13 yr old Tanya Rathi from Udaipur completed the 500km European Peace Walk (EPW) which took her across 6 countries in a span of 17 days.  This magnanimous effort of hers has brought laurels to Udaipur.

Tanya, being the youngest of the participants was the darling of the walkathon, which began on 5^th June and ended on 22^nd June.

Vinay Rathi, father of Tanya, who accompanied her on this trip, said that it was an exhilarating experience for the young girl, who had trained extensively for the European Peace Walk, which is an international Camino grade event.  Tanya, who braved the tough 500km route, walked across six European countries including Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy, called it an unparalleled and unforgettable experience.

Tanya’s walk started from Sopron in Hungary on 5^th June.  Vinay and Tanya completed the 500 km walk traversing through Vienna in Austria, Varajdeen in Croatiam, Jubjana in Slovenia with the walk culminating at Trieste, Italy.  As per Tanya, this route took them across many lively cities and towns of Europe, where they got to closely observe the rich cultural heritage of Europe.  Walking across new taverns, with co-participants from various countries like Iceland, Britain, USA, Denmark, etc was in itself a unique experience, said Tanya.

The European Peace Walk began after the first World War approximately 100 years ago and is held to commemorate the history of the World War and honor the peace and prosperity of the European continent.  This walk is an example of a world without boundaries.

Walking across cultural boundaries and countries made the participants experience situation like having breakfast in Hungary, lunch in Slovenia and dinner with a night out in Croatia – an experience not available elsewhere and not to many.  This walk, dedicated to humanity and cross boundaries interaction, allowed people from various cultures, and various age groups to gel together, meet residents in various towns, give and take introductions, is truly and amazing experience, said Vinay.

Closely observing a variety of cultures, walking through farms, living in hostels, community centers, guest houses, was something that will be cherished for a life time for both father and daughter, added Vinay.  Tanya further added that having local meals, experiencing the hospitality of people from different cultures across the 17 days was the best experience that the 68 member team of the EPW had during the event.