Soon I'll check out and then I'll be taking winding paths to Belgrade (3 transfers)

Yesterday, I spent the day with Liam from England and Franzi at the Szechenyi Spa, and we treated ourselves well. After that, we went to the ruin bar 'SimplaKert' and had a Langos at 'Caravan.'

Today, we explored Budapest, including Buda Castle. I've already completed 20,000 steps again. Once I finish this entry, I will slowly get ready for the Friday night Pub Crawl in Budapest.

I have already made plans for the next stop in Belgrade. However, the train journeys are going to be a bit 'more difficult' and the transfers will be more... I’m curious and will see you at the next entry.

Day #27

Wednesday, May 27th

From Balmazújváros to Oradea

Country: Hungary / Romania

The early bird can take a hike.

Yes, I wanted to get up early to arrive in Oradea on time.

I never mentioned 4 a.m.

Doesn't matter to the birds, and so we welcome sunrise together.

One thing remains, be careful with your wishes.

That's why I grab the earplugs first to turn down the volume to a tolerable level.

And then congratulate the woman of my dreams, and my life, on our wedding anniversary.

It's been a long time since I've been on the road, and I am infinitely grateful for the support I receive from her and for the experiences I can have.

And since I'm already awake, I might as well take the time and optimistically book accommodation.

In Romania.

But before I can take everything down, the tarp definitely needs to be cleaned.

Underneath, I also had breakfast before it disappears into the bags as the last item.

A passing carriage makes it clear once again that time ticks differently here.

I hop on my bicycle and leave the crow field.

Getting water is priority #1.

I've been completely dry since departure, but the next place is only a few kilometers away.

I knew that and had it planned.

Later, I find a drinking spot, what a relief to let water run over my head.

The sun beats down on me, and it's already over 30 degrees before noon.

Accordingly, the grass is parched.

Everything is yellow. But mowed.

The wheat fields I pass are also a golden yellow.

There are surprisingly many bike paths along the highways.

Usually even with a median strip.

And so I struggle against the wind on good asphalt through the area.

The lack of shade is hard for me and makes it difficult to find a resting spot.

Okay, just add a few more kilometers on top.

That brings me closer to the next border.

The towns are pretty and there are many stork nests on the lanterns or power poles.

In between, I have a strong déjà vu.

Two guys greet me enthusiastically from a beer garden.

Then, the same guys, the same situation, 30 km later.

Must be the Matrix.

What is definitely not a mistake in the Matrix, is the next border.

And then the shock, where has the time gone?

Until I realize, different time zone.

I theoretically knew about the clock change, and yet it was another eye-opener.

As much as it shows that I am far away from home, it's also an intense feeling to have come so far.

In the country that already borders the Black Sea.

It’s just around the corner to Oradea and after a stop in the city center, it's time to check-in.

And rinse off the dirt, sweat, and sunscreen of the day.

Washing in the woods works too; running water is an achievement.

Great plan to start early to arrive early, this way I'm at least out and about in the old town in the early evening with the new time.

It’s very beautiful, with large squares and magnificent facades.

Everything is very clean, almost sterile.

What I notice is that the squares start to fill up when it gets cooler.

Accordingly, I have to kill some time until I get a free table at the chosen restaurant.

No problem, there’s plenty to see and just sitting and reflecting on the days is also sensible.

A jacket would have been good; it’s getting windy and noticeably cooler.

But that’s complaining at a very high level, and so I enjoy just being.

After dinner and a little round to wrap things up, it’s off to the accommodation.

And tomorrow back to the climbs.

I’m actually looking forward to that after the monotony of the last days.

Knowing wisely that the climbs in the Carpathians will reach their peak.

And after a short last night, I might even be asleep before my head hits the pillow.

Conclusion about Hungary:

The Danube Cycle Path was nice, although in the small Hungarian part, it is already very populated.

Budapest was very beautiful. You should definitely go there if the opportunity arises and make your own picture.

Just because of the Sziget Festival, it’s on my list of future destinations.

The lowlands were less monotonous than I expected, and an interesting experience with the extensive fields and herds of cattle.

With a headwind, it would probably be a different perspective.

There are still plenty of other areas of the country to explore.

Song of the Day:

Hillbilly Moon Explosion - My Love for Evermore

Day #26

Tuesday, May 26th.

From Jászkisér to Balmazújváros

Country: Hungary

A farmer actually stops by in the early morning; otherwise, everything is quiet, and I’ve slept well.

The packing goes quickly, as there are fewer clothes to move around with the temperatures. Since I need to restock on oatmeal, I only have one bag to manage. Convenient, I put it on the credits side.

What I do have is a bit of breakfast.

It consists of a saved bun and dates that Dave bought, which I’ve been carrying around with me since they are soft.

Otherwise, it can be a mess, but stuffed into the bun, it works very well, and I’m glad to have them.

The landscape features beautiful monotony.

On one hand, there is good progress.

I’m using the aerobars more and more as I get used to them and as the paths allow, and off I go.

Plus, the light packing means less missing supplies.

Equipped with 2 liters of water, I move forward.

And a few gummy bears.

I have to, as it takes a while to reach the next place with a shop.

It's helpful that during the day there are only half the elevation gains between Mönchengladbach and Amsterdam, just like the favorable wind.

After the first kilometers on the country road through the fields, I turn onto a dike and stay there almost all day.

And with that, today, they remain true to me, a part of EuroVelo 11.

Passing by colorful fields of poppies and something in purple.

And always straight ahead. And straight ahead. And a turn. And straight ahead. And straight ahead. And straight... And ...

The Tisza Lake forces me to take a break and pause.

Then I can finally do my big grocery shopping. Good thing the weather is so nice; I’m having trouble closing my bags properly.

One should always go grocery shopping with an appetite, or something like that?

With now full bags and bottles, I continue, as once in motion, the weight doesn’t matter with the route profile.

The maximum I have to climb the dike is the height of feelings.

Along the river Tisza (also all the places I pass are named Tisza...) it is beautiful.

Even if it goes straight for many kilometers again and again.

And it stays undisturbed, a generally beautiful route, so I’m glad to have chosen the northern arc, which one of my guides recommended.

If you’re already choosing the lowlands.

I also believe I traveled more kilometers today than I’ve seen people.

Along the way, I actually encounter someone whom I would describe as a light packer due to their small amount of luggage, a fraction of my bags.

Someone is always traveling somewhere.

Lunch comes generously when I find a nice spot by the river again.

During this time, I finish the last report and see a nice email from umdiewelt.de, the site where I originally wanted to write my reports, in which they explain and apologize.

Very considerate.

It is, after I’ve left the river, very spacious and rural again, with only a few scattered farms.

Huge herds of cows stand on expansive pastures.

I pass by a flock of sheep driven across the fields by the shepherd.

The shepherd dog stays in the shade and has a view of everything from there.

Or thinks about its life.

I think about my potential sleeping place, but first, I have to cover a few more kilometers to leave the nature reserve I’m still in.

Shortly after the corresponding sign, I find a wide strip of trees that I deem perfect.

As well as a colony of crows that lives here.

And crows caw.

And in what volume they converse.

In the best case, they exchange only the latest gossip and will eventually settle down.

Meanwhile, I’m looking for two suitable trees for my hammock.

And I hope all the time that with the darkness, finally, peace will come, otherwise, I’ll only have my earplugs left.

Which I packed mainly for potential dormitories or concerts.

They must have enough by now; it must be stressful for them too.

I’ve already resigned myself to the fact that my tarp will be completely dirty shortly after my arrival.

Therefore, that will be set up first.

It remains, complaining is unnecessary; we have to adapt together to the situation.

At least for one night.

With the darkness, I finish my dinner and disappear into my sleeping bag, just as the crows have also calmed down, and I can doze off to the chirping of the crickets.

Song of the day:

Iron Butterfly - In A Gadda Da Vida (Heard three times, and the day is over)

Monday, May 25th

From Budapest to Jászkisér

Country: Hungary

From today, I will leave the designated bike paths.

But first, I need to hit the road and get breakfast in the form of salad and 2 rolls. There isn't much to choose from as almost everything is closed.

Then load up the bike and I can get going.

To start, a stretch along the Danube to enjoy the moment.

Along the way, I meet 2 bikepackers.

After a nice exchange, we cross the Széchenyi Iánchid (Chain Bridge), which I saved as a landmark of the city to cycle over today, heading east.

A bridge that connects Buda and Pest.

Then exit the city and look for a supermarket.

Since all the shops are closed, the only option left is the gas station.

And what I need to find out after a brief conversation, something most of you probably already know, is that it is Pentecost.

And now I know that this is also a holiday in Hungary.

Okay, even with gummy bears, chocolate croissants, and a bag of sunflower seeds, I can get through the day. Also, I have my granola bars as an emergency supply.

It begins that I exclusively follow country roads. After managing the few elevation gains on the way to Romania in the first few kilometers, I reach the Hungarian lowlands.

It is very flat again through the landscape, passing fields lined by solitary trees and bushes.

The only vegetation taller than the grass.

Otherwise, fields. And fields. And country roads. And fields.

And a short stretch of EuroVelo 14, as the signs tell me.

They really are everywhere.

And yet I stick to the route of my app, as I have decided on the path through Transylvania and the Carpathians.

This way, Bucharest is also on my route.

The next city starting with B.

In the monotony of the landscape, a feeling of stagnation arises, although the speedometer says otherwise and I am essentially making good progress.

Fortunately, today it is still windless again. At least when I ride eastward.

This reminds me of the guys I met back by the Danube.

The two are traveling from Istanbul to France. So they are facing a strong headwind today, poor guys.

