Last summer at Aggtelek National Park's Hucul Horse Festival, Kata and I won some tickets to a few museums in Sárospatak. I spent first or second Christmas in Hungary with my friend Balázs and his family in Sárospatak, I guess in 1991. I think I was there in 1990 as well during a field trip or conference with the newly founded Regional Environmental Centre where I played Frisbee with my friends Daniel and Mária in front of the Imre Makovecz-designed cultural house. This was my first introduction to the unique environmental architecture of Makovecz, in which he incorporated trees into his buildings. There is an exhibition of 600 or so of his drawings at the moment in Vienna. I was also in the city to help Balázs' family in the early 1990's to help with the Tokaj wine harvest. But, I had not been back since 1998. Balázs' mother Cseperke was kind enough to host us for the weekend, and over our half-hearted protests, insisted on cooking us some very fine vegetarian meals including tomato soup, túró dumplings, mushroom lasagne, fruit soup, grilled peppery cheese...

On our way through Szerencs we stopped for coffee at the Édes Álom Pastry Shop where I had a big cheese scone that was more air than dough, but Kata had a very good házi krémes. We also stopped next door at the Szerencs Chocolate Factory's outlet store where we bought some delicious-sounding dark chocolate-chilli and ginger-chocolate drazsé as unflavourful as the terminally uninterested saleswoman.

Although our free tickets did not include the Sárospataki Református Kollégium Tudományos Gyűjteményeinek Library, the library has been judged as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. The library is not open at the weekend, so we wanted to go directly there but were not sure where it was. There is a local Tourinform Office in the centre where we picked up a map and useful information about things we could do in the evening. We walked the 10 minutes from Tourinform to the library where one of the staff gave us a tour (400 huf/person donation). When she opened the big iron double doors on the second floor and led us into the room, it was like stepping into a painting. The quality of the light streaming through the windows, the intricately decorated spines of the books lining the floor to ceiling shelves on two floors, and the painting on the ceiling that makes one feel as if they are looking up through a church cupola create this atmosphere. Strangely, there was no book scent that one normally picks up among old books. The library was created in 1531. About 1300 valuable books, carefully selected, were stolen by the Russians during the occupation. The library was later allowed to buy some of these back. After the tour we walked around the small school grounds and found the school's lending library was also a Makovecz building. I went in to use the toilet and spied an old piano turned into a planter in the foyer.

We still had some time, so we drove over to the Pataki Ceramic Factory's (1926) outlet where our friends Csaba and Jackie have picked up masses of painted ceramic dishes, mostly with their favourite chicken motif. I never made the connection, but this is also the home of the Pataki tál, an unglazed earthenware covered cooking dish perfect for roasts and other dishes that requiring long slow cooking times. The variety is extensive: Christmas, mushrooms, lavender, carrots and cabbages, hearts, tulips, forest, chickens... all sorts of motifs of which you can buy sets or individual pieces of plates, mugs, butter dishes, bowls, pie dishes, tea pots...We had a terrible time deciding. The pieces are reasonably priced, but for those on a budget, there is also a room filled with items that for one reason or another (such as imperfect glazing) have been classified as second rate. In the end, we settled for a mushroom plate and a handled earthenware cooking pot good for reheating things in the oven.

