The Land of Pannonia [antikvár]

South Transdanubia is a land engraved by lakes and rivers, its wide open spaces surrounded by water. In the north-east are lakes Balaton and Velence. To the east flows the Danube river, joining the Alföld, or Great Plain, with western Hungary. The Dráva river forms the region's southern bordér and connects Slavonia and Croatia to South Transdanubia. Water not only separates but alsó unites. People are drawn to it. It is impossible to sit on the shore with one's back to the water. Water, the swelling of the waves, the symbol of perpetual motion and change, must be looked at. People are always travelling or crossing the lakes and rivers. Water carries boats, ships and swimmers; ferries jóin the shores, and bridges reach across. Geographical Swroundings South Transdanubia is a fertile, enrapturing land. It is a land of mountains, hills and plains varied by ridges and basins. But its dimensions are on a humán scale. There isn't a great difference in elevation between the mountaintops and the "puszta" or steppe. The vineyard on the edge of a village is but a leisurely stroll away, and the gently sloping hills can easily be climbed. Springs gush forth at the foot of the mountains. Small streams and rivulets wind their way through the valleys. Forests and marshes succeed one another on the cultivated land. The region's greatest mountain rangé is the Mecsek. The highest peak, Zengő, is 682 metres (2250 feet) high. By examining the surface forms and the geological structures below them we can see that this is a varied region. Here we find one of the oldest witnesses of the earth's history;