{"id":2756,"date":"2026-03-23T21:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T20:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/catnaps-and-hungarian-vibes-the-lead-up-to-the-sultans-trail\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T07:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T05:59:09","slug":"catnaps-and-hungarian-vibes-the-lead-up-to-the-sultans-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/catnaps-and-hungarian-vibes-the-lead-up-to-the-sultans-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Catnaps and Hungarian vibes: The lead-up to the Sultans Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Day 2: The Sultans Trail from Belgrade to Sofia<\/h2>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

#throwback September 6, 2025<\/p>\n\n

Special conversations on the night train<\/h2>\n\n

Miraculously, I feel quite rested after my catnaps in my seat on the night train. Before arriving in Vienna<\/a>, I have another pleasant conversation with my tablemates. I’m sitting at a so-called ‘table seat’ with two other travelers opposite me. The man was a freelance mountain hiking guide for 30 years and has done hikes in Canada, the Balkans, Mongolia, and the Pyrenees, among others. My lively table lady is 82 years young and tells me about her hut-to-hut treks from more than 50 (!) years ago and how special that was back then. She still walks 10 km every day, rain or shine. “Well,” she says, “I’m fibbing a little; I don’t hike on Saturdays, that’s when I clean my house.” She’s forgiven! <\/p>\n\n

Budapest, what a beautiful city<\/h2>\n\n

I arrive in Vienna with a 40-minute delay, where I can stretch my legs for just under an hour before the bus to Budapest<\/a> leaves. After a smooth journey and a few more short naps, I arrive there at half past two. It’s quite warm, but manageable. I take the metro to my hostel, check in, and head out to explore the city. <\/p>\n\n

I’m pleasantly surprised. What a gorgeous city, beautifully situated on the Danube<\/a> with its many bridges. The city is clean, cozy, and there’s a lot to see. The people are very friendly; I’m experiencing a bit of a ‘Spain vibe’ here in Hungary<\/a>, something I didn’t expect, with the difference that everyone speaks good English. I actually feel quite at home. It’s pretty touristy, of course, but it’s not like it’s shoulder-to-shoulder\u2014just right. <\/p>\n\n

Those calories, I’ll just walk them off again<\/h2>\n\n

After strolling about ten kilometers through the city, I settle down on the terrace of a small restaurant specializing in Hungarian cuisine. I let them take care of ‘my kitchen for today’ and I don’t regret it; I eat a delicious chicken dish and an extravagant dessert. It tastes superb. 3,000,000 calories, sure, but I’ll walk that off over the next few weeks. <\/p>\n\n

Tomorrow by bus to Belgrade<\/a>. That’s where my hike starts, a section of the Sultans Trail<\/a>, to Sofia<\/a>. I’m really looking forward to it! <\/p>\n\n

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Day 2: The Sultans Trail from Belgrade to Sofia #throwback September 6, 2025 Special conversations on the night train Miraculously, I feel quite rested after my catnaps in my seat on the night train. 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Na een loopbaan in de commerci\u00eble wereld, coaching en training, en jarenlange inzet in de vluchtelingenopvang, koos ik op mijn zestigste voor een radicale wending: ik gaf mezelf een sabbatical en trok de wereld in \u2013 te voet. Wat begon als een plan om 10.000 kilometer door Europa te wandelen, groeide uit tot iets veel groters: een nieuwe manier van leven. In negen maanden legde ik meer dan 5.500 kilometer af, met alleen mijn tent, schrijfboek, wandelkar (die ik liefdevol \u2018Wheelie\u2019 noem) en mijn barefoot schoenen. Al lopend ontdekte ik dat dit mijn pad is: een nomadisch bestaan, schrijvend onderweg. Ik geloof in het ritme van de voeten, in eenvoud, traagheid en aanwezigheid. Reizen zonder haast, leven met weinig, en onderweg de verhalen vangen die zich aandienen. Mijn missie? De schoonheid van vertraging, vrijheid en verbondenheid tastbaar maken in woorden. Ik b\u00e9n onderweg. En daar voel ik me thuis.","sameAs":["https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/marnix_footsteps_of_freedom\/"],"url":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/author\/cheersmarnix\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_5230-e1774245228449.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2623,"url":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/setting-off-on-a-new-adventure-the-sultans-trail\/","url_meta":{"origin":2756,"position":0},"title":"Setting off on a new adventure: the Sultans Trail","author":"Marnix van der Lijn","date":"22 March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Departing for Belgrade from Amsterdam via Vienna and Budapest to hike the Sultans Trail long-distance path from Belgrade to Sofia.","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs ENG"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs ENG","link":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/category\/blogs-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-22-at-20.08.35.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-22-at-20.08.35.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-22-at-20.08.35.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-22-at-20.08.35.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-22-at-20.08.35.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2767,"url":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/coffee-church-and-cocooning-the-art-of-idling-in-smederevo\/","url_meta":{"origin":2756,"position":1},"title":"Coffee, church, and cocooning: the art of idling in Smederevo","author":"Marnix van der Lijn","date":"28 March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Day 7: The Sultans Trail from Belgrade to Sofia #flashback September 11, 2025 Rest A rest day today! I booked a room for two days in the town of Smederevo, famous for its massive medieval fortress and the beautiful Serbian Orthodox church. My room, at 20 euros per night, comes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs ENG"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs ENG","link":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/category\/blogs-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sultans Trail Smederevo Saint John Church","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-28-at-17.49.55.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-28-at-17.49.55.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-28-at-17.49.55.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-28-at-17.49.55.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-28-at-17.49.55.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2260,"url":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/the-great-magic-trick-and-other-bumps-on-the-road-to-belgrade\/","url_meta":{"origin":2756,"position":2},"title":"The great magic trick and other bumps on the road to Belgrade","author":"Marnix van der Lijn","date":"24 March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"How is the journey from Budapest to Belgrade on the Sultans Trail? 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