A short trip away with my sister has taken us to Prague. 12 hours train ride from Pecs, changing at Budapest. The city of Prague is truely beautiful. The central square, Old Town Square, is full of restaurants, and cafes, and surrounded by magnificently lit churches. These aren't the cheapest place to eat - most of the prices are double what you can pay a kilometer further away, but the square is the place to be as a tourist. Talking of tourists, I've not seen as greater concentration of tourists in one place since I was in London. The streets are heaving with tourists and the street vendors, cafes, pavement tables that go hand in hand with them. On the negative side, groups of drunken twenty something British guys wander the streets like packs of hyeanas, ... read more

May 1st 2004 will forever be remembered as an historic day by Europeans. The existing 15 member states of the EU today welcome an additional 10 members, mostly from Eastern Europe into the union. During 2003 and 2004 I’ve visited nearly all of the countries that joined today, with the exceptions of Slovenia and Czech Republic. In all the countries I visited there was both a sense of excitement at becoming a member and also trepidation, worrying that traditions, languages and ways of life will be lost. In Hungary where I’ve spent most of the last 8 months, the EU is generally welcomed. But also a sense of loss is held by many, after so many years of being an unwilling member of the Soviet Union to finally gaining freedom in 1991, and after such a ... read more

The Busojaras Festival, Hungary, Mohács Usually the town of Mohács is a sleepy place, on the banks of the Danube in the south western corner of Hungary. An hour away from Pécs by bus or train. Every late February or early March this changes, the Busó's come out to play. Thousands of visitors join in the celebrations, and the town is a crowded party place, hot wine consumed by the barrel load, and everyone having a good time. The Busójárás festival celebrates the last day before the start of lent (Mardi Gras), and the end of winter in one go. A Busó is some type of devil, the men of the town (and a few of the women), dress in sheepskins, don frightening masks and scare away the winter, scare the tourists who come from all ... read more

I never imagined that I would be travelling overnight on a bus with 40 Hungarians drinking palinka on my way to go skiing in Transylvania. But on Friday 13th February 2004 that is where I found myself. The journey (Budapest - Transylvania) was actually quite easy, I’m pretty good at sleeping on buses and other assorted forms of transport, especially when my senses have been dulled by schnapps. Transylvania. My image of Transylvania before visiting was ripped out of countless horror films, wolves and bears at the edge of every road, hiding amoungst the trees with evil gleaming eyes. The only thing that would keep the wolves and bears back was that the guy driving the horse and sleigh would in fact be a vampire and was planning on feasting on fresh blood later. Bears and ... read more

On the banks of the Danube in the North of Hungary lie the twin cities of Buda and Pest. Together they form the capital Budapest, pronounced Boo-dapesht locally. Budapest is a beautiful city, the centre strangely reminiscent of London, due to the impressive 19th century architecture straddling the banks of a large river, crossed by many bridges. The Danube flows north to south, with Buda on the west bank and Pest on the east. Looking up from the river banks to Buda, a ridge of hills follows the river. On the top of the ridge Castle Hill sits the Royal Palace, the historical home of the Hungarian royal family. Close to the Pest bank stand today’s power centres, the parliament and the central district. With a population of 2 million, Budapest dwarfs every other city in ... read more