Search Results

Today I had planned a bigger one, 130KM to Baja in the south. It's about time I got out of Hungary and although it has not been the most inspiring of places, I have really enjoyed it. The people I met were friendly even if they are supposed to have a reputation of being racist, homophobic and right wing. The scenery has been a bit dull, the views of the Danube fleeting and the roads not great. But they have not been all THAT bad either and often times there is even a cycle path that runs alongside some of them, although differencing greatly in quality so that sometimes, it is just easier to use the main road. Waking up completely alone in the campsite was wonderful. The owner last night had showed me how to let myself out and once again, it was like wild camping with all the additional benefits of a shower block and electricity to charge up my tech. Plus my tent was perfectly dry, which makes it a doddle to pack up. I would have loved a coffee first thing as I woke up and listened to the whole of nature getting ready too, but otherwise it was perfect. I opted to take the more scenic EV6 route that followed the curve of the Ráckeve tributary rather than the main route 51 with its better surface and was rewarded for it. It was lined on one side with what looked like holiday homes for locals, each with their own private little jetties into the river. Super peaceful in the sun dappled road and everyone I saw smiled and said hello. It was enjoyable to shout out hello and good morning in English. There was a very nice looking, but freshly dead cat in the middle of the road and I suspect there will be a sad owner somewhere out there today. I eventually arrived the confluence with the Kiskunsági-főcsatorna canal and decided to head up towards the main route 51 rather than cross it and continue onwards following the river along what looked very much to be a sandy path. It wasn't too busy although there were still huge trucks but I find that I am now at ease with them - how different from those first few days when it really was a white knuckle ride. As I trundled on, a guy with the same pannier set up as me waved at me from across the road and he swooped over. His name was Herman, a photographer from the Netherlands and we chatted a bit. It's true, you don't see too many cyclists (none?) now I have left Budapest, but there are still EV6 signs around the place so its quite easy to follow the route. He had been cycling around Europe on and off for many years and even within the course of a 10 minute conversation, it is amazing to find out how in tune you are with somebody, as we discussed disused factories and old ports which he liked to photograph. I told him all about the aluminium factory at Almásfüzitő and he told me about knackered in old ports around Bulgaria. Buoyed up by this recent connection, I cracked on through Solt where I stopped for a bit of lunch. After that point, the roads and dykes started to get superb, super smooth all the way and I flew along. The sun was in the sky but not hot, perfect conditions. To my left, the great Hungarian plain and to my right, the riparian forest. On and on and on and on it went with little to break the monotony apart from the odd random herd of cows, a house with a tree growing through it, some cool looking structure with a silver ball attached, other cyclists, and a huge transmission tower, the highest along the length of the Danube, or something like that. I cranked on some tunes, listened to my new favourite podcast Ladies who London and some UK radio to make me feel at home, once again thankful for my portable wireless speaker. Before I knew it, I was getting into Baja where I had found a decent room at Napsugár Szállóon that had the basics and dropped off my stuff, took a quick shower and then out to check out the delights of the city. I fancied something substantial to eat after a long day cycle and one of the local dishes people raved about was the fish soup. When it came, the baddest, ugliest rubbery motherfucker of a carp was on a side dish which you then added to the soup. It wasn't horrible, but it was all bones and I was in no mood for mucking around with watery soup, so ordered another massive pasta and pork dish washed down with a couple of pints of lager. Job done.

My final morning at the Erzsebet and I totally stocked up on the breakfast. The staff kept laughing at how many times I went back, I am not sure they know that I am on a cycle trip. Last night I was looking at the upcoming route and checking out various videos on YouTube. I had already watched a few montyandkemodo videos when getting ready for the trip (seems a life time ago, now) and looking back again, I now realise that I have already been to many of the same places they had been too, at least recently anyway. Not only that, but they had made a list of all the places they stayed and I figured, why make life difficult for myself - I may just as well follow their suggestions as it is the route that I will be taking, at least in the short-term. I have still not made up my mind whether I will take the EV13 for my final stretch but I have my paper map which will be useful if I do so. I also suspect that I will stay at more hotels and B&B's from now on as they seem pretty cheap. At one point, I did think about Michael's suggestion of getting a train through Hungary to avoid the poor quality roads, but I am pleased that I didn't do this in the end as I will be missing out on so much. And you know what, the roads are not that bad. I just got spoilt after Germany and Austria, but they are OK. I totally loved Budapest and will be coming back for sure. However my hotel was very much a 'business' hotel and lacked any vibe or energy, although it had been great for these past 3 nights. I won't be staying here again though, now that I have seen the other areas of town, I will be more selective. One thing I don't understand are the toilets. They have this weird shelf inside so when you take a dump, your poo just sits there until you flush it down. Likewise, when you want to pee, you need to be very careful with your aim, otherwise the splashback is intense. I mean, WTF? I have tried to find out why, but there doesn't seem to be any reason for this. Sure, it may be easier to take poo samples for the doctor, but I reckon I have only ever done that on about 10 occasions maximum in my entire life. Completely insane and utterly daft. But much as I have enjoyed this mini break, I can't wait to get back on the road again. My bike was in absolutely perfect condition after its overhaul and the new brake pads are a dream. If that wasn't enough, the road was actually pretty good; smooth, traffic free and easy. Thanks to montyandkemodo, I had planned to go to a campsite only 50K away in the village of Domsod, which weirdly translates as 'you are chubby'. A very short route, I got there in no time at all although there was a moment around Soroksár when I couldn't quite work out where I was. As I was looking at the map, an elderly guy who was out for a Sunday morning cycle took me under his wing and showed me the way through the slightly complicated street network. I felt so comfortable cycling along with him for 20 minutes or so, neither of us talking but perfectly in tune with each other. A beautiful moment. The campsite itself is situated on the banks of the a significant tributary to the Danube called Ráckeve-Danube and I was the only person there. Peaceful and tranquil, I pitched up the tent and sat at the restaurant with my kindle. I get the impression it is very much a place that locals come to escape the city for sailing and watersports weekends and indeed, the father or grandfather of a large group came up to introduce himself as he was leaving. I think he had noticed my rowing club gilet and was a rower himself, which broke the ice. I am really taking so much more notice of my diet now, pictures of me are not great and I look quite thin and drawn. Luckily the campsite had a small restaurant, but I had stopped by a Tesco on the way and stocked up on loads of fruit; they didn't take my clubcard so no additional points. I sat on a bench and watched the sun set, watching all life around the water slowly close down for the night and I went to bed, very content. Magical.

