Zemplén Festival

When I first arrived in Hungary – many years ago! – one of my classes was at Antenna Hungária, the main digital communications company at the time. I remember dark mornings, sitting on buses, trams and more buses to travel to students who were a very mixed class of language level and position in the company. Lovely people who started their work day at 7 in the morning – which seemed at the time ridiculously early to a girl from a culture where the day begins at 9! Now I love the early light, the freshness of the new day, but at the time, the insistent beep of the bus as the doors closed seemed like torture…

Antenna Hungária was the main sponsor of the Zemplén Festival for many years, and my students gave me a CD of festival recordings, a taste of what was to become a highlight of my life here in the Tokaj wine region. Outstanding musicians, classical, jazz and folk, who travel to our beautiful area to play in the most unusual venues from hunting castle lodge terraces to Baroque salons, tractor garage to churches and synagogues. Since living here I have always looked forward to the events, and to meeting up with Miklós, Csilla, Panki and the rest of the team who move down to the countryside to organise wonderful experiences for us.

So a great thanks to them and my students – who had no idea that the present they gave me would be so linked to the place that would become my home.