AustriaNiederösterreichKrems an der Donau48°24’25” N 15°37’32” E
26 settembre 2016, Austria ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Monday September 26th
In Which we Wide the Wachau
Although the forecast was for yet another perfect riding day, it did begin with a very chilly start. We began by riding out of Melk and back to the bridge over the Danube. We then had a short but gut busting climb up the very steep ramp in order to cross the bridge itself. This took us back to the left bank of the river as we headed into the famous Wachau Valley region, famous around the world for its production of fine wines.
As we entered the vineyards it was interesting to note that they did not just fill the floor of the valley, but continued right up the steep sides as well. It certainly would be hard work maintaining the vines on such steep slopes.
As we rode we passed through a succession of extremely pretty small villages. With their narrow cobblestoned streets and medieval appearance, it was easy to see why this region is a favourite among those who travel on the numerous "pyjama boats" going up and down the Danube.
In the mornings they were still quiet enough to be enjoyable, but as the day progressed they were progressively overrun by thousands of tourists. It was very difficult to cycle these streets once they got clogged with the masses.
I was also having my own difficulties making any headway with my group of riders. It seemed that every time I turned my head they were further and further behind. I could not understand how anyone could already be 400 metres behind, when we had only ridden half that distance. The reason of course was that they were continually stopping for photos.
One sight that particularly got my attention was of a guy busily painting the top floor of his house with the longest handled paint roller I had ever seen. The handle must have been 5 metres long and, each time it needed more paint applied to the roller, he had to direct it in through an open upstairs window for his wife to add the paint. It looked like a strange way to paint, but he was doing an immaculate job that showed he had obviously done it this way before.
In the town of St Michael's there is a wonderful ancient church with a crypt full of stacked skulls, also an impressive tower with spiral staircase and panoramic views from the summit.
I remembered this church from my previous rides along this section and we christened the skulls as the "heavenly Ghostriders".
Durnstein is the most famous town in the heart of the wine region but it is spoiled by the crowds of tourists that surge through its streets every afternoon. Pity about that !
As we rode through Stein we came across the filming of a period movie with a group of actors in historic costumes. I thought we might get a job as extras but I guess that yellow lycra clad bike riders would not be appropriate for this one.
We arrived at Krems at around 3 pm and found that it was larger city than we had expected. It has lovely parks and a delightful old city centre. It would have been nice to spend more time exploring this place, but unfortunately that was not possible.
Tomorrow we continue on to complete the final day of riding to Vienna.Leggi altro
AustriaWienGemeindebezirk Innere StadtLeopoldstadt48°13’34” N 16°23’58” E
27 settembre 2016, Austria ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Tuesday September 27th
In Which we Roll into Vienna
It is becoming harder and harder to believe that, after 24 days of cycling, we have still had only one wet day. It is almost as if we have become stuck in a sort of meteorological ground hog day, with every day exactly the same as the previous one. Once again we awoke to find ourselves gifted with another absolutely perfect day for riding.
Today we had a choice to either ride all the way to Vienna (around 80 km) or take a train part of the way to Tulln and then ride from there to Vienna. If we opted for the second approach, it would cut about 40 km of somewhat monotonous riding from the day's ride and also mean that we would have a couple of extra hours to explore the wonderful capital city of Austria. Since Maggie had never been to Vienna before, I quickly decided that I would give her as much time there as possible.
We boarded the train without any trouble and made the short journey to Tulln without incident
There was a small storage area for bicycles which allowed us to take our bikes on the train, however we would have been in trouble if all 28 riders had decided to do the same thing.
Soon we were unloading our bikes at Tulln and resuming our ride into Vienna. Much of this part of the ride was along huge elevated levee banks and made for very enjoyable cycling. It is amazing just how much work the Germans and Austrians have put into flood control over the centuries. Although the Danube does still flood regularly, the resultant damage is much less than would have been done if the waters were not contained by the hundreds of kilometres of levees.
We finally rode into Vienna around 1.30 pm and, after making a small navigational error, found ourselves riding along the wrong river. A short retreat allowed us to cross the bridge to the correct side and resume our entry into the city. We found our hotel without drama, although we arrived before our luggage. This meant that we had to explore Vienna wearing our cycling gear.
When our luggage arrived we changed into less conspicuous gear and caught the nearby metro to Stephenplatz station.