Another day, another humongous breakfast. The restaurant staff are getting to know me quite well now as my plates get ever bigger. I am conscious of a comment that Michael made the other day, that I am looking pretty thin and I need to make sure I am putting enough away. Weather looked to be perfect, clear and sunny for my sightseeing day. The tour was set for 10.00AM so I set off early and watched the sunrise sitting on the riverbank overlooking Buda with its impressive array of monuments, palaces and iconic buildings. A visual feast starting off with the iconic Liberty Statue high on Gellért Hill, with her hands raised high and holding a palm leaf as a celebration of the Soviet liberation of Hungary. Moving right is Buda Palace, the Presidential Palace, Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion with its 7 turrets representing 7 Hungarian chieftains who had led their tribes to the present day Hungary. An eye popping, skyline defining glorious romp through Hungary's history. A moment of calm reflection before I shot off to meet Auden, my super enthusiastic and engaging Spanish guide in front of the Parliament Building. Wow, it just looked so damn amazing in the morning light. I really lucked out with Auden as he was able to present the history on Hungary with a view that I suspect may not be shared with many of his Hungarian colleagues, although subsequent fact checking suggests he played a little fast and loose on some of the detail. No problemo, I would much prefer his entertaining interpretations over granular historical accuracy any day. I can always find that out myself afterwards and sometimes you just need the spirit of a place conveyed in a way that sits with you. As ever, the rise of the all powerful Ottoman Empire was a key time period and all seemed to kick off, with respect to Hungary anyway, with the Battle of Mohács in 1526 which paved the way for Habsburg and Turkish domination in Hungary with perpetual warfare for the next couple of hundred years or so. Interesting factoids included that 96m was the height of both the Parliament Building and St Stephen Basilica, apparently in reference to the formation of Hungary in 896. Also, housed within the reliquary of St Stephen's Basilica was the incorruptible withered right hand of Stephen I of Hungary, the first King of Hungary as well as the tombs of various famous football players. I will never get enough of trams running on overhead powerlines in front of iconic buildings. Auden went onto give a great historical overview of main events and in particular, two monuments to note. The first is the Memorial for Victims of the German Occupation erected by the current, popular PM Viktor Orbán as a way of whitewashing the Hungarian government's complicit murder of Jews by shooting them into the Danube, often tying them together with barbed wire and killing only one with a bullet to head and the others would then be pulled into the freezing river. The monument consists of a black eagle for Nazi hovering over the representation of Hungary with broken Doric columns representing the death of democracy. It was erected secretly, during the course of one night in July 2014 and Jewish community members subsequently put up images of Jews murdered along the bottom of the memorial, held up by barbed wire. This is taken down every time there is a neo-Nazi gathering which happens fairly regularly, but then Jewish community put them all back up again. The second monument to note is the Soviet Heroic Memorial in Liberty Square, referencing the Soviet liberation of Hungary in World War II from Nazi German occupation. Unlike the majority of statues relating to the Communist dictatorship which had been moved to Memento Park in the south of the city following the fall of communism, the Soviet Heroic Memorial stayed put largely due to the threat by the Soviet Union saying that they would dig up or build over all of the graves of the Hungarians buried in Russia. It is continually being defaced and has now got a big fence around it. I felt energised after hearing about key significant events, the 1956 uprising and subsequent overthrow by the Russians, the reasons how the Soviets gained such a stronghold in Hungary over time and generally the views held by Hungarians on the Russians. Fascinating stuff. Turns out that there was due to be a papal visit next week, so I shot up to Heroes Square to take a look at the preparations. There was a great sounding restaurant recommended by Auden, but as per usual, they were not keen on a solo diner for lunch in such a busy time. Grrr. Next stop, the famous Szechenyi Thermal Baths which were just fantastic. Could not have chosen a better afternoon, with the sun blazing and although full, still plenty of room. Different temperatures of water, inside and outside with sauna and hammam. Spent over two hours and met loads of Brits over for a weekend break. I fleetingly wondered about Covid and how clearly it did not seem an issue in this particular place, although there was one lady by the changing rooms who was wearing a mask. Good luck to her, I say. Took a random bus, one of those that runs with cables above it down to the main area. I wanted to get over to Bud hill to watch the sunset over Pest and especially the Parliament Building from Fisherman Bastion. I definitely didn't want to go hungry again so stopped off at Thai restaurant and got chatting to an English guy who had moved over to Hungary to be with his Hungarian girlfriend. Wow, so great to be speaking to so many English people these past few days. After hoofing it back to the hotel, I made it over to Buda and was rewarded with one of the most spectacular sunsets from Fisherman's Bastion overlooking all of the amazing buildings I had been touring earlier that day. Yet another brilliant day in my big brilliant journey.

