the river.

Esztergom to Budapest

June 15 2023

I was glad that we were heading east out of our hotel in the morning as it was down hill to the river.  West was a few blocks of 15% cobble stones.  At the bottom of the hill we found the bike path and we were off on the final leg of our journey.  Bob had warned us earlier that navigation into Budapest was not easy and I remember from 2007 when I rode the Orient Express that the day into Budapest was one of the hardest on the tour.  Today was to be an 86 kms day and that meant it would be a long day as we had not been making much more than 10 kms/hr which meant a 4:30 pm arrival. I had not done a Garmin route into the hotel as I had not known which route Bob wanted to take until  it was too late and I was out of time.  So navigation was all on Bob and his map book.  

At about the 15 kms mark we turned down a side road to take the ferry across the river.  It was clearly part of the Euro Velo route 6, but when we got to the ferry there was no ferry.  Ferry landing but no ferry.  We rode back a couple of kms and took a dirt road (I wanted to go back to the highway). I couple of kms in it started to get pretty rough and then it turned to sand.  After Bob nearly went down that was then end of the dirt and we headed back to the highway.  Yes it was a lillte busy but you could make good time and the cars were exceedingly polite giving us a wide birth.  

At about the 25 kms mark we got to the next ferry and it was running so we were now on the north side of the Danube where the bike path was.  It was pretty nice just cruising down the pathway.  However there was still another ferry to catch to get back to the other side and it's last sailing was at 12:00 noon with the next sailing at. 1:00 Pm.  We had lost a lot of time on the dirt road and looking for an alternative route. So we had to hurray.

About 5 kms from the second ferry Bob's rear wheel broke another spoke (having broke one a couple of days earlier).  So he was down two spokes. Bob quickly taped the broken spoke to the one beside it and we hurried off. Bob made a turn and called out that we were 3 kms out.  I looked at my watch and it was 11:47.  Around a corner there was a long straight and you could see the cars rolling onto the ferry.   As we rolled onto the ferry they pulled up the ramp.  A close call.  

On the other side we sat on an abandon cafe terrace and ate our sandwiches, reflecting on that close call.  

A few kms further down the road there was construction on the pathway and the workers would not let us through so we had to back track and go back to the highway.   After we had gone quite a way we tried to get back to the path which had to be between the highway and the river but it took several tries to find the path.  

This time the path lead us into Budapest and everyone was really happy to see the famous Hungarian Parliament buildings on the Pest side of the Danube.  Down the incredibly busy bike path into Budapest and across the river.  Finding the hotel wasn't too hard and everyone was happy.

I was pretty pleased to be in Budapest.  The journey was right around 1700 kms of which we rode 1580 kms having taken the train on a couple of rainy days.  It wasn't the longest journeys but having the extra load of paniers on the bike and the incredibly rough trails over so much of the route really took its toll.  

Bob gets the highest marks for organizing this trip.  All of the hotel accommodations worked out, we all made it in one piece,  and we had lots of adventures which I am sure will be retold many times over.  SO Thanks Bob for a great trip.

Terry    

 

 

Komarno to Esztergom

June 14 2023

We rolled out of Komarno under increasingly cloudy skies this morning.  My weather app did not have any rain in the forecast but it sure felt like rain. There was that kind of heavy humidity in the rain and the increasing cloud make sure made it look like it.

As we left town we came to the first Komarno fort which was built on the point of land where the Var river flows into the Danube river.  It was a long wall which must have gone on for a couple of kilometers.  Illustrations we had seen in the town showed quite a large fortress in side the walls but it was not evident from the road.  

We crossed the Danube to the north side which we followed all day.  The north side is the Slovakian side and the south side is the Hungarian side.  Along the river was a high dike with an excellent paved path on top. ùso we were able to just fly along chased by a nice tail wind. 

Atout 8 kms into the ride we came to this Roman fortress ruins.  The Roman fort had been built around 172 AD.  It had been a Roman encampment as 3aerly as 100 Ad  but after some Germanic tribes attacked it was convered to a fortress. Although it was a UNESCO world heritage site there really wasn't that much to see.  

Following the dike along we came to a little village of Maco where we had a coffee stop before continuing on down the trail.

At about the 38 km mark my route took us down the highway on into town.  Bob's route continued on along the top of the dike, which had turned to a rough gravel track with a high grass center. The two tgravel tracks were quite narrow and had a lot of loose pea sized gravel in them. I always felt like the bike was wanting to run side ways on me and I had to fight to keep it straight.  What was most interesting about the track was that there were a zillion little black insects which were highly attracted to Ken's yellow jersey.  When every we stopped for even a few seconds Ken would be covered in hundreds of these black bugs. It sure didn't look like it was very much fun being swarmed like that.  

