By Eddie Carter
5 HUNGARY810
Kilometres – 19 Days11
July – 30 July 2007
 |
| By Eddie Carter |
11-12
July – London, UK – Budapest, Hungary
Our
flight touched down in Budapest early on 11 July. From the start, I was smitten
with this beautiful city with its plethora of gracious old buildings, cobbled
streets and views of the mighty Danu River. I instantly understood why it’s referred
to as “the Capital of Architecture”. To this day, it remains one of my favourite
cities as it is beautiful, culturally rich and the people immensely friendly.
Hungary
is the land of paprika, cabbage and sausage, and the food was delicious and the
beer good. In fact, nearly all the food in Hungary includes paprika in some
form, from the homey goulash to the Porkolt (meat stew) and Halaszle
(fisherman’s soup).
An
additional day was spent exploring the city’s famous attractions and buildings.
First thing in the morning Eddie and I sauntered across the chain bridge, the
first permanent connection to span the Danube between Buda and Pest. Once on
the opposite bank, a funicular took people to the castle district and Buda
Castle. Finally, we strolled towards the Fisherman’s Bastion with its panoramic
view of the city, from where we feasted our eyes upon Budapest’s magnificent architecture.
If
today, I would’ve lingered longer, but as was my nature, I’d bees in my bonnet
and wanted to move along. As is the case with nearly all “new” cycle tourers, I
was destination minded. It took me years until I rid myself of the habit and could
enjoy the touring part of cycle touring, which, in my mind, is what cycle
touring is all about.
13
July – Budapest – Esztergom – 80 kilometres
Following
a day of exploring, we cycled out of Budapest. At first, our path followed the
famed Danu River past vast fields of sunflowers and timeless villages. Then, our
chosen path spat us out in Esztergom’s ancient town, where the day’s ride
ended. However, there was no missing the city as a massive basilica (the 3rd
largest church in Europe) dominated the city. It sits atop a hill above this
bustling town and overlooks the Danube River.
Esztergom’s
history goes back many years. The town was established around 972 AD and was
the first Hungarian King’s birth and coronation place. Esztergom was further
the capital of Hungary till the 13th century. As a result, there is an
abundance of old buildings of both Royal and religious nature.
14
July - Esztergom – Győr – 95 kilometres
The
route between Esztergom and Gyor was picturesque as it ran along the Danube
through countless settlements. In these communities, we filled water bottles
from wells using hand pumps. The ride led past vast fields of sunflowers,
making a pretty picture against a cloudless sky.
15
July - Győr and surrounds – 80 kilometres
As
the campsite in Gyor was comfortable, we stayed two days, allowing exploring the
countryside. It became a fun day cycling past tiny hamlets, farmlands and more
fields of sunflowers.
16
July - Győr – Papa – 58 kilometres
The
next day our route left the river and headed toward Lake Balaton. Being mid-summer,
the weather was sweltering. Again, the friendliness of the people impressed us.
An older man who spoke no English must’ve noticed us suffering in the intense
heat. He promptly invited us in, offered us ice cream, and gave us two slices
of smoked meat; how kind of him.
Papa
is a historical town with an ensemble of old buildings. The entire town centre
is today a protected area. Papa is also famed for its thermal baths, but the
heat was too intense and instead, we opted for a cold beer on a shady veranda in
the historic part of town.
17-18
July - Papa – Balatonfüred – 64 kilometres
Eddie
and I left lovely Papa in the morning to cycle the final stretch towards the
lake. The day was another blistering one and relatively hilly. I’d no idea the
mercury could rise to such levels in Hungary. Balatonfured is the oldest of the
towns situated on Lake Belton’s shores. It is another city renowned for its
spas, but this was no time to visit spas.
19
July - Balatonfüred – Badacsony – 48 kilometres
The
oppressing heat made riding exhausting, and we could only manage a half-day of
biking. Upon reaching Lake Balaton, drenched in sweat, we called it quits and set
up camp at Badacsony, a small village with a population of barely 2000. The
lake was immensely touristy, and the beaches were littered with campsites that
made easy overnighting. I wasted no time diving into the lukewarm water of the
lake. Sunset was a perfect time to sample the region’s good wine.