Today was a rest day with life laundry. The breakfast at the hotel was superb and I went back for repeated helpings of everything. Supermarket trip to buy proper detergent and do some full on clothes washing - my luxurious room has been transformed into a laundry. I found a nearby bike shop and dropped it off for a thorough once over. I would prefer that everything works 100% if I am going to take the EV13 and this is the last major city (I think) that I can do this. After a full service later, it works like an absolute dream. Good call. Got a haircut by the fastest, most efficient hairdresser in the world. If only I could find someone like that in England. Walk in, sit down, say one word 'short' and five minutes later, bosh all done. I then booked up a walking tour for tomorrow as well as a spa at some famous baths. Budapest if famous for its spa baths, so best to sample them, so that is tomorrow sorted. A got-shit-done kind of day. England were playing Hungary last night, so there were a few English supporters hanging around and I got chatting to a few in a bar called The Bitcoin Bar. Turns out there was quite a bit of racial taunting going on at the match apparently, but these supporters seemed fine. I realised that these are the first actual British people I have met on my trip so far, excluding the lovely Louise in Vienna that is. I also posted up a video of my previous ride between Vienna and Budapest, which was cool. I wandered around in the evening, taking in the city and looking for somewhere nice to eat. Truth be told, I felt a bit lonely as it was such a beautiful place and I had noone to share it with. I guess you have to take the rough with the smooth, although this feeling was compounded because all of the best sounding restaurants were not interested in a solo diner. Can't say I blame them, it was a Friday night and business is business. I ended up in some tourist hellhole trap spending a fortune on a small piece of crap, which annoyed me. As I wandered home, I took in the stunning view over to Buda with its illuminated palace. This really is a superb city and I felt that I knew my way around it well by now and was looking forward to a full on day tomorrow and had a hotel room to stay in for the next couple of nights. All good in the hood.

An absolutely glorious morning. To wake up with such a beautiful view over the river, amazing sunrise - I felt truly blessed. I spent a moment just taking it all in and loving being back in the tent. My getting up process is now perfect and I was ready in under an hour. Certainly helps now that I have paired my items down to the bare minimum, and realise that my sleeping bag will never be coming back with me to England. Large amount of white stuffing appearing, but its still enough life in it for the rest of this trip. However, getting back onto that road was never going to be easy. I figured that first thing in the morning, there may be less trucks roaring past but I was wrong. However I have learnt a neat trick, which is to ensure that I don't cycle in a straight line thereby ensuring that the upcoming trucks are forced to give me a wider berth and guess what, it works! Still pretty hairy, but I am getting used to it and I have survived thus far and I am sure I will be fine. I had read that the route to the next town of Süttő was beautiful, but I fail to see how that could be possible. Apparently there was a dedicated cycle path, but it was nowhere to be found. Given the huge rainfall of the past week or so, the Danube was massively swollen and furiously fast flowing with half submerged trees all the way along, so perhaps the cycle track had also been submerged. Driving through the village of Süttő was odd as it was a small but hardly peaceful, with lots of small local shops vying incongruously with the thundering traffic which although not a constant, was still regular enough to set one's nerves on edge. The next stop was the delightful city of Esztergom, where I stopped off for a passable coffee and breakfast of some flouncy confection that was utterly tasteless but pretty to look at. The café was full of locals who were all very friendly. The city was dominated by a hugely impressive Basilica, which it turns out is the largest church and indeed the tallest building in Hungary. It was also known as Hungary's Rome due its role as the seat of the Catholic primate and centre of the church in the country. I considered walking up the very steep steps but it was a huge climb and there wasn't anywhere I could really leave the bike unattended. However I did womble around the tiny streets and absolutely loved the amazing vibe, enhanced by the beautiful weather. I loved this city. Upon reflection, it would have been better to approach this from the Slovakian side and if I were to do this route again, this is what I would recommend. After Esztergom, the day rocket-shipped to magnificence. The road surfaces were still kinda lumpy but at least not sand (which I had thankfully missed when leaving Gyor and taking the Slovakian side). Upon leaving the town, I went through some lovely, wooded areas with the Danube to my right. Along the way route were loads of people playing sports and a random huge sand sculpture. I wondered who if was of someone in particular. There were some expensive looking houses, including one impressive mansion that would have had stunning views over the 'Danube Bend' as it is referred to. I took a ferry across to Szob on the north bank, again passable tracks in wooded areas with views of Visegrad castle high in the distance. Another ferry back south side to Visegrad and through the charming little town. On the main road but no fierce lorries so manageable, and the weather helped a lot too. I was hungry but pushed onto Szentendre which was awesome. They were filming a movie of some sort where a huge cheese had to be weighed. I had read this town was well known for its collection of craft workshops, studios and art galleries and it was magical. I stopped off in main square, had a chicken and rice dinner and a couple of pints. I was quite