Hungarian Spirit Alive and Well at Lake Balaton

Now that the Soviet Union and most Eastern European countries have erupted into a paroxysm of freedom, and their once-shackled citizens are allowed to vacation wherever they please, perhaps Hungary will lose some of its well-deserved luster as the holiday spot of choice for them.

Heretofore, everyone behind the Iron Curtain looked forward to a vacation here, thanks to Hungary’s “goulash” brand of communism that mixed at least a few Western luxuries and freedoms with the austerity they had been forced to endure at home.

With a shoreline of 122 miles, Lake Balaton is Europe’s largest lake outside of Scandinavia and is probably Hungary’s most beautiful region. The lake has always drawn more than its share of comrades, not to mention a yearly host of Western Europeans looking for a taste of la vie boheme and great Magyar food and wine at neighborly prices.

Since our first visit to Balaton with Hungarian friends in the 1960s, the south shore of the lake has been exploding with development. Indeed, many Hungarians say that the best thing about the south shore is its view of the north shore. Things haven’t begun to quiet down yet, and something as awful as today’s Costa del Sol in Spain could eventually result.

But not all is lost, at least not on the northern shore and particularly in the village of Tihany (Tee-hane), which rides a peninsula stretching more than halfway across the 48-mile-long lake. Great stands of forest engulf the peninsula, with Tihany cresting a hill crowned by the church and looking down on two inland lakes with great views of Lake Balaton.

Tihany dates from 1055, when a Hungarian king founded an abbey here, although Roman villas were built on the peninsula centuries before, and a massive fortress was built around the abbey in 1267 to ward off the Turks.

Tihany today is almost completely unspoiled, a typical Hungarian village gratefully devoid of tourist hordes, high-rise hotels and all the other trappings of a booming resort. Locals go about their business at the measured pace of country folks, their houses fine examples of rural-village architecture.

While there are no vineyards on the south shore, the north has excellent white wines at the east end of the lake, the hearty Balaton reds to the west. Many local houses have their cellars separate from the house in a structure covered by a mound of earth and ventilated with a flue.

Don’t expect bright lights and raging discos in Tihany. It’s more a place to break a trip with a few days of tranquillity, exploring the pathways of the peninsula and driving the north shore east and west to look in on the many small villages that line the lake shore.

Hungarians say that Tihany is the first place where spring arrives, bringing blossoms to the cherry, almond, peach and apricot trees that abound. The lakeside swans are here year-round.

How long/how much? One can see and do just about all Tihany has to offer in the way of sights and diversions in a day, but if total relaxation or exploring the region is the objective, give it a few more. Lodging costs are laughably inexpensive, dining on piquant Hungarian native dishes and fresh lake fish even more so.

Getting settled in: Hotel Park, built for the Hapsburg clan in 1921, is a large and very formal villa built at lake’s edge and finished in the pastel yellow that was the royal family’s preferred color. The lobby is festooned with crystal chandeliers and sconces, stratospheric ceilings, parquet and marble floors, impressive columns and a grand staircase. The dining room is more of the same, plus there’s a mirrored fireplace and gigantic porcelain stoves that are beautifully ornate.

Bedrooms are huge, with fluffy down comforters, TV and mini-bars, some with views of the lake. There is also a sauna and lovely formal bar.

The only problem with the Park and its sister hotel next door, the modern Castle, is that they were formerly hangouts for government bigwigs and are now favorites of business types who book them far in advance for high season. So make arrangements early for a stay; half-pension is usually obligatory.

House Salamon Gyula has but three rooms in either traditional or contemporary style, but the place is absolutely immaculate, a typical country home with flowery garden and courtyard. One upstairs room is suitable for three and has views of the lake.

Club Tihany, just outside the village, is Tihany’s bow to modern tourism. Its enormous and very pretty lake-side grounds contain a main hotel and 168 very handsome, Scandinavian-style cottages with fully equipped kitchens (utensils, dishes, coffee makers, the works), air conditioning and color TV. These new and gorgeous cottages are all done in raw white pine, with a loft bedroom for two, downstairs bedroom for two, plus two fold-outs for extra folks.

But the big draw here is the gigantic indoor pool, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, bowling alleys, squash courts, sailing, sauna and enough children’s equipment and activities to keep the tykes happy and busy until Christmas. And again, main hotel guests are required to take half-pension during high season.

Regional food and drink: Fogas is a perch-type fish native to Lake Balaton and regarded as a delicacy throughout the country. It, along with carp, pike, lake trout and other freshwater fish, are staples on Balaton menus--grilled, roasted and sometimes poached. Fish soup ( halaszle ) varies in color and taste all over Hungary, usually depending on whether it is made with or without paprika, and the Balaton variety made of carp is really hearty and delicious.

