5 WAYS TO WANDER: Here’s Why You Never Clink Beer Mugs in Hungary
11 April, 2025 | Welcome to 5 Ways to Wander. 🌍✨
I’m writing this from my couch, wrapped in a blanket (still cold here in Berlin), pretending I’m on a train in the Alps. Let’s wander a little, shall we? 👣
#1 This Week’s Travel Hack:
🪙 Always Carry Coins for Public Toilets in Europe. Public restrooms often charge a small fee (50 cents to €1), and many don’t take cards or currency notes (also because they often have contactless entry).
Especially in train stations, small towns, and fuel pumps, coins are your golden ticket to relief.
Keep a stash of €1 and 50¢ coins in a tiny zip pouch.
Insider Tip: In Germany, pay-to-pee rest stops often give you a voucher for part of your fee – usually €0.50 – which you can use toward a snack or drink at the shop.
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#2 Destination of the Week:
🇦🇹 Innsbruck, Austria. Snow-dusted peaks, pastel buildings, and the kind of crisp air that make your lungs feel brand new.
Welcome to Innsbruck.
Nestled in the Austrian Alps, it’s part ski town, part imperial city. You’ll find baroque architecture alongside mountaintop cable cars. One minute you’re walking cobblestone lanes, the next you’re staring down a ski jump. A small city with serious fairytale energy.
Fun Fact: Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964 and again in 1976, making it one of the few cities to host the event twice!
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#3 Cultural Insight:
🍺 Don’t clink your beer mugs in Hungary. The act has a dark history tied to a national tragedy in the country.
After the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was crushed by the Austrians, 13 Hungarian generals were executed. Legend has it that Austrian officers celebrated their deaths by clinking their beer mugs.
In response, Hungarians swore not to clink beer for 150 years. The tradition stuck, and now many Hungarians avoid it (especially older generations).
Drinking wine or pálinka (Hungarian fruit liquor)? Clink away. But with beer, just raise your mug and say “Egészségedre!” (cheers).
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#4 Travel Quote to Ponder:
🌎 “I wish travel therapy was covered by my health insurance.” ― Unknown
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#5 Question for You:
âť”What’s you favorite season to travel in?
(Hit reply and tell me.. I’d love to hear!)
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