This was the 3rd stop on our trip round Europe, one that started a little apprehensively but was the most wonderful of culture-shocks.

We arrived in Pécs (the nearest major town) by train late in the afternoon, and decided to take a taxi to the hotel (some 15/16km outside Pécs in Óbánya). That was a bit of a mistake - it cost us nigh on £20, whereas the bus service would have cost us pennies. The hotel itself is VERY off the beaten track - from the nearest main road, it was a good 3/4km down a single track road through real Hansel & Gretel country to Óbánya iteself, little more than the hotel, a cemetary (we think), and half a dozen houses.

The owner greeted us at the door, a big friendly Hungarian guy whose English was as patchy as our Hungarian! It turned out that we were the only people staying at the hotel, and this guy did all the running around and cooking, but went off to his own house at 8.00pm leaving us with the keys!

The room was basic but... more