Sopron, Hungary

In all the years I have been coming to Vienna, I never visited Sopron. Well that changed this month. Hopped on a train in Vienna and an hour later it stopped in Sopron. Even though it is a small city, it has played an important role in history.

• It was a Roman Settlement in the 1st century AD.
• It evolved into a medieval and Baroque city. The location was perfect for the trade route.
• It had a significant Jewish community in between being welcomed, expelled, welcomed again and then murdered in the Holocaust.
• And the location of the Pan- European Picnic in 1989 was a key part of the Iron Wall falling. (This is when residents of Austria and Hungary gathered for a peaceful protest). After the Berlin Wall fell, Sopron was the first spot where the wire was cut between Hungary and Austria.
• A retired local collects train lamps from around the world and offers private tours of his collection. Stephan and I were lucky to catch him before he headed home for lunch and got a tour of his 50 + lamps from modern to early times including from the Austrian Monarchs carriages.
• And now, not only a lovely town - it boosts "Dental Capital of the World" with supposedly 300 dental clinics. I would believe it.

A day well spent walking around, getting my teeth cleaned, eating a vegan lunch and drinking a good coffee.