This is regarded as the centre of Vienna and is very close to the impressive St Stephan's Cathedral. This is always the very best place to begin any exploration of the city. We then spent the next couple of hours wandering out past the Spanish Riding SChool to the incredible museum quarter. Dominated by the Hofburg Palace Complex, this area contains a whole collection of world class museums. If the contents of the museums are not interesting enough, you can just admire the buildings themselves as they give a glimpse back in time to the imperial grandeur of the Austro Hungarian Empire. As you wander from one palace to another, it feels as if the entire neighbourhood must have been an almost continuous succession of palaces for just about anyone who was related to the royal family.
As the day drew to a close and night began to fall over the city, we started to look for something to eat. There are hundreds of potential outdoor eateries to choose from, but we chose one close to Stephansplatz, and I ordered a Wiener Schnitzel (what else could you choose when you are in Vienna after all ?)
When the dinner was served I was confronted with a huge schnitzel, about the same size as Texas. Fortunately it was very thin and extremely tender, so that I was able to rise to the challenge and clear the plate.
Not so pleasant was the challenge of trying to enjoy a meal while being continually assaulted by clouds of foul smelling cigarette smoke from fellow diners. The Europeans have just not realised how disgusting and dangerous the smoking habit is. From the vast numbers of young smokers it would appear evident that the tobacco companies are guaranteed a good profit for at least a generation into the future.
We slowly walked back to the Metro station. It was a balmy early autumn evening and the centre of the city was still full of people just wandering and chatting. It had been a long and most eventful day.Leggi altro
AustriaWienGemeindebezirk Innere StadtVindobonaAugarten48°13’31” N 16°23’3” E
28 settembre 2016, Austria ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Wednesday September 28th
In Which we Wander the City of Mozart
There is no doubt that Vienna is one of the most spectacular cities of Europe. I have been here twice before and each time I just loved the history that seems to flow from every cobblestone and rooftop. It is generally a clean city (apart from the carpet of cigarette butts underfoot everywhere) and has a very efficient mass transit system. The metro trains are much cleaner that the famous Paris Metro and run every few minutes, so you never have to wait long for the next train to come along.
Today we caught the metro back to Stephansplatz and then walked to the famous Leopold Museum. Since Maggie was more interested than I was in exploring the art works on display there, I opted to wait outside in the sunshine. I had not been sitting long before I began being approached by a series of persistent beggars asking me for money. From my observations, they did not appear to be too badly off and I decided that they were "professional beggars" on their daily round
Beautiful Gardens
.
I also had not been sitting long before the daily inflow of tourist groups began to invade the courtyard. As I looked at the shuffling mobs with their headsets clamped over their ears, I could not help but think that they looked like mindless zombies being controlled by some sort of remote mind control device. I imagined that there was a controller somewhere that was directing them along with a big joystick.
Vienna has a huge smoking problem that is clearly evident in any open space. It is , impossible to sit down at any outdoor restaurant without getting stunk out with second hand tobacco smoke. This really is such a pity for such a beautiful city.
In the evening we bought some food from the local supermarket and joined David and Carol for a picnic by bank of the Danube. While we were sitting there, eating our goodies, we would not have swapped places for the swankiest restaurant in the city. With our fruit, drinks and nibbles we were blessed with one of the best free entertainment spectacles you could imagine.
We watched the pyjama boat parade of buses collecting travellers from the huge "pyjama boats" and transporting them to one of the many "Mozart Concerts" held every night in the city. The tickets to these concerts are sold by touts all over the city,and somehow they always magically just happen to have a few tickets available for tonight's concert.Not for us , thank you.
As we were finishing our picnic dinner, the moon started to appear over the tops of the trees on the opposite side of the river. It was a wonderful way to finish a truly memorable evening.Leggi altro
AustriaNiederösterreichPetronell-Carnuntum48°6’55” N 16°52’3” E
30 settembre 2016, Austria ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Friday September 30th
In Which we Ride the Straight and Narrow
Today marked the 25th cycling day of our European Odyssey. After 3 nights in Vienna it was time to get back on two wheels and resume our journey. I must admit that, while Vienna is indeed a lovely city, after two days of inhaling huge amounts of second hand tobacco smoke and jostling for survival among thousands of blank eyed shuffling tourists, we were all really glad to be back out in the fresh air and open spaces.
Our route out of the city took us across the river to the long island that splits the Danube into two major rivers. This gave us a quiet exit from the city and soon we were clocking up the kilometres as we cruised along a lovely series of bike paths that ran parallel to the Danube.
When I was planning this trip I estimated that we could reasonably expect at least 5 or more wet days. So far we have defied all the odds, with only 1 wet day out of 24 completed riding sections. Once again the weather was fine and mild, with a top temperature of around 25C. This weather has been almost too perfect. In some contrary fashion, I am almost hoping for a wet day, just to vary the pattern. No, on second thoughts I would be happy for this weather to follow us all the way to Budapest.
