The small town free artesian well

In Hungary, tap water is supposed to be drinkable, but fewer and fewer people are drinking it. Most people buy bottled water.

When I was a child, in the 70s and 80s, it was perfectly natural to drink from the well, and tap water was perfectly drinkable. In addition, in Budapest and throughout the country there were also a lot of so-called pressure wells on the streets. From these, too, drinking water flowed freely, unlimitedly and for free.

If I had told a farmer 200 years ago that in 100 years everyone would be paying for water by the litre or by the cubic metre, the farmer would have thought I was crazy.
We have been paying for water for 100 years, but in the first decades it was drinkable.
Today, most people buy drinking water separately in bottles alongside mains water.

image: wikipedia

Fortunately, there is a free artesian well in the next town. Everyone can use it freely and without restriction. The water is very healthy, clean and of good quality.
A lot of people come here with bottles and demijohns to bring home premium quality medicinal water for their families.
There are 20,000 people living in the town, but there are about 100,000 people living in the surrounding small towns within a 50 km radius. There is a lot of traffic at the well.

And the strangest thing is that people are nice to each other. You have to know that we Hungarians are nice to foreigners, but less nice to each other :) In the last few years this tendency has improved and I experience nice behaviour in many places, but I am not surprised if someone is dismissive, rude and doesn't look me in the eye or say hello, just mumbles something under his nose and expects me to leave.
Even at the artesian well in question, the hassle is very rare, and even the more impatient behaviour, because people are often impatient.

But usually and typically people just talk to each other, behave themselves while filling their bottles. In most cases, they are just being polite and gentle
It's interesting that we become tame around clean water.

I bring water from there in 20 litre jugs. It takes 5 minutes to fill the can and I usually fill 6 cans, so it takes half an hour to fill all my cans.
I go to fetch water once a month. At night, so as not to hold anyone up.

Even so, sometimes someone comes and we talk while the water drips into our cans. It's more like small talk, because the cans fill up slowly :)
There are two taps on the well and sometimes one person fills from one tap and another person fills from the other tap.

I've met many interesting people over the years and it always amazes me how clean and healthy water can have a huge impact on positive emotions.

And when no one is coming, but I'm alone, I wonderfully enjoy the silence of the night.

Last night I worked until 11pm and then went to the well for water. I met a father at the well who told me that he likes this water because his children drink it. He is happy that his children drink the water.
It is a miracle that this little well exists.

I hope to tell you lots more moods.
Take care and I wish you all the best!
I wish you blessings and peace.

Gabriel Pal