The Reminder

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Hungary was one of the first Eastern European countries to break free from the Soviet communist administration. The openness factor in addition to a wide variety of sights, a fascinating history, and a comparatively cheap (although it probably caught up pricewise since then...) market helped getting the attention from Germans, Scandinavians, Austrians, Americans, and other tourists who were bored with the regular sites in Western Europe, or maybe those who were interested in really getting their money worth during the vacation. Budapest is the obvious magnet with all that a large and old European city has to offer in sights and history.

Another, not as obvious, destination is Lake Balaton. One of the largest lakes in Central Europe, very shallow making the water very warm, and beautifully located inbetween hills and mountains, the stage is set for the ideal tourist spot. At the time of our visit it was well on its way, offering tourists what tourists expect to find: bars, restaurants, water parks, fairs, shops, beach parks, etc. It was after a visit to a regular restaurant on a regular day when it appeared to me that there was still a cultural gap to be filled. Not a very big gap, but enough to cause a noticeable difference between the visitors and the hosts. Not unique for Hungary or Eastern Europe or what have you, but a rather common phenomenon in the encounter of visitors and visitees from different layers of society, different cultures, different whatever...A gang of very young boys are shouting "Heil Hitler" as we head for the car. The reason for the mocking was obviously to provoke. To show us, the visitors, that this is their territory, and us Nazis better stay out of it. Had they known our origins they would probably have shouted "ABBA sucks" or "Volvo is crap".

The underlying reason for the provocation should be left for analysis by a professional in the field of psychology, but may stem for some kind of jealousy by country boys for the city people. Or some kind of hostility towards Germans, towards foreigners, towards people with a red car, or for people other than themselves in general. Naturally we could take no offense as we are not Germans, and this little incident did nothing to ruin the impression of the place or the vacation. Just a sad reminder that you - the intruder, the tourist, the evil force from that other place - wherever you go are the subject of the judgement of the local population...

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