It quickly became evident that the cycling in this section was going to be different from the most famous section between Passau and Vienna. When I last rode this, back in 2009, I remember that the route was often ill defined and quite often rough. In the past seven years it was evident that much work had been done to improve the surface and signage. Even so, it is possible to ride for long distances without encountering other riders (or coffee stops).
On one such section we rode on the top of a perfectly straight levee bank over an hour. The path was smooth and completely straight, so much so that it actually became difficult to maintain concentration. I was also conscious of the fact that the seat on the new bike was causing extreme pain in my nether regions. Every couple of kilometres I had to lift up from the seat and have a few blessed seconds of relief from my anal anguish. It is not easy being a long distance rider.
In the small hamlet of Stopfenreuth we stumbled upon a lovely cafe, hidden away in the forest. It was a great find and the food was delicious.
The final challenge was to cycle across the huge suspension bridge at Bad Deutch-Altenburg. This bridge must have been close to 2 km across and the narrow bike path and extreme height gave us all a dose of vertigo. It required a lot of nerve and concentration to keep going, but we all managed to succeed in the challenge without falling over the barrier and down into the Danube.
Our stop for the evening is the Marc Aurel Hotel, situated among a cluster of Roman ruins in eastern Austria. This will be our final evening in Austria as tomorrow we enter Slovakia - the third country of our Danube ride. Already the chalets of Bavaria seem a very long way away. The architecture here is markedly different and gives a foretaste of what to expect as we enter the old eastern block countries of Slovakia and Hungary.Leggi altro
SlovacchiaBratislavaStaré MestoVydrica48°8’17” N 17°4’41” E
1 ottobre 2016, Slovacchia ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Saturday October 1st
In Which the Reactor Fails and the Canons are Fired
It is amazing just how often the shortest days turn out to be the most eventful. At around 30 km the ride from Carnuntum to Bratislava should have been an absolute doddle in the park. It didn't turn out that way.
Way back home in Melbourne a ferocious battle was being played out between the Sydney Swans and the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs apparently had not won a grand final since the time of Noah, and were everyone's sentimental favourites. Even though we were on the other side of the world, due to the wonders of the Internet, we were able to follow the unfolding drama while we were having breakfast. It was quite something to see a group of Ghostriders all gathered around the tiny 2 inch screen of someone's mobile phone, all trying to glimpse a piece of the action. Every few moments the picture froze (always at a critical moment in the game) causing those watching to break out in a loud chorus of jeers and accusations that someone was secretly downloading movies on the hotel's wifi connection
When the Bulldogs finally emerged triumphant, the group seemed happy that justice had been served and the evil menace from Sydney had been defeated.
We then had a short meeting with the guy who has been looking after our luggage. The lanky guy answered to the name of "Wolfgang" (not many of them in Australia, but still a popular name in Austria) and was able to give us some valuable information about the next couple of day's riding. "Bad weather is on the way", he promised. After so many weeks of perfect sunny days, none of us believed his dire forecasts.
Soon we were all off exploring the nearby Roman ruins. When I saw the great number of aging riders climbing all over the stone walls of the old city, I could not help but think that one collection of ruins was being examined by another.
Around 10.30 am we decided it was time for morning tea and started to head for a delightful coffee shop in the town. We had not gone far before Scott started to complain. "My motor is not working", he moaned. He was not commenting on his state of health, but rather on the operation of his electric bike. It was not operating properly. In fact it was not operating at all
Nothing, Nada. Zilch. David and I pooled our combined expertise in electric bikes (exactly nothing) and decided that "something was wrong". We tried the old remedy of a few hard whacks, but even that didn't seem to achieve anything. What were we going to do ?
A couple of phone calls to Wolfgang sealed the deal. Scott would not be able to continue. It was arranged to get a lift to Bratislava and to get a new bike organised for the following day. It was a disappointment but we had no other option.
While all this was going on, three other members of our peloton somehow went missing (we never saw them for the rest of the day). Things were definitely not going according to the script. I rounded up the dregs of our group and announced that we would be heading for Bratislava before anything else went wrong.
Finally we got moving in the right direction and started to make some progress. I knew that one of the highlights of the day's ride would be the border crossing from Austria to Slovakia. In the not so distant past this border crossing marked a significant border into the soviet eastern block countries. Today the border can be crossed without even a passport or a vigorous interrogation and thrashing by one of the border guards
The only thing left to mark the location of the border crossing are the large complex of buildings and checkpoints - now all unused and falling into disrepair.
On the outskirts of Bratislava we started to encounter a throng of keen Saturday morning riders from the capital. The bike path appeared to be the equivalent of their "Beach Rd", with many serious riders on expensive machines.
