We are in Budapest: We have cycled 1239 km along the Danube from its source

September 21, 2011

We started off early as usual - it was a big day we hoped to get to Budapest which was 83km away and when we got there there was the stress of finding how to get our bikes back to Vienna and of course finding somewhere to stay.

The ride was lovely it was through the area known as the Danube Bend which is certainly the glamorous part of the Hungarian Danube, There were lots of resort looking hotels and the Danube itself had sandy beaches that I associate with the sea. It looked to me that the more affluent of the citizens of Budapest came here for breaks from the noise of a huge city.

Approaching Budapest is along the river with the most amazing views of the city - actually we saw much more than when we actually got into the city. The sight of the Parliament is probably one of the most impressive sights I have seen. In a fairly predictable way we crossed the wrong bridge and then of course our carefully worked out route made no sense at all. We just mixed with the heavy traffic and felt proud of ourselves without the faintest idea where we were going. Eventually we stopped and asked a helpful young guy the way to the station we were looking for which we believed had an Information office close by. Eventually found the station and the most charmless woman manning the information desk. With great reluctance she eventually looked up from her book and very grudgingly answered my questions about trains (though of course failed to give me the vital information that our train left from another station). thoroughly frustrated I went and found Ken and we booked into a hotel with the most helpful person in reception. We have wandered the streets, had an authentic Hungarian meal and tried to work out how we will get to the other side of the city to catch our train. Budapest is a beautiful city but to us seems rather overwhelming after our time in the countryside. It seems strange being able to rely on people understanding English and I miss the quirkyness of the experiences we had in smaller towns and villages.

Ken has been looking for one of these ever since we entered Hungary - it is a single cylinder Kramer - he still hasnt seen a Deutra!

I dont think I would like to live in one of these appartments in Budapest

If we cant find a hotel we could just sleep on the bridge

Today's ride: 83 km (52 miles)
Total: 2,875 km (1,785 miles)

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