After about 12 kms on the dike we came to the place where Bob's route took us north to the highway. however we weren't finished with the rough road as we than had about 6 kms of trail which was made of the concrete blocks all of which had a good offset and every joint had a nasty bump to it.  Personally I think I would have sooner ridden down the highway which was about 10 kms and not endured the gravel on the dike and the concrete blocks.  Yes there was some traffic on the highway but it was all really polite and gave us lots of room.  

When we got to Esztergom we approached from west and could see the large dome of the Esztergom basilic from a long way off. It was a magnificent site from the other side of the river.  We crossed the bridge and into the hotel.  The hotel is right below the basilica.  Ken and I walked up to and through it.  It is being completely restored.  Work has been on going for the last two years and will not be finished for at least two more years but could take much longer.  It is really a magnificent structure.  

We wound up at 58 kms which was a very nice days ride.  

Tomorrow is the last ride day into Budapest and is one of the longer days at around 85 kms. 

well crap got two images and can't delete one.  

Terry 

Terry 

 

 Gyor to Kormarno

June 13 2023

On the road shortly after 8:00 am again this morning even though we had only 53 kms to ride.  We are also heading back to Slovakia again today.  

My Garmin route was totally different from Bob's route down Euro Velo 6 (EV6), so I just turned the routing function off as it is so annoying having Garmin beeping at you all the time. We were down some very nice bike paths until they suddenly ended and the route turned into a tractor path along side a field.  My big 40 mm tires made it rideable but it was more mountain bike trail than cycle path.  The route got worse and worse and finally we were pushing the bikes between one mud hole and the next.  If it had of been raining it would have been totally impassable. 

After what seemed like forever but was probably only a few kms we came to an unbelievable smooth section of brand new pavement. What the heck was this doing here in the middle of nowhere?  Not to complain we were off down the road. 

A second section of push your bikes down a logging road appeared only a few more kms down the way..

Some where in this Bob broke another spoke.  This is the fourth spoke he has broken on this trip. I had originally put this down to too much weight on the bike, however bob got the specs from his bike shop and he is probably 40 kg under the rated wheel capacity.  This also reminds me that I got a flat yesterday. My big tires swallowed a one in nail.  It wasn't hard to find sticking through the tire.  The fact that I got a flat wasn't caused by the fact that I ran over a nail but was caused by Ken's negative waves.  Just as I hit the nail Ken was thinking there hasn't been a single flat on the trip and five bikes have travelled 1500 kms. 

The high light of the day was when we stopped for lunch at this 1850-1860 fort  along the river.  It was called Monostori Erod.  It was built into the river bank to guard river traffic.

The highlight of this evening was tonight's meal.  It was without question the best meal of the entire tour.  I hard the breaded pork tenderloin. It was a chef's master piece served with mashed potatoes with spinachm adorned with strips of bacon. roasted mushrooms ,and sprouts.  The desert was a huge slice of chocolate tort for desert was more like a soft chocolate bar.  

Just two more ride days left hard to believe.  

Sorry For the lack of pictures especially tonight's meal 

Terry 

Bratslava toGyor

June 12 2023

We rolled out of our hotel and were on the road shortly after 8:00. am.  It was a bright sunny day and everyone was in high spirits.  Finished with the hills and and looking forward to the flats of the Danube River trail. 

First stop was the Peeper statue which is a trade mark of Bratislava.  I had seen the statue of the little man peeping out from the storm drain man hole cover back in 2007 so I knew exactly where it was so I lead the group down to see it.  From there we were off on the Danube River trail which is now Euro Velo 6.  

We stopped for coffee in a little town and there was a WWI  memorial to the soldiers who had fallen. I was amazed at how many of the names had the same sir name.  Brothers, Fathers and sons, cousins.  What a great remembrance to the Austrain - Hungarin empire. 

Wandered through a lot og back roads and followed the dike along the Danube.  In 2007 it was a gravel trail now it is an ultra smooth paved cycle way.

It wasn't long before we came to the border with Hungry..  About all that remains sof the border is a faded sign.  Down on the lower section of  dike off the trail were a couple of Tiger Teeth concrete tank blocks.  It was an interesting reflection on a past era.

A little further on we came to a town where the name must have been 10 letters long.  No one had a clue how to pronounce it so we called it the M town.  Bob got off course in thetown and we spent 25 minutes wandering around looking for the route before we finally figured it out.  

