June 18-23, 2023: A week in Balatonfured Hungary

I don't remember being so dang tired on our travels like this one, but I suppose it has something to do with getting older and also being overweight. After arising very early on Sunday morning, taking a Bolt to Heathrow Airport, taking a long bus ride standing the whole way, then taking the metro and walking to get to Hotel Annabella on Lake Balantonfured, I was wiped out. I slept on the bus and at our hotel before feeling like venturing out with Mike. 

Lake Balantonfured is a large sea foam colored lake that is part of the Hungarian Sea. This little town is laid back and family friendly. Our grandchildren would love all the fun activities on the water. Plus this hotel offers other fun activities for children. The grounds around the hotels are very pretty with lots of flowers, shrubs, trees, walkways, and plenty of benches. 

We spent our first evening walking along the lake and checking out the local shops and eateries nearby. We had a buffet dinner at the hotel restaurant and walked some more. It was very relaxing and quiet, even with other couples and families around.

Sunday June 18th: Flying over Hungary

Our walk from the train to Lake Balatonfured 

Cool electric paddle boats that light up for nightime

Hotel Annabella in the background

Monday, June 19th: Mike braved a swim in the cold hotel pool. The indoor pool wasn't much warmer. We played ping pong afterwards, which was fun. I need tons more practice, especially to learn not to hit the ball too hard.

Tuesday, June 20th: I got into the pool today and really enjoyed the refreshing cool water and being in good company with many other old overweight folks like us!

The lake wasn't nearly as inviting, but Mike dove in and enjoyed lots of swimming in the Hungarian Sea. He was one of the very few who got all the way in and actually swam in the somewhat murky lake.

Inexperienced at selfies, these were our photo attempts before going down to the conference to attend the conference reception. We enjoyed lots of appetizers and finger foods, plus little desserts.

Fun shopping area near the waterfront. The annoying thing is that the shops only take cash. We had to go to an ATM machine to withdraw Hungarian currency, which cost more to purchase than US dollars. 

Happy little face hiding behind the shrubs--Mike can be so funny. I love, love, love this guy! We made many stops during our walk and took lots of random photos of the area.

Riding on an electric paddle boat together was really fun! Wish our grandkids could have joined us.

Thursday evening, June 22nd: For the conference banquet (which turned out to be a not so impressive buffet), we were taken by charter bus to Veszprem Balaton, an historically beautiful area. It was so warm and humid all day, and the restaurant had no A/C, so people were sweating and fanning themselves all evening. There was a lot of alcohol, juice, sodas, and water on the tables, but we needed fans! The buffet table was small, and there were so many long tables filled with conference attendees, that it took a long time for everyone to get their food. 

We had entertainment by Hungarian musicians, singers, and dancers! That was fun, especially the dancing.

Our last day in Balatonfured, we found a Bubbles Laundromat to wash our clothes; used up our Hungarian currency to buy some snacks; and spent all day traveling to Germany. We had older chef salads for dinner at the Budapest Airport, and I finished reading "Farm Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder for the second time. Her books are so good. I also wandered into a Swarofsky (crystal) jewelry store and found a beautiful bracelet that Mike bought me for a fancy souvenir!