On to Kalocsa: Paprika capital of Hungary

September 4, 2015

The guys quieted down last night okay, but were up early this morning. I got up at 6, and they were using the women's bathroom again so I had to wait. Dogs had been barking all night long, and the bed linens were rough, so I wasn't feeling well rested or tolerant. They all left at about 6:30, and it quieted down and I could use the bathroom, so that was good.

I fixed myself a bit of breakfast, spent some time on line (using cell data) trying to update the travel alert on my debit card, saw a reminder that Monday is a holiday in the States so hope I'm not too late, and took off a little after 8. It started raining almost immediately. If I had been in a nicer place I might have lingered, but it worked out okay.

It was a day of almost everything. Rain in the morning and sunny skies in the afternoon. Small village roads and bike paths and highways. Trying to crank out some miles and stopping for sightseeing.

It took me about 5 miles before I spotted a sign for EV6, and I was a relieved when I did. I left Rackeve on a road suggested by the BikeLine guide. Based on maps.me, I would have expected a problem getting across the river, but it was okay, as I'll show below.

First EV6 sign today, about 5 miles into the ride.

I stopped in the little town of Makad to escape the rain and have some coffee. I think I've left the land of wonderful coffee, as I was asked if Nescafe was okay, and given a cup of 3-in-one mixed with hot water from the tap. The town has an old church,

Makad church. Each town has an old church. They've gotten less ornate as I've moved further south.

and I spotted some turkeys as I was leaving.

After Makad, I was close to a branch of the Danube, and rode a long barrage with campers parked on the water for the full length.

Then I got to the section where I wasn't sure how I would cross the water. It turned out to be some kind of lock, and the crossing was okay for only foot or bike traffic.

I continued on, and ignored an EV6 sign that would have taken me off pavement. Not in the rain!

I'm not going into the dirt or sand in the rain.

I was on 51 for a long time. It is a national road, and had lots of traffic and too many trucks going too fast in some sections.

The trucks fill the whole lane. When there is traffic in both directions, I leave the pavement to give them space. Otherwise, they'll stay back until there is room to pass. No one honks!

I've revised my figure of merit for roads to account for these trucks. It's getting more complex. Now it's Road Quality divided by the product of traffic density and average speed and average number of wheels per vehicle.

I was wondering if bikes were legal on the road, as I hadn't seen an EV6 sign, when this sign clarified it for me.

I stopped for lunch at the 51 Es Etterem. I had some ham and eggs from the breakfast menu. To complete the meal, I also ordered some cappuccino. It wasn't the fancy cappuccino like I got in Budapest, but was topped with whipped cream. Here's a picture for comparison.

Then I went on through more small towns, each with their own old church.

I noticed a bike path off to the side of the highway, along the top of a dike. It took a couple of kilometers before I came to a point where I could access it. It wasn't signed at all, but had a structure limiting the size of vehicles that could get on to it.

Vehicle restrictions based on size make this a bike path parallel to the highway.

The path went on for a long way, stopped and then restarted. It was a great surface with no other traffic, and by my slow standards I was flying. It ended at the town of Dunapataj. I'm not sure what was going on, but there were decorative figures made from hay bales.

As I was taking that picture, an older guy came across the road and started talking with me. I'm not sure what he was saying, but as it became clear we were not communicating it turned into giving directions. My mapcase on my handlebar bag still has Slovakia in it, as I don't have a paper map of Hungary, and I had a hard time convincing him not to look at it. We managed to get to Kalocsa, straight down 51, but I opted for the longer scenic route through a bunch of small towns, instead of riding the highway.

I'm getting better with place names. This is by the Danube (Duna) Saint Benedict.

Somewhere along the way I decided that I should try to get to Kalocsa by 4:30, so I could visit the Paprika Muzeum that closes at 5. I stepped on the gas, and was on target until I encountered some road construction in town. I allowed my GPS to recalculate after I had turned off route, and was only delayed by 10 minutes. At the museum they told me that I would only have 20 minutes. That was okay, as many of the exhibits, as well as the video had no English. But it was a good little exhibit. I was surprised to learn that paprika is not native to Hungary. It was brought here from America!

Paprika came to Hungary from America after Christopher Columbus.

I'm in Kalocsa, at a nice Panzio I booked on line while stopped for lunch. It has AC, and seems to be quiet. I thought I should eat paprikash since I'm in the middle of paprika growing territory, and asked where to find a good Hungarian restaurant. I ended up at a weird Italian-Hungarian place, and the chef chatted at me in a mix of languages as I ate something that I think was beef in a paprika sauce.

It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow. I'll see what it's like when I get up. I don't feel due for a day off, but I'm not too excited about riding in the rain, either.

Today's ride: 91 km (57 miles)
Total: 1,968 km (1,222 miles)

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