Four trains to Basel

Return journey Day 6 (Train 1): Bucharest - Brasov

The first of the four train rides back to Basel is quite short, from Bucharest to Brasov it's just under 200 km, duration 2h30min.

When we arrive at the train station in the morning, there are already many people on the platform and at the entrance of the train, people are crowded together. Obviously, many people are going on vacation to the Bucegi Mountains, where there are a number of mountains over 2000m and also a skiing area in winter. Right on the platform, a Romanian speaks to us, pointing out alleged problems with transporting bicycles on the train. I have already read that these helpers assist you in organizing the transportation of bicycles, for a small fee of course. But since we have two bike tickets specifically for this train, I assume we can manage without outside help. And that's how it is, in the carriage for which we have reserved seats, there are also some bicycle parking spaces. So the journey starts very relaxed. Initially it's flat, after an hour it slowly climbs, from Wallachia to Transylvania and you can see the 2000 peaks of the Southern Carpathians to the right and left of the track. Most passengers then get off in Sinaia, obviously a popular holiday destination in the mountains. There is also a cable car that goes up to 2000 m. There are still a few stops in the mountains before the landscape widens again and we reach Brasov, the former Kronstadt and center of the Transylvanian Saxons. There is a large, well-preserved old town with the famous Black Church and the impressive City Hall on the main square. Kronstadt was for centuries the cultural, intellectual, religious and economic center of the Transylvanian Saxons, who settled in the region on the invitation of the Hungarian king in the 12th century and until the 19th century formed the majority of the city's population. The historic old town is characterized by late medieval town houses and generous, stylish buildings from the 19th century. Accordingly, there is a great tourist interest, which we did not expect. In the car-free city center, there is one restaurant or café after another, the density of establishments is hard to describe.

Return journey Day 7 (Train 2): Brasov - Budapest

In the train it is a little more than 800 km, which takes 15 hours. Important for us: the bicycles are well accommodated in a separate compartment and the reserved seats are reasonably comfortable. Until Cluj, the train travels through narrow river valleys and mountainous landscapes at a leisurely pace. People get on in the villages and small towns, so that the three carriages are well filled. In Cluj, the train empties. By the way: FC Basel was twice in Cluj in the Champions League (2010 and 2012) and lost both times. If you are interested in visiting Cluj, you can book a direct flight from Basel for 10 CHF on Thursday, August 27th. The contingent is limited. In the evening, another border control, the last one, because now we are in the Schengen area. When we arrive at the famous Budapest East Railway Station Keleti at 9.30 p.m., it is deserted. It used to be one of the most modern train stations because it had electric lighting and a central control tower. During the refugee crisis, the train station was in the public eye at the end of August/beginning of September 2015, when several thousand refugees were temporarily staying in and around the train station area in order to catch a train to Austria or Germany.

Return journey Day 8 and 9: Budapest

We take on the usual tourist program and also use our bicycles for that. Budapest has expanded its cycle path system very well, so we ride most of the routes on cycle paths and lanes. Since the City Park, which was expanded on the occasion of the celebrations for the millennium of the Hungarian Empire in 1896, is not far away, we ride there. The number 96 encounters us more frequently during the day, as it has great symbolic meaning for the Hungarians. Both the parliament building and the basilica are 96m high. In the park, there are the Vajdahunyad Castle, which unites various Hungarian architectural styles, and the Heroes' Square, both built in 1896. In the northern part is the famous Szechenyi Bath, which today is visited almost exclusively by tourists due to the high admission fees. We ride down to the Danube and take a first look at the parliament building. What madness for a national assembly. In the afternoon we take a guided city tour with a German guide who came to Budapest in 1996 during the turbulent times and works as a documentary filmmaker, photographer, and translator, and brings the city close to us in a special way. He impressively explains to us the tension in which Hungary and its population live due to Orban's policies and governing style, which social problems remain hidden and unresolved. In the evening, the tourist program continues with a boat trip on the Danube. We are nevertheless very surprised how many tourists there are in the city. But somehow the renovation and maintenance of the many beautiful buildings must be financed - tourism, EU funds, and now also Arab and Chinese pots of money. We also experience how ideal Budapest is now to explore by bike on the second day. We ride on well-developed routes, partly signposted, over a railway and bicycle bridge to the right bank of the Danube, where there are many nice restaurants to stop at. From there, we come to the Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion in Old Buda on the EV 6 (Danube cycle path). In the Café Ruszwurm, we enjoy Tyrolean poppy strudel and Ruszwurm cake, a kind of cream slice. Later, we take part in a guided tour of the Rock Hospital, which is located in a cave system directly under the Castle District and was used during World War II and the Hungarian Uprising. During the four-month siege of Budapest in 1944/45, up to 700 patients were treated in the rock hospital, although it was only designed for 200 people. Impressively, we once again learn about the inhumanity of war. The Battle of Budapest claimed a total of 160,000 lives!

Return journey Day 10: Budapest - Zurich (Train 3) - Basel (Train 4)

In the comfortable Railjet RJX 162 of the Austrian Federal Railways, we leave Budapest on time at 6.40 a.m. and travel via Vienna, Salzburg, and Innsbruck to Zurich. An hour's delay delays the arrival, but with our last train to Basel, we still arrive in time to meet Rhea, Luigi, Larissa, and Philippe at Tellplatz. The joy of seeing each other again is great!