Photo Gallery
Photos by Patty Briggs, Bryan Bland and János Oláh
The birdlife of Hungary is amazingly varied. Above this old castle in the Zemplen hills we watched Pallid Harrier sparring with Imperial Eagle—
—whilst from Sunbird’s own tower above the Hortobagy fishponds we had superb views of Pygmy Cormorants and Bearded Tits.
…and an assortment of White Storks, Great Egrets, Grey Herons and various waders on the pools.
Nearby, striding past the typical puszta landscape with ancient wells and low farm buildings—
…were Cranes (in flocks of several hundred)…
…and Black Storks…
…and here, the objects of our attention on the Great Hungarian Plain are…
…Dotterel (no mountain-top hile required here)…
…and Great Bustards.
The floodplain of the Bodrog has over the years yielded a variety of specialities, from Corncrake and Quail to Golden Oriole, Barred Warbler—
In 2003 this Short-toed Eagle hovered above our heads and snatched a Slow-worm from the path at our feet.
…and Bee-eater.
And surely this Rock Thrush must be the most northerly individual in the world.
Even the smallest village is bird-friendly enough to hold a surprise, such as this Long-eared Owl in a tiny garden.
But the ancient beech forests are home to even more exciting owl species, such as this Ural Owl…
…and this magnificant Eagle Owl sheltering in a quarry from the heat of the midday sun.
As for the music, in 2002 no less than 36 locations hosted the Zemplen Festival - from old castles and palaces to synagogues, cathedrals, and churches of every denomination - such as (here) the Greek Catholic church at Komloska. Concerts were held both indoors and outdoors and to sample every genre of music on offer we attended two or even three concerts on some days…
…including a Bach concert by the Franz Erkel Chamber Orchestra in the ornate Sátoraljaújhely Piarist church with our favourite Hungarian soprano Lúcia Megyesi Schwartz—
…the Jubilate girls’ choir in Hercegkut Catholic church…
…or a delightfully different concert on the steps of Károlyi castle where the musicians who played the ship’s orchestra in the film Titanic conjured up the atmosphere of the old salons.
Always popular are the lavish four-hour Renaissance banquets in the courtyard of Sárospatak castle with authentic music and food (including roast carp stuffed with spiced spawn, hand of pork stuffed with sheep’s cottage cheese and baked in bread, brisket coated with horseradish, pie filled with cottage cheese and dill, and summer fruits - washed down with Tokaj wine, home-made beer, and home-made brandy)…
…and now another course: King Matthias’s tea (joints of turkey, chicken, and pork served in bread crowns)…
…followed by a light snack for anyone still peckish.
In addition to the official festival offerings we commission folk groups to play and dance for us whilst we eat - maybe a gypsy cymbalon trio in a czarda or (here) a zita ensemble round the camp fire.
Most atmospheric of all in 2002 was our wagon ride to the otherwise inaccessible heart of the Great Hungarian Plain…
…for a typically Hungarian meal and particularly jolly barn dance.