Meanwhile, I am curious when I will next encounter other cyclists, after I (almost) definitely leave the designated bike paths today.

Along the country roads, I am glad for my blink light and reflector band. It gives a better feeling and nourishes hope that the passing cars will keep a bit more distance.

Or one can do it like a road cyclist who is right there with a support vehicle, flashing its hazard lights behind him.

Rice chips are my lunch, in the company of two butterflies that land on my hand and are hardly disturbed when I move.

I am curious about how my sleeping arrangement will look, as I am prepared to camp given the landscape.

All the drinking spots I find along the way are out of order, so I am glad to pass through a village with a gas station in the evening.

Additionally, there's a pack of sandwiches, and together with the two remaining chocolate croissants, I've made a sort of dinner.

Shortly after, I turn off into access roads, as directed by the GPS, which surprisingly ride quite well. The ground is firmly baked from the heat.

Around 7:00 PM, I decide to call it a day.

My GPS wanted to send me down a path where, at best, no road was visible anymore. Just a ditch.

Without water, even having a canoe would be useless.

On the alternative way through the fields, I eventually pass one of the few forested areas in the region and seize the opportunity.

Additionally, since I have already reached my daily goal, I would also like to conserve my strength a bit.

A quick check tells me that no one except Farmer Gerda might come by, so I set up my camp.

It starts to get dark, moonlight casts shadows on the ground, in the distance, a few dogs bark, and only a couple of annoying mosquitoes disrupt the tranquility before I fall asleep.

Song of the Day:

The Browning - Fed Up

Text will come tomorrow.

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?

As the saying goes: Those who have no eyes have feet. In my case, it's more about the wheels.

Actually, today's route was supposed to be only about 93 kilometers long. But when I was unexpectedly hungry for a mid-morning snack, I stopped at a café along the way to have a sandwich. I had a hot chocolate with it, so to speak, a late breakfast. The reason I had nothing to eat was the following: Yesterday I wanted to go to a nearby Lidl to do some shopping, but it was impossible to get there legally, as the road was marked with a ban on bicycles. So I had dinner at a restaurant, but had nothing for breakfast.

After I was full and satisfied, I set off cheerfully. But oh dear, after 4 kilometers I realized I didn't have my backpack on my back. So I quickly turned around and went back 4 kilometers.

Fortunately, the backpack was still there, just as I had left it. Basically, I've gotten into the habit of checking whether I’ve taken everything and left the place clean whenever I leave a rest stop. Apparently, I was so pleased after breakfast that I simply forgot.

But let me go back to the start of the day, as I woke up before 6 am without having made a decision about my route for today. Should I go back to Györ and from there to Vienna or take a completely different route?

The direct route to Györ was the shortest at 85 kilometers. However, there were unpaved paths. If they were just dusty roads, what then? A look out the window made the decision easy – it was raining!

Thus, I decided on the tour along Lake Balaton. Here, the majority of paths were paved bike lanes, and the distance fit my expectations.

When I set off, it was no longer raining; in fact, the sun was even shining. Only the wind blowing directly from the west hit me in the face the entire way. But I preferred that to rain.

Overall, it was a very lovely tour with many beautiful memories from previous years. Often the path ran directly along the water, and I could observe the preparations for the upcoming season. The beaches were also still freely accessible, which I enjoyed taking advantage of, especially to take photos for this blog.

***

English

**Route: 101 km, total: 864 km | Elevation gain: 430 m, total elevation gain: 2,839 m, distance from home: 700 km (as the crow flies)**

As the saying goes: 'What you don't have in your head, you have in your feet.' In my case, it’s more about the wheels.

Today's route was actually supposed to be only about 93 kilometres long. But when I got hungry for a mid-morning snack, I stopped at a café along the way to eat a sandwich. I accompanied it with a hot chocolate – a late breakfast, so to speak. The reason I had nothing to eat was this: yesterday I wanted to go to a nearby Lidl to buy some groceries, but it was impossible to get there legally because the road was closed to bicycles. So I had dinner at a restaurant, but I had nothing for breakfast.

Once I was full and happy, I set off cheerfully. But alas, after 4 kilometres, I realised I didn't have my backpack on my back. So, a quick U-turn and 4 kilometres back.

Fortunately, the backpack was still lying exactly where I had put it. Normally, I've made it a habit to check if I’ve taken everything and left the place tidy whenever I leave a rest stop. Apparently, I was so content after breakfast that I simply forgot.

But let me go back to the start of the day: when I woke up before 6 a.m., I hadn't yet made a decision regarding today's route. Should I go back to Györ and from there to Vienna, or take a completely different path?

The direct route to Györ was the shortest at 85 kilometres. However, there were unpaved paths. What if they were just dusty tracks? A look out the window made the decision easy – it was raining!

That’s how I decided on the tour along Lake Balaton. Most of the paths here were paved cycle lanes, and the distance matched my expectations.

When I set off, it was no longer raining; in fact, the sun was even shining. Only the wind, blowing directly from the west, hit me in the face the whole way. But I preferred that to rain.

Overall, it was a very beautiful tour with many fond memories from previous years. The path often ran directly along the water, and I could watch the preparations for the upcoming season. The beaches were also still freely accessible, which I took advantage of, especially to take photos for this blog.

***

Español

Ruta: 101 km, acumulados: 864 km | Desnivel: 430 m, desnivel acumulado: 2.839 m, distancia de casa: 700 km (en línea recta)**

Como dice el refrán: 'Quien no tiene cabeza, tiene pies'. En mi caso, más bien son las ruedas.

En realidad, la ruta de hoy solo debía tener unos 93 kilómetros. Pero cuando me dio hambre para el tentempié de la mañana, paré en una cafetería del camino para comerme un sándwich. Lo acompañé con un chocolate caliente, por así decirlo, un desayuno tardío. El motivo por el que no tenía nada para comer fue el siguiente: ayer quise ir a un Lidl cercano para comprar algo, pero no fue posible llegar allí legalmente porque la carretera tenía prohibido el paso a bicicletas. Así que cené en un restaurante, pero no tenía nada para el desayuno.

Una vez que estuve satisfecho y contento, me puse en marcha alegremente. Pero, ¡ay de mí!, a los 4 kilómetros me di cuenta de que no llevaba la mochila a la espalda. Así que media vuelta rápida y 4 kilómetros de regreso.

Afortunadamente, la mochila seguía allí, tal como la había dejado. Por lo general, tengo la costumbre de comprobar si he cogido todo y he dejado el lugar limpio al abandonar un área de descanso. Se ve que después del desayuno estaba tan a gusto que simplemente se me olvidó.

Pero volvamos al principio del día: cuando me desperté antes de las 6 de la mañana, aún no había tomado una decisión sobre la ruta de hoy. ¿Debería volver a Györ y de allí a Viena o tomar un camino completamente distinto?

La ruta directa a Györ era la más corta con 85 kilómetros. Pero allí había caminos sin asfaltar. Si resultaban ser pistas de tierra polvorientas, ¿qué haría? Una mirada por la ventana me facilitó la decisión: ¡estaba lloviendo!

Así fue como me decidí por el recorrido a lo largo del lago Balatón. Aquí la mayoría eran carriles bici asfaltados y la longitud también se ajustaba a lo que tenía pensado.

Cuando salí, ya no llovía; es más, incluso soplaba el sol. Solo el viento, que venía directamente del oeste, me dio en la cara durante todo el camino. Pero prefería eso a la lluvia.

En general, fue una ruta muy bonita con muchos buenos recuerdos de años anteriores. A menudo el camino iba directo junto al agua y pude observar los trabajos para la próxima temporada. Además, las playas aún eran de libre acceso, algo que aproveché con gusto, especialmente para hacer fotos para este blog.

Once again today, I surpassed the sound barrier of 100 kilometers. It seems that I have regained my fitness. The two weeks of vacation before in Argentina were wonderful and I wouldn't want to miss them, but even the daily walks through Buenos Aires weren't enough training for such tours.

Yesterday, after my arrival, I didn't get the chance to take a nap. As a result, I was particularly tired in the evening and slept well and deeply.

I woke up exactly on time at 6 a.m. Still in bed, I checked today's route and started to intensively plan for tomorrow as well. I aimed to set today's destination in such a way that it serves as an ideal starting point. However, I won't know if I succeeded until I complete tomorrow's tour. I really want to avoid ending up on a dusty road again where I have to push my e-bike.

I spent the first 50 kilometers only on roads, albeit with moderate traffic. The route was divided into different sections, the longest of which was 18 kilometers. There were also bike paths later on, but in much shorter segments.

Alongside the roads, I regularly saw memorials that looked like graves. All were very well-maintained and some even had fresh flowers. This indicated to me that accidents happen frequently. So far, I have not encountered any.

After exactly 100 kilometers, I arrived at the shore of Lake Balaton. I have many fond memories of this lake: camping with Mario and friends from the GDR, and sailing with Jürgen and Utz.

But this time, it is just a brief encounter. After a small snack, I took to the road for the last kilometers. By then, I had booked accommodation and thus knew my destination for the day.

***

English

**Route: 110 kilometers, cumulative: 763 kilometers | Elevation gain: 490 m, cumulative elevation gain: 2,409 m, distance from home: 752 kilometers (as the crow flies)

Today I once again broke the 100-kilometer barrier. It seems that I’ve regained my fitness. The two weeks of holiday in Argentina before this were wonderful and I wouldn’t have missed them for the world, but even the daily walks through Buenos Aires weren’t enough training for tours like this.

Yesterday, I didn’t get a chance to take a nap after I arrived. As a result, I was particularly tired in the evening and slept deeply and well.

