Dutch musician hitches to Pécs with caravan

A Dutch musician arrived in Pecs, S Hungary, on Tuesday after spending 35 days on the road, travelling at the mercy of people offering to haul his caravan.

Tjerk Ridder from Utrecht decided to travel to the cities holding the title of Culture Capital of Europe this year. His original plan was to go on to Istanbul after arriving in Pecs, but after an exhausting journey, he has now decided further travel is beyond him.

The idea for the 3,000-kilometre journey sprung from curiosity on Ridder's part: the musician was keen to test how easy it was to find people willing to donate their time and effort to helping him. He added that he is also curious to get to know the cities, but the first part of the journey was so stressful that he plans to return home to recuperate after spending ten days in Pecs.

Ridder said he had spent cold nights in his unheated caravan along the way and took meals in restaurants. A total of 27 drivers helped him to his destination, he added.

The musician, who entertained Pecs residents with songs and his version of gulyas soup, said his plans are to start off on the road again when the weather gets warmer and publish an album of songs written along the journey some time in May.

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