin Lane), for his great intellectual and artistic achievements during his 93 years. This unique award is limited to only 12 recipients at any one time and is granted to recognize outstanding accomplishments in science, art and literature. The Hungarian Delegation that traveled to his home just to present this greatly coveted prize, was headed by Attila Varhegyi, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry for Cultural Heritage, accompanied by Dr. Maria Schmidt, advisor to the Prime Minister, and Imre Vas, Head of Cabinet. They were joined by Szabolcs Kerék-Bárczy, Consul General of Hungary in Los Angeles and Eva Voisin, Honorary Consul in San Francisco. About 75 of Dr. Tellers closest friends, colleagues, former students and representatives of the Hoover Institution, the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, the Universities of Stanford and Berkeley, NASA and other Foundations, joined and saluted him and his staff on this great occasion. Dr. Teller reminisced about his past, confirmed that he always remained Hungarian and recited a poem he wrote, "The Untitled poem" about the meaning of life. He was obviously moved by this honor and wished he could posthumously share it with his close friends, no longer with us, Eugene Wigner, Theodore von Karman, Leo Szilard and John von Neumann. Eva E. Voisin, Esq. <evoisin(%ix.netcom.coni> the Tihany Abbey At the end of the 19th century the bathing life, still in its infancy, wanted to imitate marinai patterns. That is the reason why sport ships were able to naturalize on the lake that had seen only ferries or sailing boats loaded with goods. Sailing has been wildly popular to this day and the number of sports-ship harbors has increased. Balaton sailing races are favoured mainly by the experienced boatmen. The varied direction of wind often tries even their skill and knowledge. In the harbor there are facilities to keep boats brought from somewhere else but those who don’t want to bother with transport can also hire boats on site. Span-long bone fishing hooks can be seen at the Keszthely Balaton Museum, which proves that fishing, angling people lived by the lake even in prehistoric times. This big hooks are not needed today (alas!) but those who have enough patience and persistence are still able to catch one-and-a-half meter long silures, arm-long pike-perches, carps and other fish weighing more than 10 kilos. Angling tourists are advised to come rather in the preand post-season because fish do not really bite in the hot summer weáther. It is possible to angle almost everywhere but a licence has to be secured which is avaliable in any anglers’ shop. One can also acquire information about the closed seasons. All closed seasons are over by April 20th. Badacsony hill 2001. augusztus 24. AMERIKAI Magyar Hírlap 0
