Budapest - the last kilometers of the Danube

After rounding off the past week with a catfish feast on Sunday evening, we don't start the day too early on Monday (July 17, 2017). Late in the morning, we then set off towards Budapest, which is about a day and a half away downstream. The current carries us at about 5km/h. I mostly let things take their course and enjoy the summer weather. In the afternoon, we dock at Dunabogdány, go shopping and refill the drinking water supplies. In the evening, I find us a suitable spot on the Danube bank for the last time. For dinner, we have fried catfish fillet again. Unfortunately, Rango doesn't help me at all with eating, so I have to fry some fish in advance. I crawl into my sleeping bag very full in the evening.

I take the next morning easy again, as there are only about 20km left to Budapest. In the morning, a young father with his two daughters joins us. He recommends a campsite in Rómaifürdő, where the boat can also be easily landed. Around noon, we can set off and embark on the journey. There is a light breeze from the south and I have to row constantly to move forward. On the way, I am stopped twice by the water police, and the second group of uniformed officers ends our boat trip about 500m before the planned landing in Rómaifürdő. Traveling the Danube in a rubber boat would be too dangerous. If they only knew how long I've been in that thing... But there are worse times for the involuntary end of our Danube cruise, and I accept my fate. On land, I pack up my stuff and go to the campsite with Rango. After checking in, we take a walk in the neighborhood and along the beach promenade before I finally deflate the clipper at the beach and pack it up for the journey back - my parents are considering a boat trip on the Elbe.

The next morning (July 19, 2017), I take the clipper to the post office and send it on its way to Chemnitz. After a few communication difficulties, a post office employee was not satisfied with my 'Jó napod. Én nem beszélek magyarul.' as a sign of my sincere efforts to approach her native language. Thanks to another customer, the somewhat tense situation could be overcome. Since another very hot summer day is imminent, I decide to stay a bit longer at the shady campsite and only go to Budapest in the evening. We set off around 6:30 p.m. and reach the city center after about 2 hours. At a cozy spot with a view of the opposite bank of the Danube, we have a small dinner before heading towards the Castle District. Even at a later hour, there is still a lot going on at the hotspots. Many impressive buildings are illuminated and offer good orientation even from a distance. I lose track of time a bit while wandering around the old town. Shortly after midnight, we make our way to the train station. Unfortunately, we miss the last regular train by about 10 minutes. The night service is organized with buses. Since I don't have a muzzle for Rango, trying to board the bus proves to be an insurmountable obstacle. After being turned away three times, it's time to walk the approximately 10km back. So far, the Hungarian uniformed personnel have left a rather humorless impression. With some distance from the city center and as the time progresses, the flow of people noticeably thins out and we are almost alone on the road. We reach our destination at 2:00 a.m. and both of us are glad to be able to rest.