tempted to stay, but I was so close to Budapest and had booked a hotel for a couple of days, so I pressed on. The route via the river was full of life with crowds of people hanging around in great looking bars, although the surface wasn't great and I was concerned for my spokes, which were receiving quite a battering so I slipped away onto a main road again which brought me past Lake Omszki which was wakeboarding heaven. I would so love to have had a go myself. The route then took me through some soviet style buildings which was grim, but eventually I came across a cool neighbourhood called Obuda which I subsequently found out was an original neighbourhood of Budapest. A very inviting main square a sculpture of people waiting for the rain to stop, and there was some festival taking place that evening. Traffic started picking up and I loved coming across old style iron bridges with telephone wires everywhere. In the early evening light, it looked so inviting. And then Boom, one of those moments that I will remember forever as the Parliament building came into view. Thoroughly magical, it really did take my breath away. As I cycled ever closer, I was almost moved to tears with its breathtaking beauty. I had seen this image so many time and it was made doubly impressive because it just suddenly seemed to appear, as if I turned a corner. I cycled through the lively animated streets until I found my hotel. A proper large room with a bathtub and everything. I knew I would stay for a couple of days and I was just so damned buzzing from the joy of it all. Michael had got here earlier in the day, so we arranged to meet and have a few beers. So good to see a familiar face again. However, he has had enough of the lumpy bumpy Hungarian roads and decided to take a train to Serbia and crack on from there. I suspect that we will meet again at some point, but for the moment, it was so good to meet up with a friendly face and catch up on our respective journey's thus far. And there is it, once again. That feeling of sheer, unadulterated, total and complete happiness, amazing to be alive at this moment and in this place. It really just doesn't get better than that.

Not sure if I did the right thing today. I had heard that the route from Gyor was much easier on the Slovakian side of the Danube, so I set off on a 10KM detour back on myself up the main route 14 or E575 which was unsettling due to the super huge lorries that came up behind you, leaving only a few cm between you and them. The road surface was OK but it was narrow in parts and I found myself peddling furiously to get as much distance covered before another truck whistled by. I arrived at Vámosszabadi border control station, an abandoned, unmanned grey and foreboding structure that I could imagine was very menacing when it had guards there. I had read that there was an overcrowded refugee centre nearby and google maps didn't work for a small section around this area. I was glad to be able to pass through it. I was not feeling at all safe and took a slight right down a quieter road, but it went nowhere, so back onto the main road I went. I really didn't like these trucks at all. I crossed over back over the Danube on an old fashioned green iron bridge, full of character. As I turned right and started following the course of the Donau and things got much better. The road surface was smooth as followed the river for several KMS. It was fairly overcast and at one point, it looked as though it would start pouring it down. I stopped for a moment to take in the view over towards the Monoštor Bridge and then I noticed a plaque to victims of the Holocaust that had been shot into the Danube during World War II and once again, I felt so grateful that was not alive at those times. To add to the atmosphere, I spied a couple of guys in military uniform looking at me from behind a wire fence which was a bit unsettling. Along with the smooth surface there was a strong tailwind so I covered the distance in no time and stopped off at Komárno for a coffee. I was in two minds, the current surface was such a joy to cycle although the view was a bit boring and samey. I had read that the village of Süttő was very pretty and there was a gorgeous looking campsite on the way, but this would mean crossing back over into Hungary. In the end I opted for the more interesting sounding route via Hungary, so crossed back over the rather impressive green riveted Elizabeth Bridge with its decorative lamps at each end. And then, just in case I was feeling homesick, there was a bloody great big Tesco superstore. I also came across an electronics store, which was useful as I needed to buy some additional assorted cables which were unbelievably cheap and then and set off down the main route 1. I passed by the decommissioned vast aluminium factory at Almásfüzitő which for decades had been the pride of Communist Eastern Europe, employing thousands and which closed its doors in the 1990s. It was now just a decrepit eyesore with massive tanks full of toxic red sludge resembling a Martian landscape, and all of this poisonous gloop just waiting for some catastrophic event to leak out and causing untold environmental damage, as had indeed happened back in 2010 with a similar decommissioned metal processing plant in southern Hungary. Such an extraordinary eyesore, complete with heroic soviet frieze above the main entrance, harking back to its glory days as a masterpiece of Communist productivity. As I took pictures, a security guard came out and told me to move off. It felt like a real statement of the fall of the Soviet Bloc. However these lorries were getting pretty scary. They roared up behind and were so tall, that they sucked you under as they thundered past. At one point I got off to answer the call of nature and as I got back on, six of the massive monsters all roared past and the turbulence they caused cumulatively would definitely have pulled me under. I spent the next bit of my trip always looking over my shoulder to see when the next one was coming and then just preparing myself for the physical