Wednesday, May 30, 2012

An unforgettable day in the Puszta…


Not being city folks, Evan and I thought a day in the countryside in Hungary might be a nice break.  So, we decided to take an excursion to the Puszta or the Hungarian countryside.
 
Our first stop was in the town of Kecskemét, where we heard the noon bells ringing from the town hall and got to wander through a market on the town square.


City Hall and its bells.  An outstanding example of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture.
One of the offerings at the market.  If I could have figured out how to get one of these jars home intact, I may have bought one.  They look delicious!
 
Then we took off for the countryside and a horse farm Varga Tanya, where we went to see a traditional Hungarian farm.



Then we went back to Varga Tanya to catch a Hungarian Equestrian Show.

The first demonstration was of three horses pulling a cart.

These are the two lead horses of a "four-in-hand," a vehicle traditionally used by nobles.
Horsemen were easy to see from a long distance in the Puszta so it was vital for the horseman to be able to make the horse lie down quickly.  This way they were able to hide.  This is a demonstration of the horse's ability to lie down and remain quiet.  The men are wearing a traditional Hungarian garment.
Here is the Puszta Ten.  In the 19th century there was an Austrian painter, Ludwigh Koch, who loved the Puszta and horses.  He painted an imaginary picture with a horseman standing on the back of the last two of five horses and driving them.  He said no horseman could do it in reality.  The Hungarian horsemen said they certainly could and did.  They did it so well that they even increased the number of horses to ten.

Our day ended with a feast of traditional Goulash, this fantastic platter of chicken and fried mushrooms, a pancake with apricot sauce and wine.  Great times!

18 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

loved the shots of the animals - the piglets!!! and now you just made me hungry!!!

Chatty Crone said...

Oh my goodness - you are in Hungary -I am so behind. These are beautiful! sandie

Pamela Gordon said...

These are amazing photos! And the meal at the end looks so good. (It's 5:00 here, time to eat soon)

Lydia Martin said...

Beautiful images Barb...I bet you did have a fantastic time! My mother was born in Hungary prior to WW II and my grandfather came over just before the war and got his family out.

But I have enjoyed many Hungarian dishes! We are not Hungarian, but that is where they were living.

The name of the town is unpronouncable

You have really done justice to the horse photos..!

barbara l. hale said...

That is great praise coming from you, Lydia!!

Love for Food and Photography said...

Spectacular images of the horsemen, incredible how their horses trust in them!!
I'm happy for your travel in europe, and thank you for sharing the amazing pictures. I was twice to prague for one week, but never to budapest.

Debbie said...

what wonderful images barb but that food looks so amazing!!

i need to go somewhere!!

EG CameraGirl said...

What a wonderful place to spend time! I wish I'd been there too.

barbara l. hale said...

I guess we're weird, but we're always planning our next trip. There's so much to see in this world.

barbara l. hale said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
RobertN said...

Beautiful post! Greetings from Brasov!:)

Brian King said...

What gorgeous photos, Barbara! Fantastic colors. I really like the rooster, pigs, and horses. You took some wonderful photographs!

Nancy said...

Such rich colors to your photos, Barb. The horses are gorgeous!

Nicki said...

Such right insightful photos. What a wonderful experience - thank you for sharing with the rest of us.

MadSnapper said...

awesome awesome awesome photos. love those little pigs and the horses are magnifico. wow what a trip

Anonymous said...

Looks like a fun time & so historic... I love history!
Are those the barns in the background of the horse pics? The horses are very beautiful, esp the black ones... but the barns, now that's where the interest is, for me anyway! LoL! They could be linked to Barn Charm, perfectly fine & dandy to me!!! =)

Karen said...

you have has such a wonderful trip, your pictures are fabulous.

Unknown said...

what a fabulous series, love them all:)