The spike in temperature is the first thing you notice when getting off the train in Pécs (PAYCH when pronounced), then the burning sun, followed by the orange tiled roofs. If in the south of Hungary, passing through cheerful Pécs is tough to avoid. This is a good thing. Pécs is wonderful because it impresses without trying to. Everything in Pécs has its proper place and fits in perfectly. The portion of town within the crumbling fortifications does not overwhelm, but it is still very eye-pleasing. Its streets are not over-the-top with ostentatious architecture or monuments. City squares are well kept and shrubs manicured. Fountains are plenty clean enough for toddlers to enjoy them, waist deep on a hot day. A stately sky-blue domed mosque commands the central square, the Szechenyi Tér. Some alleyways are windy, ... read more

I never wanted to come to Budapest. In fact, the whole trip down to Hungary served as dilemma on how to handle arriving here. Hungary was an inevitability: in order to go anywhere else, particularly south, you had to go through Hungary. And if you have Hungary to contend with, Budapest is a must, as all rail lines converge here. So, what to do? I planned on seeing if there were any long-distance departures in the evening. But that would mean twenty-four hours plus in motion and I could do without this. If the connections existed, could I get a reservation, seat, or couchette on the spot? Experience has dictated that this is not likely. Having decided to get a room around the station, I then talked myself into prolonging my time here. Thousands of visitors ... read more

Poprad is the economic center and rail junction of Slovakia’s High Tatras region of. Yet, when pulling into the station, one tends to wonder why. What’s the big deal? What mountains? Where? On an overcast day, the mountains are concealed in clouds, leaving the newly arrived to reconsider why they came this far for a mountain getaway. No mountains are to be found anywhere. Yet, as with the climate in regions where altitude plays a major role, a brisk east wind lifts the heavy gray curtain on the Tatras’ jagged and glacial peaks. However finite in area this range of the Carpathians is, the first time you set eyes upon them leaves a robust impression. Starý Smokovec is the boss of a series of villages that rest upon the lower slopes of the High Tatras, linked ... read more

After a routine, yet non-intrusive inspection from Polish customs aboard the train to Budapest, the Slovaks performed no passport control at the border. I was not particularly worried and the steward in charge of our wagon woke me at some unheard of hour to tell me it was time soon to get off. I woke none of the others in my compartment, all bound for Hungary. He made sure I traveled no further than my ticket indicated. In the morning mist of 4:30 am, Košice does very little to motivate you to get out of your sleeping compartment. The city, Slovakia’s second largest, is encircled by hills and bluffs, all poisoned with the same tired apartment tenements. I forced myself onto the platform, only to see more of Legoland gone terribly wrong. Faceless apartment buildings cut ... read more

The Polish thankfully do not pay tribute to their dogs as members of their families, much like the French. At the same time, canines are, by and large, healthy creatures in Poland, though a bit aggressive if you approach a home without letting them check you out. Many homes have “Beware of Dog” signs posted in their driveways. Though, I often wonder if this is a security measure; no dog appears to be around, and there is no sign one was ever there. Mysteriously, they come in two types: miniscule, or gigantic. The happy medium of a golden retriever, for example, just isn’t part of the landscape. On the one hand, Poles walk around with essentially no more than gerbils on a leash, the kind an irritable man gives a good kick to after a bad ... read more