glorious view of the north shore of lake balaton.
i won't add too many words here, because my love for lake balaton is pretty self-explanatory in these pictures, i guess. i've mentioned it before, but it needs to be said again: the lake is always close to my heart especially on sunny and warm summer days, filled with a soft breeze of air, a slight mist on the other side of the lake and perfectly temperatured blue-green waters - perfect because it is refreshing after a sun bath, but not too cold that you will freeze your ass off. lounging around on the grass beach, reading books that you never manage to read back home, eating hungarian fast food like langos, or salted corn cobs or the occasional ice cream or cream-filled cake - all of this creating a lazy and laid-back picture, a picture of true vacationing. the few days we spent at lake balaton, those are the days that i always look back to with a solemn nostalgia. lake balaton will always do that to me. it is truly a heart destination.
when we visit the lake we always stop at one of our favourite beaches on the south shore of the lake - in balatonfenyves, which has one of the biggest beaches of all the balaton destinations. you can easily park nearby, walk a short way to the beach and then flop yourself down on a big patch of grass not far away from food stalls. you don't have to pay an entrance fee either, which is something you sometimes have to do ( i think in the touristic settlements surrounding the lake ). we've been there so many times that it already feels very well-known and like a piece of home away from home. it's a little crowded though on hot days, but i think that's true for most of the balaton villages in summer. we always found somewhere to settle down, though and sometimes i am very good in removing myself from the crowd - by mainly burying my head into a book of some sorts or just dozing off. but all in all the beach in balatonfenyves is never over-crowded like in other the touristic cities around the lake - it is indeed one of those villages that are a bit off the grid.
from the south shore you will always have the best views of the hills on the north shore, especially on badacsony mountain - the little hill next to the badacsony probably is gulács hill, but i am not quite sure.
that's the north shore panorama from the beach when not zoomed in. badacsony hill is the most prominent hill of them all, on the left you can also see szigliget, and the keszthely mountains. on the right you can see gulács hill again and the more flat örsi hill.
the marina of balatonfenyves from far, far away. in the back, the keszthely mountains.
this bug i discovered while drying myself after an extented swim in the lake and i got all excited because it was huge and so shimmery and metallic and BEAUTIFUL! and this picture is truly gorgeous, isn't it? it's a musk beetle. its name is deriving from the smell it emits when you annoy it. it didn't smell at all, it happily crawled up the tree and posed every once in a while. guess, it was feeling safe, even with my camera lens aimed at it.
lake balaton is a mekka for everyone who likes wind-surfing or kiting! it's always so nice to stand at the shore and watch those colourful kites blowing in the wind. sort of a surreal scene.
the south shores are typically more windy than the north shores, so on good wind days you should definitely be in that area. the winds of lake balaton can be dangerous, though, especially in the spring months. in september the wind is blowing the least strong.
i spied on a few of the surfers and kiters 😎
the lake is also really nice to swim in, when the weather outside is a little less warm. lake balaton quickly heats up on hot summer days and stores the heat ( the lowest depth is about 3 meters - which is beneficial to the storing of warmth ). and when there comes around a cooler, more windy day, it is delightfully warm in the lake, actually really feeling like a bath tub ;)
this dude was pretty far out, almost on the other side of the lake.
another adventureous surfer. not too far gone, though.
it's really fun to watch all of them, especially when they do flips or other kinds of tricks.
when you take a walk through balatonfenyves you sometimes encounter these huge hibiscus blossoms. i mean, the blossom is bigger as my mother's hand?
i didn't take lots of balatonfenyves photos, by the way, even though it has some really interesting architecture to offer. the village is fairly young and its architectural structure stems from times as early as the 1930ies, which is reaaaally not that long ago. most of the buildings are from the 50ies to 70ies, which is such an interesting time, especially when you put the socialist history to the context. well, anyway, i still didn't explore the village a lot, mainly spending time being lazy on the beach.
i did take a photo of this house, though, because it was damn cute! it was the perfect size for me, and i really, really, really wanted to move in as soon as i saw it 😅
we eventually walked to the marina. it seemed all shiny and new! apparently they re-built it in 2016 accompanying a complete new construction of a hotel nearby.
i really loved the soft curve of the mole. inside the harbour there is a water-circulating system that provides clear water and can store the water during winter so it doesn't freeze and the boats can still lie in the harbour. apparently that is very modern technology! i don't have a clue about such stuff, but it sounds cool.
the waves were breaking on the rocks securing the mole. i bet you can turn into a soaking wet harbour rat on very stormy days, should you fancy a walk on the mole?
oh, beautiful north shore, i luv ya.
these rock sculptures are perfect props for any kind of water situation!
this is shot into the direction of fonyód, one of the major touristic hubs at the southern shore. the hill you can see there is vár-hegy. fonyód is a city we always visit when the big market is open ( which is on wednesday and saturdays ). i mainly love the food and flea market section of it, but you can also buy cheap clothes, household goods and even animals ( mainly cats and dogs :( ) here. i am afraid i didn't capture any photos of fonyód either. we weren't there for exploration, though, and to take the camera on the market is a security risk i didn't want to take, so i left it behind.
back in the harbour this duck family passed us by, with the little ones chirping loudly. why are baby animals so darn cute?
idyllic harbour scene.
a better picture of the vár hill in fonyód. you can even see the look-out tower on top.
even the southern shores of lake balaton have wonderful views to offer!
i'll include one last picture of a cat that perfectly describes me whenever i'm at the beach at lake balaton. cozy, sleepy, content and totally relaxed :)
next pictures will show more of our staying hub zalakaros! until then, see ya around ;)
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