Hungary
Hungary became part of the European Union (EU) and became part of the Shannon countries, those that allow passport free border crossings, in 2004. Like most new systems, the peoples have mixed feelings about the EU. Too many rules but the economy is better. Many of the rules they dislike have to do with foods and drugs. Can only sell ground up poppy seeds (so seeds cannot be grown for opium). Olive oil companies must store oil in steel vats instead of traditional terrocotta vats. Affects very old family businesses. "They seem to want to tell you how curved a banana should be." said our guide. She said that, although her country has not as yet reached the economic level to allow them to use the Euro currency, she is not sure they will want to.

Budapest

I now know what Hungarian goulash is. I had thought it similar to Minnesota's famous macaroni hot dish, but, not even close. It is a wonderful soup I would liken to vegetable beef soup with the broth removed and replaced by the spiced sauce created in a wonderful pot of chili.

Flying into Budepest on a late summer day, in 2014; in company with 23 friends, some of whom we had traveled with before, brought us into some of the oldest historical areas of the world.

Dating back as far as the Old Stone Age, the area that is now Budapest has evidence of Celtics living there as early as the first century B.C. A major factor in the town's development was the building of a Roman fort in what is now Óbuda.

After our long flight we were anxious to arrive at our rather basic but comfortable hotel. Ramona and I had an odd room. A small area upon entry contained a single bed and nothing more. Further into the room, past the bathroom, we found the main area with a double sized bed and, beyond, a nice little outdoor patio. I Brought my own gin & glass so had a martini before dinner - after a rest, of course. Dinner followed. breaded chicken stuffed with date or prune (I think). Mashed potatos. Some sort of dessert. Good enough.

The following day, a tour of the city. The settlements of Óbuda, Buda and Pest, in 1872, became the city of Budapest. In 1867 Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth ("Sissi") were crowned in Matthias Church. The Austro-Hungarian monarchy of the Danube came into being and established this city.

We saw the exterior of the old St. Matthias Church, but it was currently having the mosaics on its facad resurfaced. Budapest’s Castle District is packed with historic sights and attractions (the Royal Palace, the Matthias Church, medieval houses), interesting museums, lovely, crooked streets following the shape of the hill, and, of course, some good cafés and restaurants.

Besides the monuments, we got a breathtaking panorama of the Danube with the Chain Bridge and the Pest side of the city on the opposite side of the river.

That evening we went to dinner where we were treated to a wonderful night of gypsy dance and music. Violin, hammer dulcimer, horns and a viohorn. A viohorn? I made that up. The instrument is a violin with, what looks like the end of a trumpet attached. In any case, the music was grand. One of the dancers snatched my wife and brought her up to dance with him. She said he was powerful and quite easy to follow. Must have been a refreshing change from her more banal partner. Goulash, chicken marsala (I think), a variety of thin meats and cheeses, wine and, of course, some schnapps.

After two nights in Budapest we drove south to the beautiful city of Pécs. We were told that a Champaign type wine is produced in this region.

Pécs

As we travelled along the nicely surfaced highways to our next destination, grass surfaced bridges with natural wood fencing for animals to cross and tunnels for frogs to cross, appeared occationally. A beautiful sight and a wonderful thing to do to preserve the natural wildlife of the area.

We arrived in Pécs early afternoon, left our luggage at our incredibly beautiful Hotel. The Palatinus Hotel is in the historic center of Pécs, facing its main square. This nearly 100 year old building has nice, although small, guest rooms, an incredible grand ballroom and an imposing entrance hall with art-nouveau masterpieces.

We visited the Zsolnay Porcelain factory & museum. The Zsolnay factory was established by Miklos Zsolnay in 1853 to produce stoneware and other ceramics. In 1863, his son, Vilmos Zsolnay joined the company and became its manager and director after several years.

Then back to the hotel for check in. Had to walk about 2 blocks to the hotel as it is located in the plaza area where buses cannot go. Porters took care of our two larger bags. Then we went roaming around the neighborhood and found a nice little place to have our lunch.

We roamed the area around Széchenyi square, which is the main square in the historical center of Pécs. In the Middle Ages it served as the market place of the town with the city hall and the parish church. The square is one of the central squares of Pécs, full of monuments, mounting gradually northward.

Later, back to the hotel for a buffet dinner followed by a wine party arranged by some of our fellow travelers. A good nights rest - a morning buffet breakfast – then back in the bus on our way to Sarajevo Bosnia.