We are now approaching the border of Slovenia, having walked or cycled about 400 kms from Budapest over a two week period. We would like to provide a summary of our experiences in this country to assist future pilgrims. Note that the Via Pannonia is not one of the Camino routes supported by the official organization in Hungary; those routes go up the Danube to ...
I would like to thank our friends who expressed concern over my bout of Lyme disease. The antibiotic is working its wonders and after two rest days we were back on the Camino today. We will be doing several shorter days. We are now in the far west of Hungary, close to the borders of both Slovenia and Croatia. It appears to be a more traditional ...
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 ...