Rural Hungary

Oh Digger, you got me quite choked. You sit and look at that field in all it's beauty and think how few will ever see such a beautiful sight and that your bare hands created it. Whatever else goes on in this slog of a journey we call life, you brought beauty to it and gave joy to those who were fortunate enough to see it.

heli2010

cant realy recommend any area but as we live on the edge of the great plain I can say it can be a little bleak but we love it the locals think we are mad (cup of coffee watching sunset) but go out of their way to help us

mawood47

Thanks for the wonderful words: my view who arrives over hear must find the wright place for them. I DID but now my disabilities' worsen I must move from a place wear time stands still and the views can not be replaced, to find again will be hard to find: AT FIRST, I HAD, DIGGER ps. not on line till time have kneads be, no net wear I shall be

llareggub

I have been living out on the Hungarian Great Plain for 5 and a bit years, it can be quiet but realistically once you become part of a community then you are never isolated.

You could have a look at Eger in Heves Megye a nice town with a population of 55-60,000 people, quite pretty and at the heart of a large wine making area. Lake Tisza is only a 40-50 minute drive south. It is the 2nd largest lake in Hungary (I believe) and whilst I am sure the amenities are not as good as at Balaton they are more than adequate and it is incredibly beautiful at the north end with the south end of the lake being all about fun and playing.

German is very common out here, much more so than English.

FenTiger

Feene - The Bukk Mountains is a beautiful place. Could I recommend this area .... that's a difficult question because I regard Malyi as my base when I am in Hungary and visiting other parts of the country because of the family connection. We also have a lot of friends in the area. To be honest if the family connection to Malyi wasn't there I would not have a clue where I would choose to live.

As other posters above have stated it's best to take your time. Probably most important is ..... if a property is really, really cheap .....you should do some research on the area to find out why. Also compare the values of similar properties in the same area so you know you are not being ripped off.

Rural Hungary

Your welcome digger, sometimes when you are bearing more than you ever imagined capable of doing, just taking that time to look at what is around you and ask yourself would you have done it any other way or are you content, is enough to make that load easier. I'm emailing you a reply now and will hopefully catch you before you head off again. Take care

Lady Zelda

Feene,

Every language is difficult to learn, do not be scared of it, but with a little determination and some extra lessons you will get there in no time. My English husband is struggling with speaking the language, but he is getting better by day, and understands much more than when we arrived here a year ago, last April. Thanks to our grandchildren who constantly correct him.

I speak 4 languages. English is my forth language, and I hope I am doing reasonably well when I am writing. I apologise in advance should I make any mistakes in my pronunciation in the future !

Just take your time in your research. You need to learn a bit more about the Hungarian system before you jump into anything that later you may regret. If you are a young couple, you have to think carefully about the salary that you would earn here, as that might be much more less than what you earn in the UK. If you love a very simple lifestyle, that is alright, but if you like spending and going on holidays, you have to think twice.

Please do not think that my intention is to scare anybody, but I used to live here for 4 years in the 90s, and my then high salary was still not enough to feed our extravagant lifestyle, going skiing abroad and many more. Luckily my ex husband was earning a good salary, too, which helped us getting by. But that was a long time ago.

Just please take it easy and think everything through and compare and carefully weigh every option. Try to foresee your future and what you could expect here on long term. Perhaps if you have family here, they would give you the support an help that you need.

All the very best.
LZ x

Feene

Your english is excellent Lady Z- Europeans seem to be blessed linguistically compared to us Brits.

I will definitely heed all the advice regarding being cautious. I am a real worrier My husband has quite a stressful job and whilst mine probably wouldn't seem stressful to most people, I am just a stress head and find it hard to unwind, even on holiday. The time in Hungary last year however, made me feel completely at peace.

That said having 2 children I am too unsure to completely throw caution to the wind and uproot them completely. One of my best friends is from Budapest and she left Hungary 5 years ago due to the political situation. She has warned of things and whilst she isn't sure whether they would affect anyone outside of Budapest, they were enough to concern me.

One of the advantages of my job is that I do get lots of Holidays (teaching) So the plan for now is to buy a place to spend holidays and see how it goes from there. We're not too bothered about renting it out though as it isn't supposed to be a holiday home, if that makes sense?

I probably seem like a real wimp compared to all of you have committed completely. However, having lived a fairly "rootless" existence (army child and then wife) I just want to take things slowly.

