August 30, 2015
R&R Near Budapest
Sunday, August 30
We had a fun day. After breakfast, we headed into the city via a combination car ride and public transportation. There is a bus that runs to and from Nagykovasci. On the far end it connects with the tram, which then connects with the metro (subway) in Budpest so you can get almost anywhere. The main tram stop at Szell Kalman Ter is undergoing major construction, so it's a bit confusing, but it all works.
We went to the Gellert Baths to relax and soak out the heat of the day. I don't have a swim suit with me, but was able to rent one. Once I had accepted the basic idea of renting a "swimming costume" it was okay, and the suit fit surprisingly well. It was chosen by the guy at the desk who looked at me and guessed the size. We met some other friends of Kara's there who are vacationing from the States. The baths were initially very confusing, with a maze of mens and womens lockers, showers, the rental desk and indoor and outdoor pools at different temperatures, but once we all found our way out and found each other, it was relaxing and a good way to spend a hot day.
Afterwards, we had a very good dinner. I had duck! Then we wandered around a bit and ended up at Saint Stephens Basilica (where there was another wine festival going on) and had some of the best ice cream imaginable. There were great flavors like lemon and basil, and it was assembled to look like a rose. I didn't take many pictures, so I cant show you, but jumping ahead a little bit, I went back on Tuesday and had some more ice cream and did get a picture of the rose.
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Monday, August 31
Jason and Kara had to go to work today. I stayed home in the morning, and did some maintenance on my bike. I adjusted the brakes, which had been in need since the unplanned mountain biking event in Slovakia, cleaned it up a bit, and removed a couple of pins from the pedals that were irritating my feet. I was surprised to find that although the front quick release was tight, the wheel had precessed in the dropout so that the wires from the dynamo were wrapped around as much as they could be. I'll need to watch that in the future, as I think the movement of the wheel in the dropout was contributing to the rubbing sound from the front brake.
Then I walked into the village, visited some of the shops, and had a lunch of cold huckleberry soup and caesar salad. I stopped by the local bike shop to see if they had or knew where to find the maps of the Danube Bike Trail heading from Budapest to Belgrade, but didn't have any luck.
Tuesday, September 1
Can you believe it's September? Time has flown! I hope that's a milestone that will lead to cooler weather.
Tuesday was my day in the city. I took the bus to the tram to the metro, and then visited the Jewish Quarter. I went into the old Synagogue (not the newer one which I've seen previously) which is undergoing renovation.
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I walked over to Saint Stephen's, and had some ice cream at the same place we'd visited on Sunday, that makes the ice cream in a shape of a rose. It was just as good the second time.
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Then I walked toward Parliament. I passed some kind of demonstration, and a TV news reporter filming it. I'm not sure what it was about, but wonder if it was related to the refugee situation, where people coming from Syria are entering the EU in Hungary, and there are restrictions at the border and the train station.
In addition to the ice cream, I stopped for coffee a couple of times, which provided a welcome opportunity to sit down and cool off in addition to really good and pretty coffee.
It was too hot. I hopped on the tram to Margaret Island, and spent some time sitting on the shade, near the fountain. Then I went to the fountain and stuck my feet in the cool water. It felt good, and there was music playing and the fountain water flow was changing with the music to make quite a display.
After I cooled off, I headed back to the tram and bas to Nagykovasci. Kara's friends were there for dinner. We had a very good meal and relaxed for the evening.
Wednesday, September 2
In the morning, I rode with Jason and Kara to the American International School of Budapest (which is in Nagykovasci) where they both work, and Jason gave me a quick tour. It's an impressive facility and it sounds like the program really gets kids ready to be leaders in the world. If I had kids, I'd be happy for them to attend! I met some of Jason's colleagues, including Lynn who had managed to find the BikeLine guide for Eurovelo 6 from Budapest to the Black Sea. Thanks for the loan, Lynn!
Then I walked back to the house, and collected some things to go for a hike in the forest nearby. On the hike, I went past a memorial to some fire fighters and up to a lookout tower, with an amazing view.
It was sort of a modern design for a fire tower
and there was a class of kids there when I arrived. The wind was blowing hard at the top!
After the fire tower, the trail continued to wind through the forest. As I approached town, there was another good view and some steep streets that reminded me of Manitou.
I got back to town, and had some ice cream. There is a shop that makes their own, and I had some that was chocolate chili. Mmm mmm good.
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