September 25, 2012
If in doubt, don't smile: Szeged - Kecel
THEY'RE ODD PEOPLE, Hungarians. They speak a language unrelated to any other - I thought it had links with Finnish and Mongolian but it seems that it doesn't - and they hardly ever smile. We noticed that when we rode in the opposite direction a few years ago: that you smile at people you cross on a bike path, say, and they look right through you. Or, more, stare almost aggressively.
They're friendly in shops and bars, although come to think of it not always in bars, but otherwise there's no warmth where it would take an effort. Shame. It's such a contrast to the spontaneous friendliness of Romanians, Serbs and, above all, Turks.
I've been riding into the wind again today, although the countryside is more sheltered than Serbia. Certainly no hillier, though. It's unrelentingly flat. That being the case, I have little to report. I am camping in a wood of short trees close to two hefty, concealed structures, made of concrete and for some reason reduced to ground level so that little more than the foundations show. This afternoon's and tomorrow's road is down a gentle slope to one side. I can hear the murmur of traffic, already starting to dwindle, but I'm hidden by a screen of bushes. I shall look forward to a peaceful night.
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