#141 Welcome back

June 06, 2022: Szeged, Pécs

J. The entry into the EU took longer than all previous border crossings combined. But after all, we are entering 27 countries at the same time, so it must take longer. After about two hours of waiting, we presented our van to the border officer. I had to hold back a bit because unlike everyone else who inspects our van, he was not interested in the lighting, power outlets, refrigerator, or bed layout, but only in the contents of the cabinets. However, he only looked in the small cabinets, theoretically we could have smuggled at least 5 refugees. In fact, just before the border, we saw two large groups of young men who didn't look like they would be crossing through the official border crossing. I wonder if they made it.

With a two-hour delay, we reached our first destination in the EU and in Hungary in the evening: the city of Szeged. Although we had never been to Hungary before, it still felt like coming home to me. The city reminded me a lot of German cities (perhaps more like cities in eastern Germany): the large, old houses were adorned with stucco on the outside; between them, the overhead lines of the trams stretched. On the bike paths, students and other young people rode old racing bikes and rented e-scooters. Children ran laughing through the fountain in one of the squares, and groups of friends sat together with beer on the steps by the river bank. The whole city was filled with pop hits from the last decades, because on the other side of the river, a DJ was giving a big concert. We enjoyed the atmosphere of this beautiful city.

Szeged is located in the middle of the Puszta, the outback of Europe, the land of wide skies. Although we drove around a bit, we couldn't find this famous, big, wide, treeless plain. The landscape reminded me more of northern Germany. Maybe we were too far south for the Puszta. Instead, we drove to the beautiful city of Pécs. Pécs was the European Capital of Culture in 2010 and as part of that, a former factory site has been converted into a huge, beautiful cultural center. The many chimneys and beautifully decorated old buildings of the porcelain factory now share the space with concert halls, a music school, several playgrounds, small shops, and all kinds of things related to crafts, art, or culture.

The city center of Pécs also has a lot to offer. Especially the Mosque-Church. In the main square of the city stands a building that looks like a mosque from the outside, but is actually a church. The former mosque from the time of the Ottoman Empire was converted into a church. Inside, both Christian and Muslim elements can be seen, making it a truly beautiful and very impressive place of worship.

Day 234 - Total tour 18,054 km

---- Subscribe ----

If you would like to subscribe to our blog, you can either sign up with Vakantio and click on subscribe or send us a message and we will put you in our own distribution list. We appreciate any feedback as well!

Email: querfeld2@gmail.com