I woke up right on time at 6 a.m. While still in bed, I checked today’s route and spent some time planning tomorrow’s in detail. I tried to set today’s destination so that it would be an ideal starting point for tomorrow. However, I won’t know if I’ve succeeded until I’ve finished tomorrow’s stage. I really want to avoid ending up on another dusty road where I have to push my e-bike.

I spent the first 50 kilometres entirely on roads, though with moderate traffic. The route was divided into various sections, the longest of which was 18 kilometres. There were cycle paths later on, but in much shorter stretches.

Alongside the roads, I regularly saw memorials that looked like graves. All of them were very well-maintained, and some even had fresh flowers. It showed me that accidents happen often. So far, I haven't encountered any.

After exactly 100 kilometres, I arrived at the shores of Lake Balaton. I have many fond memories of this lake: camping with Mario and friends from the GDR, and sailing with Jürgen and Utz.

But this time, it’s only a brief encounter. After a light snack, I hit the road for the final kilometres. By then, I had booked accommodation and knew my final destination for the day.

***

Español

**Ruta: 110 kilómetros, acumulado: 763 kilómetros | Desnivel: 490 m, desnivel acumulado: 2.409 m, distancia desde casa: 752 kilómetros (en línea recta)**

Hoy también he superado la barrera de los 100 kilómetros. Parece que he recuperado mi forma física. Las dos semanas de vacaciones previas en Argentina fueron maravillosas y no me las querría haber perdido, pero ni siquiera las caminatas diarias por Buenos Aires fueron suficiente entrenamiento para este tipo de rutas.

Ayer no tuve oportunidad de echarme una siesta después de llegar. Por eso, al final del día estaba especialmente cansado y dormí profunda y plácidamente.

Me desperté puntualmente a las 6 de la mañana. Aún en la cama, revisé la ruta de hoy y ya planifiqué intensamente la de mañana. Intenté fijar el destino de hoy de forma que fuera un punto de partida ideal. Sin embargo, no sabré si lo he logrado hasta que termine la etapa de mañana. Quiero evitar a toda costa volver a encontrarme en una carretera de tierra donde tenga que empujar mi bicicleta eléctrica.

Los primeros 50 kilómetros los pasé exclusivamente por carreteras, aunque con tráfico moderado. El trayecto estaba dividido en varios tramos, el más largo de los cuales era de 18 kilómetros. Más adelante también hubo carriles bici, pero en tramos mucho más cortos.

Al borde de las carreteras vi con frecuencia memoriales que parecían tumbas. Todos estaban muy cuidados y algunos incluso tenían flores frescas. Esto me demostró que suele haber muchos accidentes. Por suerte, hasta ahora no me he topado con ninguno.

Después de exactamente 100 kilómetros, llegué a las orillas del lago Balatón. Tengo muchos buenos recuerdos de este lago: acampadas con Mario y amigos de la RDA, y navegación a vela con Jürgen y Utz.

Pero esta vez es solo un encuentro breve. Tras un pequeño refrigerio, recorrí los últimos kilómetros. Para entonces ya había reservado alojamiento y, por tanto, conocía mi meta del día.

Fortunately, the wind changed direction in time. Now it stays with me from the front. 🤣

I woke up well-rested before 6 a.m. I like it when I have enough time to pack. It is important to me that everything is back in its place so I can find it. Unfortunately, that doesn't help if I can't remember it.

In these moments, I especially miss Brigitte; she always finds everything right away. A special case is the shoehorn, which often cannot be found, even though Brigitte specifically bought a colored one.

After leaving Kiskunmajsa, I already had to use a country road. I hoped for little traffic, and on Saturday there shouldn't be any trucks either.

But what was surprising was the length of this stretch: 18 kilometers almost only straight. Such routes are boring and feel like they never end. For 20 kilometers, I need about an hour, so 18 is not much less.

Still, eventually everything passes, and so does this road. In the end, I told myself: So I've already accomplished 18% of the total route.

Although my Komoot said it was only 98.5 kilometers, I calculated about 100, since Komoot saw stairs on the bridge approach that didn't actually exist.

Today while traveling, I suddenly got hungry, but couldn't find a shop, and the two gas station shops didn't really have anything reasonable either.

So much the more, a hint to a fish restaurant, just slightly off my route, caught my eye. It was a good decision to stop there. The fish soup was excellent and my hunger satisfied. So strengthened, I gladly continued on my way. I still had over 40 kilometers ahead of me.

I was a bit nervous about crossing the Danube. Often, the paths for pedestrians and cyclists are simply too narrow for me, so I prefer to push my e-bike rather than ride over them.

But I was amazed! There was a state-of-the-art bridge with a really wide bike path that immediately relieved my nervousness. I even stopped in the middle of the bridge to take a photo of the Danube.

After that, it was just a short distance to the intended destination, where I hadn't booked. In doing so, I exceeded 100 kilometers on this tour for the first time. In earlier tours, that was more the norm.

I reached the owner by phone, who let me choose a room. Actually, he wanted 80 euros, but when I showed him that I only have to pay 73 euros on Booking.com, we agreed on that.

I found the shoehorn in the meantime. It was where I had looked too - just not thoroughly enough. 🤣

——

English

Route: 101 kilometers, cumulative: 653 kilometers | Elevation gain: 260 meters, cumulative elevation: 1,919 meters, distance from home: 824 kilometers (as the crow flies).

Luckily, the wind changed direction in time. Now it stays with me from the front. 🤣

I woke up well-rested before 6 a.m. I like it when I have enough time to pack. It is important to me that everything is back in its place so I can find it.

Unfortunately, that doesn't help if I can't remember it. At this moment, I miss Brigitte especially; she always finds everything right away. A special case is the shoehorn, which often cannot be found, even though Brigitte specifically bought a colored one.

After leaving Kiskunmajsa, I already had to use a country road. I hoped for little traffic, and on Saturday there should be no trucks either. But what was surprising was the length of this stretch: 18 kilometers almost only straight. Such routes are boring and feel like they never end. For 20 kilometers I need about an hour, so 18 is not much less. Still, eventually everything passes and so does this road. In the end I said to myself: So I've already accomplished 18% of the total route.

Although my Komoot said it was only 98.5 kilometers, I calculated about 100, since Komoot saw stairs on the bridge approach that didn't actually exist. Today while traveling, I suddenly got hungry, but couldn't find a shop, and the two gas station shops didn't really have anything reasonable either. All the more did a hint to a fish restaurant, just slightly off my route, catch my eye.

It was a good decision to stop there. The fish soup was excellent and my hunger satisfied. So fortified, I gladly continued on my way. I still had over 40 kilometers ahead of me. I was a bit nervous about crossing the Danube. Often the paths for pedestrians and cyclists are simply too narrow for me, so I prefer to push my e-bike rather than ride over them.

But I was amazed! There was a state-of-the-art bridge with a really wide bike path that immediately relieved my nervousness. I even stopped in the middle of the bridge to take a photo of the Danube. After that, it was just a short distance to the intended destination, where I hadn't booked. In doing so, I exceeded 100 kilometers on this tour for the first time. In earlier tours, that was more the norm.

I reached the owner by phone, who let me choose a room. Actually he wanted 80 euros, but when I showed him that I only have to pay 73 euros on Booking.com, we agreed on that. I found the shoehorn in the meantime. It was where I had looked too - just not thoroughly enough. 🤣

—-

 Español

Route: 101 kilometers, cumulative: 653 kilometers | Elevation gain: 260 meters, cumulative elevation: 1,919 meters, distance from home: 824 kilometers (as the crow flies).

Luckily, the wind changed direction in time. Now it stays with me from the front. 🤣

I woke up well-rested before 6 a.m. I like it when I have enough time to pack. It is important to me that everything is back in its place so I can find it. Unfortunately, that doesn't help if I can't remember it. At this moment, I miss Brigitte especially; she always finds everything right away. A special case is the shoehorn, which often cannot be found, even though Brigitte specifically bought a colored one.

After leaving Kiskunmajsa, I already had to use a country road. I hoped for little traffic, and on Saturday there should be no trucks either. But what was surprising was the length of this stretch: 18 kilometers almost only straight. Such routes are boring and feel like they never end. For 20 kilometers I need about an hour, so 18 is not much less. Still, eventually everything passes, and so does this road. In the end I said to myself: So I've already accomplished 18% of the total route.

Although my Komoot said it was only 98.5 kilometers, I calculated about 100, since Komoot saw stairs on the bridge approach that didn't actually exist. Today while traveling, I suddenly got hungry, but couldn't find a shop, and the two gas station shops didn't really have anything reasonable either. So much the more, a hint to a fish restaurant, just slightly off my route, caught my eye.

It was a good decision to stop there. The fish soup was excellent and my hunger satisfied. So fortified, I gladly continued on my way. I still had over 40 kilometers ahead of me. I was a bit nervous about crossing the Danube. Often the paths for pedestrians and cyclists are simply too narrow for me, so I prefer to push my e-bike rather than ride over them.

But I was amazed! There was a state-of-the-art bridge with a really wide bike path that immediately relieved my nervousness. I even stopped in the middle of the bridge to take a photo of the Danube. After that, it was just a short distance to the intended destination, where I hadn't booked. In doing so, I exceeded 100 kilometers on this tour for the first time. In earlier tours, that was more the norm.

I reached the owner by phone, who let me choose a room. Actually he wanted 80 euros, but when I showed him that I only have to pay 73 euros on Booking.com, we agreed on that. I found the shoehorn in the meantime. It was where I had looked too - just not thoroughly enough. 🤣

—-

 Español

Route: 101 kilometers, cumulative: 653 kilometers | Elevation gain: 260 meters, cumulative elevation: 1,919 meters, distance from home: 824 kilometers (as the crow flies).