We finally pulled into our hotel having ridden around 85 kms which was about 9 kms over the original route.  

Working on the picture thing.

Terry 

 Vienna to Bratislava

June 11 2023

Vienna Gate

Bratislava street Sculpture

First day with out my camera , and was it ever wierd to not have my camera right there in the bento box ready to pull out and grab a shot.  Sure I took a few with my phone but I pretty much have to be stopped to get it out unlock it find the phone app and line it up.  Maybe I took 8 pictures instead of the usual 20-50.  Today could have been a 50 shot day easy as we did ride through some pretty spectacular stuff.

The trail into Bratislava has really improved since  I rode it last in 2007.  It was paved pretty much the entire way with only a couple of kms on packed gravel.  Back in 2007 it was rough gravel from about 20 kms out of Vienna.  Back in 2007 there were no signs now there are signs pointing the way at every corner.   When I was coming into Bratislava on Surly, which is the same bike I am riding today I hit two steel bars which were perpendicular to the path and sticking up from the road surface about 3 inches.  I immediately had two flat tires.  I repaired the flats but I had seriously damaged the tires.  I found a tiny little bike shop in the old town which was only a few feet wide but was crammed with stuff hanging from the walls and ceiling.  The owner sold me two new non-folding tires for some ridiculously low price.  I think I got 20,000 miles out of those tires. They were the best tires I have ever had.. I think I finally changed them on the Lands End to John O Groats trip years later. 

Bob took us off the bike path and up through the town of Hainburg to see the Vienna Gate which was built in the 1100s. It was a really interesting side trip and we got to eat lunch in a very nice bakery which actually had cold chocolate milk.  

Back on the path and into the city of Bratislava.  The entire town is built on a very steep hill side and getting up around to the hotel was a real challange as a freeway cut the hotel off from the side we were on but after a long slog pushing our bikes over a lot of cobble stones we got to the hotel and checked in.

Tomorrow we leave Slovakia and go to Hungry.  

More pictures when I get this thing figured out. 

Terry 

 Vienna Rest day 

June 10 2023

Ok the end of pictures as I have lost my camera.  Where it went I don't know.  So not only is the camera gone but all my pictures as well.  The note book I am using does not have very much memory so I was using the card from the camera in the note book to load pictures. 

Any way this morning Ken went off to find a laundry and I took some time to have a nice lazy morning.  

When Ken got back from laundry we went for a walk across the Danube and walked along the city pier where all the Danube River boats were tied up.  I must say i was impressed by how beautiful they were.

After our walk we stopped at a supper market and picked up some food for a picnic in the park.  The day had turned hot and humid, but was still heavily over cast.

Back in the room I lay down for a nap and Ken said I was asleep instantly and wound up having a couple hours sleep.

Bob had wanted to for downtown to the market Square for supper so we all got on the subway for a ride.  We had no sooner arrived in the market when tremendous thunder show broke out.  \we took refuge in under an awning for a long time before we finally made our way around to a place  which had a table for us.  I had the chicken Ceasar Salad which was quite disappointing as there was only three little pieces of chicken and no ancovys .

Now my mouse has quit working and I can't even do spell check. CRAP CRAP

Terry 

Valtice to Vienna 

June 9 2023

This  morning it wasn't raining but the clouds were so low and the humidity so high it might as well have been raining.  The ride into Vienna was projected to be 105 kms and with the forecast of rain all day there wasn't a single one of us who wanted to do the ride. We all wanted to take the train.  It was 15 kms ride over to the nearest town which had a station so down the road to the train we went.

On the way to the train we rode past a tribute to Dianna.  It was a huge monument fashioned after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.  There it was in the middle of the forest on a gravel road.  Why and who built it?  Unknown!

The 15 kms was down some pretty rough gravel/dirt road but after all the rough roads we have been down it seemed like a piece of cake.  Arriving at the station it was starting to rain , so we rolled our bikes straight into the station and within 5 minutes were on the train.  We were still strapping the bikes in place when the train pulled out of the station.  Nothing could have worked smoother.

The train was an ultra modern trin with places for bikes and an upper level with great seating and big viewing windows.  The train was so smooth it was impossible to tell how fast you were going. The acceleration out of a station and the deceleration into stations was so fluid there wasn't a single jolt at all.  The journey took about 90 minutes and we rolled into an ultra modern underground station.  

As it was just lunch time Bob called for a lunch stop at the station so we sat at an out door cafe and had our lunch.  The clouds had dissipated and we enjoyed a nice warm sunny break.  The hotel was a short 10 minute ride from the station which we quickly covered.  Checked in and ready to go by 1:40 pm.

