Most of today was spent walking along the embankment of a river, first the Berettyo river then the Koros.
Fanni and her husband set off for work early but they left me the means to make breakfast for a small consideration, so I was able to make an omelette (successfully!) and added a tomato, some salami, small, very nice apricots, and pastries, quite a feast and still enough left to make a packed lunch. (The coffee was also good).
Then it was out of town down the Berettyo river followed by a diversion via a gas plant with a smoky flare. I assume the plant took gas from nearby wells, separated the condensate and then compressed the gas for sale with three compressors in a big compression shed. For the next long section the path followed the northern embankment of the Koros river. In some places there were ox bow lakes, remnants from before the Koros river was confined to a smaller flood plain between embankments. On the left there were trees and occasional glimpses of the river, on the right there were fields and patches of trees. Birds of prey circled overhead. I would like to think they were eagles but sadly my bird identification skills are very limited. I enjoyed my lunch overlooking fields until stung by an inconsiderate wasp, which hurt a lot. I wish they would stick to pollinating flowers or at least ignore me like the dragon flies and red and black insects that crossed my path.
I was still thinking about my wasp sting and watching that bit of my finger swell up when I reached the Mezotur - Szarvas ferry, which was not working. Google translated the sign as saying that there would be a "pause for technical reasons". I rang one of the telephone numbers and the conversation appeared to confirm that the ferry would not be operating today. Annoying as Szarvas, my destination for the night, was just beyond the ferry on the other side of the river.
Looking at the map on my GPS there was no means of crossing the Koros within walking distance. Two possibilities presented themselves, there was a railway line a few kilometres back that crossed the river, I could walk along the line and across the railway bridge to get to Szarvas. Alternatively I could walk back to Mezotur, 13 kilometres away along the road, hoping to hitch a lift. At Mezotur I could then catch a train to Szarvas. As I thought walking along the railway line was probably illegal, possibly unsafe and not wanting any trouble, I started the walk back to Mezotur. Fortunately after a kilometre or so, the second car that passed stopped for me. The very kind father, daughter and baby granddaughter took me all the way to Mezotur railway station (Hungarians are clearly very nice people). I then took the train replacement bus on a very roundabout route to the station at the edge of Szarvas, where I alighted from the bus with the 3 other passengers (one wonders how these rural public transport services will keep going with so few passengers).
Like Mezotur, Szarvas has some pretty decent neo-classical buildings however Szarvas appears to be bigger so there are more of them, there are also fountains on the river, cobbled, pedestrian friendly streets, floodlit buildings and a greater range of bars and restaurants. My bedroom tonight at the Lux Panzio is an embarrassingly large suite, maybe I over-ordered....
Fanni and her husband set off for work early but they left me the means to make breakfast for a small consideration, so I was able to make an omelette (successfully!) and added a tomato, some salami, small, very nice apricots, and pastries, quite a feast and still enough left to make a packed lunch. (The coffee was also good).
Then it was out of town down the Berettyo river followed by a diversion via a gas plant with a smoky flare. I assume the plant took gas from nearby wells, separated the condensate and then compressed the gas for sale with three compressors in a big compression shed. For the next long section the path followed the northern embankment of the Koros river. In some places there were ox bow lakes, remnants from before the Koros river was confined to a smaller flood plain between embankments. On the left there were trees and occasional glimpses of the river, on the right there were fields and patches of trees. Birds of prey circled overhead. I would like to think they were eagles but sadly my bird identification skills are very limited. I enjoyed my lunch overlooking fields until stung by an inconsiderate wasp, which hurt a lot. I wish they would stick to pollinating flowers or at least ignore me like the dragon flies and red and black insects that crossed my path.
I was still thinking about my wasp sting and watching that bit of my finger swell up when I reached the Mezotur - Szarvas ferry, which was not working. Google translated the sign as saying that there would be a "pause for technical reasons". I rang one of the telephone numbers and the conversation appeared to confirm that the ferry would not be operating today. Annoying as Szarvas, my destination for the night, was just beyond the ferry on the other side of the river.
Looking at the map on my GPS there was no means of crossing the Koros within walking distance. Two possibilities presented themselves, there was a railway line a few kilometres back that crossed the river, I could walk along the line and across the railway bridge to get to Szarvas. Alternatively I could walk back to Mezotur, 13 kilometres away along the road, hoping to hitch a lift. At Mezotur I could then catch a train to Szarvas. As I thought walking along the railway line was probably illegal, possibly unsafe and not wanting any trouble, I started the walk back to Mezotur. Fortunately after a kilometre or so, the second car that passed stopped for me. The very kind father, daughter and baby granddaughter took me all the way to Mezotur railway station (Hungarians are clearly very nice people). I then took the train replacement bus on a very roundabout route to the station at the edge of Szarvas, where I alighted from the bus with the 3 other passengers (one wonders how these rural public transport services will keep going with so few passengers).
Like Mezotur, Szarvas has some pretty decent neo-classical buildings however Szarvas appears to be bigger so there are more of them, there are also fountains on the river, cobbled, pedestrian friendly streets, floodlit buildings and a greater range of bars and restaurants. My bedroom tonight at the Lux Panzio is an embarrassingly large suite, maybe I over-ordered....
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| Berettyo river near where it joins the Koros |
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| Non functioning ferry, Szarvas is so near, but so far |
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| A bit of Szarvas |
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