Luckily, the wind changed direction in time. Now it stays with me from the front. 🤣

I woke up well-rested before 6 a.m. I like it when I have enough time to pack. It is important to me that everything is back in its place so I can find it. Unfortunately, that doesn't help if I can't remember it. At this moment, I miss Brigitte especially; she always finds everything right away. A special case is the shoehorn, which often cannot be found, even though Brigitte specifically bought a colored one.

After leaving Kiskunmajsa, I already had to use a country road. I hoped for little traffic, and on Saturday there should be no trucks either. But what was surprising was the length of this stretch: 18 kilometers almost only straight. Such routes are boring and feel like they never end. For 20 kilometers I need about an hour, so 18 is not much less. Still, eventually everything passes, and so does this road. In the end I said to myself: So I've already accomplished 18% of the total route.

Although my Komoot said it was only 98.5 kilometers, I calculated about 100, since Komoot saw stairs on the bridge approach that didn't actually exist. Today while traveling, I suddenly got hungry, but couldn't find a shop, and the two gas station shops didn't really have anything reasonable either. So much the more, a hint to a fish restaurant, just slightly off my route, caught my eye.

It was a good decision to stop there. The fish soup was excellent and my hunger satisfied. So fortified, I gladly continued on my way. I still had over 40 kilometers ahead of me. I was a bit nervous about crossing the Danube. Often the paths for pedestrians and cyclists are simply too narrow for me, so I prefer to push my e-bike rather than ride over them.

But I was amazed! There was a state-of-the-art bridge with a really wide bike path that immediately relieved my nervousness. I even stopped in the middle of the bridge to take a photo of the Danube. After that, it was just a short distance to the intended destination, where I hadn't booked. In doing so, I exceeded 100 kilometers on this tour for the first time. In earlier tours, that was more the norm.

I reached the owner by phone, who let me choose a room. Actually he wanted 80 euros, but when I showed him that I only have to pay 73 euros on Booking.com, we agreed on that. I found the shoehorn in the meantime. It was where I had looked too - just not thoroughly enough. 🤣

—-

 Español

It's already past noon. I have cycled 10 kilometers and am still in the same place.

Heidi invited me to see her house from the inside. So, I rode my bike the 4 kilometers there again. The ride on the dirt road went very well today. The rain has made it solid.

Gery then guided me through the whole house, where they have been living firmly for 16 years. Gery admitted that a childhood dream has come true here. The first time he saw this house, he immediately fell in love with it. You can tell; for them, this place is happiness on earth.

I was allowed to take pictures of everything to show those who remained in Switzerland. He also explained what they have renovated and remodeled in this over 100-year-old house, with professional support.

For 14 years, Heidi maintained a large vegetable garden and stored the harvest in the cool cellar. The homemade opening and closing mechanism brought a smile to my face.

After that, I went shopping at the nearby village shop, where I also took a little lunch break.

Then I went to another restaurant to make a reservation for tonight. The landlady there speaks perfect German; her mother was German. In this restaurant, we want to meet again for another cozy evening. Because who knows when it will be possible again? Since his heart attack, Gery can't drive long distances anymore. So, a visit to Switzerland is no longer so easy.

In the meantime, I had to say goodbye to Heidi and Gery after a good meal and drinks. We had a few really nice hours together yesterday and today.

Tomorrow we continue, and the long journey up the Danube begins. I look forward to it, even though it will be strenuous. I will report daily through this blog and provide corresponding photos.

—-

Español

Ruta: 10 kilómetros, acumulado: 552 kilómetros | Metros de altitud: 0, metros de altitud acumulados: 1.659 metros, distancia desde casa: 910 kilómetros (línea recta).

Ya ha pasado el mediodía. He recorrido 10 kilómetros y todavía estoy en el mismo lugar.

Heidi me ha invitado a ver su casa por dentro. Así que fui en bicicleta otros 4 kilómetros allí. El trayecto por el camino de tierra fue muy bien hoy. La lluvia lo ha compactado.

Gery me guió por toda la casa, donde han vivido de forma permanente durante 16 años. Para Gery, aquí se ha cumplido un sueño juvenil, como me confiesa. Cuando vio esta casa por primera vez, se enamoró de inmediato. Y eso se nota, para ellos este lugar es la felicidad en la tierra.

Tuve permiso para fotografiar todo, para mostrarlo a los que se quedaron en Suiza. También me explicó lo que han renovado y reformado en esta casa de más de 100 años con ayuda profesional.

Durante 14 años, Heidi ha mantenido un gran jardín de verduras y ha almacenado la cosecha en el fresco sótano. La técnica que hicieron para abrir y cerrar me sacó una sonrisa.

Después fui a comprar al pequeño tienda del pueblo cercano, donde también hice una pequeña pausa para el almuerzo.

Luego fui a otro restaurante para hacer la reserva para esta noche. La propietaria habla alemán perfectamente, su madre era alemana. En este restaurante queremos volver a encontrarnos para pasar otra noche agradable. Porque quién sabe cuándo será posible de nuevo. Gery no puede conducir distancias largas desde su infarto. Así que una visita a Suiza ya no es tan fácil.

Mientras tanto, tuve que despedirme de Heidi y Gery después de una buena cena y bebida. Fueron algunas horas realmente bonitas ayer y hoy que pudimos pasar juntos.

Mañana seguimos y comienza el largo viaje río arriba por el Danubio. Estoy emocionado, aunque será agotador. A través de este blog informaré diariamente y lo acompañaré con fotos.

It is rare for me to create my daily report only the following day. Now it is so, but there are good reasons for it. Yesterday was a beautiful but also exhausting day. Shortly after starting, it began! I had to push my e-bike again. I successfully found another dusty road that made it impossible to ride for a distance of 2 kilometers. I spent a full hour and some energy on that. After that, I made good progress and soon reached the next larger city: Kecskemét. Thanks to the good bike paths, I found my way out quickly. I surely missed a few attractions along the way. After that, I passed a large Mercedes factory. The Chinese are also said to have built a large factory in Hungary with BYD. From my own experience, I know that BMW manufactures their electric cars, such as the iX3, in Hungary. A nice bike path ran alongside the main road here. It ended rather oddly, and I still had to ride many kilometers on the heavily trafficked federal road. But you get used to everything, and I ride next to the road when I see a truck in my rearview mirror. Just before my destination for today, which is also the main goal of my trip, I made good progress again. Only the last 500 meters had another dust-covered road. Surprisingly, this one was passable.

Then I saw him from a distance! Unmistakable with his long white hair and his huge mustache. In front of his garden gate, Gery greeted me very joyfully, as did his wife Heidi. Not to forget the friendly dog that sniffed me while wagging its tail.

The two of them, my wife's brother, my brother-in-law, and my sister-in-law, were the reason for this destination, which will now be my turning point.

I still found it hard to speak because of my broken tooth. Therefore, they helped me find a dentist right away. Gery took me directly there, and soon that sharp edge could be smoothed down, and my pain came to an end.

Then I rode the remaining kilometers to my booked accommodation. It was almost unrecognizable from the street because the photo was taken from the back. The sense of that is hard to understand. Even worse was that no one was home, and I found myself standing in front of closed doors. After a reasonable wait, I drove to a nearby motel that had a free room for me.

I was then able to walk to the restaurant where we had arranged to meet and spent a short, cozy evening together afterward.

Today is my first day of rest on this trip. I have no big plans and look forward to another lovely evening with Gery and Heidi.

---

English

Route: 76 kilometers, cumulative: 542 kilometers | Elevation: 150, cumulative elevation: 1,659 meters, distance from home: 910 kilometers (as the crow flies).

It is rare for me to create my daily report only the following day. Now it is so, but there are good reasons for it. Yesterday was a beautiful but also exhausting day. Shortly after starting, it began! I had to push my e-bike again. I successfully found another dusty road that made it impossible to ride for a distance of 2 kilometers. I spent a full hour and some energy on that. After that, I made good progress and soon reached the next larger city: Kecskemét. Thanks to the good bike paths, I found my way out quickly. I surely missed a few attractions along the way. After that, I passed a large Mercedes factory. The Chinese are also said to have built a large factory in Hungary with BYD. From my own experience, I know that BMW manufactures their electric cars, such as the iX3, in Hungary. A nice bike path ran alongside the main road here. It ended rather oddly, and I still had to ride many kilometers on the heavily trafficked federal road. But you get used to everything, and I ride next to the road when I see a truck in my rearview mirror. Just before my destination for today, which is also the main goal of my trip, I made good progress again. Only the last 500 meters had another dust-covered road. Surprisingly, this one was passable.

Then I saw him from a distance! Unmistakable with his long white hair and his huge mustache. In front of his garden gate, Gery greeted me very joyfully, as did his wife Heidi. Not to forget the friendly dog that sniffed me while wagging its tail. The two of them, my wife's brother, my brother-in-law, and my sister-in-law, were the reason for this destination, which will now be my turning point. I still found it hard to speak because of my broken tooth. Therefore, they helped me find a dentist right away. Gery took me directly there, and soon that sharp edge could be smoothed down, and my pain came to an end. Then I rode the remaining kilometers to my booked accommodation. It was almost unrecognizable from the street because the photo was taken from the back. The sense of that is hard to understand. Even worse was that no one was home, and I found myself standing in front of closed doors. After a reasonable wait, I drove to a nearby motel that had a free room for me. I was then able to walk to the restaurant where we had arranged to meet and spent a short, cozy evening together afterward. Today is my first day of rest on this trip. I have no big plans and look forward to another lovely evening with Gery and Heidi.

