Visit to Velence (Which is Most Definitely Not Venice)

Landlocked countries seem to be forever in search of a sea. Since today's geopolitical framework, to the chagrin of some, does not allow for much territorial rethinking, they have to make do with what's already there. Enter the lakes. Since Romania has been blessed with a coldish, darkish, algae infested body of salt water- a sea nevertheless, the summer fauna around lakes has always seemed quirky to me. 

As I have waxed lyrical around the same subject when visiting Tihany last year, I will refrain from going into the metaphysical depths of the subject. Suffice to say- the poetry of lakes still eludes me. Seas and rivers have stories- lakes have mud. Lake Velence in particular has always intrigued me, as in Hungarian the word is used for Venice as well. 

The only thing to connect La Serenissima and this pond is, God it's hard to come up with something, I assume the pond should smell fetid as well come August. They also have Italian coffee in Velence, of which I will only say it was successful in waking me up but will not elaborate further. 

Nevertheless, there is a desolate beauty surrounding the place- or I have simply read too much Orhan Pamuk and see hüzün everywhere I go. Besides the polished surface the past shows in cracks- upon paying closer attention  I realized it reminds me of Communist spa towns, ones I experienced while travelling with my Grandma and ones I saw in movies-mostly Czech for some reason, the shared tragedy of another landlocked state. 

In keeping with the blast from the past theme, while consuming another coffee later in the day, well, for a second there I thought I'd found the infamous nechezol of days gone by. (Google it at your own risk.) The same sleepy büfé also offered the delight of hot dogs made with Orsi virsli- to Orsi I am forever grateful for enabling my subsistence during those tough college years while also allowing for a percentage of my budget to be spent on beer.

Because I somehow feel Orsi sausages might not be the right note to end this post, I will just say in a pretty British manner that Velence was interesting. I would not insist on going back though- I can buy Orsi sausages in Budapest as well. Yeah, okay, I wanted to end the post with the sausages after all.

June Random #2: The North-Western Turkey Edition

I have always been clumsy to infernally bad at reading maps, and orientation in general- it took me a year or so to get proficient at navigating the Blaha square underpass, and, occasionally, after 13 years of living in Budapest I can still waver for a few seconds when in the middle of it, not being quite sure of where to go.

Taking this into account, my heart was greatly warmed recently when reading an article about the exquisite pleasures of getting lost. Hell yes, this is an art I can perfect to sublime heights. And yes, it is an art that speaks to me. In today’s world, where anything someone finds worth to be seen can easily become a tourist trap, getting lost might be the only way to discover what lies beyond the surface of things.

So I am not flustered anymore if I set out on a trip without a map or definite purpose.  The road will ultimately lead somewhere and I might just bump into the unexpected on the way. Like crows stealing cherries and swallows nesting under the eaves, reminding me of my childhood when we had a swallow family returning yearly to our terrace.   Or three seas in two days, including my “pet sea”, the Marmara, on account of its lovely alliterating name in Romanian (Marea Marmara). And sleepy villages that transported me back to my childhood as well, as the North-Western corner of Turkey looks positively like some parts of Transylvania, minus the church, plus the mosque.

And, in good Top Gear fashion, I got to be the first person at the Dupnisa caves who did not want to be there. Especially given the bats inside. And the mud, which was unfriendly to my sandals. So yes, not knowing you’re going somewhere might have the side effect of not being dressed for the occasion, but the benefits of the project outweigh its’ downsides, I would say.