For the year 2020, I planned a weekend trip to the north shore of Lake Balaton in Hungary at the request of the Austrian Rover Club. This excursion was cancelled at the time due to the SARS-COVID19 pandemic. However, we kept the idea in mind, and so it came about to have carried out the trip between 29.09.- 01.10.2023.

For the weekend, 15 club members from Austria have registered with 6 cars. Unfortunately, 2 members had to cancel at the last moment due to illness. The weather played perfectly into our hands, and it was sunny throughout the weekend, with temperatures around 26 degrees Celsius during the day.

Every participant made the journey to our hotel without any problems and on time. On Friday evening, we 17 Rover enthusiasts sat at a long table in the hotel restaurant on the shore of Lake Balaton. At the dinner buffet, everyone could choose from the delicacies according to their taste and taste Hungarian wines. During the cozy dinner we discussed the program for the next day, which included some interesting programs. I had scheduled the departure date for 09:00 a.m. This had not been a great success with those present. ???? They were not very enthusiastic.

After dinner, the hard core continued the gasoline conversations in the Skybar on the 13th floor of the hotel. At 11:00 p.m., the light was discreetly turned on, which signaled that the store was closing. So we said goodbye and went to sleep.

To my biggest surprise, the whole team (6 ROVERs in total) was in the parking lot on Saturday morning after breakfast at 09:00 a.m. and we were ready to go!

Our first destination was Veszprém. In the current year 2023, the city can boast the title of "European Capital of Culture". That's one of the reasons why the city center was completely renovated, it was a beautiful sight! On the Old Town Square, a handicraft market awaited the visitors. During our visit, a Catholic youth choir meeting was also held in the city, where choirs from various Catholic schools (from various cities in Hungary, and also from abroad, Salzburg and Kraków) performed on the stage set up in front of the cathedral. After a tour of the old town, we got into the car and visited the nearby world-famous porcelain factory in Herend, founded in 1826. During the expert tour of the manufactory, the masters working in the manufactory produced the various fine porcelain objects right before our eyes. After the factory tour, we sat down in the adjacent café and we all enjoyed our delicious coffee made of Herende porcelain in style. After coffee, everyone had the opportunity to look around and shop in the neighboring china shop. Since it was already in the early afternoon and everyone was quite hungry, we drove to the Bakony guesthouse to eat a 3-course lunch. Everyone enjoyed lunch, and so we continued our journey to Dörgicse to the Kaáli Auto-Motor Museum with full bellies.

This private collection opened its doors to interested parties two years ago. In 4 large halls, around 130 functional vintage motorcycles and cars are exhibited in perfect condition. All vehicles are ready for operation and a "health walk" of about 30 km is carried out twice a year with each of them. From the museum grounds there is a magnificent view of Lake Balaton. The collection also includes a ROVER P5 Coupé. However, the biggest novelties for our group were the Hungarian motorcycle brands such as: Pannónia, Csepel and Dongó. In glorious sunshine/sunset, we made our way back to our accommodation in Balatonalmádi.

The evening was similar to the day before.

To everyone's satisfaction, the departure on Sunday was set for 10:00 a.m. With our ROVERS we first circled the Tihany peninsula and then climbed up to the small town on the peninsula. We parked our companions here and walked to the Benedictine abbey, which was founded in 1055 by the Hungarian King András I. The footpath was "decorated" with merchants and thatched houses. From the park in front of the abbey we had a wonderful view of Lake Balaton. There were many sailboats on the lake, gliding over the water. Some of us also visited the abbey while the rest enjoyed the warm rays of the sun. Around noon, we drove on to the Hegyestű geological exhibition site near Monoszló. From the top of the 337-meter-high basalt cone of Hegyestű we enjoyed a wonderful panorama once again. In the early afternoon we said goodbye to each other and all made their way home, hoping to see each other again soon.

András