—-

Español

Ruta: 76 kilómetros, acumulado: 542 kilómetros | Elevación: 150, elevación acumulada: 1.659 metros, distancia desde casa: 910 kilómetros (en línea recta).

Es raro que yo elabore mi informe diario solo al día siguiente. Ahora es así, pero hay buenas razones para ello. Ayer fue un día hermoso pero también agotador. ¡Poco después de empezar, comenzó! Tuve que empujar mi bicicleta eléctrica de nuevo. Con éxito encontré otra carretera polvorienta que hacía imposible circular durante una distancia de 2 kilómetros. Gasté una hora completa y un poco de energía en eso. Después de eso, avancé rápidamente y pronto llegué a la siguiente ciudad más grande: Kecskemét. Gracias a los buenos caminos para bicicletas, encontré fácilmente la salida. Seguramente me perdí algunas atracciones en el camino. Después de eso, pasé por una gran fábrica de Mercedes. También se dice que los chinos han construido una gran fábrica en Hungría con BYD. Por experiencia propia sé que BMW fabrica sus coches eléctricos, como el iX3, en Hungría. Aquí había un bonito camino para bicicletas junto a la carretera principal. Terminó de una manera un tanto extraña y todavía tuve que circular durante muchos kilómetros por la carretera federal muy transitada. Pero uno se acostumbra a todo, y conduzco al lado de la carretera cuando veo un camión en mi espejo retrovisor. Justo antes de mi destino de hoy, que también es el objetivo principal de mi viaje, avancé nuevamente con tranquilidad. Solo los últimos 500 metros tenían una carretera cubierta de polvo nuevamente. Sorprendentemente, esta era transitable. ¡Y entonces lo vi desde lejos! Inconfundible con su larga cabellera blanca y su enorme bigote. Frente a su verja, Gery me saludó muy alegremente, al igual que su esposa Heidi. Sin olvidar al perro amable que me olfateó moviendo la cola. Ellos, el hermano de mi esposa, es decir, mi cuñado, y mi cuñada, fueron la razón de este destino, que ahora será mi punto de giro. Me costó hablar aún debido a mi diente roto. Por eso, me ayudaron a encontrar un dentista enseguida. Gery me llevó directamente allí, y pronto se pudo lijar ese borde afilado, y mi dolor terminó. Luego conduje los kilómetros restantes hasta mi alojamiento reservado. Desde la calle casi no era reconocible, ya que la foto se tomó desde la parte trasera. Es difícil entender el sentido de eso. Aún peor fue que no había nadie en casa y me encontré parado frente a puertas cerradas. Después de un tiempo de espera razonable, conduje a un motel cercano que tenía una habitación libre para mí. Luego pude caminar hasta el restaurante donde habíamos acordado encontrarnos y después pasamos una corta y agradable velada juntos. Hoy es mi primer día de descanso en este viaje. No tengo un gran programa y espero con ansias otra hermosa velada con Gery y Heidi.

Do you know how fine sand can be? Sand? That was rather a path full of dust!

The tooth did hurt my tongue a bit. Not serious, but I still wanted to see a dentist. So many people, even from Switzerland, travel to Budapest just to find an affordable dentist. And indeed, there are many around me. Especially, the Helvetic Dental Clinic caught my eye. It left a very good impression on me, but I could only get an appointment for 1 PM. I didn't want to wait that long; there were still several kilometers ahead of me. On my way back to my Airbnb, I visited 2 more, but with the same result. So, I bought chewing gum to cover the tip a bit. In the end, Gerry and Heidi helped me get an appointment with their dentist, but not until Friday at 5 PM.

After an hour's delay, I set off. Although “delay” isn’t quite the correct term; I just like to be on the road by 8 AM.

The road out of Budapest laid directly in front of my Airbnb. It went straight for a long time. But when the town sign appeared, I had already clocked over 16 kilometers.

Then I had to ride for many kilometers on a federal highway with numerous trucks. As a counterbalance, I had a long stretch of regular road with practically zero traffic. So relaxing!

Komoot always tries to find a route with low traffic, so it led me left onto a road that actually matched my wishes. But oh no! After a while, the road was no longer paved but turned into a field path covered in thick fine dust. It was impossible to ride; I would have needed a completely different tire profile for that. So I pushed the bike and was once again glad to have a push handle.

When I was a few kilometers from my destination, I found a bike path next to the federal highway again. Only during my lunch break did I look for possible accommodations. I simply drove there without booking. And lo and behold, there was a free room and a hostess who speaks perfect German.

After a restful nap, I went shopping at the nearby supermarket. Since I can’t eat well, it had to be something soft. In the end, I chose pickled herring, which I could really eat almost without teeth.

Tomorrow I will reach my actual destination. However, this is only the farthest point of my journey; the main route lies ahead of me. Namely, the way home. First along the entire Danube to the source and then back home through Feldberg.

---

English

**Distance**: 70 kilometers, cumulative: 466 kilometers | **Elevation**: 210, cumulative elevation: 1,509 meters, **Distance from Home**: 870 kilometers (as the crow flies).

Do you know how fine sand can be? Sand? That was more of a path full of dust!

The tooth did hurt my tongue a bit. Not serious, but I still wanted to see a dentist. So many people, even from Switzerland, travel to Budapest just to find an affordable dentist. And indeed, there are many around me. Especially, the Helvetic Dental Clinic caught my eye. It left a very good impression on me, but I could only get an appointment for 1 PM. I didn't want to wait that long; there were still several kilometers ahead of me. On the way back to my Airbnb, I visited 2 more clinics, but with the same result. So, I bought chewing gum to cover the tip a bit. In the end, Gerry and Heidi helped me get an appointment with their dentist, but not until Friday at 5 PM.

After an hour's delay, I set off. Although “delay” isn’t quite the correct term; I just like to be on the road by 8 AM.

The road out of Budapest lay directly in front of my Airbnb. It went straight for a long time. But when the town sign appeared, I had already clocked over 16 kilometers.

Then I had to ride for many kilometers on a federal highway with numerous trucks. As a counterbalance, I had a long stretch of normal road with practically zero traffic. So relaxing!

Komoot always tries to find a route with low traffic, so it led me left onto a road that actually met my wishes. But oh no! After a while, the road was no longer paved, but turned into a field path covered in thick fine dust. It was impossible to ride; I would have needed a completely different tire profile for that. So I pushed the bike and was once again glad to have a push handle.

When I was a few kilometers from my destination, I found a bike path next to the federal highway again. Only during my lunch break did I look for a possible accommodation. I simply drove there without booking. And lo and behold, there was a free room and a hostess who speaks perfect German.

After a restful nap, I went shopping at the nearby supermarket. Since I can’t eat well, it had to be something soft. In the end, I chose pickled herring, which I could really eat almost without teeth.

Tomorrow I will reach my actual destination. However, this is only the farthest point of my journey; the main route lies ahead of me. Namely, the way home. First along the entire Danube to the source and via Feldberg back home.

---

Español

**Distancia**: 70 kilómetros, acumulada: 466 kilómetros | **Elevación**: 210, elevación acumulada: 1.509 metros, **Distancia desde Casa**: 870 kilómetros (en línea recta).

¿Sabes lo fino que puede ser la arena? ¿Arena? ¡Eso era más un camino lleno de polvo!

El diente me ha lastimado un poco la lengua. No es grave, pero aún así quería visitar a un dentista. Muchas personas, incluso de Suiza, viajan a Budapest solo para encontrar un dentista asequible. Y en efecto, hay muchos por mi zona. Especialmente, la Clínica Dental Helvetic me llamó la atención. Me dejó muy buena impresión, pero solo pude conseguir una cita para la 1 PM. No quería esperar tanto tiempo; aún me quedaban varios kilómetros por delante. De regreso a mi Airbnb, visité 2 clínicas más, pero con el mismo resultado. Así que compré chicles para cubrir un poco la punta. Al final, Gerry y Heidi me ayudaron a conseguir una cita con su dentista, pero no hasta el viernes a las 5 PM.

Después de una hora de retraso, me puse en marcha. Aunque “retraso” no es la palabra correcta; simplemente me gusta estar en camino a las 8 AM.

La carretera que sale de Budapest estaba justo enfrente de mi Airbnb. Durante mucho tiempo fue recta. Pero cuando apareció el letrero del pueblo, ya había contabilizado más de 16 kilómetros.

Luego tuve que andar durante muchos kilómetros por una carretera federal con numerosos camiones. Para compensar, había un largo trecho de carretera normal con prácticamente cero tráfico. ¡Realmente relajante!

Komoot siempre intenta encontrar un camino con poco tráfico, así que me llevó a la izquierda por una carretera que realmente cumplía con mis deseos. Pero ¡oh horror! Tras un rato, la carretera ya no estaba pavimentada, sino que se convirtió en un camino de tierra cubierto de espeso polvo fino. Era imposible circular; para eso habría necesitado un perfil de neumático completamente diferente. Así que empujé la bicicleta y una vez más me alegré de tener una ayuda para empujar.

Cuando estaba a unos kilómetros de mi destino, encontré nuevamente un carril bici junto a la carretera federal. Solo durante mi pausa para el almuerzo busqué un posible alojamiento. Simplemente fui allí sin reservar. Y he aquí, había una habitación disponible y una anfitriona que habla alemán perfectamente.

Después de una siesta reparadora, fui a comprar al supermercado cercano. Como no puedo comer bien, tenía que ser algo blando. Al final, elegí arenques en escabeche, que realmente podía comer casi sin dientes.

Mañana alcanzaré mi verdadero destino. Aunque este es solo el punto más lejano de mi viaje; la ruta principal aún me espera. Es decir, el camino a casa. Primero a lo largo de todo el Danubio hasta la fuente y luego a casa a través de Feldberg.

