Written on February 7th, 2010 by adminno shouts
This online journal hates to keep secrets. Thus we shall let you in on one. Gyula is the name of the secret and it is a gem of a town situated 200 kilometers southeast of Budapest, an area which seems virtually uncharted by English speakers, or for that matter speakers of other languages besides Hungarian.
This weekend Herr and Frau Chortler awoke briefly from their winter hibernation – which traditionally lasts from late September to early June – and descended upon the annual Renaissance Carnival in Gyula. You can see photographs of their sojourn here and here.
This most enjoyable affair saw the virtual pair consume copious amounts of the region’s famous sausages, which were in turn washed down by an equally copious amount of local wines and, for Herr Chortler, stronger libations.
Gyula has other events on the 2010 calendar worthy of a visit. Coming up March 19-21 is a sausage festival, April 16-18 one can partake in a palinka (Hungarian brandy) festival, and in the summer – June 29 to July 12 – a Shakespeare festival will be held with this castle as its backdrop.
Written on January 6th, 2010 by adminno shouts
The mayor of the southeast Hungarian city of Gyula (200 km southeast of Budapest) is offering an historic castle in the center of town for the price of one Hungarian forint (or 0.056 USD).
Klara Perjesi told the Bekes Hirlap newspaper that she is hoping an investor can be found for the Almasy Castle which is situated in an enclosed tourist complex adjacent to a popular Hungarian spa.
The name Almasy will be familiar to fans of the film “The English Patient” in which Ralph Fiennes starred as Count Laszlo Almasy. The film was based on a 1992 novel of the same name by Michael Ondaatje.
The castle has been left unused and relatively untended for the past decade and is a burden on the city in its current state, according to the mayor.
However — and it is a fairly big however — the city will only allow the use of the castle under the condition that the prospective investor handle the costs of renovation. (The cost of renovation is estimated to be several million dollars)
The mayor said that the city is hopeful an investor will come along and renovate the property — which she maintains is an attractive investment due to its potential as a tourist destination.
The castle was originally built in 1725 and then reconstructed after it burnt down in 1801.
