EXPLORING HUNGARY

The Bokod stilt village of Hungary.

POSTCARDS FROM HUNGARY

Dearest one,

I write to you from the edge of a lake, upon which are perched the cutest little houses, each with its own boardwalk leading up to the sweetly painted door.

The lake is frozen, and the sky clouded over. It was quite difficult to find this special place, we had to drive down a sandy lane towards the dunes, on an unmarked road. I think they are owned by the local people, and are used for fishing - their situation on the lake proper making them ideal spots to wait for the fish to bite, while staying warm and cosy.

Here, I feel, is one of the strange parts, or wonderful pieces of the world, that only a few get to glimpse. If our travels have shown us anything, it is this: that this world is full of such beautiful secrets, tucked away in unassuming corners.

Anyways, I feel the cold air now, and must get back inside our moving home! I hope you are well. We are moving ever onwards. Our next destination is Slovakia.

Yours, sincerely,

Zoe and Oliver

 

⌲≋◎

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The Reader,
Where they are,
On Earth,
In the Galaxy.
 
 
 
 
 
Pictured Above: Bokod Stilt Village
An icy waterfall at the Hanging Gardens of Lillafured.

Hello Sweet Heart,

I hope you are well. When we last talked it sounded as if my postcards are arriving all jumbled, the chronology of our travels being mixed up by the speed of delivery. Funnily, that is how it feels in my mind also: all these memories, now mixed, but still so clear - like snapshots of moments.

This moment I wish to capture for you, as it has been such a pleasant day. We arrived in Lillafüred, a small town in the mountains of Hungary, and stopped to explore the well known Hanging Gardens. Here, in the Summer, I am sure the place is alive with people, but now in the Winter it feels eery and still. The sandwich stands are closed, the train station is quiet, and the beautiful hotel seems almost abandoned.

The gardens were lovely - we walked the paths that led through the different levels, all the way down to the waterfall which was turned to ice.

The lake, too, was completely frozen, and Oliver decided to walk upon it. After a little hesitation, I ventured out to join him, and felt a thrill at knowing there was nothing but water beneath my feet... Sometimes, I cannot believe I am here, doing all this. I feel more courage come to me every day.

Sending you some of that courage, and well wishes too,
Yours Sincerely,
Zoe

⌲≋◎

PLEASE DELIVER TO:

 

The Reader,
Where they are,
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Pictured Above and Below:
The town of Lillafured - 
Oliver standing on a frozen lake at Lillafured, Hungary.

Oh, I am too excited!

Today was utterly blissful, and I found myself wishing, yet again, that you were with me - so you could see for yourself the beauty of Hungary!

We visited a tiny, traditional village by the name of Hollókő - one of the most charming towns I have ever seen. All along the cobbled streets were these lovely little houses and shops: a post office, a carpenter, a weaver's studio, a bakery - from which came the most delicious smells of baking bread, and in the midst of it all was a tiny wooden church.

I seriously felt like I was in heaven!

We bought some bread, then wandered about, and all the while we were being followed by this friendly grey cat, who was quite fat and ever so cuddly.

Tomorrow we have only one stop: at the Stilt Village of Bokod, where the houses sit upon the water, and then we are off to Slovakia.

Wishing you love, and cat cuddles,
Yours,
Zoe.

 

⌲≋◎

PLEASE DELIVER TO:

 

The Reader,
Where they are,
On Earth,
In the Galaxy.
 
 
 
 
 
Pictured Below: Snapshots of the UNESCO village of Hollókő
The tiny UNESCO town of Holloko in Hungary - the cutest Hungarian town.
A sweet grey tabby cat in the cute town of Holloko.
Bread in a basket outside the baker's shop - Holloko.
Small shop sign in Hungarian.
An old fashioned red post box in the UNESCO town of Holloko

BATHING IN THE EARTH

The Miskolctapolca cave baths of Hungary.

ANCIENT FUTURES

[ inside the Miskolctapolca Cave Baths of Hungary ]

In the Spring of our world, when our species was young, (we are but teenagers now), we would go to those places where the water bubbles up from the Earth, to bath and sing, to heal and rest.

On our journey throughout Hungary, I felt as if I was returning to these hallowed halls and ancient ways...