20
July - Badacsony – Fonyód – 56 kilometres
Packing
up was at leisure as there was no rush to go anywhere. However, the heat
remained debilitating. It took practically the entire day to cycle the short
distance to the resort town of Fonyod. The road made its way along the lake’s
shores and the heat made cycling in bathing suits and stopping numerous times to
swim and drink beer. Finally, the day’s ride finished in Fonyod, where camp was
on the lake shores. Once the tents were pitched, we could enjoy the town’s well-known
mineral water (bottled nearby) before moving on to their renowned wine.
21
July - Fonyód – Balatonszemes – 32 kilometres
The
next morning, we emerged to a tad of a breeze, making the unrelenting heat
almost bearable. Then, unfortunately, the wind picked up, which made grinding
into the wind to the next campsite. But once in Balatonszemes, the wind
subsided, and we were back in paradise.
The
campsites, 20 all around the lake, were well equipped with access to the lake,
shops, bars, restaurants, and loads of entertainment, especially for children, including
waterslides, games, cable skiing, and paddle boats.
22
July - Balatonszemes – Siófok – 32 kilometres
I
thought Lake Belatan was the closest place to heaven. Blue skies, lukewarm
water and no wind, made the place swarming with tourists. The lakeshore was extremely
shallow and excellent for floating in its lukewarm waters. Shops, restaurants
and bars were scattered about, adding to a great holiday atmosphere.
23-24
July – Siófok
Siofok
meant we’d cycled around the entire lake and thus spent the day lounging around
and enjoying the sun. Siofok is the largest town along the lake, with a beach
stretching nearly 20 kilometres, making it an extremely popular holiday
destination.
25-26
July - Siofok – Budapest – 110 kilometres
Once
around the lake, we returned to Budapest to collect my Romanian Visa. Again, it
turned out a day of easy riding. We thus slinked into Budapest in good time,
where it took weaving through the traffic to find accommodation. The following
day I collected my visa and we once again strolled Budapest’s cobbled streets.
27
July - Budapest – Kesckemet – 90 kilometres
With
passport in hand, we cycled out of Budapest in the direction of Romania. The
ride was a pleasant and relaxed one, in perfect cycling weather. Kecskemet sported
an immense and beautiful City hall and an extremely convenient campsite in the
centre of town, signalling the end of the day’s ride.
28-29
July - Kesckemet – Szeged – 65 kilometres
The
way to Szeged was another enjoyable day of riding along a flat road. Szeged,
home of the paprika, had a smattering of old buildings of which the Saint
Nicolas Serbian Church, built in 1781, is the oldest. Szeged further had a
great location along the Tisza river with an excellent campsite and a thermal
bath. Hungary is well known for its thermal baths. At the town of Szeged, we
set up camp and stayed two days, floating in the warm water of their well-known
thermal springs before crossing into Romania.
30
July – Szeget, Hungary – Arad, Romania – 78 kilometres
Departing
Szeget was with a stiff tailwind which became a near gale force crosswind,
making it challenging riding, especially with the many trucks and heavy
traffic. Upon arrival at the border, I found my Hungarian visa wasn’t what I’d envisaged,
but 2 x 10-day visas, (where did that come from?). Therefore, I overstayed and after
attempting sign language and being shunted back and forth from building to
building; I was eventually allowed to leave. Phew!
I
was immensely excited to see Romania. It finally felt like I was getting into
my stride. Since childhood, I’ve been intrigued by gipsies and understood there
were still genuine gipsies in Romania. Add the mystery of Dracula’s castle and
place names like Transylvania and I was virtually bursting out of my skin.
As
always in a foreign country, the language remained a considerable obstacle,
everything (as expected) was in Romanian, and truly little English was spoken.
Our
arrival in Arat was late, searching for the camping spot indicated on the map.
Still, all that remained of the campsite was an abandoned field. By then, it
was raining and dark, and we weakened at the sight of a pension.
