Yesterday we entered the town of Hegyhátszentjakab. Now to a non-Hungarian the name might look like the announcement, “Hey guys hats and jackets,” but if you look closer with a bit of a sideways squint you can see Szent Jakab, otherwise known as Saint James. This town takes the Via Pannonia in a bit of a northern arc because of the small parish church named ...
The Camino welcome in Hungary is a mixed bag, from hot to cold with everything in between. Our visits to the Pilgrim office in Budapest, and with Ferenc, the man responsible for establishing the Via Pannonia, were tremendous. I have called Ferenc on the phone since and he has helped me to arrange accommodation when the language made it difficult. We have moved beyond the ...
Yesterday I coasted down to Lake Balaton, the closest thing to a sea in Hungary. The passage along the lake is on a lovely paved bike path with glimpses of the lake. These glimpses are usually through a fence or a wall that seals off the beaches from the rest of us. There are lots of people on my side of the divide, but virtually ...
Our first days on the Via Pannonia have been wonderful. Denys, Gord and I were joined on our second day by Ewa, a Polish friend we met years ago on the Via Francigena. Our tribe of four has spent the last three days climbing up and down through beautiful spring green forests, and the evenings laughing and sharing stories over goulash and Hungarian beer. We ...
Budapest to Zsámbék: 32.5 kms Yesterday we met up with Ferenc in Budapest. I love that we were able to chat with the person responsible for marking and mapping our route, the Via Pannonia. He patiently answered all my questions and even gave us credentials. For anyone interested you can find more information about the route on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/viapannonia?mibextid=LQQJ4d It is not the “official” Camino in ...
We arrived in Budapest yesterday. This is the beginning of a long journey from Budapest to Santiago da Compostela. In two three month trips we hope to make our way to Santiago from Budapest. This year we will travel through Hungary on the Via Pannonia , Slovenia on the Jacobova Pot, Italy on the Via Flavia and the Via Postumia , finally heading into France ...
Roads and traffic: There is more traffic in Cuba than there was 20 years ago, but still much less than in other countries. Generally trucks and cars brake and wait to move safely around bicycles. Of course there are always a few exceptional drivers who have a special place in hell waiting for them. Some days we were only passed by one or two cars ...
Dump road I love Cuba, but it isn’t always easy. Independent travel here is very doable, but I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. The food shortages are the hardest on the locals, but they are felt by everyone who is not staying at a resort. The Cubans are so generous with what they have, but sometimes they just don’t have things. We have always been ...
The birds we have seen and heard along the Bay of Pigs has been outstanding. Up until yesterday we were lucky enough to see most of Cuba’s endemic birds, with the exception of the Cuban parrot. Gord continues to add that we also haven’t seen an iguana, but I don’t have the heart to tell him they aren’t birds. Yesterday we were surprised by a ...
The final major battle of the Cuban Revolution was fought in the city of Santa Clara. Under the command of Che Guevara, 340 guerrillas engaged government forces about ten times as large. In an incident that is well remembered in Cuba, a small band of the rebels (perhaps 18) derailed a government train full of troops and armaments through the use of a bulldozer and ...