7/13/19-7/20/19 Slovakia and Hungary

Saturday, 13 July 2019

Biked 60 miles from Klosterneuburg, Austria, through Vienna to Bratislava, Slovakia

Accommodations: APLEND CITY Hotel Michalska. Nice 3-star hotel near St. Michael's Gate just inside the Old Town. Very comfortable, but very noisy. Would not recommend because of location/noise.
Dinner: Touristy restaurant in a smaller square. Okay food.

It was a cloudy and cool day of cycling, mostly on dedicated cycle paths. The route through Vienna was a little hard to follow at times but kept us out of the main city center. Once out of the city, we were on a cycle path through parkland along the river for at least an hour, then on cycle paths through small villages and along the river all the way to the UFO Bridge across the Danube to Bratislava.

Bratislava is a big, noisy, touristy city. We tried to appreciate it, walking up the hill to the castle and exploring the Old Town and alleyways, but mostly we found crowded restaurants with large groups of loud young people, and the party noise outside our hotel carried through our earplugs until after 3 in the morning.

Every day, we met interesting people on the trail. The trail led right through the grounds of this palace at about the halfway point on our route.

This blue gate marks the border between Austria and Slovakia. During Soviet rule, it was closed and guarded; now it is always open.

The UFO bridge into Bratislava. Under the roadway on each side of the bridge is a pedestrian walkway. We arrived on the opposite side of the river at rush hour and had to dismount and walk our bikes through the crowds to cross on the bridge.

Sunday, 14 July 2019

Biked 60 miles from Bratislava to Nagybajcs, near Gyor

Accommodations: Györgyi’s home apartment, across the road from a small lake 9 miles off the cycle path near Gyor. A great space with full kitchen, bath including washing machine, and two bedrooms, plus front porch and garden area out back.

Dinner: Bajacsi Halasztanya Etterem, a casual family restaurant on the other side of the small lake from our apartment. We had excellent service and a delicious fish dinner of local perch.

Fairly easy biking mostly on cycle paths the first part of the day. The last 10 miles were on busy highways with no shoulders, and we finished in a rain shower (after waiting out the worst of the storm in a handy bus shelter).

The cycle path traversed flat agricultural land the first half of the day.

We ate lunch across the road from the Schloss Ovar castle in Mosonmagyarovar. This was our first stop in Slovakia, so we first had to find an ATM and withdraw florints; Slovakia and Hungary are not on the euro.

The front porch of our apartment, overlooking the small lake.

Monday, 15 July 2019

Biked 70 miles from Nagybajcs, Slovakia, to Esztergrom, Hungary

Accommodations: Amadeus Guesthaus, Host Rocks Amadeus. Double room with private bath and shared kitchen and dining area. Nice, clean, and quiet.

Dinner: Csulok Csarda, at base of hill behind our guest house. Family-run restaurant with excellent food and service. We had traditional Hungarian meals with meat, sauces, and spices.

Almost the entire day was riding on highways with constant speeding truck traffic and no shoulders. The few stretches of cycle path were rough and narrow with sudden obstacles like unmarked curbs. We felt kind of beat up when we finally arrived in Esztergrom--our hands and shoulders were actually bruised from the constant impact.

But we loved Esztergrom. We met our host, Rocks, at his souvenir shop in town, and he loaded our bags in his car and hauled them up to his house in a quiet neighborhood at the top of the hill across from the basilica, while we pushed our bikes up the hill. We had incredible views. Rocks gave us a thorough introduction to the guest house and our room, plus a list of recommendations for places to eat and things to do. He is passionate about his city, the region, and the country, and happy to share what he knows. During the school year, he teaches seven- and eight-year-olds, and in the summer, he is busy with his shop as well as the guest house.

After a shower and lots of cold water, we headed to Rocks' second-favorite restaurant less than half a mile away. (His first favorite was a couple of miles away, across the Danube in Slovakia; we were not up for getting back on the bikes at that point.) The restaurant was awesome, and we had a good night's rest thanks to a few Tylenol.

Our host insisted on taking a photo of us at the top of the hill behind our guest house when we arrived. In the background is the impressive Esztergrom basilica.

A sunset view of the city from the top of our guest house hill was glorious.

Tuesday, 16 July 2019

Biked 35 miles from Esztergrom to Szentendre

Accommodations: Erika Guesthouse, hosts László and Maria Nagy. This place looked great online, and our host was very nice, but the house has seen better days. It was dark and dingy and smelled a bit of smoke. We had a double room with private bath and small terrace, with shared common room. Night 1 of 2.

Knowing that we had a short day of biking, we spent the morning in Esztergrom, hiking up the hill to the basilica and climbing up the dome. The area around Esztergrom offers spas, hiking, lakes, and castles. It would be easy to spend a few days or even a week exploring the region--and making day trips to Budapest and Szentendre.

We headed to Szentendre before noon. The first part of the route was along the Danube through parkland, across the river on a ferry, along the river another five or six miles on a cycle path through parkland, and then back across the river on a ferry to Visegrad. We had pastries and coffee at a resort along the way, cold drinks at the first ferry landing, and fish and chips at a cafe near the second ferry landing--leisurely riding, a really pleasant start to the day.

