Kilted in Hungary

**Maksim** · 21st July 09, 01:58 AM

My wife and myself are attending a summer university language course in Debrecen, Hungary. While I have been to Hungary several times, this is the first time I've been wearing my kilts here. So I thought I would share some experiences and photos.

At first I was a bit scared about the idea, not knowing how people would react here. But when we arrived to the city and the campus area, one of the first fellow students I saw was a man wearing - a traditional, tartan kilt! (Are you there, reading this, mister?) So, I'm glad I took my Freedom Cargo and my brand new Blåkläder with me. You may ask, why the Blåkläder? Is it not a working kilt and not something to be worn in public? But I've found that it is a great garment to carry things in: for example in the airplane, where you have to tuck your bags away and it would be nice to have, say, a paperback with you, not in the upper luggage compartment. And it feels nice, too. Here's a pic with me, the Blåkläder and a copper lion in Budapest. The weather was hot, 36 celcius, so the look of surprise is genuine: my wife took the pic when I first touched the statue.

All in all, I have had some positive comments, nothing negative. Stares, of course, but I feel they are a compliment.

To be continued, with more pics - the next lesson is about to begin.

Yours,
Maksim

**Sylvain** · 21st July 09, 05:05 AM

Jó utazást és jó szerencsét!

**Chas** · 22nd July 09, 03:07 AM

Hi Maksim,

A few more pictures, showing more of you and the kilt would be nice.

Regards

Chas

**Midsmed** · 22nd July 09, 03:33 AM

Thanks for sharing the photo .You look very sharp.

**McFarkus** · 22nd July 09, 06:10 AM

You look great. I like your Blåkläder.

**Galician** · 22nd July 09, 06:45 AM

Köszönöm!

I don't know when I'll be back in Hungary, but I had never thought of taking a kilt there. Now I know! Are you in touch with the kitlwearer you ran into?

**Maksim** · 23rd July 09, 08:40 AM

Köszi szépen, Sylvain! És a többiek is. Hat, az furcsa, magyarul erre a forumra írni

Nos,

Here are some more pictures with the Blåkläder. I've been using the FK Cargo too, but in situations where we haven't had a camera with us. Those pics will be in the next post then. I'll just add the links now, because I've no means to make the pics smaller and at least in my 13" screen the real size is too big.

Sorry for the haunted look in those indoors pics, I'd been wearing contact lenses for too long

I have had a briefest of chats with the other kiltwearer, whilst eating breakfast. He commented on my FK (asked if it was a UK, in fact) and I asked about his tartan, which I gathered (we spoke Hungarian and my rather limited knowledge of kilt-associated words was soon surpassed) it was some university's tartan. I also think he is British, because I've heard him talking in English with somebody else. But we are in different study groups, so the only times I see him is in the big dining hall, if we happen to be there at the same time. I will work on this

Yours
Maksim

**werewolves** · 23rd July 09, 03:06 PM

All in all, I have had some positive comments, nothing negative.

I'm not surprised, in my short visit I found the Hungarians to be incredibly nice people.

**Chas** · 23rd July 09, 03:19 PM

That's a very interesting kilt - I've never seen anything like it.

Regards

Chas

**Maksim** · 24th July 09, 04:41 AM

Chas, you're right - I don't think there is anything like it. Because of that, I just call it my Blåkläder, not a kilt - because, by definition, I think it isn't one. (It may be a Swedish kilt, because that's where it was designed.) But in effect, it is a very nice and comfortable - and most of all, very useful garment, maybe an MUG.

By the way, I asked around for the Hungarian word for "kilt". There is no such word. It is szoknya, the same as "skirt". Hmm...