11 to Sárvár

Route: 77 kilometers, total: 941 kilometers | Elevation gain: 420 m, total elevation gain: 3,259 m, distance from home: 672 kilometers (as the crow flies)

Writing the first sentence of the daily report is always the hardest part. So much has happened on the tour, but what is important and worth telling? What occupied my mind the most today was definitely the wind. What occurs when headwind and storm join forces? Riding feels like going steeply uphill even on flat ground! I am thankful for my motor support. Although I only rode 77 kilometers today, the battery had very little capacity left. I likely wouldn't have completed the 101 kilometers from yesterday.

I keep asking myself: what is better, wind or rain? Because even today at 6 a.m. it was raining, but by the time I set off, it had stopped. It was almost calm through Keszthely and the subsequent forest, but once I was out in the open, the wind started to pick up and grew stronger.

It seems to me that half of Hungary is a thermal bath. Hévíz, the second place I passed through, was a spa town, and Sárvár, where I am now, also has large thermal baths. I also saw signs for thermal baths along the way.

I kept my 30-km break short and only ate an apple. Until now, I had always dressed too warmly and peeled off layer after layer. Today was the opposite: I added two more layers. And still, I had the feeling of freezing. Despite being dry and moving vigorously, I was glad to have hot noodles with me for lunch.

By the way, all the road cyclists stayed home; for the first time today, I didn't encounter a single one.

Occasionally in nature, I come across an animal. Today it was a hare hopping a few meters ahead of me. I have also seen deer and foxes. The encounters with partridges that I startled were particularly special.

I found the large vibrant red and purple fields quite fascinating today. Up close, the flowers looked like poppies. But do they grow in purple too? Yes, it is breadseed poppy, which can be freely cultivated in Hungary. Its seeds are used for traditional culinary dishes.

I would like to dedicate today's report to a sign I saw and photographed along the way. It lists activities that are not permitted in this forest. This makes me question: are they permitted everywhere else where there is no such prohibition sign?

***

English

**Route: 77 kilometres, total: 941 kilometres | Elevation gain: 420 m, total elevation gain: 3,259 m, distance from home: 672 kilometres (as the crow flies)**

Writing the first sentence of the daily report is always the hardest part. So much happened on the tour, but what is important and worth telling? What preoccupied me most today was definitely the wind. What happens when headwind and storm combine? Even on flat terrain, it feels like riding steeply uphill! I am grateful for my motor assistance. Although I only rode 77 kilometres today, the battery had very little capacity left. I probably wouldn't have made my 101 kilometres from yesterday.

I keep asking myself: which is better, wind or rain? It rained today at 6 a.m. as well, but by the time I started, it had stopped. It was almost calm through Keszthely and the subsequent forest, but once in the open, the wind picked up and became stronger and stronger.

It seems to me that half of Hungary is a thermal bath. Hévíz, the second place I passed through, was a spa town, and Sárvár, where I am now, also has large thermal baths. I saw signs for thermal springs along the way too.

I kept my 30-km break short and only ate an apple. Until now, I had always been dressed too warmly and took off layer after layer. Today was the opposite: I added two layers. And yet, I still felt like I was freezing. This was despite being dry and moving vigorously. So, I was glad to have hot noodles with me for lunch.

By the way, all the road cyclists stayed at home; for the first time today, I didn't encounter a single one.

Every now and then, I encounter an animal in nature. Today it was a brown hare hopping along a few metres in front of me. I have also seen deer and foxes. I found the encounters with partridges that I startled particularly special.

I found the large, glowing red and purple fields very fascinating today. Up close, the blossoms looked like poppies. But do they also come in purple? Yes, it is breadseed poppy, which can be grown freely in Hungary. Its seeds are used for traditional culinary dishes.

I would like to dedicate today's report to a sign I saw and photographed along the way. It lists activities that are not permitted in this forest. This raises the question for me: are they permitted everywhere else where there is no such prohibition sign?

***

Español

**Ruta: 77 kilómetros, acumulado: 941 kilómetros | Desnivel: 420 m, desnivel acumulado: 3.259 m, distancia desde casa: 672 kilómetros (en línea recta)**

Escribir la primera frase del informe diario es siempre lo más difícil. Han pasado tantas cosas en la ruta, pero ¿qué es lo importante y qué merece la pena contar? Lo que más me ha preocupado hoy, sin duda, ha sido el viento. ¿Qué pasa cuando el viento en contra y la tormenta se unen? ¡Incluso en terreno llano es como subir una pendiente pronunciada! Estoy agradecido por mi asistencia motorizada. Aunque hoy sólo he recorrido 77 kilómetros, a la batería le quedaba muy poca capacidad. Probablemente no habría logrado completar los 101 kilómetros de ayer.

Me pregunto una y otra vez: ¿qué es mejor, el viento o la lluvia? Hoy también ha llovido a las 6 de la mañana, pero al empezar ya no. Al pasar por Keszthely y el bosque siguiente casi no había viento, pero en campo abierto empezó a soplar y cada vez era más fuerte.

Me parece que media Hungría es un balneario termal. Hévíz, el segundo lugar por el que pasé, era una ciudad balneario, y Sárvár, donde me encuentro ahora, también tiene grandes baños termales. También vi indicaciones de termas por el camino.

Hice un descanso breve a los 30 km y sólo comí una manzana. Hasta ahora siempre iba demasiado abrigado y me quitaba capa tras capa. Hoy ha sido al revés: me he puesto dos capas más. Y aun así, seguía teniendo la sensación de pasar frío, a pesar de estar seco y de moverme con energía. Así que me alegré de tener fideos calientes para almorzar.

Por cierto, todos los ciclistas de carretera se quedaron en casa; hoy es la primera vez que no me he cruzado con ninguno.

De vez en cuando me encuentro con algún animal en la naturaleza. Hoy ha sido una liebre que saltaba unos metros delante de mí. También he visto ciervos y zorros. Y me han parecido especiales los encuentros con perdices a las que he asustado.

Hoy me han parecido fascinantes unos grandes campos de color rojo y lila brillante. De cerca, las flores parecían amapolas. Pero, ¿las hay también de color lila? Sí, es adormidera (amapola real), que en Hungría se puede cultivar libremente. Sus semillas se utilizan para platos culinarios tradicionales.

Me gustaría dedicar el informe de hoy a un cartel que vi y photographié por el camino. Enumera actividades que no están permitidas en este bosque. Esto me hace preguntarme: ¿están permitidas en todos los lugares donde no hay un cartel de prohibición similar?