Trip to Hortobágy

Last Saturday we went with about 100 other Hungarian language students to Hortobágy National Park. Every Saturday during our 4-week intensive language course, the students are taken to various places to increase our cultural and historical knowledge of Hungary. Our trip to Hortobágy was very interesting. There we learned about how before flood control was built along the Tisza River the river would flood every year over vast areas of the flat, empty land called the Puszta. Because of the annual flooding, crops could not be grown, but the grassy, sometimes marshy land was well suited to raising herds of horses, cattle, sheep and pigs. Each herd was cared for by one or more "pasztor." We learned about the types of animals they raised and their lives on the puszta. Mike got to ride on the horse of one of the "gulyas" or Hungarian cowboys. We saw some interesting animals they raised on the puszta including the famous Gray Hungarian cattle and the hairy pigs. At lunch we were served gulyas (or goulash) soup, a traditional puszta herder's meal. Here are some of our pictures.