assault. However my next campsite was not far away and it had great reviews. I stopped off for some langos, a yeasted fried bread covered in cheese, garlic, and sour cream typical of Hungary. It was filling, nice and unhealthy, but who cares. As I entered the campsite, I exhaled deeply with a sigh of relief to be off the roads. The place was stunning, and very cheap. It was also practically empty and I set up the tent in a serene spot overlooking the Danube. It was like wild camping but with a shower block nearby. As I set up home, I realised how much I actually missed sleeping out in it after a week or more inside. It was completely peaceful and had a restaurant, so I didn't need to cook either. I have started to think a bit about my final destination of Istanbul. It is still very much a red country, meaning I could not come back from it without quarantine for 10 days at a cost of £2k or something like that. Should I just go to Greece instead, maybe drop in my friend Anna. I am not too worried as I know something will work itself out, but it would be nice to know. Upon reflection, I could definitely have planned this section better. The easiest and fastest way to Budapest from Bratislava would be to stay in Slovakia, following the north side of the Danube rather than to cross over to Hungary immediately as I left Bratislava in the morning. Smoother safer roads, it would have made for easier cycling and I could have made the journey to Budapest in one day. However it would have meant missing out on the experiences of the lovely town of Gyor, meeting Paul & Luca who were terrific guys with so much good energy about them, seeing the eery Almásfüzitő aluminium plant as well as missing out on this beautiful campsite spot. What I did was a mishmash, and I should have just continued on my path from Gyor to Komárom along the south, which would have been much quicker distance wise. In addition, the journey up route 12 to Vámosszabadi felt so damned dangerous, that nothing much was gained from doubling back on myself, just so I could enjoy a section of road that was smooth. But that is what cycle touring is all about and I am in no rush, so take it all as it comes and enjoy. I slept like a log, exhausted from all the nervous energy expended by cycling amongst those inhumanely large lorries with drivers that, at times, feel as though they are actually taking aim at you rather than trying to miss you.

Nice to wake up in a decent room but upsetting to listen to the excruciating news reports about the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the subsequent installation of the Taliban. Took a moment to reflect on how lucky I was to be here, safe, comfortable and on such an exciting adventure and not one of the thousands of desperate citizens attempting to flee, or even worse and having to actually stay on there. I wanted an early start in order to avoid a projected downpour at midday - love the Weather Radar app, so accurate - but I didn't get away until about 9.00AM, after my first Eastern European trip to a supermarket which most definitely has a different feel than any Western one. Less easy to find fruit and vegetables, I found. Bratislava looked gorgeous in the early morning light, with a particularly striking memorial to Slovak National Uprising of 1944 in the original market square, but which is now the main focal point for all mass celebrations and meetings. However, within a few minutes I found myself up on the main motorway out of the city for some reason and it was truly terrifying to get off of it. Definitely the low point of the day. The weather was great but the journey very dull. Very noticeable are the quality of the roads which are not a patch on the smooth, velvety luxuriousness of the Austrians. If they had been better, I would have quite liked to do the 200KM trip to Budapest in one go but as the predicted clouds started gathering, I installed myself in a local café in the town of Mosonmagyaróvár which really is the dental capital of Europe, with highest number of dentists in ratio to the total population anywhere in the world. As I sat in the café, I noticed that almost everyone walking around the area was either wearing scrubs or cradling their jaws with a pained look. Note to self, if ever I need expensive dental treatment, this is where I will come. I had been bumping into a couple of guys from Germany all morning, most notably by the dyke at Čunovo which is where decisions on direction had to be taken. We were all going in the same direction but I wanted to take what I suspected was a smoother route. However we swapped hostel addresses with a view to meeting up later. Once the rain died down, I set off from Mosonmagyaróvár along a very bumpy road to Győr. I realised that I was now in Hungary, which makes only a 24 Hr stop in Slovakia, but hey - its still another country right. It kept breaking into showers as I stopped at various bus shelters along the way, which made progress very slow and in the end it was only another short day of 80KM. I bumped into Luca and Paul who were waiting at the hostel. They were very cool guys, both 3D printers by trade and used to cycling a lot together. The hostel itself turned out to be awful, with a dingy room at the top which I decided to haul my bicycle all the way up instead of leaving downstairs which somehow didn't feel too safe. If there had been a fire, the place was a death-trap with zero chance of escape. The shower room was small and my neighbours either side were grumpy, unfriendly and downright miserable. However we all decided to hit the sights of Győr and it was a pretty nice town in fact. Clean with a nice vibe, we had a couple of beers and went in search of goulash; when in Hungary and all that. We found an atmospheric resto and had some of the local fish as well as goulash. Passable, but great evening with smashing company. Definitely made up for the crappy weather and damp, pokey hostel. On the way home, we passed by a statue of a stark bollock naked rower in a main square where lots of people tend to congregate. Bit random.

