HUNGARY / MAGYARORSZÁG

Let me introduce my home country birefly, colourized with my / my friends’ pictures 😊

Hungary is situated in the heart of Europe. From the total population of 10 million almost 2 million people live in the captial: Budapest. This historical city is divided into two parts: Buda & Pest by the longest river in Hungary, the Danube.

Budapest is not only the most significant economic hub and a leading global city, but it is the center of basicly everything in Hungary. Its unique and extraordinary architecture creates a special athmosphere and also represents the turbulent history of the country.

On this photo you can see the famous Chain Bridge / Lánchíd over the river Danube. Photo taken by my friend who lives there now 😊

My home city, Veszprém is also known as the city of Queens, since it served as hometown for the first queen of Hungary. It is situated in the western part of the country, close to the biggest lake of Central Europe: Balaton.

A beatiful sunny day in Veszprém.. 😊

This photo was taken from the big wheel in the old town of Veszprém during summertime. I really like this one, because in the distance you can see the lake Balaton surrounded by the hills.

Veszprém is famous for its handball team, the most successful one in the country, for its music festivals and also for its historical buildings and sights. It is the capital of Veszprém county and has around 60 thousand inhabitants out of which there are about 10 thousand university students, since Veszprém is also the hometown of the University of Pannonia.

Handball team of Veszprém in their home arena. 😊

View of Veszprém from the castle. 😊

Living close to lake Balaton means a lot to the citizens of Veszprém. We love living next to the Hungarian sea and we try to visit it as many times as we can. It offers plenty of entertainments and events throughout the year like sailing competitions, surfing, ice skating, ice surfing. Also, wineries along the northern side of the lake are getting more and more popular alluring visitors from everywhere. Wine festivals by the lake are also from the most visited events during the summer. Who wouldn’t spend a lazy day by the lake and watch an amazing sunset with an excellent glass of wine? 😉

Balatonfüred – summertime by the lake is always exciting and full of entertainments.. 😊

Me and my friend, Riina swimming in Balaton during last summer.

Sailing is one of the most popular ’Balaton activities’ – Balatonfüred (town by the lake)

A little bit about Hungarian culture – with the help of Geert Hofstede’s dimensions

Family is the centre of social culture. One of the most obvious proof is that Hungarian’s surname precedes the first name of an individual.
Useful to know that face-to-face communication is considered the most valuable.
Trust is at great value, you must prove your trusfulness, honesty and loyalty when it comes to friendship, relationship or business with a Hungarian.
Hungary is shown to be a pragmatic country, (according to Hofstede’s researches) which means that people believe that truth depends very much on situation, context and time.
Hungary is considered by Hofstede to be one of the most "masculine" cultures (88/100) Masculine cultures value competitiveness, assertiveness, ambition, and the accumulation of wealth and material possessions, whereas feminine cultures place more value on relationships and quality of life.
Power distance in Hungary is quite low (46/100) which reflects the view that all people should have equal rights

Some hungaricums: sausage, salami and pálinka

Culture in practice aka DOs and DON’Ts when visiting the country

WHAT TO DO

when you meet someone, especially men – do introduce yourself with a handshake (Customs show that women still don't want that)
if invited to a Hungarian’s home, bring chocolate or liquor (or both)
be punctual, when it comes to public transport or meetings, Hungarians tend to pay attention to be in time always and nobody/nothing waits for those who are late
if you are lucky enough to date with a Hungarian girl, bring some flowers but always give them in odd numbers (except for 13)
when clinking the gasses always look in the eye of the person you are clinking with, otherwise you may be considered impolite

Enjoying wine by the lake...2017 summer

WHAT YOU SHOULDN’T DO

do not say no when you are offered something for free (like fruits, vegetables and such), it seems to offend people when you do so
Since Hungarians do not clink beer glasses, you should respect their custom and try to avoid clinking them too
do not avoid eye contact, try to maintain it rather
do not talk about politics, unless you are unless you agree on all historical, political, social and economic angles...and try to avoid topics like the Treaty of Trianon and communism
do not mix up the Hungarian and Italian flag, really insulting
do not say no to Pálinka, that’s rude
do not say Bucharest instead of Budapest. Never. Hungarians are not fan of Romanians