After check in Ken and I went for a huge walk.  Just around around the corner from our hotel is huge permanent amusement park, complete with Ferris wheel, roller coasters fun houses, bumper cars, shooting galleries, and this rotating swing on this tower which has to be at least 15 stories high.  Neither Ken or I were willing to give it a try.  

The amusement park had to have been 20 blocks long and when we came to the end we were in this beautiful tree lined street.  It was so peaceful walking along enjoying the nice warm sunny day.  

When we got back to the hotel we stopped at a open air cafe and enjoyed a local beer.

What a great way to avoid the rain, have a fun train adventure, all the while covering our 105 kms.

Tomorrow is our rest day in Vienna and then we have 5 ride days to Budapest which will conclude the tour.

Terry 

 

Znojmo to Valtice

June 8 2023

On the road at about 7:45 this morning into dark gray skies.  This threatening rain thing is really starting to get old. The way out of town was pretty straight forward but was down a bury street which was not helped by the fact that we were in rush hour traffic and all of the cars were in a hurray.  Fortunately we got off the busy road on to a slightly less busy road but not cars are going 80-150 kmh rather than the 30-50 back in the city.  In fact one speeding motorist who was in such a hurray to pass this line of 5 bikes, that he missed the on coming car by only a few inches.  

At about the 20 km mark we pulled into a little town for coffee but as it was only 9:40 only a convienience store was open.  

As we rolled down the greenway which is now the EUROVELO route 13  or the Iron Curtain trail it suddenly ended and we were faced with about a kilometer through a tractor path along side a field.  My big wide 40 mm tires rolled through the grass until the trail turned muddy and then I was forced to push my bike. 

There are a lot of poppies growing on the edge of the fields that we are riding through.. So I tried to capture them in a rolling photo.  

At the 56 kms mark we pulled into the town of Brno for lunch but could not find anything so we wound up eating our lunch in a picnic shelter beside the trail.  As we were eating we could hear thunder in the distance and it started to rain.  By time we had finished eating the rain had let up but a few drops were coming down, so rain coats were on.   

With only 20 kms to go we pushed on but it started to rain again and was actually quite heavy at times.  Of course the trail turned rough and it had a lot of steep pitches in it as well.  This meant that the 20 kms was going to take longer than it should have.  It ididn't rain the entire 20 kms into Valtice but probably 15 of it.  So everything is soaked and bikes are covered in mud. 

We were in by 1:40 pm so we made really good time despite having to push or bikes and endure rough roads.  

The forecast for tomorrow is for more rain all the way into Vienna.  The route is 105 kms with 632 meters of climb.  Everyone is tired from the last 5 days of hills, rough roads , and cold gray skies and damp weather.  So I think that the plan is to ride over to the nearest train station and take the train into Vienna and our rest day.

Terry 

 

Slavonice to Znojmo

June 7 2023

On the road at 8:15 this morning into spitting rain and a very dark gray sky.  I had programed the route straight down the 409 highway and Bob and I had reviewed it last night so it was really straight forward.  It seems like what ever bike paths there are have really steep pitches while the quiet backroads 

 are not as steep and the pavement is way better. The spitting rain only lasted about 20 minutes so we stopped to take jackets off.

About the 25 km mark Bob found a little detour along side a river.  It wasnèt going to save much in terms of distance but would be pretty along the river.  It was the water was very still and had great reflections of the over hanging trees.  As we rode along we came to this house which had some really strange sculpture. The climb out of the river valley was quite interesting as well as the road must of had 4 or 5 switchback.  The switchbacks made the climb much easier.

I hadn't seen any soviet memorials even though they occupied Czzech for 50 years,  Today I saw one at a little crossroads in a tiny village.  

We hadn't found any coffe places which were open and we were already 40 kms into the ride when we came to the castle Varnov.  It was a beautiful place to stop and eat our sandwiches.  The castle is extremely well preserved and has great views of the vally below.  Sitting eating lunch there was great.

After lunch it was a big down hill into the  town of Varnov which lay along the river.  The climb out of the river valley was even more switchbacks and afforded some wonderful views of the castle and river valley below.  It was just over 8 kms of switchbacks to the top of the hill.  

The last 17 kms into Znojmo was down a busy highway but it was mostly down hill and we made great time and arrived at our hotel by 1:15 pm.  

As it was still early Ken and I wandered around town and went into the local cathedral.  While not as magnificent on the outside as some of the others we have seen, the inside was absolutely stunning..  It should also be noted that the cathedrals here are not adorned with the onion spirals on top. 

