The Puszta

We got another early morning start in order to get to Hortobagy. Hortobagy is about a two hour drive east of Budapest in the Eastern Plains. We got to a little cattle and horse ranch a little before noon. At the ranch were treated with some snacks and palinka (a plum flavored liquor). It was a bit early to start drinking but hey, we’re on vacation.

Then we boarded a horse drawn carriage that took us to the puszta, or plain. Here we saw how the farmers and cowboys lived, complete with a barn, a pig pen, a chicken coop, some outdoor cooking (Hungarian goulash being cooked over an open flame), tractors and horses.

We then headed back to the ranch and were entertained by a horse show. It was performed by traditional Hungarian cowboys who’ve learned to perform various tricks. The horses were well trained and were taught how to sit on their haunches as well as lay down. It was quite amazing. Then the cowboys played a game trying to capture a handkerchief. It’s very similar to musical chairs where the last person with the handkerchief wins. The grand finally was the horse drawn carriage being pulled by an odd number of horses. I guess it’s pretty difficult to pull a carriage with nine horses and they do go very fast.

After the show we were led to the lunch area and where we had a terrific lunch served to us with plenty of goulash, bread, meat, potatoes and wine. We were entertained by a very good gypsy band that played traditional Hungarian folk music. After lunch it was time to go back to Budapest. Fortunately we had a driver so we could all fall asleep after engorging ourselves with the fantastic food.