Summing Up - 1517km

Slow travel by bicycle is a privilege and I met so many people on this year. I experienced incredible kindness and hospitality. Some people I didn’t even get the names of including the legendary guys who helped me hike my bike up and down stairs at Metz train station while four SNCF staff stood and watched. 

I also met Ralph (previous Canyon bikes designer) who helped me change carriages and navigate the train system in Germany, Helen and Bertyand who chatted away two hours with me while we waited for a campground to open, Helen and Vincent from Holland who I ran into multiple times on my trip and who made me a cup of tea, Tom from Florida who I travelled with for a few days sharing meals and a glass of wine or two, Christine from Perpignan who I spent some time with in Budapest, Lia and baby Lucas from Germany who were so inspirational, Beatrice also from Germany who was great company on my train ride to Munich, Susanne from Ulm who showed me around her town, Sandra from The Crossing who kindly found a room for me after I incorrectly booked a month later, and the amazing artist Susanna (Valerie’s friend) in Luxembourg who looked after my bike.

I was privileged to be joined by Ben in Brussels, who rode with me for my first day to Namur, Cyril and Regine who opened their home to not only me, but also to Ben, and the beautiful Valerie who looked after me for several days in Tellancourt.

This trip I found the loneliness very challenging particularly when some days I didn’t speak to anyone. I like my own company but seven weeks away from friends and family was definitely challenging.

Travelling by bike after being so unwell prior to leaving created additional challenges. In hindsight, a few more days to recover from the flight before heading off on the bike might have improved the first week.

Don’t climb mountains if you don’t want to, use a train. It’s your ride.

Weather extremes were challenging with 6 degrees and wet in Belgium, and almost 40 degrees in other European countries along my travels.

The best bike infrastructure by far was in Germany. Such a change from when I was in Germany in 2012. Separated, dedicated cycling infrastructure where cars give way, move to let you pass, and wave you in front of them. Outstanding!

The best Danube signage was in Austria.

The worst signage was Slovakia followed closely by Hungary.

The worst paths were in Slovakia and Hungary. I’m still not sure how some of them constituted the EV6!

Hungary was way more expensive than other countries and they don’t take Euro.

It was very uninteresting riding from Vienna to Bratislava and then to Budapest. Just ticking off kilometres. A lot of levee riding in the heat with no shade at all.

Booking a train in Hungary requires you to book the ticket, book a spot for the bike and book a seat separately for yourself. I spent the best part of three hours on the floor of a train until I eventually got a seat.

European pillows - they look amazing but as soon as you put your head on them, they turn into flat out pancakes incapable of any support for a weary head and neck.

Campgrounds along the Danube tend to be out of the towns which isn’t really conducive to seeing what the towns have to offer. This meant I didn’t camp as much as I normally would and resulted in increased costs.

After 15,000km in Europe over many years, this was the first time I’ve had to detour due to a vicious dog. It was big and there was no way it was letting me pass.

Being celiac, I found food the most difficult. The Gluten Free app helped but there were towns that had no options, so it was rice cakes and peanut butter. My body adapted to less food, sometimes just one meal a day. The human body is amazing, trust it!

Even new equipment fails! My MSR Whisperlite is only two years old but on my last camping day, it started leaking fuel. I had thought about running a seal kit through it before I left but thought it would be fine!

And I finally found the reason for the incredible pain and swelling in my foot! Ignore the metal. A dislocated toe is the culprit! 

 

 

 

Ready to go home

There are always unexpected things that happen on a cycle tour, some are great and some not so great. I managed to navigate the train system to the airport, only to arrive to no working elevator in order to get to the aiport hotel. One last unpack, hike the bike and repack to get to the hotel. 

I'd done my research on obtaining a bike box in Munich airport before leaving Australia. Unfortunately, I had trouble locating the actual area. I'd planned on leaving the bike at left luggage once packed so I only had the limited gear with me that was going in the bike box. I asked at left luggage and they told me I would have to get a bus to another town to get a box, or ask at all the airline counters, or ??? I went into solution mode, including considering asking the airport supermarket for cardboard boxes from their groceries! I went to the floor where the boxes were supposed to be. The packing company area is no longer fully staffed but if you ask at the information counter, they call the packing people and suddenly a bike box appears. They cost 30 euro, cash only, with an ATM close by. The box was very flimsy but huge! A young German couple who were cyclists, were flying out of Munich to see family (without bikes). They kindly offered an extra set of hands to help me get the bike boxed. Then on to a trolley and back to left luggage. In the end, it all worked out fine although the box only just held together for the trip!

Munich

I left Budapest by train headed for Munich. It was a long train trip of around seven hours and in hindsight, I wouldn’t do it this way again. I would’ve flown from Budapest to Munich, and then Munich home.

I managed to find my carriage but to get the bike up into the train, I had to unload it and even unloaded, it was still a challenge. I managed to hang the bike and store my luggage. 

We were only a few stops in when I realised I was in somebody else’s seat. Apparently, despite booking my ticket six months in advance, including the bike, the place number and the window related to the bike and not me! You actually have to book a separate seat for yourself. These are only released three months beforehand, so they weren’t available when I booked my ticket six months in advance nor was I aware of this requirement. I spent the first three hours with a combination of standing and sitting on the floor. It’s quite an interesting strategy by German and Hungarian train operators where they sell tickets but actually don’t sell seats to align with those tickets. This means that the aisles are absolutely full of people. They’re sitting anywhere including outside the toilet, on the steps at the door,  between carriages, anywhere they can fit. I can’t imagine what an emergency breaking situation would do. I managed to make it to Munich and it was quite a disaster trying to get off the train. I had another couple of Hungarian cyclists helping me and also a lovely German lady by the name of Beatrice. It was absolutely chaotic with people literally pushing me over to try and get on the train. Despite the train not going to leave without them, there was this sense of panic from everybody. 

I made it to my hotel and set off to find some dinner. I’d done some research to find some gluten-free options and found a great place with some gluten-free German food. I’ve done a full day of sightseeing today, as much as you can do in one day. I’m heading to the airport tomorrow by train. I need to pack the bike and will leave it at left luggage. I have an airport hotel booked for tomorrow night with my flight home scheduled for Wednesday. 

Budapest - last day

Today was my last day in Budapest with my train scheduled early Sunday morning to take me to Munich. 

I used today to do one last sightseeing walk (9km), one more GF lunch and beer, and then focussed on cleaning. 

Australia is very strict with regard to bringing the bike and gear back into the country, so I wanted to ensure everything was clean. I’d already cleaned the bike the day before I headed into Budapest, but I still needed to clean the tent, panniers, groundsheet, and my shoes. The paths being a mixture of surfaces, left the bike and gear absolutely filthy. 

I will cycle the short distance to the train station early in the morning knowing that I will need to unload the bike because I have to hang it in the allocated carriage space. It’s never easy as these trains can be tricky to board with steep steps. Fingers crossed, things go smoothly. 

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!