“Water is a precious commodity, but hope is a priceless one.” Anonymous

The chance to live in a country, other than one’s own, is certainly a gift. And to be lucky enough to return to a place for a second or third time, provides the opportunity to understand the culture on a much deeper level. The language is no longer a passing blur. Nuances previously missed, become doors of understanding. History, once a labyrinth of dates and names, suddenly becomes a series of sensible revelations.

A rich stage was thus set for my second trip around Hungary’s so-called inland sea, Lake Balaton. This time, packing a basic familiarity of the places along the way, another cultural platform awaited: the politics of place. Almost without asking, we biked, not only along a unique azure-colored body of water, but also through the current Hungarian political landscape.

Watch What You Say Around the Water Cooler

There was the couple, like us, staying in a pension in Balatonfured, our starting and ending point, who told us about the risks of speaking critically about the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, at their place of work. “You never know who might report you and what might happen to your job and career,” a forty-something man told us. This reminded me of the stories I’ve read, and places I’ve seen, in the draconian state that is North Korea.

From Russia With Love

Late afternoon on our second day out, we met Dennis, who was checking us into our hotel in the small city of Keszthley on Balaton’s far western shore. His English was remarkable, though he was speaking with an accent that, at first, I couldn’t quite put my finger on. “Where in Hungary are you from?” I asked. He looked back at me with pride and said, “I’m Russian. I came to Hungary two years ago to work here and, soon after, I had my wife and kids come join me.” He was completely grateful for his job and for being able to bring his family to Hungry before the current Ukrainian-Russian conflict would have made a family reunion nearly impossible. For Dennis and his family, his job and the relative safety of Hungary, understandably, meant the world to them.

To America’s Right, Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, has become a symbol of strength, nationalism and strict border control–all in the mold of Donald Trump. His party, Fidesz, makes ongoing marketing decisions which, with the flip of a switch, place thousands of posters in locations across Hungary. The latest depicts a missile barreling across the Hungarian skyline, sarcastically blaming the EU, not Russia, for oil shortages and a potential cold winter ahead. We saw these posters nearly everywhere we biked–they’re hard to ignore.

I Know Dracula is From Transylvania, But What About My Wine?

We had another strong dose of politics in the community of Siofok, along Balaton’s southern shore of small villages lined with swimming beaches and mediocre fast-food shops. At dinner in our pleasant boutique hotel, we asked the server about the delicious wine he was serving. “Yes, it’s from Romania. It’s quite good,” he said. A few minutes later, he returned in a huff, only to correct himself. “I was wrong,” he said, “it’s actually from Hungary.” I had checked the bottle only a few seconds earlier and it clearly read “Romania” on the label. This, you see, is all political. Many Hungarians continue to claim Transylvania, an area in central Romania, as Hungarian territory. This wine was obviously grown in that region in Romania and our server, apparently a nationalist, didn’t want to make the mistake of saying the wine was actually Romanian.

The Hungarian Brain Drain

As we continued eating our dinner we noticed a handsome young couple at the next table. By then, we had the small dining room to ourselves. I called over and asked the pair where they were from. Both were artists from Budapest and, like us, were enjoying a few autumn days along Lake Balaton. He works in the vibrant Hungarian movie production business in set-design, while she is a dress-maker and designer. Both were young, friendly, articulate, and anxious to leave Hungary. They are pessimistic about the future here in Hungary, noting the low salaries and hope-sapping far-right politics. We hear this story repeatedly. Hope springs eternal, but not for many of the young professionals here in Hungary. These two plan to emigrate to Amsterdam, as soon as they can.

We started our loop around Balaton with great expectations of dramatic views, grand wine tastes, and lazy autumnal bike lanes lined with fallen golden leaves. What we didn’t anticipate were the real-time lessons in Hungarian politics. At every stop we found a wonderful view of the lake…and a reminder that Hungarian politics, like those in the U.S., are not for the faint of heart.