 

The sound reverberated in the caverns, till all the noise seemed to collect in the corners, sounds colliding and bouncing off one another, so that the whole space rang with particles of words.
My own voice added to the din... a low hum from my chest and stomach, like a song that originates from the deeps. Without words, this type of song is made of pure feeling.
Lights rippled along the ceiling - a sky-born shore of blues and greens... Electric lights, their vibrancy transmuted through the waters.
Old men and women sat chatting, or soaking, eyes closed, in the hot pool. Children, the embodiment of energy, ran about, splashing and playing imaginary games.
Wandering the halls, my hands running along the sparkling white walls, I discovered dragons! From their mouths there came water - bubbling, hot water, straight from the belly-fires of their dark lairs, which lay far below.
And over every shelf there ran a waterfall of rock. Their flow will play out through the eons of time, slower than water, suspended middair - spilling minerals, which cling to one another, till they tumble back down to join the floor once more.
Further on, in the very back of the caverns, sat a spaceship - a round room, filled with sound, intermittently set alight with reds, greens, blue, and then dark as the night, the ceiling adorned with spangled stars... In the middle was a control center.
Here, held in the womb of the Earth, I felt whole again.
All those parts of the past, my humanity, returned to me in fullness - these essentially human functions and rituals that make up our birth right, our heritage, so long estranged from us...
And yet, here also was the modern, the parts of life I knew so well - all a part of me too, not thrown out but entangled, the one to the other...
It was a mix of science and nature; of art and its origins, of knowing and the great mystery. 
It felt like a glimpse of some ancient future.
Calcite formations at the Hungarian cave baths
19th century statue of a nymph pouring water, in an atrium under a stained glass dome.
Blue waters reflecting on the limestone ceiling, creating patterns.
The Miskolctapolca Cave baths of Hungary.
Sparkly calcium deposits on a limestone wall, with a blue water pool beneath.
A sparkly dragon's head spouts water inside the cave baths.
Sparkly stone formations in the limestone cave baths.
Inside the dimly lit blue waters of the Miskolctapolca cave baths.
Purple cave walls and blue water.
A room like a spaceship inside the cave baths of Hungary.

ELVEN BATH HOUSES

[ Hagymatikum Thermal Bath, in Makó, Hungary ]

If the Cave Baths belong to the Earth, then the Hagymatikum Baths certainly come from some otherworldly realm...

 

Hagymatikum thermal baths in Hungary - beautiful architectural marvel.
Me, as a mermaid in the blue Hungarian baths of Hagymatikum.
The white sculpted pillar of the Hagymatikum Thermal baths.
Swimming at the thermal baths under white arches, Hungary.
Greenery and white elven halls.

CASCADES

Bigar cascades - a waterfall over moss into a blue river in Romania.
“Soft, that carpet, but like the weeds in the parking lot, bent on larger ends. Along with the wind, rain, freezing cold, and summer heat, these simple plants (lichens and then mosses) slowly render the giant boulder they cling to into one of Earth’s most precious treasures: good, rich soil. Slowly they crack their hosts into shards, gravel, and then sand. Always, the searching roots probe deep into the stone, drawing out precious minerals and transforming them into new life.”
— BOB HOWARD ~ WILD RASPBERRIES

ROCK, MOSS & WATER

Moss grows where water can be found: on the dark side of trees, and in the splashing pools of waterfalls, or on the dripping walls of caverns... Moss loves water.

And yet, moss loves rock too.

Moss hugs the rocks, reaching its roots down deep, to hold on tightly. In the process, the rock becomes weathered - cracked by plant roots

{roots stronger than concrete}

This breaking down of the rock releases small particles: elements that were locked up in the rock's chemistry, such as Iron and Phosphorous.

{locks and keys and hidden treasure}

These elements, so essential for plant growth, are then distributed - some going back into the moss, some carrying on through the water to reach other plants, and eventually, the sea.

{ all is one, in symbiosis }

Time carries on, cycling and cycling, flowing through these ancient processes. Rock to earth to plant to air to water to plant to earth to rock.

 

Bigar Cascades - the mossy waterfall of Romania, below a small pagoda.
Waterfalls in an Autumn forest in Romania - over mossy rocks.
Decebal's head carved into a rockface.
Icicles on a mossy wall.
A waterfall on an overhanging mossy rock.
Interesting ice formation over rock - bumpy and wavy.
Decebal carving in a cliffside in Romania - with autumn trees.
A small cave near Bigar Cascades - set about with hanging icicles.
The most beautiful waterfall in Europe - Bigar Cascades in Romania.

SOURCES:

Lenton, Timothy M., et al. - "First plants cooled the Ordovician" - Nature Geoscience, 5, 86-89 (2012). 

Howard, Bob - "Wild Raspberries" - The Mindfulness Revolution (2011).