Hungary

With a language unrelated to practically any other in the world and a traditional culture that can be traced back to the horse-riding tribes of Central Asia, Hungary is very different from most of the countries around it. Centuries of occupation by the Ottoman Turks have left Hungary with a rich, spicy cuisine and a tradition of Turkish Baths that remains to this day. Centuries of domination by and partnership with Austria have left a legacy of fine art and architecture and a love of good coffee and sticky cakes, and the ancient horsemanship traditions of the Magyar tribe have survived out on the Great Hungarian Plain – the Puszta – where “cowboys” can still be found riding the range.