So today I fancy knocking off two capital cities, from Vienna to Bratislava. It's only 80KM away, so not difficult and it just sound kinda cool to do. Up early for a hearty breakfast and said goodbye to Christof. Louise and I spent some time chatting and said she would accompany me out of town on her bike. As we barrelled down the Billrothstraße into town avoiding the tram rails and loving the overhead cables that powered them, the weather was glorious and the (downward) hills just perfect. It had that feeling of utter liberation that I have come to enjoy recently, able to take in the sights and sounds of this historic city as it prepared for the working week. We followed the canal pretty much to our first stop of Freytag & Berndt, the most comprehensive travel bookshop I have ever seen. For the final part of my journey, I have decided to take the much less well travelled EV13 Iron Curtain Trail along the borders of Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey to the Black Sea. I may well change my mind as the route doesn't look particularly well developed and is mountainous. In addition, I am enjoying meeting so many new people at the moment, a big difference from my first rather solitary trip through France, and I know I will be pretty much on my own if I take the EV13. Even more so as I can't speak a word of the native languages of these countries so will have noone for company at all. However it does sound rather appealing and one thing is for certain, having a paper map sounds essential as I cannot rely on tech to get me through. In fact getting this map has been on my mind for a while now, so excellent that I will be able to get it at Freytag & Berndt and the excellent staff there were super helpful. Once the map was successfully in my bag, off we set off across the city taking in the art nouveau toilets on Graben by the French designer Adolf Loos (where the attendant shows you to your cubicle and closes the door after you), the winter palace of Prince Eugene and a gorgeous cycle through Prater Park which was just perfect in the morning sun. Louise accompanied me to the Donauinsel (Danube Island) and left me there to continue for basically 65KM down a dyke with nothing but endless trees, although the last 10KM from Hainburg does bring with it some nice views of the Danube. I said goodbye to Louise, really pleased to have met such a terrific, interested, interesting and compassionately driven woman, whom I hope very much to keep in contact with. Upon leaving, I did get a bit lost near a nudist colony, but that was the most exciting thing about my exit from Vienna. I was looking forward to crossing the border into Slovakia, but there was zero passport control and I wasn't even sure at what point I had entered the country. I did spy a small shed that perhaps could have been security, and indeed there was some guy in a uniform leaning against a wall and looking up at the sun, resting. I don't think any invading armies would have too much of an issue. The first thing I noticed was the observation deck of the strangely named UFO Bridge which definitely had a Big-Brother-is-Watching kind of feel to it, a symbol that made me think of the Berlin TV Tower. This was my very first Eastern European city and to my untrained eye, looked cute, cosmopolitan and forward thinking, although Simon told me that this was just the centre and outside of that, it was still a place very much stuck in the Soviet era. I stopped off in one of the numerous inviting coffee shops, bathed in that early evening glow of perfect sunlight. Above me, higher up on a rocky outcrop of the Little Carpathians mountain range stood the impressive 10th Century castle. I checked out a couple of hostels but there didn't seem anywhere too safe to leave the bike and anyway, after such luxury of Viennese life these past couple of days, I needed to gently let myself back into real life cycle touring and the accommodation that comes with it. In the end I opted for the Hotel Petit Pension, just a stone's throw from the Presidential Palace, had a shower and set off into town to catch some sights, sink a beer and have a meaty filling dinner. Afterwards, I went for a short womble and came across Cumil, the sewer worker who is, as I suspected, a bit of a landmark in Bratislava. There had been some showers as I ate and as I walked the streets, out came a rainbow which was atmospheric and perfectly placed, as it arched across the National Theatre.

Wow, cool start to the day. First off took a trip up to the Kahlenberg with Christof. It is the highest point of Vienna with the most incredible views over the entire city (even when overcast) and is about a 4 hour hike from the city, or about 8 minutes in a convertible Porsche up the windy Höhenstrasse. Bloody brilliant and a lot faster than my bike. Christof explained the historical context and importance of the mountain, the site of the Battle of Vienna 1689 which proved to be a turning point in the dominance of the Ottoman Empire, something which I had heard a bit about before but as I continue to travel through Eastern Europe, the story of the Ottoman Turks became a central theme. After that, we stopped off at a nearby patisserie to pick up some more breakfast items and I was struck by how there were so many wasps all hovering around the cakes and pastries. It was like this all over Germany as well, all a bit yuk but then again, what are you gonna do. Breakfast was not just any old breakfast, but a Champagne breakfast with some good friends of theirs. Blimey, these Austrians really know how to live and much like my hosts, their friends were just the most lovely, wonderful people. Super fun, and an utterly fantastic way to experience Viennese life. I truly loved this experience and impressed beyond belief at how cool it all was. Just a couple of nights ago, I was in the corner of a muddy field having a tuna sandwich and now here I was. After breakfast I decided to take a trip into the centre. I had possibly misread it that Louise and Christof had plans for that afternoon, or perhaps I didn't feel that I could impose on their super kind hospitality by acting at tour guides as well as putting me up, so I took off for an afternoon of sightseeing using a network of trams which I always think are fantastic ways of getting around. As usual I was about the only person who actually paid to use them and before I knew it, I was in front of Hofburg Palace, a big old wedding cake of a building. A short stroll and I recognised tiled roof and imposing bell tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral which I remembered from an interrail trip 35 years ago with my mate Alex, another time when strangers took me in and did all my dirty washing and took us out around the Bermuda Triangle, the hub of Viennese nightlife. Weather still not great and I took refuge in a tourist trap of a Viennese coffee house, had a frothy coffee, huge slab of ornamental and ultimately tasteless torte of some sort, rang home and waited it out. Then over to the Belvedere but decided against going in and back home to the house. It was really lovely to wander around and it all looked so much cleaner than when I was last there, I guess there is just less car pollution nowadays. But Vienna has still ultimately not changed in my mind, it is still a huge great big bouncy flouncy wedding cake of a city where whirls, swirls and curls of the various eye watering buildings all try to outdo each other in an eye popping display of Baroque brilliance. It just feels so very formal, fairy tale like and posh. I got home before my hosts and just lay down for a bit. That evening they made me a huge carb filled, protein filling dinner of pasta, sweetcorn and everything else that is exactly what it required for an intercontinental cyclist. Whilst it was amazing for me, not sure how they felt about it. Not for the first time this trip have I felt a bit overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers and being British, feeling a tad uncomfortable as I had nothing to give them by way of thanks.