Not far from the bike path we saw a huge fortified blockhouse and decided to investigate. It turned out to be one of the series of huge forts that were built by the Czechs back in the 1930's to defend their borders against attack. With walls over 2 meters thick and equipped with an array of high powered machine guns, it was home to a garrison of 27 soldiers at a time. A young volunteer offered to give us a tour of the interior and gave us a fascinating insight into how the fortification operated. The lowest levels could only be accessed by climbing down a vertical ladder into the lower storage and sleeping quarters.
Although Czechoslovakia was well prepared for invasion and was famous for the high quality of its weapons and had a huge army, due to the treaty of 1938 they signed over all control to Germany.
A very surprising act indeed. Germany thus took over control of the whole network of fortifications that had been built at such a high cost to defend the country.
After an hour exploring the fort we resumed our ride into Bratislava. This involves riding over a huge and very impressive bridge, complete with towering observation deck. When we met up with the other riders of our group they explained that they had been enjoying themselves by watching a large number of locals who were dressed in medieval military costumes and re enacting some famous battle. They even had a large number of muskets and canons which sent booming detonations out over the city. What an impressive way to welcome the famous Ghostriders to Bratislava. We were quite overwhelmed.
The first impressions of the city itself were extremely favourable. We had arrived in the midst of a vibrant weekend scene with hundreds of formally dressed locals, all apparently on their way to a wedding. It seemed that the first Saturday in October must be the most popular day for Slovaks to get married.
We then took a long (and very slow) detour through the old city. Hundreds of pictures were taken and there was much oohing and ahing over the beautiful old buildings. It is a pity that we will not have more time to experience this delightful place.Leggi altro
UngheriaGyőr-Moson-Sopron megyeGyőr-Szabadhegy47°39’41” N 17°40’16” E
2 ottobre 2016, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Sunday October 2nd
In Which we Almost go Hungry in Hungary
Our ride out out of Bratislava took us through an assortment of derelict areas, large expanses of graffiti and trashed and empty buildings.It was not the most attractive way to exit the city, but at least it was a quiet Sunday morning and the place was deserted.
We soon found the bike path and spent the majority of the day riding on smooth bike paths . This made for almost effortless riding and the progress was quite rapid. The weather was still fine, although it did give the first early indications that the pattern was about to change.
During the ride we crossed the border back into Hungary and it was easy to see that the socio economic conditions were a lot further behind than even in Slovakia. As we rode through small villages we noted that the condition of the houses was run down and (in some cases) almost derelict
It seemed that any form of house maintenance was not high on the locals list of priorities.
When time came for a morning tea stop we pulled into a local pub. Inside the air was full of stale tobacco smoke and several locals were clearly settled into a drinking session at the bar. David and I tried to order a couple of coffees, however the proprietor did not seem to take much interest. It was obviously more lucrative serving alcohol than coffee. We waited for several minutes and, when there was still no progress on the coffees, we told him not to bother and walked out the door and back to our bikes.
It was only when we were ready to leave that the proprietor belatedly appeared at the doorway with the two coffees we had ordered so much earlier. By that time we did not want them. I reluctantly paid the price of the coffees but left them untouched on the outside table.
We reached the significant town of Mosonmagyarovar where we stopped for lunch before looking for the railway station. This was another instance where we could make a short train ride and thus arrive in Gyor with more time for exploring this beautiful city. For Maggie the date was also significant as it was her birthday
You might think that it would be simple to ask for directions to the railway station, however this turned out to be anything but the case, especially when you do not speak even one word of the language. The only thing we could do was make a noise like a train and then point in any direction with a confused look. It didn't work. The first person we tried this approach on was apparently the village idiot. He looked just as confused as we were and then tried to tell us that the station was "100 km" away. Not a good start.
We spent about 30 minutes zig zagging back and forth around the town, until I decided to ride in the direction that the GPS was advising. We rode along a busy road for a considerable distance before we finally found the sign indicating the station. As it was, we still had another 2 km to go before we finally discovered it.
The station itself was old and depressing. It was covered in graffiti and peeling paint and looked much like it must have looked in the old soviet days. We were pleased to find Wolfgang waiting with the bike trailer and handed our bikes over to him. It was just as well we did not have to worry about the bikes as, when we boarded the train, we found it packed with hundreds of travellers and mountains of luggage
There was no way we could even have fitted a single bike on board.
The train certainly moved along briskly at 160 kph and we were soon dismounting at Gyor. This was my favourite town from the 2009 ride and I was keen to show Maggie around this place. One of the most refreshing aspects of this place is that there are NO TOURISTS and the streets and quiet and clean. The people seemed a happy lot and almost everyone was eating an icecream.