The hotel from last night was as promised. Everything was very good, including the included dinner. I only had to pay for the drinks.

I still don't need to be artificially fed. 🤣 The day before my departure, I had to go to the dentist because a piece of a right molar had broken off. The dentist then said that the 🦷 needed to be extracted. However, I did not want that, as I felt the risk of an infection and pain was too high. Therefore, she gave me medication in case something did happen.

And today, the time had come when a large piece of tooth actually broke off. It's not very bothersome, and I have no pain. So I will wait and see how it goes before I swallow any pills

After setting off, I quickly reached the Danube, which I then followed all the way to Budapest. On the 5th day of travel, the weather was sunny and warm again. The wind was present too, as it had been in the past few days. However, since I often changed direction, the wind did not always come from the front. Additionally, I frequently rode between trees that also blocked the wind.

Once again, I crossed the border into Hungary. But I will be staying in this country for several days before re-entering Slovakia. This will be on the way towards Feldberg.

Along the way, I received 2 calls from the rangers, as certain confirmations were coming to my phone. Both times it was a pleasant break. Speaking of breaks: Today, I didn't write a blog during lunch, I focused on eating, a spicy venison sausage that I got from Hildegard.

The entry into Budapest was similar to that of Warsaw. It was winding and the bike path wasn’t always easy to find. Eventually, I came to a bridge that led me to an island in the middle of the Danube. A huge recreational area between Buda and Pest.

My Airbnb for today is very central and also very comfortable. There’s even a washing machine that’s already running. The apartment is also very nice and clean overall. I can’t and don’t want to use everything that’s available.

Now I’m going to do some shopping nearby. I don't know what will come later.

In this Airbnb, I had everything I needed, including a generous space for my e-bike in my bedroom. Additionally, it’s close to the old town and other attractions. Highly recommended. 😊

I went to bed relatively early, right after finishing the blog. After a quiet and restful sleep, I got up at 6 AM. This gave me plenty of time to shower and pack. As planned, I set off at 8 AM. The weather forecast called for sunshine and a brisk wind from the east. And you know what? The forecast was correct. 🚴🤔 I faced the wind the entire way. It’s not too bad with the e-bike, but I still progress more slowly.

The path through Bratislava was very quiet. It’s Sunday, and many were still asleep. Soon, I arrived back at the Danube, where the path is mostly straight and flat like yesterday. The Danube itself was not visible, or only slightly through the bushes. That changed soon, and the path ran directly along the river. First, with a natural bank, but then for long stretches, it was canalized.

At a lock, the cycling path descended from the dam; I had just completed my 50 kilometers, and a bench with a table beside the road invited me to take a lunch break.

For lunch today, I had my favorite noodles from a pouch. The box keeps the noodles very warm, even too hot.

After the lock, the path moved away from the water into the greenery again. Thus, the wind was weaker too. Suddenly, a few candelabras appeared by the roadside. I wonder if they still had anything to do with the Iron Curtain? Today, they stand around in the area for no apparent reason. Later, the path was natural for several kilometers until it merged into a main street. From there, it was still more than 10 kilometers to my destination.

After a break, I went to explore the place, and of course, there was also something to eat at a restaurant: spareribs with potatoes and a delicious sauce.

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**Distancia:** 80 kilómetros, acumulada: 214 kilómetros | **Desnivel:** 110, desnivel acumulado de 719 metros, distancia desde casa: 723 kilómetros (en línea recta).

En este Airbnb, tenía todo lo que necesitaba, incluyendo un espacio amplio para mi bicicleta eléctrica en mi dormitorio. Además, está cerca del casco antiguo y de otras atracciones. Muy recomendable. 😊 Me fui a la cama relativamente temprano, justo después de terminar el blog. Después de una noche tranquila y reparadora, me levanté a las 6 AM. Esto me dio mucho tiempo para ducharme y empacar. Como estaba planeado, salí a las 8 AM. El pronóstico del tiempo prometía sol y un viento fresco del este. ¿Y sabes qué? El pronóstico fue correcto. 🚴🤔 Tuve el viento en contra todo el camino. No es tan malo con la bicicleta eléctrica, pero de todos modos avanzo más lentamente. El camino a través de Bratislava estaba muy tranquilo. Es domingo, y muchos aún estaban durmiendo. Pronto regresé al Danubio, donde el camino es mayormente recto y plano como ayer. El Danubio en sí no era visible o solo ligeramente a través de los arbustos. Eso pronto cambió, y el camino corría directamente junto al río. Primero, con una orilla natural, pero luego durante largas tramos estaba canalizado.

En una esclusa, el camino ciclista descendió del dique; acababa de completar mis 50 kilómetros, y un banco con una mesa al lado del camino me invitó a tomar un descanso para el almuerzo.

Para comer hoy, tenía mis fideos favoritos de un paquete. La caja mantiene los fideos muy calientes, incluso demasiado calientes.

Después de la esclusa, el camino se alejó un poco del agua hacia la vegetación. Así, el viento también era más débil. De repente, aparecieron junto al camino un par de candelabros. Me pregunto si todavía tenían algo que ver con el Telón de Acero. Hoy en día, están allí sin razón aparente. Más tarde, el camino fue natural durante varios kilómetros hasta que se fusionó en una calle principal. Desde allí, aún quedaban más de 10 kilómetros hasta mi destino.

Después de un descanso, fui a explorar el lugar y, por supuesto, también había algo para comer en un restaurante: costillas con patatas y una deliciosa salsa.

I lie down for a nap and wait until I'm tasked with the search for Colonel Kurtz in the Cambodian jungle..

Although I am not geographically there yet, the subtropical climate is already wearing me down. To escape the sun, I spontaneously decided to visit the semi-underground ethnological museum after breakfast. However, the exhibitions are so extensive that it turns into a day's task. So, I stagger my visit: from 10:00 AM ceramics and shamanic masks - around 11:00 AM a false fire alarm in the museum - 11:30 AM back in and continuing with the masks - 12:30 PM lunch - 2:00 PM recolored family photos from the 19th century - 3:00 PM nap..

My compartment has three locks! A sign indicates that not only the door but even the narrow flap window must always be kept closed. I obediently follow the guideline and try not to imagine who has attempted to rob the passengers here in various ways before. Some Romanian John Wayne must be up there holding the gangsters at bay with his Chesterfield coat..

Instead, a distinguished Austrian in a checked look enters the compartment and reassures me: The thefts had been like that years ago and the locks and warning signs are more like relics from that time. Business-like, he hangs his jacket on the hook and immediately goes to sleep.

As the sunflower fields pass by the window, I check in online at the next hostel. You can book some services in advance, early check-in, late check-out, and even a fee for vomit clean-up. The structured Bucharest drinker can thus free himself in advance for all eventualities for 300 Romanian Lei (=60 €). However, the price is valid 'per quantity one time', so there is no clean-up flat rate. I have other plans anyway; for now, a daily nap and occasional eavesdropping will suffice.

So after I spontaneously changed all my plans, I finally arrived in Budapest at six in the morning after a 17-hour journey.

Completely exhausted, I had hoped that my bed in the hostel would be free and that I could sleep for another three or four hours, but unfortunately, I was out of luck.

So, I sat down completely worn out for breakfast and then met up with a friend of my sister, who also happened to be in the city.

A first exploratory tour through the streets of Budapest allowed us to get a better overview of the area around our hostel, with many options showcasing different structures and elements in the architecture.

Then our paths separated for a while, and I went to one of my favorite tours, a street art tour.

Many different works, some with historical and/or political backgrounds. The majority of larger wall paintings, also called murals, are found in the district still referred to as the 'ghetto' today.

After a long break and enough time to finally check into my hostel, we went back out into the streets. In search of nice postcards, we also passed a few lovely shops.

In the evening, my cousin joined us. After a shared dinner, we made our way to the Fisherman's Bastion.

From there, you had a beautiful view of the city, especially of the Hungarian Parliament.

The next day, I had to take some time to sleep in and check out leisurely, and then join an old town tour with Konrad, who was already out and about.

After quite a bit of walking, we first got a very delicious ice cream, not in a cone, but with a chimney cake.

After a well-deserved break, we moved on to St. Stephen's Cathedral. I haven't visited such a beautiful cathedral in a long time.

Fun fact: alongside some highly religious personalities, the most famous footballer of Hungary is also buried here. Ferenc Puskás.

And since I hadn't climbed stairs in a long time, I went up several steps to the tower of the cathedral, enjoying a beautiful view of Budapest.

Before I headed off to Romania, we took another food break and enjoyed the Hungarian national dish, Langos.

And then it was time for me to embark on another premiere of this trip, and in general. It was my first time traveling on a sleeper train. That was super exciting. I ended up in a compartment for six, surrounded by other Interrail travelers.

It was nice to exchange ideas, discuss travel routes together, and give tips on what else to see. Unfortunately, my stop in Romania was so early that I had to set my alarm for five in the morning. But traveling while lying down is much more comfortable for sleep!

"A journey that begins with Deutsche Bahn can only get better." We wrote this sentence over 9 months ago at the start of our travels during the sabbatical year – and it should prove true again for the smaller part 2 of our mini-world tour, which began in April. Our journey actually did not start at all – the train was canceled. But since we, as experienced rail travelers, had calculated a four-hour buffer, we still found time in Berlin for a short hike by the Spree and vegan dumplings before continuing with the night train from Berlin to Budapest – our first proper stop on this new journey. Traveling by night train is a wonderful experience, and we enjoy it, even if sleep at night is often poor and the ride can be quite bumpy. We certainly enjoyed in the night train that Mick (name changed by the editorial team) – a travel acquaintance from the Berlin station – ended up in another part of the train, as he was to be uncoupled from us before his destination, Dresden. Mick was able to give us one or two travel recommendations for Hungary and Australia (and we for Dresden), but his extreme conservatism was harder for us to bear and understand than his Australian accent.

