🗺️ Day 10: 16-Country Europe Tour (31) – Pécs, Hungary 🇭🇺

oday’s journey was fascinating! Starting from Vukovar, Croatia (the "Martial City" 🥋), passing through Vinkovci (the "Literary City" 📚), we arrived at Pécs, Hungary—fittingly completing the "martial + literary" combo! 😄 Coincidentally, Pécs is an ancient university town 🎓, home to one of Europe's oldest universities. ✨ First Impressions: We happened to visit on a Hungarian revolutionary holiday 🎉, so the city felt eerily quiet—locals were all on vacation, leaving only tourists wandering the streets. The architecture, with its ochre-colored walls and dome-like structures, gave off a vibe reminiscent of China’s northern frontier 🏜️. 🏛️ About Pécs: 📍 Nestled between the Danube and Drava Rivers, Pécs is Hungary’s cultural and artistic capital 🎭, famed for: Pécs University (founded in 1367, one of Europe’s oldest! 🎓) Stunning museums and the best Ottoman-era ruins in Hungary 🕌 A thriving music, opera, and ballet scene 🎶 Zsolnay ceramics—a local specialty since the 19th century 🏺 💡 Fun History: Over 2,000 years ago, Romans built a major city here called Sopianae (now Pécs). Legend says Hungarians descend from the Xiongnu (Huns) 🏹—a nomadic people who once roamed northern China before migrating west. Today, they’re the only Europeans who, like Chinese, put surnames first! 🥢 🌆 Highlights & Quirks: Ottoman Influence: Minarets, Turkish baths, and fusion architecture everywhere! Silent Streets: Thanks to the holiday, we had the city (almost) to ourselves! Ceramic Magic: Don’t miss the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter ✨ #TravelDiaries #Hungary #Pécs #CulturalGem #OffTheBeatenPath 🌍✈️