The Balaton Lake is certainly a lake of contrasting colours and moods depending on the time of day and the weather and we had seen some fantastic sunsets. We had several swims, though I don’t think ‘swim’ is the right word as it is hardly deep enough! You can walk out for a long way on the sandy bottom, sometimes knee-depth, then up to arm-pits then a few yards further out back to your knees! However, it is warm and very pleasant on a hot day. We also had a couple of days when it was so windy that there was almost more white foam than coloured water – that brought the sail-boarders out in profusion!
There were very few people on the campsite which isn’t surprising as there are so many sites around the lake and it is still low-season – good for us with regard to the price and the special offer was stay for 4 nights and pay for 3 – we stayed for 8 so only paid for 6. Its worth checking the campsite books for offers and choosing a site accordingly.
We left Siofok reluctantly as it had been a lovely time of relaxation where our pitch was big enough for us to have the option of sitting in the sun or the shade and we were able to see the lake.
Our next stop was Budapest, only just over 60 miles further on but the best route is on the M7 motorway which entailed getting a vignette from a fuel station before going on the motorway. There was a Tesco with a fuel station very near the motorway junction so we were able to do a shop, then fill up with fuel and get the vignette when we finally found our way into the petrol station (going round the block a couple of times before going down a narrow entrance which looked as though it led nowhere).
In Budapest we made our way to Haller Camping, a small but very convenient site in the city, a 2 minute walk to the tram stop (if we could climb over the fence it would only take about 30 seconds!), and about 10 minutes to the Metro. We are doing a lot of traveling on public transport as it is free for over 65’s. Very useful and it gives us the chance to explore a lot of the city at leisure as we have given ourselves about 10 days here. This also the first site we have come across where there is no charge for using the washing machines. Internet is also free, but sometimes difficult to get on to if too many people try to use it at the same time. However, at €15 a night with ACSI card its good value.