Then we headed out on the highway (the marked cycle route) from Visegrad to Szentendre. At one point, our map showed a cycle path between the highway and the river. We had trouble finding it, and a local directed us to a mountain bike trail through fields between the highway and the river. We toughed it out for a couple of miles and then bushwacked to the highway when it turned into a single track.

Our guide books describe Szentendre as a quaint small town filled with art galleries and cafes. The main center of the old town is that, but the highway leading to our guest house a mile away was busy and noisy and lined with unappealing businesses. Thankfully, the guest house itself was on a quiet side road.

The front of the Esztergrom basilica.

The view from the dome of the basilica, looking down on the palace and the bridge across the Danube to Slovakia.

Wednesday, 17 July 2019

Rest day. Walked several miles to, from, and around the old town center.

Accommodations: Erika's Guesthaus. Night 2 of 2

It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed a long walk to, from, and around Szentendre. The city is divided into a number of neighborhoods, each one with its own architecture, look, and feel. We had a nice lunch in the main square and then went back to the guest house and fell asleep and had a nice nap.

The main square in the old town of Szentendre.

This neighborhood was mostly cottages from the 1600s and 1700s.

This neighborhood had more formal buildings from a later time period. 

Thursday, 18 July 2019

Biked 15 miles from Szentendre to Budapest, walked about 8 miles around Buda

Accommodations: Bauhaus Flat, hosts Bianka and Andrea. A very comfortable, clean studio apartment in a Bauhaus heritage building near the Margaret Bridge in Buda. Included a washing machine and a kitchenette stocked with basics. Even had a wall map of Budapest with labeled with recommendations for restaurants and other places of interest from the hosts and other guests. Night 1 of 3.

Dinner: Marvelosa Restaurant near Chain Bridge. Recommended by another guest. Small, family-run, home-made traditional Hungarian food. We found the food okay but somewhat bland. We enjoyed the view of the river and Chain Bridge from the outdoor seating.

(Note: On Sunday, 21 July, we fly from Budapest to Leeds, England. We scheduled three nights in Budapest to give us time to find boxes for our bikes and disassemble them, do laundry, rest--and explore the city.)

A dedicated cycle path led us from our guest house in Szentendre straight into Buda, within blocks of our flat--and right past a brand-new bike shop. We pulled in and saw perfect bike boxes in the back of the store. The store's team leader was friendly and helpful, and said we could certainly return the next morning and take two boxes for transporting our bikes on the flight to England. Yay! One major issue resolved before we even settled into town.

I was excited to stay in a Bauhaus heritage building. The flat had been renovated a few years ago in keeping with principles of the Bauhaus movement, and was fresh and clean and efficient. The building was a bit worn, but I loved the original circular glass elevators and utilitarian but beautifully designed doorways, lobbies, and terraces.

We stocked up on a few groceries, checked in, showered, and took a nap. This napping thing was getting to be a habit.

After dinner we walked up to the top of Castle Hill and explored the palace grounds. We walked back along the top of the hill through the nice neighborhoods there, stopping for ice cream along the way.

Chain Bridge from Castle Hill.

Parliament at sunset.

St. Matthias Church.

Reflections.

Friday, 19 July 2019

Travel prep and sightseeing day. Walked about 12 miles around Budapest
Accommodations: Bauhaus Flat, night 2 of 3
Lunch: Market Hall. Traditional langos and cabbage rolls with lemonade. The hall was fun but the food at the stands wasn't great.
Dinner: Vietnamese cafe near Parliament. Good food on a relaxed pedestrian street.

We picked up our bike boxes first thing in the morning and walked them back to the flat. Then we headed across the Chain Bridge to Pest. We had lunch at the Market Hall, followed parts of two of the historic walking tours in the Rick Steve's guide to Budapest, ate dinner, and then caught the last tour of the day through Parliament. Walking back along the river to our flat that evening, we were tired but relaxed. I really enjoyed the architecture and history that we took in.

Market Hall.

Lobby of the 5-start Gresham Palace hotel near Parliament. Stunning architectural detail and design. I could have spent all day poking around buildings like this, soaking up the beauty. Oh, actually, I did spend all day doing that! Lucky me.

St. Stephen's Basilica. 

The Lords' Chamber of Parliament. When the Parliament was built in the 1800s, it included two chambers for the country's bicameral governing bodies--the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Hungary has abolished the House of Lords and now has a unicameral government. This leaves the House of Lords empty and available for tours.

Our bikes on the terrace of our flat.

Saturday, 20 July 2019

Walked about 8 miles to dinner and back
Accommodations: Bauhaus Flat, night 3 of 3
Dinner: Blue Tomato. Excellent nontraditional food and classic Hungarian lemonade with tonic water and fruit.

We did laundry, packed the bikes, napped, read, and then walked across the Margaret Bridge to dinner and back. Finished with ice cream at a shop in our neighborhood. Early to bed in preparation for journey to England tomorrow.

Margaret Bridge, walking from Buda toward Pest.