The morning dawned bright and clear. We breakfasted and left camp at 7.30am with Jos, Carl and Rita. The route was through the industrial area of the city, and Olivier, our mechanic, had been through the day previously and flagged the route with pink tape. After the taped route finished we carried on and at a roundabout turned left. There were no road signs anywhere. So we travelled on and crossed a new railway line and eventually hit the end of the tarseal. We asked the chaps doing the road works which way to go. One pointed ahead, the other back the way we had come. It was impossible to have any type of discussion with them. So we retraced the last 2.5ks to the roundabout and turned right instead of left. Eventually we found a sign which informed us we were on the correct route, so we carried on to lunch at Tata.
Once outside the city, the countryside opened out to rolling corn/wheat/barley fields and fields of sunflowers. About 9.30 we stopped for a drink at Babolna, coke being the best solution. From there it was on roads, increasingly picturesque. There were some rough patches on the roads, bit generally good and the traffic was very considerate. The country was becoming obviously drier and hotter. At morning tea time it was 25 degrees, rising to 37 this afternoon.
Lunch was at 55ks at Tata. The bread was stale, only tuna filling which did not appeal to John. From there we headed for Szomod, climbing a 200m hill towards a hilltop winery. At the bottom of the hill were two lots of army sentries, as there was obviously an army exercise in the nearby bush. We heard machine guns and small arms fire. We rode with another group to camp, and after a steep descent on a somewhat rough road stopped for an iced coffee at Labatlan. There appears to be some problems with the charging regime. Some paid 400HUFs (Hungarian florins) - about $1.60, for their iced coffees. John paid 450 for two- so they were really tasty. From there it was a quick ride on a well sealed bike path to camp at Esztergon.
The Danube runs by the camp and forms the border between Hungary and Slovakia. It is an open border. Once camp was set up we had a very refreshing swim in the free camp pool. Then a group of us walked into town. Had a stop at a supermarket, then at a cafe for a cold Austrian beer. The city is reasonably neat and tidy, there were flowers in the gardens and it was busy with shoppers. Later, we walked up a short hill to the castle and the Cathedral sitting at the top of the hill overlooking the Danube and the city, with views into Slovakia.
It is the main Catholic Cathedral in Hungary, and is a beautiful building dating from 1862. While we were there someone was playing the organ, a magnificent sound from a large organ. The sound filled the very large dome. There were frescoes on the walls of the church. Back to camp for dinner at 7.30. We were served a tasty pasta with plives and lots of veges. After dinner John cleaned the bikes. A very humid evening, not a breath of wind. Still 30 degrees at ten pm. Through our tent door we have a view of the Cathedral, all lit up with lights. Around 12.30am we woke up. There were a few flashes of lightning, then very strong wind. The storm came on very quckly, with the thunder and lightning intensifying before the wind dropped and the rain started. Thanks to John's diligence in banging in the tent pegs every night we were safe and snug.
Distance covered was 112ks in 5hr 20mins. Ave. 21.1km per hour. We are half way through our trip in days, and tomorrow will reach the half way point in miles.
Once outside the city, the countryside opened out to rolling corn/wheat/barley fields and fields of sunflowers. About 9.30 we stopped for a drink at Babolna, coke being the best solution. From there it was on roads, increasingly picturesque. There were some rough patches on the roads, bit generally good and the traffic was very considerate. The country was becoming obviously drier and hotter. At morning tea time it was 25 degrees, rising to 37 this afternoon.
Lunch was at 55ks at Tata. The bread was stale, only tuna filling which did not appeal to John. From there we headed for Szomod, climbing a 200m hill towards a hilltop winery. At the bottom of the hill were two lots of army sentries, as there was obviously an army exercise in the nearby bush. We heard machine guns and small arms fire. We rode with another group to camp, and after a steep descent on a somewhat rough road stopped for an iced coffee at Labatlan. There appears to be some problems with the charging regime. Some paid 400HUFs (Hungarian florins) - about $1.60, for their iced coffees. John paid 450 for two- so they were really tasty. From there it was a quick ride on a well sealed bike path to camp at Esztergon.
The Danube runs by the camp and forms the border between Hungary and Slovakia. It is an open border. Once camp was set up we had a very refreshing swim in the free camp pool. Then a group of us walked into town. Had a stop at a supermarket, then at a cafe for a cold Austrian beer. The city is reasonably neat and tidy, there were flowers in the gardens and it was busy with shoppers. Later, we walked up a short hill to the castle and the Cathedral sitting at the top of the hill overlooking the Danube and the city, with views into Slovakia.
It is the main Catholic Cathedral in Hungary, and is a beautiful building dating from 1862. While we were there someone was playing the organ, a magnificent sound from a large organ. The sound filled the very large dome. There were frescoes on the walls of the church. Back to camp for dinner at 7.30. We were served a tasty pasta with plives and lots of veges. After dinner John cleaned the bikes. A very humid evening, not a breath of wind. Still 30 degrees at ten pm. Through our tent door we have a view of the Cathedral, all lit up with lights. Around 12.30am we woke up. There were a few flashes of lightning, then very strong wind. The storm came on very quckly, with the thunder and lightning intensifying before the wind dropped and the rain started. Thanks to John's diligence in banging in the tent pegs every night we were safe and snug.
Distance covered was 112ks in 5hr 20mins. Ave. 21.1km per hour. We are half way through our trip in days, and tomorrow will reach the half way point in miles.
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