When we finally reached Budapest, a strikingly beautiful city awaited us (those of you who have been there will surely confirm this), as was evident right away at the station with a beautiful stone building from the late 19th century and a light-filled glass hall.

The old town was spared from bombs in the Second World War and is completely free of architectural sins. No one thought to chisel off stuccos, and there are really only two things to criticize: Firstly, the city is designed to be very car-friendly and much less bike-friendly, and secondly – and this is the crux – this beautiful cosmopolitan and liberal city is in the grips of a reactionary and pseudo-democratic regime. During those days, we only saw a single rainbow flag. We had long avoided Orbán’s Hungary, but the residents of Budapest clearly reject the homophobic pseudodictator. And we wanted to visit these people. We were also pleased to see posters of the party of the Two-tailed Dog (Hungary's version of the party DIE PARTEI), because the two-tailed dog wants to bite Orbán. Just as we were in Budapest, state visits were occurring by the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, who was wanted by the International Court of Justice, and was honored so that all the bridges were adorned with Israeli flags while international law was disregarded. The criticism in the anti-democratic Hungary was correspondingly ineffectual. When we came to a grand boulevard lined with police, over which a procession of state cars and Israeli cars drove, a man raised both middle fingers towards the motorcade and was undeterred by the admonishing words of a police officer – in the end, the democratic middle finger remains, a protest for one’s own mental hygiene.

But back to the beautiful aspects of Budapest: The highlight is the facades throughout the city center in their immense abundance and the backdrop along the Danube with the old magnificent buildings on the western side (Buda). Margaret Island in the middle is pretty, but it was too chaotic for us, so we would not recommend the island if you have very little time.

Architectural highlights include, among many others, the Fishermen's Bastion and St. Istvan Basilica, the great synagogue, the parliament on the banks of the Danube, the great market hall, the main train station, and above all the extraordinarily beautiful opera, into which Frau Waas fell completely in love. The Austrian king and financier Franz Josef said at that time it should not be larger than the Vienna Opera. Later he regretted that he had not also mentioned that it should not be more beautiful. (See pictures at the end)

Culinarily, Budapest offers a wide range of traditional Hungarian restaurants, Italian eateries, pubs, other national cuisines, and vegan restaurants, chimney-cake stalls, and especially beautiful cafés that often reflect the style of the Golden 20s and hint at the proximity to Vienna. Overall, the entire city gave us the impression of a mix of Vienna and Paris with a touch of Prague and Berlin, full of style and Savoir Vivre.

We leave Budapest filled with beautiful impressions. We hope to return soon to a free, open-minded Budapest where one can display rainbow flags, Palestinian flags like Israeli flags, and Ukrainian flags without fear of repression. In that case, nothing would hold us back, and we would immediately fall in love with this free Budapest.

I took the second oldest tram in Europe directly to Széchenyi Bath. Budapest is famous for its thermal baths, where hot thermal springs rise from the depths of the earth at temperatures up to 80 °C.

Built in the Neo-Baroque style, Széchenyi Bath is one of the largest of its kind. It had three large outdoor pools, a multitude of smaller indoor pools with various temperatures, and a large sauna area.

Initially, I spent quite a while in the outdoor pool, which was 38 °C warm, and then moved inside due to the sun.

After several sauna sessions and feeling well-rested, I left the baths in the afternoon and headed to the train station, where I boarded my train to Bucharest at 3:00 PM.

From the station, I headed to Budapest's central market hall, an old historic building. However, since it was Sunday, only a small portion of the shops were open, and only a few visitors were present.

Around noon, my personal highlight was about to take place: Eating authentic Hungarian Langos. I queued at a crowded restaurant that clearly was the best spot for this popular Hungarian street food, and ordered a Hungarian style Langos. I received it with sour cream, cheese, onions, and diced ham. All in all, it was a truly delicious meal.

Around three o'clock, I climbed the steps of St. Stephen's Basilica. Once at the top, a view over almost all of Budapest opened up to me. You could see the somewhat hilly Pest on the other side of the Danube and look over the flat city center. Since I wanted to see the sunset, I spent time on the observation deck, watching the traffic and people on the street while visiting the museum of the basilica. Just before closing, I was able to observe the sunset behind the hills of Buda.

After descending the stairs, I sat down with a chimney cake, which also originally comes from Hungary, by the banks of the Danube.

Beginning with St. Stephen's Basilica, which at 96 m is alongside the equally tall Parliament building the highest structure in Budapest. This height is not coincidental, as the Kingdom of Hungary was founded in 896. This year is so sacred to them that the basilica and parliament building were constructed at this height. Inside the basilica lies the mummified right hand of Hungary's former king, Stephen I, who is the namesake of the basilica.

Since 2006, the most famous Hungarian football player Ferenc Puskás has also been interred here next to other kings of Hungary. Following his death on December 9, 2006, Hungary even observed national mourning.

Next, we went to Liberty Square, in the center of which stands a memorial for the victims of the German occupation. Even before its construction, this project faced harsh criticism from the Hungarian population. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in particular, has been accused of historical revisionism. The monument portrays Hungary as a victim of the German troops' invasion. Critics speak of an obscuring of Hungary's responsibility for collaborating with the Nazis and supporting the Holocaust. Protesters besieged the square, wanting to prevent the construction. The government cordoned off the square to erect the monument nonetheless. Today, a fence around the monument displays information about Hungary's role in World War II, serving as a protest action against the government.

The next stop was the Parliament building. With around 700,000 visitors per year, it is the most popular attraction. Unfortunately, tickets are often sold out days or even weeks in advance. It was inaugurated at the turn of the millennium in 1896. About 100,000 people were involved in its construction, using 40 million bricks. The building is adorned with half a million precious stones and 40 kg of gold.

The tour ended at the Danube bank by the 2005 erected memorial “Shoes on the Danube Bank.” It was established in memory of the mass shootings of Hungarian Jews at the Danube bank in 1944/45. Along a length of 40 m, 60 pairs of shoes made of metal were installed. About 2,700-3,700 Jews were murdered here 80 years ago. The detailed representation of the different shoes, especially the children's shoes, is very emotional to see.

After the tour, I decided to go to the Buda district. Before Budapest became the city we know today in 1873, there were three independent cities: Pest, Buda, and Old Buda. Today, only a distinction is made between the Buda and Pest sides of the Danube. Buda is the more historical part with Buda Castle and the Fisherman's Bastion.

I crossed the Danube over the Chain Bridge and climbed some stairs to reach the needed height for the first viewpoint in front of Buda Castle. A few steps away lies the palace, from where Viktor Orbán conducts government business. The Matthias Church loomed in the distance, located right next to the Fisherman's Bastion. The Fisherman's Bastion was built from 1895 to 1902 on the site of a medieval fish market. In its current form, it serves as a viewing terrace for tourists.

After enjoying the views, I bought an ice cream by the river and later pursued a goal that our city guide István gave us in the morning. Mini sculptures by the artist “Kolodko” were placed throughout Budapest. We were to take a selfie in front of 25 of these statues. As a reward, István would take us to a pub in Budapest. Convincing myself, I began to search for and take pictures.

After three hours, I had to settle for five pictures and realized that this was a longer project and difficult to accomplish on foot. I settled down at the Danube bank and later returned to the hostel. Even though I couldn't find nearly all the statues, I still saw some corners of Budapest that I would never have discovered otherwise.

At 1:00 PM, I set off with my luggage and arrived at the hostel around 1:40 PM, where I was able to go straight to my room. After a very refreshing scent, I went to the nearest supermarket to buy some salad and bread.

In the afternoon, I ventured into the city without a plan. I found myself by the Danube River with a direct view of the Buda Castle and the famous Fisherman's Bastion. However, I was soon drawn back to the hostel as I was still a bit exhausted.

The hostel is in a perfect location right in the city center, just a few minutes' walk from the important sights. However, my friendly roommates warned me to lock my belongings in the locker, as some of their things had been stolen and the rooms couldn't be locked.

One staff member took a photo of my ticket and guided me to my compartment. Luckily for me, only two of the six beds were occupied. The young couple I would share the compartment with was very helpful, assisting me in setting up my bed and explaining everything I needed to know.

A fresh bed cover, a small bottle of water, and a piece of chocolate were prepared for me.

In my imagination, the train would gently rock me to sleep, allowing me to wake up refreshed in Budapest. However, reality was different. Either the wind whipped in from the open window, or the room heated up to sweat-inducing temperatures within minutes due to the closed window. Whenever we approached a station, the train would come to an abrupt stop, and a shrill voice over the loudspeaker would announce the stop.

Around 4:00 AM, I was able to slip into a light sleep and mostly slept through until 8:00 AM. At 8:30 AM, a staff member gently knocked on our door. He informed us that we would soon be arriving in Budapest and brought juice, coffee, and cookies as a small meal.

The sunrise breathed new energy into my body, and we arrived in Budapest around 9:00 AM.

This morning I had a banana, an apple and some crackers for breakfast. It was actually the first morning that the tent wasn't wet with dew. I packed up as usual and set off. Elisa had only just gotten up, but she is taking a more leisurely approach to the tour, cycling about 60km a day. The start of today's stage was very strenuous, first right next to the Danube on an unpaved road with large potholes and then directly on the dam, practically on the meadow. The signs for "Eurovelo 6" frequently showed that I was still on the right track. Even though it was hard to believe. Later on, a herd of sheep and two donkeys blocked the way. But as we got closer they willingly cleared the way.

