Let’s go cycling

18th Sept, Vienna to Bratislava, 74km

Goodbye Austria, hello Slovakia!

A change of scenery, and architecture, as we crossed into Slovakia, albeit briefly.  The city of Bratislava was a charming place to stop enroute.  A cheap but airy and spacious room in a hostel, bright sunshine and plenty to explore in the old city. 

Plus a hefty helping of the national dish “Bryndzové halušky“, roughly translated as potato dumpings with sheeps cheese…but hearty and delicious 🙂
Bratislava seems very tourist focused and English was the common denominator wherever we went.

19th Sept, Bratislava to Gyor, 82km

The sunshine continued (might be the first time in a few weeks that we haven’t seen rain!). 

Lovely smooth paths out of the city and following the banks of the Danube for the first part of the day.  The cycle paths, however, started to deteriorate as we crossed into Hungary.  They’re still there for the most part, but not quite as smooth, or complete, as Slovakian paths.

Left the river for a while as today’s path meandered inland.  We’re very loosely following the “SultansTrail” and aimed for Gyor as tonight’s stopping place.

Another lovely city! Pedestrian centre, charming restaurants and a new set of national dishes to try out…

20th Sept, 96km, Gyor to Esztergom
Back into Slovakia for a bit (we heard the cycle trail  was smoother on that side of the river ).

A long and tiring day,  despite the flat landscape.  But the looming feature of the Esztergom church, apparently the largest in Hungary, provided a fascinating lead up to our bridge crossing back into Hungary.

Here we found our hostel accomm for the night.  To say it was eclectic would be an understatement… the entry way was stacked with empty bottles and garbage, not the most welcoming experience! We couldn’t even bring ourselves to eat breakfast in the communal garden area, such was the state of filth. Anyhow, best not to think about it too much, and we didnt pick up any bed bugs so that’s a positive!

21st Sept, Esztergom to Budapest, 87km

The Danube became much more scenic today as we cycled around the bends and through the gorges. 

Heading into the city of Budapest the Eurovelo cycle route seemed to unceremoniously dump us on busy roads, but once in the city centre the cycle paths were back in force and itv was easy to navigate.

A much needed day of “rest” at a little apartment hotel, with breakfast included (gotta love a buffet selection of pastries and scrambled eggs!).

A bit of exploring, sampling the foods of the city- including a “chimney cake” filled with icecream. 

A highlight for the day was our Danube cruise (thanks for the tip @Dot!!).  What a lovely way to enjoy the spectacular buildings of Budapest’s historic city.

23rd Sept, Budapest to Székesfehérvár, 88km

Started the day with a bit of an unpleasant “scene” on checkout, when they charged us 30 euros for storing our bikes in a little  corner of the garage. (Room rate was 55 euros…so it doesn’t quite equate!) We did query them when we arrived, no mention of any fee until we’d booked, but then it appeared magically.  They assured us they could “discount” it for us and would check with the manager. Ha. That didn’t happen.  Anyhow my displeasure was made clear, for all the good it did… just had to suck it up.  And leave an appropriate review…

We stuck to the the SultansTrail today and it was really a great day of riding- varied paths, new scenery and a good change from the river paths.

24th Sept, Székesfehérvár to Simontornya, 66km
Still on the Sultans Trail, but today put us on busy roads a lot more so the riding not quite as enjoyable. Hungarian drivers are tolerant but don’t give a lot of space so can get a bit hairy at times!

We found accommodation at the “Fried Castely”, which turned out to be a very dated establishment and not at all castle-like…but nevertheless it included dinner and breakfast all for 100 euro so we’ve made the most of it!

25th September, Simontornya to Bataszek, 78km

A few interesting trails today…across dusty corn fields one minute and avoiding trucks on a major road the next!

Hungary has been full of surprises.  We booked a cheap room in Bataszek without a great deal of expectation.  Rocked up to find a spiderweb filled doorway at the address given…and somewhat tempted just to keep riding.  But, we managed to get in touch with the proprietor, who informed us that the google address was wrong and it was a few hundred metres up the road. Phew! Inside the  uninspiring entry gates we found an oasis of a place- a lovely accommodation with plenty of space and all the comforts of home.  Our hostess speaks zero English (and we speak zero Magyar) but google translate worked wonders and we felt extremely welcomed.

A superb meal at the local restaurant to top off our few days in Hungary! 

Neil’s Notes
Feels like I might be a bit harsh, but  eastern European food feels like eating to live. So much fat, even for me. However Hungarian wines are superb and so cheap.
Autumn is on our heels and advances fast in the inland and mountainous areas, so we are heading south and to the Adriatic coast.