@hakan_geijer The thought of passing through villages on a hike hadn't occurred to me until you said it. That's definitely a much more European (and to limited extent USian) hiking experience compared to here in Canada. Totally agree though that it would break that backcountry mental state.
If you ever get the desire and opportunity to do some Canadian hiking, I think you'd probably really enjoy Gros Morne (Newfoundland) or Tombstone (Yukon).