October 11, 2012
Hungary: Donakiliti to Bana
Said farewell to our lovely Private Zimmer host Ory Jeno. Meeting Ory and enjoying conversations despite no comprehension of language on either side, remind us of why we travel. The connections and the people you meet make it all worthwhile.
Quiet country roads and bike paths through villages gave us an enjoyable start to our second day in Hungary. We keenly feel a change from the affluence and westernized culture of Austria and Germany. We are reminded that we are in Eastern Europe.
Well cared for, renovated homes sit alongside crumbling homes in disrepair. Dogs are behind the gate of every home and they bark furiously as we ride by. We are grateful for the gates! There is little distinction between country and village life as there are often barns attached to village homes with livestock in the yards.
Hungarians seem reserved at first, but when they see us on our bike, they are quick to smile, reach out their car windows to cheer us on and truck/bus drivers honk their horns in appreciation for our efforts. The quality of the bike paths is not
Like the other countries we have visited, the bike is the main form of transport within villages by people of all ages. We rarely see cars used for going to the local shop or to do errands - everybody jumps on a bike.
Entering Gyor we got lost and somehow crossed over the wrong bridge. We finally found our way and discovered that a large area by the river is being paintstakingly excavated by a team of archaeologists and 100’s of workers. It looks like they have uncovered Roman ruins. The signs describing the site were in Hungarian, so we are anxious to research this on the internet when we get a chance.
With the help of our Bikeline map, we made our way through the industrial area leaving Gyor. We thought that we would find accomodation, but the one pension we found was full. This meant that we had to ride on in the dark for another 20 km, hoping to find something on the way. When we reached Dano, we couldn’t find the Zimmer that was listed and asked for help from a man leaving the local pub. He was happy to help and took us to the Zimmer, riding his bike, and convinced the owner to take us in. She was closed for the season and wanted us to ride on to the next town, 5 km away. As it was dark and we were really cold, we will always be grateful for this man who helped us. We are realizing that many places have closed as of the end of September.
The hostess was gracious in taking us in - she brought us hot tea and snacks to welcome us. As well, she had to make up the suite and turn on the hot water, etc. I tried to help her but the language barrier defeated me. She laughed and carried on The only problem was that there was no heat in the room. This has been the case increasingly as we continue east. The temperatures are dropping, most places have tile floors, and there is no heat - we pull everything out of our bag and wear layers.
The resident dog and kitten made our stay really special. The “ferocious” barking dog turned into a love magnet once we got through the gates. He took a liking to Barry and wouldn’t leave his side.
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Today's ride: 85 km (53 miles)
Total: 3,269 km (2,030 miles)
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