Lake Tisza

Yesterday, while Daniel was off exploring Sümeg with a band of motley teens, Laima and I decided to go on a daytrip of our own to Lake Tisza. On the way we stopped in the town of Hortobágy to check out a market and watch some folk dancing, as well as visiting the Máta horse stud (Mátai Ménes). Laima absolutely loves horses so we spent some time wandering the stables and meeting all the cute new foals. Since it was such a hot day, many of the horses were being treated to a cold hose down outside and it was pretty hilarious watching them react to the water.

After the horses, we set off on the 45-minute drive to Lake Tisza, Hungary's largest artifical lake. According to Wiki, Lake Tisza was created as part of flood controls for the Tisza River and it took approximately 20 years to complete the 127 square kilometre project. I must admit I didn't realise that it was an artificial lake until today, so I guess that says something about what an authentic job the Hungarians did in creating it. 

Somehow Laima and I found ourselves parked outside a building in the lakeside town of Poroszló. There seemed to be a lot of people milling about and we figured that it was worth checking out what was inside. Happily, we had discovered the Lake Tisza Ecocentre (Tisza-tavi Ökocentrum), a brand new building dedicated to showcasing the rich flora and fauna of the lake and its surroundings. As well as a 3D movie theatre, lake lookout balcony and education zone, the Ecocentre also featured the largest freshwater acquarium system in Europe, filled with almost 1 million litres of water and a variety of local fish species. There was even a special tank set aside for otters...but they hadn't arrived yet :(

Outside the Ecocentre, a path led down to the lake and Laima and I were able to catch a boat across the water to some islands where a series of boardwalks had been constructed. The boardwalks allowed us to explore the wildlife on the islands without getting our feet wet and we spent several hours actively listening and looking for frogs, fish and birds. It was amazing to see and hear just how much life was going on around us when we took the time to stop and observe it.

- Amanda