//Day 9 /20-03-22 /Budapest-Kecskemét

I left Budapest in the morning through empty streets and limited traffic. I did pass some people returning from a party and was waved out by Toroczkia a candidate for the upcoming election for the Homeland Movement party. It is probably more a hail to camerades then a wave good bye to a non-Hungarian….

I was happy to leave  Budapest. Although Budapest is a beautiful and interesting city I was just not in the mood to visit a big city now. The road and the Balkan are calling. In addition I do not experience  Hungarians as the most social/easy people to connect with. The times I tried to start a conversation, wanted to ask a direction or information  people did either not respond, grumbeld,  look at me as I want to rob or threaten them…The exception was the young receptionist of my hotel this morning who was really friendly and interested. Maybe it is the language barrier.  But most of the time people look socially constipated…

Before exiting Budapest I supplied for some lunch as it is a Sunday and I would be cycling a rural area with not a lot of villages along the way. It was a good decision to do so as the next 90 K the small rural villages I passed were a sleepy as a bear in his/her wintersleep. I even doubt that on weekdays there would be significant more  movement. In the villages I passed I could not detect any shops (closed/or not). No people on the streets. Sometimes a car passes me on the long, straight, but-holed empty roads I’m cycling.The further going to the south the poorer the quality of the roads…and the villages.

Between the villages I also encountered some Roma (I assume) living in derelict houses or self build cottages. I also passed in the middle of nowhere a sort of trailer park with  people standing  around. The trailers looked at least 30 years old, I would also not be surprised there was no electricity or running water in the vicinity. The people did not seem to be in the mood to have their photo taken.  

The road was rolling up and down  through a monotonous landscape ; some small trees, fields, nothing more. Straight ahead. 40 K without any bend. The only variation a small deer running along the road and a freshly smashed badger on the road.

Today I had 90 K to cycle to arrive at my destination of today, Kecskemét, a small market city In the middle between Budapest and the Romanian border. The pension where I’m staying is run by a Hungarian lady married to a man from France, Grenoble, who lives already more then 25 years in Hungary and is a English lecturer. I was friendly welcomed and the room is great. I strolled shortly through the citycenter which looks only recently renovated. In the evening I found the only restaurant open, had chicken with potato dumplings and a beer…..and learned that Milo is still a thing in Hungary (no surprise).

 

Tomorrow I will be heading to my last Hungarian stop :the city of Szeged, the 3rd largest city of Hungary and home of paprika and the famous dish szekelyguyas. The day after I make my first steps in the Balkan.

Lessons learned :

• Not sure if Hungarians and I will ever become good friends.
• Thursday we will hit 21 degrees : short pants ! 

Song of today : La fille au Roi Louis - Vincent Dumestre