It''s within walkabouts that our minds can wander alongside our footprints through space and time giving way for reflection. Our legs are designed to carry us and so are the trails of the land we inhabit.  A simple stroll after dinner is suppose to aid digestion but a hike can also aid the process of walking away from and through trivialities that vex our spirit. Some go so far as to seek a visionquest, walking until they might see how to re-evaluate how to walk through everyday life. Within the below suggestions, the beloved terrain of Budapest and it''s trails offer its residents the opportunity to wander and wonder outside of city walls.

Stroll Margarit Island (EASY)

With a handful of island paths to explore, one doesn't have to walk around Margarit Island on the same path twice unless it feels good. Choose either to encircle this river island on it’s 7.56 kilometer path that’s traditionally meant for runners or weave in and out onto paths that interpret the island's inland. Between relics, fountains, the river and all the nooks and crannies that this land beholds there is plenty for the eyes to gaze upon. All that’s left is you simply placing one foot in front of the other and embracing grace.
“Now shall I walk or shall I ride?'Ride,' Pleasure said; 'Walk,' Joy replied.” ― W.H. DaviesExplore Buda Hill (MEDIUM)

Ride the Cog Railway dating from 1874 up 3.64 kilometers before catching the Childrens Railway that was built in 1951 another 12 kilometers to a plateau where trails sprawl out in every direction. Without a map, allow your inner compass to guide you. These panoramic views are well worth the ascent and the hill allows for the opportunity to take a peek inside some of Budda’s renown caves as well as the Béla Bartók Memorial House.

“Walking . . . is how the body measures itself against the earth.” ― Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of WalkingPilgrim the National Blue Trail (HARD)

For the more adventurous spirit that’s itching with wanderlust, lies the oldest long distance path in Europe which is 21,000 kilometers long. Starting at the Austrian-Hungarian border, this beast of a trail sprawls through the Transdanubian Mid Range Mountains, the Northern Mid Range Mountains and over the peaks of the Börzsöny, Mátra, Bükk and Zemplén Mountains. It visits many historical sites including Sumeg, a 750 year old fortress, extinct volcanoes, castles and two World Heritage sites: the old village of Hollókő and the Dripstone Cave of Aggtelek. Slice this trail up and chew it with your footsteps and be rewarded visually, physically and spiritually.
“Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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