Budapest and Szentendre

Another 23km on very tired feet over the past couple of days. I wanted to see Szentendre, a lovely town with cobbled streets, art vendors and sellers of items that are unique to Hungary. It sits on the Danube bend and if you’re cycling on the opposite bank, it’s not ideal to crossover and back again, so I missed seeing it on my way into Budapest. Instead, on a local’s advice, I took the train. I had a lovely morning and managed to cross a couple of gift purchases off my list! 

On the advice of a friend, I visited the New York Cafe, self identified as the most beautiful cafe in the world. I must admit, the building is absolutely stunning, albeit reflected in the menu pricing. I had a lovely visit and am so glad I went.

I then went to see the Dohany Street Synagogue, the largest in Europe and the second largest in the world. I didn’t go inside as the amount of people waiting was incredible even though I was there for opening time. I also saw the Parliament building, the brass shoes on the banks of the Danube, Liberty Square, Heroes Square and Vajdahunyad Castle and a whole lot more. I also managed a coffee with Christine before she started her long journey back to Perpignan. All in all, a massive day! 

Budapest

A couple of days exploring Budapest. There is so much to see here. I also caught up with Christine from Perpignan, who I met along the Danube cycle path a few days ago. I’ve walked 25km over the two days, caught countless trams, used the metro and had a bus ride! 

Vac to Budapest 39km

An emotional ride today being my last official riding day. Budapest! I made it despite all the challenges before and during. 

It was a mixture of pathway, road and footpath. As I approached the last 10km into Budapest, the footpath, which is part of the official EV6, was extremely rough and not something I would consider a ‘bike path’. I’ve included some pictures but I was too busy navigating the worst bits to get photos. 

My welcome to Budapest was a bus trying to run me over because I couldn’t turn into the street where my apartment was because it was closed for a film set. Maybe I needed to apparate at that point! There is security at both ends of the street and I have to prove where I’m staying to be able to walk in and out. Not sure how long the filming will go for but there are some cool cars around! 

Sturovo to Vac 52km

After an unsettling night in an exorbitantly priced campground, I decided against a rest day and headed out towards Budapest knowing it wasn’t my destination today. The partying, doof doof music, and chatting continued until around 2am. This was one of the worst nights I’ve experienced in a campground in more than 20 years of touring. There was absolutely no respect for fellow campers. Around 1am, I  considered packing up and sleeping on a park bench as far away as possible. For 39 euros, I wish I could get a refund! 

The ride to Vac was delightful, a mix of levee, path, road, and rough concrete riding. Unfortunately, in trying to avoid one of the many large pot holes or ‘jumps’, I’ve strained my left knee. I’ll cover it in Volataren gel tonight and hopefully it will survive for the final day of riding into Budapest. It seems so long ago that I started this journey in Brussels. I’ve had to adapt and be flexible along the way as things have influenced my ride, rain, heat, mountains, etc. I managed to wash the bike today and the annoying ticking from the front brake is actually the brake rubbing the whole time I’m riding. Imagine how fast I could have gone without this! ;-)

My accommodation is lovely with a shared kitchen and air conditioning. Hopefully a better nights sleep and then the final kilometres into Budapest. Bittersweet to be at the end, but so proud I’m almost there!