Another great day on the tour.  Saw some great sites, managed to make 67 kms with 622 meters of climb and into a very cool hotel right on the town square.   Avoided the rain again.  Makes me wonder how long our luck will hold.

Terry 

  

Jindrichuv Hradec to Slavonice

June 6

Today we took a taxi an hour long ride up to a historic site called Cesky Kromlov.  One of Marlene's friends had recommended this place as a must see medieval castle and town.  As the day was only scheduled for 48 kms and Bob had worked out a short cuts it was possible. The castle was in fact quite impressive.  It was really three castles which had been joined together.  I can see that they would have been quite impregnatable in the 15th century.  The little village has retained it's architectural style where the out side plaster on the stones is scribed and then painted to give the look of larger blocks or sometimes a scene.  However the town is now filled with souvenir shops, cafes, high end purse shops and high end clothing shops.  They even had a bear.  The poor looking fellow was all by himself at the bottom ot the castle moot.  Yes it is a tourist trap.  And there were lots of Chinese/Japanese tour groups being guided through the village while taking selfies.  

The cab ride back to the hotel where our bikes were was closer to 45 minutes as the lady had a real lead foot.  She darted down a lot of back roads, gunning the little VW van for all it was worth.  Ken had jammed himself in the middle of the back seat and every corner he would crash into either myself or Marlene who was on his other side.

Back at the hotel and on the road by 12:30 so not too bad.  Out of town and down Bob's short cut which turned out to be a very busy road with no shoulder.  I give credit to most of the drivers however there were a couple of local dump trucks which gave me not very much room.  Ok it did save 8 kms.   We picked up my route at a little town 16 kms into the ride where we ate our sandwiches in the town square.  

Back on the road with 24 kms to go and more down hill than up hill. As we left town is started to sprinkle so we stopped to put on rain jackets which scared the rain away after a couple of kms.   We passed a much older castle at the 35 kms mark but only stopped long enough to snap a picture. Back on the road  flying down the hills into Slavonice at 3:55 pm.  I had bet Bob a beer he couldn't get in before 4:30 so I better finish this off and go pay up.

Pretty decent day, saw a historic village, got a 40 kms ride in and avoided the rain.

Terry 

Sedlcany to Jindrichuv Hradec

June 5

Today was the  longest 98 kms and hilliest 893 m of climb of the tour. In addition rain was forecast for most of the day with quite heavy rain forecast for the afternoon.  Fortunately it had not started raining yet. So we were on our bike and riding before 8:00 am.  The first section of the ride was on a very nice newly paved bike path. unfortunately it followed wht was probably 14th century goat paths as it was had a lot of quite steep hill.  Ken reported 13% on his Garmin.  I didn't look down as I was too busy hanging on to the handle bars.  In any case it was darn hard work pedaling these 50-75 pound bikes up these hills.  

When we got to the top of the very first hill which was about 5 kms into the ride Marlene decided to bail out and went back to Sedlcany to catch a train.  The rest of us soldiered on.

As we rolled through one village after another we could see the sky getting darker and darker.  Bt now the path had given over to the road and we on some busy raods and some single lane back roads.  The main roads had much lower grades than the back lanes but the hills were incessant. 

No coffee stop to day as we were on a mission.  Get down to Tabor, which was at kms 45, before the rain started and then evaluate the train situation. When ever there was a down hill it was pour the steam on to make time and get a run at the next hill.  You never made the top of the next hill with out down shifting into close the bottom.  

Just as we rolled into Tabor it started to rain.  We ducked into a cafe to get a coffee. I found an extra large Americano which was about 6 oz.. and treated myself to a slice of chocolate mousse cake which was only B. After the cake was done it was really hammering down, so we decided to take the traino rean as well. 

It was about 4 km to the station and a wet ride.  Just before I got to the station I heard a sharp click and suddenly I had no rear brakes.  Yikes.  

In the station Bob went straight to  the wicket and purchased four tickets to our destination.  Out on the platform I set to looking at my brakes.  A little diagnose showed that the rear brake cable had let go from the rear brake and was not broken.  Ken helped me reset it and tighten it down. Talk about getting lucky.

About 45 minutes later our train appeared and we clamored on.  The first leg of our journey was about 25 minutes and we were all jammed into a little compartment with our bikes.  The second leg of our journey was on a much more modern and comfortable train.  

While on the train I figured out the route to the hotel and from the station we rolled down the last 1.5 kms to the hotel.  By now the rain had let up and while still very cloudy not raining.    

What a day managed to get  good ride in, got lucky with my brakes, had a fun train adventure, and avoided getting soaked in the rain.

Terry