Once the path on the dam was over, the route continued mainly on quiet, partly perfectly maintained country roads. The landscape was very colorful with fields of wheat and poppies and a few vines in between.

At lunchtime I took a longer break and caught up on the calories from my meager breakfast. The restaurant was very nicely located, right on the Danube. Afterwards I had my strength back and after about 125km I reached Baja. Here I checked into the Hotel Duna, a very chic hotel. After 3 days in a tent I've earned it again. I'm going to check out the wellness area now!

This morning I had booked breakfast in the hotel next to the campsite. It was very plentiful and I was able to take some fruit with me for the journey. The first 10km were very relaxed but then we continued on a road. Luckily there wasn't too much traffic but you definitely have to be a lot more careful than on the cycle path. After arriving in Budapest I continued straight on. From now on the path became very bad in places (either rutted paths or on the road with large potholes). But I had chosen a nice campsite right on the Danube that I wanted to go to. I arrived shortly before 6pm with Elisa. She is French and has quit her job and is on her way to Croatia to work on a farm.

After dinner (pasta + pesto) it's time to go straight to bed! A tiring day comes to an end. I've arrived in Hungary!

Tomorrow I'm going on to Arad in Romania. I'm a little ahead of schedule, so I still have some time for unforeseen events.

I have now arrived in Hungary. I have completely lost track of where and how all the countries I am driving through are located and how many borders I have crossed so far. After the ranger visited me again that morning at the lake and we continued our nice conversation from the day before (that it is complete nonsense that you can run over a snake in the sand on a bicycle (not an e-bike)), he nevertheless pointed out to me that parking a camper overnight is prohibited everywhere, even in the towns. I then preferred to drive on and so I just managed to cross the border into Hungary. The parking space I had chosen was not that special. Because it was so warm, people drove up late and they left early in the morning too, so I didn't have a good night's sleep. That's just how it is. It's no different in nature, when hiking. There, too, you sometimes come across a bad place to stay overnight when your feet say they've had enough and don't want to go any further and you can't find anything decent. I've had to spend the night on a hillside before. There was no other option.

This makes me even happier about the comfortable parking spot here by the lake, still in Hungary, where I'm standing all alone in the parking lot. I saw thousands of jellyfish tadpoles today. I can't even remember the last time I saw any. I'm just wondering where the millions of frogs will go? The lake isn't that big here. In any case, I was not only impressed by the number, but also by the fact that a whole horde of them had eaten a small dead fish. They were all hanging on to it, and the movement of their tails propelled the fish forwards, so that at first I thought it was a black and white fish. Then I realized that the fish was white (because its belly was facing upwards) and the jellyfish tadpoles were black.

Hungary feels relaxed and safe. You don't have to worry about being chased away or being insulted, which makes me very relaxed. I also like van life. It really depends on the country... In Slovenia it's also relaxed. In Croatia, however, less so, from everything I've read.

But I'm still in Hungary. Some people can even speak a little German because it's so close to the border. And now I'm too tired to write much, even though there's still a lot to tell. Among other things, I peeled 1 kg of asparagus this evening. When I bought it (there were only 1 kg bags), I didn't think about the fact that it still needed peeling... I just remembered that when I wanted to make the asparagus. Luckily I have my old peeler in the bus and so I spent a long time and thoughtfully peeling and cooking 1 kg of organic asparagus. The things in the fridge have kept really well so far, despite the heat. My fridge is doing a great job, but the sun is shining all day, so I have enough power to run it all day. I only turn the power off at night because the fridge is too loud when it's on...

At the beginning I had it set to 5, which is the highest setting, but then the cucumber froze, so I turned it down to 3.5 I think. That seems to be enough.

OK, now it's time to sleep. It's 9:30 p.m. and my eyes are closing. I went for a lot of walks and swimming today and last night wasn't so productive. So: good night.

Nach ein paar Stunden Schlaf starteten wir am 18.Juli bereits um 5 Uhr in den Tag und machten uns voller Vorfreude mit dem Flughafenbus auf in Richtung Flughafen Budapest.

Unser Flugplan:

09:05 - 12:15 Budapest - Istanbul (2h10min)

16:00 - 07:35 Istanbul - Jakarta (11h35min)

10:40 - 15:05 Jakarta - Manado (3h25min)

Beim Einchecken wurde uns die Vorfreude jedoch rasch genommen. Sarah erhielt für den Flug Istanbul - Jakarta nur ein Stand-By-Ticket. Es wurde uns erklärt, dass der Flug um 15 Plätze überbucht sei& wir erst in Istanbul am Gate erfahren werden, ob sie mitfliegen kann oder nicht. Für uns unerklärlich, da der Online-Check-in für den Flug von Istanbul noch am Laufen war, aber ja in Budapest hatten wir erstmals keine Chance. Somit flogen wir mit einem mulmigen Gefühl im Bauch nach Istanbul.

Dort angekommen versuchten wir sofort beim Turkish Airlines-Desk unser Glück und jaaaaa, wir hatten echt Glück und Sarah bekam ein gültiges Flugticket nach Jakarta.🙌😎😁

Somit waren die über 11Stunden in der Luft gleich mal angenehmer zu ertragen, nachdem wir beide mitfliegen durften.😊

Um 8Uhr in Jakarta gelandet wurde es dann relativ eng mit Visumseinreise, Gepäck abholen, Customs regulation ausfüllen, Terminal wechseln,...

Aber wir erreichten unseren 3.Flug um 10:40Uhr nach Manado und kamen dort um 16Uhr im Hotel an.

Nach ca. 26 Stunden endete die anstrengende Anreise und wir fielen mal ins Bett, uns so richtig auszuschlafen & so fit wie möglich für die kommenden Wochen zu sein.😉

Ahoi!

Yesterday we went down the Tisza with Kurt on the boat. 

There is nothing better than being by the water and jumping into the cool water on warm temperatures. 

Well, at 27 degrees water temperature, it's not a real cooling off anymore but it's definitely better than nothing. 

Here, besides the river, there is an absolute jungle and nature is allowed to take its course here. Everything grows and thrives here in various shades of green. 

Our freshly baked freshwater captain at the helm is also green behind the ears. 

I played the role of the catfish bait on the boat, which is commonly fished in this region. 

Fortunately, I wasn't caught by a catfish and I was able to admire the beautiful nature and the different bird species. Grey herons, black eagles, cormorants, and ducks were some of our discoveries. And we saw a bird that we don't know. Maybe someone can help us here? 

We kept going until we reached the lake. 

The question is where? 

In case of doubt, dear friends, always follow your nose. (Gandalf's wisdom is just appropriate.) Besides, on every ship that floats and sways, there's someone who babbles stupidly.

Our noses then led us back to the harbor after a total of 2.5 hours on the river and the lake. 

Here we made friends with a few young ducks and then drove back home.

In the shade of the house, we quietly let the afternoon fade away and I really let myself "hang." 

Here I wrote the reports from yesterday and let my soul dangle a little. 

Today we planned our further tour due to the current weather. 

Tomorrow we will go to Zagreb early in the morning and then continue towards the north and Slovenia from Monday. Here we want to explore Ljubljana and then make our way home through the north of Slovenia or via Klagenfurt. 

Let's see how it goes. Hopefully without traffic jam tomorrow. Sending hugs. 

Yours, Britta 

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,

As promised, today I will show you the sights of Budapest. I know that the first picture of a jam sandwich is not what is expected when I talk about the Hungarian capital, but I want to thank the donor once again. The homemade strawberry jam is absolutely delicious! And so our day started with the most important meal of the day.

After breakfast, we drove to Budapest, which took about 1.5 hours by car. We parked outside the city and, as always, took public transportation to get to the city center. Parking is free, but make sure not to park on the grassy areas.

We had a guidebook that described a tour of Buda and Pest and briefly explained the sights. Unfortunately, we forgot it at home, so we went on a spontaneous city tour.

We started with Margaret Island, which is located in the middle of the Danube River and is relatively large compared to the city.

We made our first stop at a dilapidated monastery on the island. Although the building no longer stands, the place felt somehow peaceful.

Except for the flute player around the corner, of course.

The next stop was the ruins of a Dominican monastery, where the history was explained in more detail.

After a short break, we continued walking quickly. Those who wanted could even sprint on the island's own athletics track, where both sprinters and barefoot runners can train.

After such a sprint, we went to the Japanese Garden on the island to relax and calm down.

Very beautiful, peaceful, and full of fish here. Afterwards, we took the bus back to the Hungarian Parliament and on the way, we came across the coolest statue in the world! (Counter-suggestions will only be accepted with photo evidence!)

We also visited the Olympic Park on our way to the Parliament.

Later, we explored more buildings and monuments in the vicinity.

On the way to the castle, we also visited the old market and enjoyed the different smells and tastes.

We continued on foot with a few stops at the swimming pool, monument, and fountain towards the castle.

I'm always where it's wet. Literally:

And after climbing a few meters, under the strict gaze of a hare and the Turul, we finally reached the castle.

After the castle, we moved a few hundred meters further and visited the Fisherman's Bastion to enjoy the wonderful view of Budapest.

On the way back to the metro, Mario ran into an old acquaintance. I was surprised to see him so high up, but I guess if you have a horse to sit on, you can still walk a few meters at that age. Greetings from St. George.

After another ~20 km, we had enough walking and quickly headed towards the suburbs.

All in all, a very beautiful city that is definitely worth a longer visit, in my opinion.

More about today tomorrow.

Yours, Britta