Hortobágy

For years, the Hungarian tourism has tried to move away from the image of Puszta-Paprika-Piroschka. But why fix something that works? While I certainly agree that Hungary has so much more to offer than paprika, goulash, gypsy music and the usual clichés, I think that every country needs some iconic images to be identified with. Sadly, modern art is seriously underpromoted in Hungary, and it would definitely deserve a lot more exposure, still it could hardly be used as a staple symbol of the country.
I have visited the Puszta for the first time and was absolutely fascinated by the landscape and its magical colors. No wonder that the Hortobágy National Park (an archetype of the traditional Hungarian landscape) has been inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. This is the largest continuous steppe of Europe with a seemingly endless horizon that mesmerizes all who see it. There are 342 bird species known to be resident here and the vegetation offers a variety of habitats also for snakes, but only one species, the common viper, possesses venom that is harmful to humans (though their bites are often not deadly). So, it might not have been entirely correct from me to attribute a painful insect bite on my foot to a rattlesnake.