Goose liver, either as an hors d’oeuvre pate or sliced, grilled or fried as a main dish, is another delicacy one may count on just about anywhere. Goulash soup needs no description, but the thicker kind ( bogracsgulyas ) is an even sturdier version of this national dish.

Pork is the main meat in Hungary, although beef and mutton can also be ingredients in porkolt , a stew made with onions and paprika. Also try the rablohus , a “robber’s roast” of mixed meat cooked on a spit. It’s great with a large carafe of Balaton red.

Local red and white wines here are as good as one finds almost anywhere in Hungary, and the Barack apricot brandy is the national lamplighter, guaranteed to get you onto the floor doing a spirited czardas (native dance) after the first few belts. Mixed with bitters and chilled Tokay white wine, it makes a very pleasant cocktail that’s only a shade less lethal.

Good local dining: Halasztanya, a typical Hungarian csarda (roadside inn), crowns a hill in the village near the church and is as colorful as any place we’ve eaten in the country. Stark white with a thatched roof, the courtyard has tables and benches made of split logs, dried peppers and corn hanging from the walls and porch beams, with handcrafted fabrics covering the tables.

The csarda’s name means “fish restaurant,” and it’s family-owned by the friendliest collection of in-laws you’re likely to meet. Waiters are helpful and attentive as well, and there’s a menu in English and four other languages.

Start with the kettle goulash ($1.33) or cold goose liver ($2.40), then move to the full-meal carp soup ($1.50), fried or grilled carp ($2.15). Grilled or fried fogas is $5.20, and the 15 meat dishes are all in this range. Lunch or dinner, a meal at Halasztanya can be very festive indeed.

Fogas Csarda, on the main street, is another picturesque place with an outdoor terrace overlooking the lake and hills, several rooms and a vaulted cellar brightly decorated with local artifacts. Prices here are a notch above those at the Halasztanya, and there’s music by a Gypsy band in the evening.

The menu has all of the Hungarian specialties and Lake Balaton fish, plus an extensive list of game: venison and wild boar stew, fillets of the same with game sauce, served with potato croquettes and mushrooms. At either restaurant, don’t miss a platter of great Hungarian salamis, and don’t ignore the pork cutlets in a variety of styles and garnishes. The goose liver here is $7, roast duck with steamed cabbage $3.75.

On your own: Walk up the little village hill to the lovely baroque Abbey Church, and stop in the square before it where locals display their lacework, embroidery and other handicrafts for sale. Now take a walk along the lake-side Pisky Promenade and visit the old peasant homes that have been turned into a fishermen’s museum, farmhouse and potter’s gallery. Summer folklore performances are sometimes held in a courtyard next to these buildings. Other typical local houses are on Petofi utca (street) and Csokonai utca .

Tihany has a small marina and a harbor from which ferries leave for the seven-minute ride to the southern shore. You may take your car along on the ferry and explore the other side.

The entire Tihany peninsula has been declared a nature conservation area, so the rare-bird population is extensive. This, along with slopes of vineyards here and along the north lakeshore, make it a very beautiful region to visit.

GUIDEBOOK

Lake Balaton, Hungary

Getting there: Fly KLM, Swissair, SAS, Pan Am or Delta from LAX to Budapest. An advance-purchase, round-trip ticket will cost about $1,268. Then take a train for the two-hour ride to Balatonfured at the foot of the Lake Balaton peninsula, or a Budapest-Tihany bus for about $3.40. A Hungarian Flexipass for train travel is $35 (five days of travel within 15) or $55 (10 days in one month), and must be purchased before leaving the United States. FromBalatonfured, the best bet is a bus or rental car for the short trip to Tihany.

A few fast facts: The Hungarian forint recently sold at 75 to the dollar, making each worth .01333. Best time for a visit is from spring until mid-October, when the foliage is beautiful. While there are good train and bus services in Hungary, it’s really better to have a rental car and remain footloose.

Where to stay: Hotel Park, $48-$53 double; Hotel Castle, $64-$85 double; House Salamon Gyula, $16 double; Club Tihany, $89-$117 double.

For more information: Call Hungar Hotels at (213) 649-5960, or write (6033 W. Century Blvd., No. 670, Los Angeles 90045) for a brochure on Lake Balaton, a 20-page magazine on all of Hungary, including sights and hotels with prices, and another brochure on general information for travel in the country.