Blogs from Pécs, Southern Transdanubia, Hungary, Europe

Heute habe ich mir Pecs angesehen. Beginnend mit dem Vasarely Museum zu diesem Op-Art-Kuenstler. Dann weiter zum Dom. Danach die fruehchristlichen Graeber in dessen Umgebung. Anschliessend zur Hassan Jakovali Moschee, der einzigen erhaltenen dieser Art mit Minarett in Pecs. Dann entlang der Ferencesek utcaja, der wichtigsten Fussgaengerzone in Pecs. Und danach zum Kossuth ter-Platz mit der Synagoge und dem Rathaus. Morgen moechte ich ins zweite Land meiner Reise fahren: in die kroatische Hauptstadt Zagreb. Der einzige akzeptable Zug faehrt um etwa 16:00 hier ab und kommt nach 20:00 dort an. Ich bin weder ein Freund von derart spaeten Abfahrten, weil mich das zu einem Late-Checkout oder dem Herumlaufen oder Warten in der Start bis zur Abfahrt zwingt, noch von derart spaeten Ankuenften. Wenigstens liegt mein erstes Hotel in Zagreb in der Naehe des Bahnhofs. Ein paar ... read more

We woke this morning to the gentle patter of rain on the skylight. The forecast said it was going to be light showers this morning and clearing this afternoon. So we planned for an easy wake up and a late breakfast hoping that the rain would be gone before we headed out to explore the historic town of Pécs. By the time we went out the rain had stopped but the sky was still threatening with large dark clouds overhead, however the temperature was comfortable in the low 20s. It was quite strange to be out sightseeing where there was a prospect of rain, something we haven’t done since leaving Barcelona about seven weeks ago. It seems that rain might follow us for the next few days. A positive out of this is the temperatures will ... read more

Neither of us had ever heard of Pecs before we sat down the other night and tried to find a town with a hotel halfway between Budapest and Sarajevo and Pecs came out on top.So today its south across the great Hungarian Plain(oh no,not more flat land to drive through!!)and onto Pecs. One of the interesting things about Hungary is that whne you cross into the country and convert some Euros(even on a limited budget such as the BBA)you become VERY rich with HUF or Hungarian Florints.At HUF264 to €1 it doesn't take long and you have a heap of money.Things are cheap here like in other parts of Eastern Europe but by all accounts the economy is thriving and prices will rise especially if and when they join the Euro zone.HUF notes come in sizes ... read more

We spent a few days in Pecs and on a farm outside of Pecs in a town of 280 called Kiskassa. Pecs was far more relaxed than Budapest and when we first got there we sat on some benches outside a church near some fountains and snacked on salami and bread, checking out the scene. It is like a very touristy version of Cambridge to Budapest's Boston. In Budapest we went to the baths to relax (an amazing experience); here we could just look around. Pecs is more tourist friendly - more people speak English, it is compact and fairly cheap (gyros are half the price of those in Budapest). We met a backpacker from Missouri named Scott who gave us a map and pointed us in the direction of the bus station after telling us ... read more

I got a train from Bratislava to Budapest, but I'd been there a few month previous, so onwards I went on my merry way to Pecs (it's pronounced "Pech".) And I felt it imediately, away from the trail. Pecs is such a beautiful place but the backpackers seem to head straight for the capital. Great, more Pecs for me. But on emerging from the train I soon felt my bearings eluding me. So, to my detrement, I tried using my common sense ("So, I've travelled south on the train, I need to north, so I should just follow the tracks from where I'd come") and, of course, I soon realised that my particular band of logic didn't work. Also, while gorping at the map, my foot caught the edge of a rock and gravity did it's ... read more