Flat. Imposingly flat. Impossibly, infinitely flat.
The Great Plains of Hungary spread out eternally before us as we drove straight road after straight road, passing field after field in a haze of ochre and gold.
We had arrived in the heart of the Hungarian Puszta, the largest part of the Pannonian Steppe, an ecosystem so vast it stretched across six countries. Only the tips of silver birch trees added relief to the land and broke the perfect line of the horizon.
The houses here in the East of Hungary had a distinctly more rural feel compared to the West and the glamorous capital of Budapest. They were smaller, a little rougher round the edges, but with a tangible sense of community in the air.
We passed through the town of Hortóbagy, the namesake of Hungary’s first and largest National Park, and pulled up to the Matá Ménes stud farm to meet our host, Dóri.
We were given a tour of the stables before boarding a horse-drawn cart driven by her husband, Adam, who wore the traditional Hortóbagy clothing of a velvet waistcoat, loose blue shirt and a wide-brimmed hat with a crane feather tucked into the band. The horses’ hooves kicked up dust which hung in the low October sun as we embarked on a tour of the plains, passing the horsemen in their traditional garments as they herded buffalo, grey cattle and sheep.
As the sun began to kiss the flat horizon, we were invited back to one of the barns where the family were preparing for us a hearty meal of slambuc cooked on the fire in a traditional vasaló (straw hut). The food would be ready once it had been turned 32 times; one for each tooth a man has, according to tradition.
In the meantime there was plenty of pálinka to drink, conversations aided by Google Translate, and we were even taken for a ride on one of the horses by Adam’s father.
As we ate our meal underneath the stars we felt incredibly privileged to be invited into the family’s lives, to experience the culture and traditions of Hortóbagy in such a personal way, and although we don’t remember much of the night after drinking so much pálinka, it’s safe to say we won’t be forgetting the experience any time soon.
This is a small extract from a photo documentary project we embarked on in the Hortóbagy National Park, documenting the lives and traditions of the Hungarian horsemen and their incredible, unique culture. We’ll be displaying the project on our website soon plus we’ll be releasing a travelogue about our experiences here on Youtube early next month.
A huge thank you to @dore_mori for inviting us into your family home and your lives, and for making all of this possible.