There is a magnificent central square with an elaborate fountain display. Numerous young children were amusing themselves running in and out of the water spouts. In 2009 we had been here a couple of weeks earlier in the season and the weather was quite hot. The fountain then were proving to be a welcome haven from the heat. Maggie and I enjoyed a coffee and cake to celebrate her birthday before walking back to our hotel.
The hotel we were staying in did not have its own restaurant so arrangements were made for us to eat at a nearby restaurant. This was the only place that insisted on us ordering our meals before we left Australia. I had a list with me of what everyone had ordered as I well knew that no one would remember their selections
The dinner turned out to be a complete circus. Although I had the original list of options that the restaurant had supplied us, the waiter insisted that the numbers were all wrong and tried to just tell us what each person was going to get. There was much shouting of numbers and general confusion all round. It was so chaotic it was actually great fun. We felt like we were in the middle of our own Fawlty Towers episode. We ended up just about rolling on the floor laughing as it was such a disaster. All the while plates of food were being passed back and forth along the table looking for someone to claim them.
Since it was Maggie's birthday, someone told the waiter that it was a special occasion. Normally you might expect a small cake or something similar, so you could imagine our surprise when the waiter reappeared with an unripe peach on a plate and presented it to the birthday girl. It was completely inedible, but we thought it might be some sort of tradition in Hungary so took it in good humour.
When I returned to our own hotel I asked our concierge about the peach, however he was just as confused as we were. He assured me that it was certainly not a tradition that he had ever heard of. This was just the sort of evening it had been. In spite of the massive mix-up it had actually been good fun and the food itself was quite good.
We now have only three more riding days to go till we roll into Budapest.Leggi altro
UngheriaKomárom-EsztergomSalipusztaKomárom Vasútállomás47°45’3” N 18°7’4” E
3 ottobre 2016, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Monday October 3rd
In Which we Play Bowls in a Slovak Synagogue
With each new day that we face we are expecting the weather to break. Surely it would not be possible for us to complete our entire Odyssey with only one wet day ? Or would it ? As we get closer and closer to Budapest, we are almost daring to believe that we might just pull off the most impossible meteorological miracle in the annals of cycling.
Although the weather looked a little threatening at the start, we somehow managed to escape the rain bullet for yet another day. The weather remained cool and dry with a growing wind from the North East. Of course that actually provided a tail wind at times, so its presence was quite welcome.
As soon as we left Gyor we found ourselves riding through more dilapidated small villages. It appeared as if all the young people had long since left for greener pastures, leaving only the old people behind
It was also impossible not to feel as if there was not much hope in these places, maybe they spent all their time reminiscing about what might have been if things had been completely different.
Each new village brought its own collection of rusty barbed wire fences and barking dogs. Some locals gave us what passed for a friendly sign of acknowledgement, while others did not seem to welcome our intrusion at all.
Through some miracle we were able to find a small shop in which we bought some food for a roadside picnic. We eventually found a likely lunch spot in the garden of some sort of public building. The "garden" was rather unkempt but it was the closest thing to a public park that we ever likely to find in this part of the world.
After lunch we encountered the first substantial climb we had had for several days. This region is predominantly flat, but this unexpected climb had us all clicking back down through our gears in search of the proverbial granny. To make matters even tougher we were confronted by a raging headwind at the same time. We were all relieved when the route took a sharp turn to the east, but we were not so happy to find that we had somehow ridden straight into a cemetery - a real dead end in every sense of the word
I was amused by the fact that many of the tombstones had already been pre prepared for the eventual occupants. All that was needed was the final year of death. One such tombstone was prominently inscribed for "POOR MARIA 1942 - ". I wondered why Maria might have suffered so much that her perpetual gravestone recorded her poverty for posterity.
We had no choice but to backtrack in search of the correct path. The closest thing I could find to a bike path was an old rut filled track alongside a railway line. It took all our concentration to avoid riding into one of the huge potholes and disappearing from sight forever. This path continued for some kilometres and we found ourselves reunited with the "bolters" group of riders. This group of course has no interest whatsoever in photographs or looking at anything else along the way, they are solely interested in arriving at the next hotel in record time. We were therefore surprised to see them at al,l as the only sight we usually have of them is their rear ends disappearing from the hotel each morning.
Later in the afternoon we rode through a magnificent forest along an undulating path strewn liberally with brightly coloured autumn leaves. This section blessed us with some of the most memorable riding of the entire trip
Although some find the technical nature of the riding a little challenging, everyone found it absolutely exhilarating.
