Pécs

Baba Idris's mausoleum in Pécs

We bought a month's motorway pass so we took the full length of the M6 down, an experience we haven't yet had. Verdict: fast, comfortable but very boring. It seems to be devoid of traffic most of the time, so those that declared it to have been an extremely expensive white elephant were probably quite close to the truth. Still, Roy had a relaxing time driving and it enabled us to leave just after 8am and start caching before midday at over 200km away from home.

Ancient tree in Bicsérd

Pellérd chateau park

We started with villages to the South of Pécs, clearing all but one of them, which amounted to 10 caches in what was really only half a day. We arrived at the hotel just before 6pm and found a lovely pizza place to have dinner in. Roy had "Super Pizza", which he reckoned was a bit of a kitchen sink affair, with everything on it that was around in the kitchen.

Keszü look-out tower

Keszü lake

 I had a spaghetti aglio i olio, which is my favourite pasta dish and loved that as well. Next morning we went walking around in Pécs, which took us over 4 hours, but we visited something like 17 places, including lots of wells, churches, statues, the old city walls, the main cathedral and the old mosque, which is now a catholic church etc., etc. We were both very thirsty by 2pm, so we popped into a bar for a beer for me and a Coke for Roy, as he was due to drive in the afternoon.

En route to the mill lakes

Roy and his kitchen sink pizza

Swans

After finishing the walking bit, we popped back to the hotel, had our sandwiches and got going by car for the afternoon. We started on the more hilly bits, where there were more churches, statues, memorials, a stages of the cross and some pretty views.

A section of the city walls

For dinner we returned to our little pizza place, this time we both had chicken, Roy's was in breadcrumbs with a delicious sauce, while mine was just roasted with a lovely salad and thick chips.

Furrier's sign in Franciscan street

The cathedral from the gardens

The old mosque, now a church

The last day was still spent in Pécs, also by car and this time we ventured well into the forested hills above the town. Additionally, my friend Feri, who lives in Pécs, joined us for an hour or so and helped me find three caches. We found lots of caches in the hills, most of them were about the views, some were in an Arboretum, some by old graves of Turks, who occupied Hungary in the 16th and 17th century, memorials, statues and such like were still in evidence, as well as the Zoo and a narrow gauge railway.

Medieaval decoration on Málom church

Málom church

We finished caching about 2:30 in the afternoon, left just after it and were home bang on 6pm completely exhausted, but very happy. Total cache finds numbered 29, which is respectable and was in most cases really interesting and enjoyable

Zsolnay majolica vase in the hotel

Nagyárpád church

Art nouveau stained glass in the hotel

Nike statue above Pécs

Forest flora in February