With ever KM covered, I find myself becoming freer, less troubled, open to whatever happens, go with the flow and generally accept the universe, as my friend Athene always says. With this in mind, I received a text from Jemma, the wife of a friend I used to row with asking if I needed someplace to stay in Vienna as she had a good friend Louise who lived there. How amazing is that! I gave Louise a ring and before I knew it, I had a set of clear instructions on how to get to her house and what to do if I was early. She asked if I needed to be picked up from anywhere and had that reassuring, practical approach from someone you know you are going to like. The three of us all set off on the magnificent cycle paths and got some great video (finally) of my actually cycling. Michal had to peel off at Tulln as Michael and I pushed onto Vienna, only 40KM away. We parted company at the Schemerl bridge, famous for its imposing lions standing defiantly, commanding this section of the fast flowing Donau as it splits off into the Danube Canal that flows through the city. It was lunchtime on a Saturday and I was on the look out for some kind of gift I could bring. Louise and her partner Christof have a family owned winery Höpler about a couple of hours south east of Vienna , so the rather unappealing bottles of cheap wine at the local supermarkets is not really going to cut the mustard. Not really sure what I am going to be able to bring at this last minute stage, in fact. I arrive near to the house which is in a super looking neighbourhood. It has a local, village type of vibe and I love the presence of tram lines and overhead electricity cables that power them. I may as well use the time before they get home to get my bike looked at, as it has been a while and I am in a major city so there has to be a bike shop nearby. The closest is the rather old school sounding Mountainbiker Rösner & Schütz, which could almost be some financial services or legal practice and I shoot down a rather steep hill, which of course means coming back up and having to negotiate the tram lines as well. The guys are super impressed that I am undertaking this trip and offer me a coffee whilst the mechanic goes about tightening up my spokes and doing something to my gears, which are becoming a bit jumpy. The guy doesn't want to charge anything, but I leave him a €20 although I have a sneaky suspicion that the bike feels a little bit off rather than better. But they were such a great team of guys. Louise comes down to the shop to and offers to pick drive me back in their large branded car. What a relief, I didn't fancy the hill. When we arrived, I offloaded the bike and set about giving it a good old power wash, amazing how much crap it had picked up. That task over, Louise took all of my dirty gear with the exception of my swimming shorts and stuffed it into the wash. I borrowed her towelling dressing robe to (barely) cover up and I went downstairs to meet her utterly charming and urbanely cool husband Christof. As we sat in the secluded and lush garden, drank tea and ate topfenpalatschinken - a local dish much like a pancake with curd cheese - I did think to myself about the strange and yet somehow completely comfortable situation of being practically naked in the company of complete strangers in their lovely home. They were going out that night, so I helped myself to a ton of pasta and hit the pit. Perhaps its the lure of a clean bed with freshly laundered sheets after a few days under canvas, but I was out like a light.

