This weekend the eighth annual Pincefesztivál will take place in Etyek, a small and scenic village that is the closest winegrowing center of note to Budapest. I've never been to any of the previous seven, but this year hope to, even though getting there and back will probably involve hours of hassle and humiliation.

Despite being a short commute away from downtown Budapest, you can't easily drive to the festival. Parking is restricted to areas far enough away from the action (see map above) that the organizers have made a good little business running a shuttle bus. Meanwhile, unless you are staying overnight, you are then faced with the prospect of getting nailed on the way back by the cops, who are known to heavily patrol nearby roads during the festival. Likewise, you can expect to wait quite a bit to catch one of the special buses that will be running to and from Kelenföld station in Buda over the weekend, while there seems to be one of those "official taxi" situations that often don't work to the benefit of the people they are supposedly meant to serve.

All that said, even some folks I know who have zero patience for such inconveniences say the festival is not to be missed. "My most fav wine festival," is how one such boozer put it to me this morning via instant message, adding that you get a nice Schott wine glass as part of the deal, unlike the "crappy" glass you get in exchange for the hefty door fee at the annual Budapest Wine Festival up in the castle. See you there.