We finally arrived at Komarno early in the afternoon and crossed the huge bridge over the Donaj (Danube) back into Slovakia. What awaited at the end of the day's ride was the biggest surprise of all. The strangely named Hotel Bow Garden was housed in what used to be a synagogue but is now surely one of the most incredible hotels I have ever seen. The modest entrance was very underwhelming, but once inside, everyone's jawa begun to drop. The place was equipped with a number of palatial rooms (suites) and even came complete with a ten pin bowling alley.
Our suite had an opulent bedroom, bathroom with roll top bath, lounge room, sitting room, conservatory, sauna, theatre room (and even a blind owl) ! What a memorable place to stay.
The evening meal was amazing and followed by laughter packed games of 10 pin bowling. The alley was not quite up to world standard. The pins seemed to be attached to the ends of long threads to lift them back upright after each hit, the whole system kept jamming up with messages of "KLUKD" coming up on the large overhead screens. But it certainly was a HUGE amount of fun and a night that we will never forget. It was also the first time I had played bowls in around 20 years.
Tomorrow is the second last day of riding and our amazing adventure is drawing to a close.Leggi altro
UngheriaEsztergom47°47’38” N 18°44’1” E
4 ottobre 2016, Ungheria ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
Tuesday October 4th
In Which we Share a Tailwind to Ezstergom
We awoke to a morning with a slight drizzle. Could this finally be the day when our run of fine weather draws to a close ? With only two more days to go till we roll into Budapest, it would almost feel cruel if the weather cracked at this late stage. Fortunately it didn't, it actually fined up to give us another dry day.
Our ride began on the left bank on the Slovakian side. The previous time we rode this section it gave us the worst and roughest riding of the entire trip. In fact it was so bad that we christened the section as "Siberia". Rather than being a bike path, it was just a series of rough tractor grooves that saw us continually switching from one track to the other, just trying to make any sort of headway.
Well it is amazing what a difference seven years makes
As we rode this same section I was staggered the find that the entire rough section had now been replaced with a lovely sealed bike path. Not only did it give us a perfect surface to ride on, but we were also aided by a steady tail wind, meaning that our progress was easy and swift. For most of the first hour we were able to effortlessly ride along between 25 to 30 kph.
I was also surprised to find that the main pace setter was none other than Rosemary. She bolted to an unfamiliar position at the front of the peloton and I had to really work hard to keep her in sight. She explained her newly found stamina as being due "to the coffee she had at breakfast".
One hazard in this otherwise beautiful bike path was the large number of strategically placed bollards, right in the middle of the path, where they could inflict the most serious injury. As we hurtled along there was an, almost continuous succession of shouts of "bollard", "double bollard", "another bollard", "bollard down", "hidden bollard" and so on.
Each time I turned around I could see dark clouds billowing behind us, however we were making so excellent progress that they did not seem to be getting any closer to us
It started to become a race between us and the chasing weather. We won.
Last time we rode this section we stopped for lunch at a large restaurant boat that was moored on the riverbank. I thought that it would be n ideal spot for lunch once again. Unfortunately, when we reached the boat, it was obvious the the last seven years had not been kind to it. Not only was it all locked up, but looked like it had been left neglected for a long time. No lunch for us today !
We immediately decided to continue to Esztergom instead. The tailwind stayed with us, but the lovely bike path did not. In fact we found ourselves riding along a very busy road for the final 10 km into the city. With a succession of huge trucks apparently doing their best to drive us off the road, it made for the most unpleasant riding we had done so far. One particularly evil truckdriver seemed determined to kill me. In spite of my normally placid nature I did find myself involuntarily giving him a huge shout of abuse and the sight of the raised middle finger of my right hand. I just could not help it. Another similar driver tried to run straight over the top of Gerry !
Esztergom is best known for the huge basilica which can be seen from at least 15 km away as you ride towards the city
It is fascinating to see it gradually growing larger as you approach, till it dominates the entire skyline.Unfortunately we were too scared for our lives to spend much time admiring the basilica as we approached.
Our hotel was very near to the basilica and, thanks to our energetic riding we arrived at around 12.30 pm - far too early to get access to our rooms. We were extremely pleased that we had managed to complete yet another cycling day without getting wet. Can our incredible run of meteorological good fortune hold out for just one more day ?
We spent the afternoon exploring the basilica, before returning to the diminutive rooms of the hotel. In many respects this hotel was one of the worst of the entire trip. Not even the sheet extended all the way to the foot of the bed, finishing about 15 cm short of the end of the mattress ! Oh well, sometimes you just have to take the bad with the good.
