The Alternative Grand Tour Part 1 Continued …
Day 38 28th April Friday
Hungary
Vienna to Budapest 65/145 = 210
Another damp day but we upped camp nonetheless (delayed by a mislaid Garmin). Getting out of Vienna was a bit tricky and it rained quite hard, but obtaining a vignette and getting over the Austro-Hungarian border was straightforward, (we had found the Garmin by then as well). It was a bit slow getting past roadworks and the inside carriageway, even on the motorway, was very rough (poor old Hattie – Kate wants her vignette money back). Eventually found a nice campsite at 16:00ish on the outskirts of Budapest which provided a lovely goulash supper and much red wine… Then 8 Out of 10 Cats does Countdown and “bed”.
Note: We have bypassed Slovakia – mainly due to the weather slowing us down
Total to date 2322
Day 39 29th April Saturday
A ride down to the river = no official miles
Awoke gently to a cool, dry morning, had a lovely breakfast provided by the campsite (Zugligeti Niche Camping). After some pottering we got on the bikes and headed down the hill. A little fraught to begin with until we familiarised with the cycle track system. We got to the river and cycled alongside from bridge to bridge, Kate stopping for photos every now and again. Stopped for coffee (kave) on the way back where I attempted to pay with a 20000 forint note. No joy so I had to use euros (not such a good deal.) Returned up the hill remembering the way, just, as I’d lost the map – slapped wrist! Got back 24 hours after arriving the previous day (more or less) to be greeted by the five camp cats – including one we call Tatty. Hoping for another campsite meal and a glass of wine or two…Baja tommorow is the plan.
Day 40 30th April Sunday
Budapest to Baja 193
We left promptly after another nice breakfast, a surprisingly low bill (in Forints…) and a complementary bottle of wine. We headed out of Budapest on to a surprisingly smooth M6 down to Baja. We stopped at a quiet Mobil motorway services and arrived in Baja over the Danube to loads of Tescos and the like. Then we drove into the middle of the pleasant town and out again looking for campsites. To no avail, but we found a pleasant guest house (Tanyacsarda Vendeghaz) just outside town, who were very busy with birthday and wedding parties, willing to put us up. A nice meal of Venison stew for me, Chicken kiev with bacon for Kate and many vegetables… and a few beers. We settled to some football on the TV and slept in a very quiet hotel building – apart from a baying hound every now and again. We’ve run out of campsites, good roads and then there’s the question of the Kate eating dogs of Romania… so we’re going to start heading back.
Total for Hungary 338
Overall Total 2515
Day 41 1st May Bank Holiday Monday
Detour/Interlude: Baja to Balatonszemes
We got away promptly after a Hungarian special breakfast and the paying of another very reasonable bill, (we still seemed to the only guests), to head up the M6 and west to get to Lake Balaton – a popular Hungarian holiday spot. A longish drive, but we got there at 15:00ish after a bit of Tommy confusion as some roads were closed. We set up camp once the receptionist had found a (new) two pin adapter for the mains. We had to cycle to return to reception (for localised wifi, etc.) as the campsite is so large – a cycling day therefore… We settled down to our first “home” cooked meal for a while and a glass of beer and wine or two in the pleasant evening sunshine and a bit of a photo session with the setting sun over the lake. As there was no wifi we finished the day by just reading things – how old fashioned…
Day 42 2nd May Tuesday
Detour/Interlude: Balatonszemes to Foynod
We left promptly on another sunny morning to head for Kvetslar. This proved to be further away than anticipated (50k), the track was not particularly close to the lake and it interfaced heavily with the railway that was under heavy refurbishment. So we opted for Foynod a mere 20k away. This proved to be an idyllic setting by the lake with birds, fish and jetties galore. Many photos were taken… we stopped for cappuccino and Kave Alaska and rode slowly back via an Aldi. More beer in the evening sun and beef rogan josh for tea.
Bernie did 52
AROOD - a record of our doings 