Rural Hungary

I would agree with waiting until the children have completed their education before considering a permanent move.

Lady Zelda

You are right Feene,

I know what a teaching job means, as my husband was a Physicist for 32 years. He took an early retirement from teaching A Level, 3 years ago at the age of 55. The best thing he has ever done, as he even got his final salary scheme, which you well know that the younger generations will not receive at the end of their hard working career.

We moved here only for the grandchildren, but we also kept our house in the UK. I was not born in Hungary, but I speak the language as my mother was Hungarian. We used to come every year over many years to visit my daughter here. The holidays were lovely and enjoyable, but when one is living here that is a totally different issue. I am not going into it in more details, but if you have two children, you have to consider them first, and what is best for them.

I personally struggle to settle down here, as we went through hell with some dodgy builders who left us with endless botched and unfinished jobs, but I am staying here for the kids. My English husband loves the weather and his well deserved freedom away from the stress of teaching. Life is not bad at all, so I am not complaining about that, but as foreigners here we are treated a little bit differently, if you know what I mean.

Do not forget that the lower uneducated working class people's attitude towards foreigners or coloured people is somewhat different from what you see in the UK. And we live in the second most developed and wealthier area of Hungary after Budapest. Gyor is booming, businesses are thriving, Audi factory provides for thousands of workers good and stable salary, and Austria is near the corner, so lots of advantages for those who have to earn a living.

Just take your time and be cautious. I am a worrier too, as I do not trust people in general. My kindness to people in need and my popularity and bubbly personality made me quite a few enemies in the past. That made me learn to be more aware of strangers these days, as not all smiley people will become your best friends.!

I like to live in a secure place where I feel 100% safe and happy. Luckily we live in a large village which is on the main road to Vienna, so we do not feel isolated at all. The CBA food store is 4 houses further down, and we have all the facilities that a town has got. Gyor is 7 minutes by car. The school in the village is like a big close knit family. Today they celebrate children's day with a big party in the children's playground, cooking Gulyas with the teachers and parents, and whoever wants to get involved from the village can join in. You do not have this in the british schools. There are too many kids from too many backgrounds, so they do not interact as much as these local kids here. Probably your children would love a school like this. They often go to trips, and have lots of sports activities and competitions, and many more.

Well, you decide your future, and being a worrier is not a bad thing after all, as you become much more careful when it comes to difficult decision making. Listen to your heart, be positive and happy and one day you will find what you are looking for in your heart.

All the very best.
LZ x

adriellington

Hello Feene,

I'm also fairly new to the Hungary regions and have two young children, I was on a trip recently and fell in love with many areas, mostly around Kezsthely and south of the lake.

I was curious to see if you had found anywhere suitable from your research. I'm thinking of a second home to begin with.

Any recommendations welcome.

gcroft

Sorry to be so late to this thread.
My wife and I live in a village near Pecs in the Mecsek hills.
Pecs is a beautiful historic city with a large university and medical community so international English is almost universally available.
Unlike a tourist area it is open all year.
Pecs was the European city of culture in 2010 and has very lively arts, music and theatre programmes.
It has a couple of excellent thermal spas nearby some little lakes and good wine areas including Villany which is actually more German than Hungarian!
There is a motorway to Budapest and Croatia is less than an hour away.
If you are in the area and want to meet up please email me.

adriellington

Hello gcroft! thanks for the info about Pecs, I keep hearing great things about this city, We even have a Hungarian friend who says the shopping there is 2nd to Budapest (is this true) We did visit Villany when we were last over and oh my goodness the wine was divine! We keep thinking about moving over permanently next year and coming back again once it cools down again to view some more properties, do you know if there are good schools in or around Pecs and any agents worth contacting? thanks in advance for any advice or info.

fidobsa

Yes, I wish I had chosen the Pecs area rather than Zala.

gcroft

Pecs has quite an economic catchment area particularly as it is getting back its pre-Trianon Croatian trade with EC linkage, so shops galore!
I do not know the quality of schooling as ours is past that age. There are a lot of them and range both in size and day or boarding.
You need to drive around different areas and sample their contrasting delights. Certainly do this before contemplating contact with any form of agent.
Much of Hungary is a great place to be.
If you do decide that you then want further information on social elements of the Pecs area then let me know and I could put you in touch with local Hungarian folk, parents and teachers for example.
Good luck with your search.