Planning and preparations

By the time I arrived back to Budapest, I already had an idea of how our plan [for what?] could be realized. I discussed it an what I had seen with the beekeeping members of my family. Together with my sons, we decided to set off again to see where we would make the best honey in the world.

It was winter and still snowing, but they too were blown away by the scenery. We set to work on specific tasks, starting with whether to rent a house in a nearby village an hour's drive away, or set up a camp on the mountain.

It soon became clear that finding an empty house in the village was hopeless, there were no buildings to rent. And because, in addition to the beekeeping, we also planned to film everything with a professional video crew, we opted for the camp set up in the countryside. I am convinced that we have to put much energy into it, let people know the reason for our efforts, and see how we achieve our goals.

I have found partners in my sons again, and they especially understand the media world of how to effectively tell the story of our attachment to nature through our experiences. As we were looking forward to spending many months there, it was important to find the right conditions for the work. When planning, we had to take into account that the nearest town to get quality food was a 6–8-hour drive through the mountains, but also about how we would handle the bees and honey in the middle of nowhere. An important consideration was not to spoil the landscape. Not even temporarily. Every detail had to be carefully thought out and planned as carefully as possible.

We agreed that yurts, where the mountain shepherds live from spring to winter, are the best way to match the beautiful landscape. These were manufactured in Hungary. Although they cost more, we could have chosen a simpler shape for similar comfort.  The fact that a strange shape of tent in the landscape would have hurt our eyes was a key factor in our decision. We drew up detailed sketches and technical drawings and had to find a way to accommodate 5-10 people in a continuous and civilized manner.