An overcast start again and I wasn't in a great mood, it has to be said. I would love the odd ray of sunshine as it has been like this for a week or so. Still, at least it wasn't actually raining, although it did start about five minutes into my day where I stopped off for my morning coffee. Then business as usual, gorgeous roads as smooth as silk, following the Donau until I got to the Melk. Known principally for its Abbey, a big Benedictine baroque blancmange of a thing perched high atop an outcrop overlooking the town. Famed for its massively decorated church and marble hall, I would have loved to have taken a look around because you just know it would have been off the scale in riotous detail. But it was closed at the time and I just needed to crack on so I zoomed around the sides. Melk is another destination for the river cruise boats to dock, and there were plenty of them. Chatted to a couple of passengers and felt happy to be on a bike, out in the elements with a sense of freedom rather than having to work to a schedule of a cruise ship, even in this overcast weather. Still, different strokes for different folks and all that. And off again with more of the same; but sameness does not equal drabness. Flying along perfect roads with a swollen river throbbing with energy is the most amazing feeling. I was pumped that I would be passing Willendorf, which I knew from my British Museum course was the location where a 25 000 year old 10cm statuette of voluptuous fertility goddess had been found. It is now in the Natural History Museum in Vienna but there was a large statue which you could visit en route. Unfortunately I had taken the wrong side of the Danube and could only spy it from across the water. I considered going back, but decided to press on as I could feel some drops of rain, and it looked like it was going to turn into a shower. Some nice villages, especially the picturesque Weissenkirchen with the gorgeous white towered gothic church, followed by rolling vineyards producing the famed Riesling grape. I was a getting hungry and wished I had stopped off there to eat rather then the next tourist trap of a town, Dürnstein. However I bumped into Michael, fortuitous timing as the heavens decided to open so we took shelter in a local hostelry and wolfed down a whopping Wiener Schnitzel and a couple of beers and waited it out. After an hour or so, we off in the direction of Krems which we entered through the Steiner Tor, a 15th Century gate which was straight out of 'Frozen'. I thought Bavarian towns were pretty, but these Austrian confections were pure Disney. Miraculously the sun burst through as I wandered around the windy streets, perfect for viewing the pastel coloured houses and recently renovated Trinity Column. Somehow I lost Michael in the incredibly long and convoluted exit from Krems, but we were headed in the same direction of a campsite just outside of Tulln. Conditions were perfect and I cracked on my speaker full volume and shot off at full pelt. Some distance along I spotted a guy on a bike with a fluorescent headband moving at a much more stately pace. I slowed down, got chatting and it turns out to be another Michael (that is the 3rd one this trip) who was from the Czech Republic and on a three day trip. Always good to have company, I was happy to slow down and we cycled on for the next hour or so through some open woodland until we reached Camping Zwentendorf where we caught up with Michael. Great dinner, great company and great beers at the restaurant there, a grand day's cycling.

Whilst the weather yesterday was changeable with a grey overcast start to a perfect sunny end, the Weather Radar today indicated a lot of rain around lunchtime and the clouds would start gathering pretty early on. Michael had contacted me to say he had overtaken me by 30 KMs and was staying at Pöchlarn. Given that there was only a few hours before the next deluge, I figured I would shoot up there, get myself a room, meet up and wait it out. Treated myself to a massively over expensive, tasteless and fluffy breakfast at Café Konditorei with lovely views over the Donau surrounded by cruise ship guests. I hadn't eaten that well the day before and I now find that I am always thinking about food. Not in the sense of what delicious morsel shall I eat, but for health reasons. I don't have any scheduled dietary plan, but I am always thinking about what I have had for the past couple of meals to ensure that I am eating a balanced and nutritious diet. Short ferry across to Wiesen, which means grasslands and some friendly banter with a group of touring cyclists who were just doing a few KMS up and down the Danube for a couple of days. Again, loving the attention I get when I say I am cycling to Istanbul. Wow, the route along to Pöchlarn was absolutely fantastic. I flew along, music on, drinking in the riverside scenery which continued on in its magnificence. Today was even better though despite the inclement weather, as it was super quiet whereas yesterday I had to share the velvet roads with traffic. I had tried to explain this to a young couple with a small baby I had met in Grein, but either I couldn't make myself understood or they had just decided to continue along the northly main road as they had plans. I felt for them as I looked over the river to see the traffic build up on route 3 as I calmly shot along in bucolic bliss. I stopped off for a coffee at Ybbs an der Donau which was your typical pretty enough, regular town and exchanged pleasantries with the cyclists I met on the ferry. Although they were considerably advanced in years, they had got there before me and were laughing about it, a nice joyful moment. There was a small cycle museum and I briefly considered stopping off, but the rain was inching ever closer and I wasn't really that interested, if truth be told. Pöchlarn was only another 15KM away and I was there in no time, although I realise the lodging I had booked was over the river in Klein-Pöchlarn, so had to double back on myself after crossing the bridge which had slightly confusing and disorientating cycle path that ran alongside, that I had to enter by a circular joining road. I got to Gasthof Paradiesgartl just as the heavens opened. Perfect timing. However I was too early for the room to be ready, so I just sat in a covered seating area and took out my tent to dry off. Mercifully the kindly owner came out, gave me the key and explained she was off to the dentist but would be back later and we could settle up then. Excellent. I went up to the room, lay down and passed out for a couple of hours, I didn't realise how knackered I was. I completely missed the downpour which was great. I then shot out to the post office to send my last package back to the UK and could now officially confirm I am travelling super light. 1 pair of lightweight trousers, 1 short sleeved shirt, 2 pairs cycling shorts, 2 cycling t-shirts, 1 t-shirt to sleep in, 2 pairs pants, 2 pairs socks, 1 water resistant coat, 1 pair of trainers and 1 old fleece. That old fleece has been with me everywhere, it has become like an old friend and just about the best £5 I have ever spent in my life. I went back over the bridge and met up with Michael in his much nicer hotel room than mine. We had dinner at Johny's Burger which was obviously THE place to be, as it was totally packed and hard to get a table, even for a Thursday evening. We then stopped off for a few beers at the various bars and I got quite hammered. Getting back to my guesthouse was quite tricky and at one point, I was totally lost after cycling for ages in the wrong direction when I came off the circular entry lane from the bridge. Once again, not many KMs covered but at least I kept dry. This damned rain has to stop at some point.