Tomorrow our odyssey draws to a close as we ride into Budapest.Leggi altro
UngheriaBudapestBudapest VIII. kerület47°29’18” N 19°4’2” E
5 ottobre 2016, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
Wednesday October 5th
In Which our Epic Odyssey is Completed
For the past few days the long unbroken run of dry weather had threatened to break. For much of yesterday we seemed to be just ahead of an advancing wet front, but somehow managed to arrive without so much as a drop of water on our helmets.
On our final day of cycling we awoke to the coldest day so far. Those hot days in Belgium and Holland now seemed a long distant memory. It was obvious that the seasons were shifting and the European winter was approaching rapidly. The final day of riding was also going to be the longest of the entire Odyssey with a distance of around 90 km to be cycled for those who wanted to ride the whole way to the finish line in Budapest.
We donned all the cold weather clothes we could muster. I knew that the thermal top I had been carrying since the start of the ride would eventually come in useful - now was its chance. Even with all the cold weather gear I had, it was still chilly. I really wish I had brought my long fingered gloves with me. But I hadn't.
It was also obvious that some were feeling the cold even more than I was. I noted that the "other Dennis" had wrapped himself up like an Egyptian mummy, with only two narrow eye slits the only parts of his body that were visible. It showed that the Queenslanders really don't cope well with chilly weather.
We had been advised by Wolfgang that this section of cycling was the prettiest of the entire section between Vienna and Budapest. "Please, please take your time and do not rush", he implored. Although I passed this advice on to the whole group, I knew that it would be wasted on the bolters. For some unknown reason they only wanted to complete each day as quickly as possible, without stopping to look at anything along the way.
I was a little apprehensive about the ride out of Esztergom as many of us had experienced numerous "near death episodes" on the way in to the place. Fortunately the outward ride was less harrowing and soon we were cycling along the beautiful riverbank that Wolfgang had promised.
The first challenge was to complete two ferry crossings during the course of the day. At this time of the year the ferries only run intermittently, and we knew if we missed one, we would have a long wait till the next one. As we cycled along past a succession of magnificent stately old homes I was trying to keep one eye on my watch. We were soon met, and passed, by the bolters who were obviously intent on arriving for the ferry at least 20 minutes early.
The final section of the route to the first ferry at Szob took us back onto the public road. We divided into several smaller groups and tried to keep up a steady pace. The only problem was that, when we arrived at the ferry, three of our riders were missing. We could not make the crossing without them and I started to worry about what had delayed them.
"Why are they taking so many pictures ? Didn't they realise we had a tight schedule for this ferry ?" The rest of the group were just as confused as I was as to what might have delayed them.
It was only when they finally appeared (with about 2 minutes to spare) that the true story emerged. Apparently Caterina had ridden straight into one of the steel bollards along the way. This was every cyclist's worst fear and the outcome could have been very serious indeed. There was no doubt that she was still dazed, but apparently she had somehow escaped major injury. That was more than I could say for her poor bike. The front brake caliper had been ripped clean off the frame and the cable was just hanging free. This left her with just one brake to complete the rest of the ride.
In spite of the delay we all managed to roll aboard the ferry on time. This was quite a surprise to those in the bolters group who were convinced that we would have no chance of catching the first ferry. This first ferry transferred us to the large Szentendre Island located in the middle of the Danube. We rode across the island and felt the brunt of the strong wind that had previously been at our backs.A short bridge brought us back onto the mainland at the far side of the island.
We then had a short section of road riding before joining another quiet bike path that meandered among the forest canopy. This really was a serenely beautiful path that we did not want to hurry along. You can imagine our surprise when, at the end of the island, we again met up with the bolters who had chosen to race straight down the centre of the island, rather than take the scenic bike path along the bank. I suspect that they were just as surprised to see us.
One thing that had not changed was the temperature - it was still freezing. We looked eagerly for somewhere to buy a hot cup of coffee and seek temporary refuge from the cold, and our endeavours were rewarded when we stumbled upon a likely looking roadside stop. We all huddled inside and ordered our coffees from the sole overworked assistant. Most of us then crowded into a tiny lounge area with a few small tables and chairs. But at least it was warm.
Carol had ordered a cup of tea and some nibbles and looked around for somewhere to offload her used tea bag and other rubbish. She found a plate with a partly eaten baguette on it and then proceeded to load her old tea bag and discarded food scraps on top of it. It was only when the owner of the plate returned from the toilet that Carol's embarrassing mistake became evident. The poor lady looked at what had happened to her lunch and quietly tried to recover what was left of it from under the pile of Carol' s castoffs. The rest of the ladies looked on, trying to do their best not to burst into laughter.