Cseperke was waiting at home with some lunch, so we headed to her place and unpacked. I had hoped to be able visit a few local vineyards for wine tasting with Kata, but unfortunately, none were in walking distance. They are all located at the Gombos-hegyi Wine Cellars in the nearby village of Hercegkút. Kata normally has to drive and I wanted her to be able to taste some Tokaj wines as well, so in the evening we called the  recently opened La Bor (Hátár út 12, 30-594-5139, ocsilabor@gmail.com) a few streets away but they did not answer the phone. Instead, we headed back into the centre through the thick fog to A Boros, a wine bar we had spotted earlier in the day. There are some exquisitely carved massive wooden doors along Dobo Ferenc u., one set picturing different craftspeople at their work, another of the zodiac, and another set of peasant portraits. On the way, we also encountered what appeared to be an eerie dedication of a memorial, with horse-mounted soldiers in thick fog. A Boros takes up a renovated long arcaded peasant house. The place was already busy by early evening when we walked in. It was difficult to decide which of the various tasting menus we wanted to try, but the choice was then immensely simplified when one of the staff informed us that their regular Friday tasting was in full swing in the next room. A local producer, Tokaj wine, 4 wines and home baked snacks for just 890 huf/person was an offer we could not refuse. The staff were friendly, helpful, accommodating and professional. The snacks included delicious mini scones, blue cheese muffins, and a slice of bread with cheese, sausage and sprouts. But, on to the wine.  Iván Suskó of the Gira Vineyard was showcasing his wines this night. Meanwhile, the folks at La Bor called us back a couple times to tell us they were there now and enthusiastically invited us to come. However, we were already settled at A Boros...hopefully next time. We tried the following Gira wines:

• 2014 dry Hárslevelű 2500 huf/bottle +VAT
• 2014 dry Furmint 2450 huf/bottle + VAT, recently was among the top 10 Furmints in the country out of a field of 270
• 2015 Esztava Furmint barrel, cloudy, citrusy, shake, settle, 8-10 times
• 2014 late harvest sweet, soak the grapes in must, 3500+

I am still not a fan of Hárslevelű, but the others were very tasty. By local standards, the prices were not bad at all where many other vineyards start at 5000 a bottle, but I still cannot bring myself to pay over 3000 huf for a local wine, otherwise I certainly would have bought a dry Furmint, or the Esztava if it had been available in a bottle yet. I met Zsolt Berger by chance, of the Karádi-Berger Vineyard in Erdőbenye. Zsolt, along with the Abraham Vineyard were the first vineyards to be showcased by our Bitch Moan and Wine Society many years ago.

The next morning we visited the 16^th century Rákóczi Castle and Museum looking over the Bodrog River. The last time I saw this place 25 years ago it was a ruin, but now it has been wonderfully restored. The exuberant tour guide led us through the various rooms, the throne room and the Red Tower. The normally impressive panorama was again veiled by thick fog. The most interesting room was the library on the ground floor which had been rebuilt with a floor to ceiling glass wall looking out on the inner courtyard. The restored working castle kitchen was the last stop on the tour before we moved on to the rebuilt cannon foundry after watching a short bi-lingual film about it back at the ticket office. The building housing the reconstruction is interesting in itself. The fascinating exhibit depicts all the steps, incorporating life-size models, of casting canon - the only such display in Europe. We just had time to view the permanent museum collection before having to go back for lunch. Among the clothes, tile stoves, swords and books was an amazing 17^th or 18^th century 11- language dictionary that must have been a printer's nightmare. Each entry was translated into Hungarian, English, German, Italian...and Hebrew!

Cseperke knew that we had hoped to visit a wine cellar but nothing was within walking distance, so she arranged a tasting for us at a friend's. István Kerchner picked us up at 2pm to take us to his wine cellar in Hercegkút along the top row of cellars at Gombos-hegy. The wine cellars have been recently renovated and mapped with EU money, and 2 public toilets have even been constructed. The area was included in Tokaj's designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. We began the tasting with some Tokaj brandy, and then some grappa to understand the difference.

Cseperke had even remembered to bring some scones, but we had forgotten water to pace ourselves. Both István's and Kata's favourite was the 2^nd Furmint which was rich in apricot overtones, the one I liked least. I had several refills of the first and third before we staggered out. We finished with a sweet azsú. István even graciously gave us some bottles of 2013 Furmint to take home.

Before leaving town, we relaxed in the wellness centre in the Hotel Bodrog for an hour for just 1400 huf/person. The place is quite small but still includes a Jacuzzi, sauna, infra-sauna (extra), steam room and small pool.  

We stopped for lunch in Szerencs at the Pizza Don Patya. The pizzas were good, with a thick layer of cheese very well-baked on top. However, mine was extremely salty. Homemade raspberry szörp was tasty.

We definitely have to go back in spring or fall. It is less than 2 hours away after all.