Puszta!

We left Budapest and stopped at Queen Elizabeth’s castle in Gödöllő,  before we continued into the Hungarian Puszta and visited a typical ranch called Tanya.

The estate of Gödöllő once belonged to the Grassalkovich family but was eventually sold to investors. The Hungarian state bought it back in 1867 and gave it, together with the mansion house, to Francis Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Austria (“Sissi”) as a coronation gift. From that time on, the royal family stayed in Gödöllő mainly in spring and autumn, and this resulted in a significant upswing in the life of the town. Sissy is still very much admired here, which shows in the exhibition at the palace.

There was a fair held in front of the palace which had something to do with dogs. One of the food stalls had delicious food made of Lángos-style flatbread filled with sour cream and different veggies for me.

After leaving Gödöllö we drove further south and reached the sandy plains of the Hungarian Puszta. This area was used for cattle and other livestock, as no agriculture was possible on the sand. The traditions are kept up mainly for tourists, but the visit to one of the ranches called Tanya was a great experience.

Typical drawing well

Csikós

Riding 5 horses while standing on the back of two of them – what a crazy idea! We learned that a painter made a picture of this way to ride before anyone ever had tried it. But the Hungarians were fascinated by the idea, and since then this style to ride horses is practised by the best horsemen of the country.

Handling the Hungarian whip with bravery

After the show a Hungarian gulyás was simmering and musicians accompanied a delicious feast with very good Hungarian wine and sweat treats to round it off.

Flower of the Day