- The start of our Pan European Sojourn
- And we’re off — first stop Palma de Mallorca!
- Alicante, Spain
- Sète and Aigues Mortes, France
- St. Tropez and Gassin, France
- Portofino and Camogli, Italy
- Paris and Angers, France
- Bucharest, Romania
- Into the Carpathian Mountains — Peles Castle
- Brasov and Sighisoara, Romania
- Bran Castle and the legend of Dracula!
- Vidin, Bulgaria
- Valiko Tarnavo and Arbanasi, Bulgaria
- Rolling down the (Danube) river and Golubac Fortress, Serbia
- Belgrade, Serbia
- Novi Sad, Serbia and Vukovar, Croatia
- Pécs, Hungary
- Budapest, Vienna, and end of trip
On our last full day of the cruise, we found ourselves in an area of Hungary called the Southern Transdanubia to visit Pécs, the 5th largest city in Hungary, but second only to Budapest in the number of visits. The city actually dates back to ancient times, settled by the Celts and later by the Romans who used this area for wine production. It later became a early Christian Center and was also occupied by the Ottoman Turks. The influence of the latter two groups is what makes Pécs so popular today. In regards to the Christians, a series of decorated burial chambers, chapels, and a mausoleum were constructed on the foundations of the former Roman settlement. The architectural uniqueness of the structures, as well as the murals depicting Christian themes is what resulted in the Christian Necropolis being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was fascinating walking through the layers of history as we made our way through the site. This area continues to be an important Christian site with the Basilica of St. Peter and the Bishop’s Palace which also has a very unusual statue of Franz Liszt who was a guest of the Bishop in 1846 and wrote some important pieces there. St. Peter’s Basilica was somewhat unique in that it had four towers, each of which has a chapel at its base. It was definitely ornate, especially with the elevated central altar. From there, we headed down to Szechenyi, which is the heart of the old city. We had hoped to the former Pasha Gazi Kassim Mosque (now a parish church) in the square, but we came face-to-face with a huge orienteering race. What was great was that there were people of all shapes, sizes, and ages that had their maps and were running all over the city! We had to get out of the way a few times to avoid getting bowled over. Anyway, the teams were very excited, cheering on their members as they passed checkpoints.
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