The next leg took us to the large town of Vac and another ferry crossing. Once again we somehow made the ferry just in time to roll right on board without waiting at all. Safely across the river we continued to the historic town of Szentendre. At this point a number of our riders had elected to catch the train directly into Budapest and thus save a few kilometres from the final day's ride.
The train station again proved a little difficult to locate and even more difficult to reach. When we did find it, Wolfgang was already waiting with the bike trailer. Five of our riders climbed off their bikes for the final time, collected their tickets and waited for the train.
David, Paul and I rode back into the lovely old city centre and looked for somewhere to eat. It wasn't easy, but eventually we managed to get a quick bite before assembling for the last leg of the ride into Budapest. Since the bolters had already left there was only an elite group (David, Paul, Douglas, Janna and myself) of riders who would be riding the path into Budapest.
Although the day was well advanced, the tailwind continued and the rain held off. We made good progress and were almost reluctant for the final kilometres to tick away. On the outskirts of Budapest we stopped for some hot chips and a drink before battling the suburban streets to our hotel.
We finally reached Budapest around 5 pm and made our way around the tedious detour that was necessary to reach the centre of the city. You can only imagine our amazement to find the bolters group still visible ahead of us. Although they had a huge start, they had apparently lost their way on the way into town, and this gave us yet another chance to catch up. I guess the old story about the tortoise and the hare is true after all.
By the time we reached the Danubius Flamenco Hotel the light was rapidly failing, but there was still NO RAIN. The "Miracle on the Danube" had actually taken place. We had ridden a cumulative total of over 50,000 km with only a single wet day and only two punctures.
It had been an adventure none of us will ever forget. It if not often that a group of ageing cyclists get to share such an experience together. Thanks to everyone that shared the journey with us. What had started as a dream over two and half years ago had now actually been completed safely. What a trip it had been.
Although I felt exhausted I had an overwhelming sense of relief that all the arrangements had worked, there had been no serious accidents and everyone had completed what they set out to do. For many it was certainly the hardest thing they had ever attempted, but they would now have the satisfaction of knowing that they had achieved it.
Now where can we go to next ?Leggi altro
UngheriaBudaBudapest-Déli Pályaudvar47°30’3” N 19°1’19” E
6 ottobre 2016, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C
Thursday October 6th
In Which we Wander Budapest
It was absolutely perfect timing. I could not have planned it any better if I had tried. When we awoke on the morning following the completion of our epic ride, we were greeted by the unfamiliar sound of teaming rain pouring down on the hotel window. A look outside confirmed that the long awaited breaking of the amazing run of dry weather, had finally taken place.
Did we care ? Not in the slightest. Our ride was over. We were safe under the refuge of a dry roof. Although we were planning on doing a little exploration of the city of Budapest, we were happy enough to do that in the wet or the dry.
A small group of us left the hotel, bundled up in the warmest clothes we could find to face the bracing 5C temperature. The rain was still falling from a grey sky
It really felt that the summer was now officially OVER and that eastern Europe was plunging headlong into another long winter.
A short tram journey took us to the centre of the city where we spent the next hour exploring the huge indoor market. It reminded me of a smaller version of the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul. By the time we had finished in the market my wallet was a lot lighter and our bags were considerably heavier. At least we had been successful in finding some gifts for the grandchildren.
Not far from the market we happened to meet an Australian woman who was now the owner of a shop in Budapest. She explained that many years ago she had met an Hungarian man and moved to Hungary to start a life with him. Now, many years later, the man had moved out of the picture, but she had stayed in the country, learnt the language and started her business. This was just another example of how we just never know how our lives are likely to turn out. All of us can just live a single day at a time and make the most of every situation that comes our way.
Since the weather was still cold and the rain drizzling down, we sheltered outside a French Patisserie for lunch before catching the Number 2 tram along the side of the Danube
This gave a cheap, warm a dry way to see most of the most famous buildings of the city.
In the evening we returned to the river for an evening cruise in a glass topped boat. Since this was the end of the tourist season it was surprisingly quiet and we were rewarded with a beautiful view of both sides of this impressive city from the river we had been following for the past six weeks. It seemed the perfect footnote to our incredible adventure.
Tomorrow will be our final day in Budapest. Our group will be scattering with some returning to Australia and other continuing in Europe on their own individual travels. It felt really sad to be bidding farewell to those whose company we had treasured so much. We had grown to know them so well and looked forward each morning to riding alongside them as we worked our way to Budapest.
Tomorrow Maggie and I will be catching the plane to Paris and another adventure in the country we love so much.Leggi altro
