Well after a good sleep Kate the hostess f EuroVelo 6 stop came to tell me breakfast would be ready on the terrace, and wow was it something, I’ll post the photo when it syncs. Paprika eggs, Hungarian sausage, 2 types of cheese, cubes and slices, fried bread, yogurt, nuts and fruit jam, a chocolate croisssant, 4 types of bread and butter, a dish of chopped leeks, cucumbers, and tomatoes, a bowl of sliced pears, 2 apples, caffe and water, it as pretty overwhelming but I did my best, its gonna be a long day in the saddle.
So got an early start on the road by 900, and the EV6 is all on paved roads there, it was pleasant about 55, but a dark angry sky to the north and west, yup northwest wind. I got about 6km out in the middle of nowhere fields all around, and could see the rain curtain, you know what i mean, sheets of darkness going down to the ground. So I pedaled like crazy into that stiff headwind, hoping or a town and some shelter to get my rain gear out before everything got all wet.
And I just did make it to a little village, after passing a horse drawn bus, no kidding, I saw a park with 2 little picnic table shelters and i got there just as the rain hit. Of course it hasn’t rained for over a week, so rain gear is at the bottom everything had to come out the panniers, but an hour later, i was as dressed as i could be, my front and rear bags in plastic bags, a plastic bag over my helmet, bike can under that to keep the rain off my glasses, some, and those priceless rain booties. Marian had bought me a nice rain jacket and pants from J&G in Portland some years ago, and they are worth the price.
It did not stop raining one time, and i had another 85km to go. Well, the EV6 routed off the paved roads to the grass dirt levee, and i tried that for bout a mile, slow going, and getting wetter muddier all the time, so i ditched off onto the highway, saw a Budapest sign and started going that way.
But it was again narrow and terrible bumpy road edge with puddles hiding bone jarring potholes, and it being Saturday, the road was busy with cars trucks and buses zooming by some too close for my taste but there was no alternative for a few hours.
Then I decided to stop and rest, eat something, and look at the map again. It was still about 50km to Buedapest but i thought well this road at least i am making good time, another few hours I’ll be close and surely there will be bike lanes from the outskirts in.
Well the map showed a town Rackeye 6km to the west, and the EV6 paved all the way to Budapest, so i took a chance went out of the way and it saved the day for me, because the route was on a cycle path for a little ways, then went onto a little road, which it was going to take all the way to Budapest, I didn’t like the road too much, but as it went out of town, a Train station !!! First one I’ve seen in a long time. I thought no i can’t be this lucky and checked the timetable, yes, every hour on the 14 after, a train to Budapest, I tried to understand the ticket machine but couldn’t figure it out, and the train pulled out.
So I had an hour, i went up the road to the grocery store, got some croissants and cheese and chocolate milk, a energy bar, and had a nice meal under the awning of the Tesco, then went back to the station, anyone speak English? Nope, finally i waved my card at some people on the bench and pointed to the ticket machine, and my bike, and a guy came to help me, sprechen zie Deutsch? He asks me, Nicht ich Sprache keine deutsch, the limit of my German vocabulary, but he helped me, actually he bought the tickets for me in Hungarian and i put my card there to pay. Funny thing, when you use a credit card, it asks you for a pin, which I don’t know, but if you use a debit card, no pin needed,
So what you do, you buy 2 tickets, one for you, one for your bike, all together it was 450 florints each, about $2.75 or so to ride the 25 or 30 miles.And luckily that guy got on and sat by me and showed me how to validate the ticket, cuz sure enough a few stops later a conductor got on and checked em. no modern validator, you put it in there and click the thing to make the notch on them.
These trains were probably pre ww2. No heat no nothing, a basic car tho they had cloth upholstered seats.
I figured i rode all the way to the end of the line, and from there I could use google maps to get to my apartment, tho after a few go this was 2 km then back that way 2km i switched to Apple Maps and made it by 500 or so.
Budapest is awesome, crowded like New York all kinds of people, nice pedestrian zones beautiful architecture all the buildings lit up.
After i got dried off from a hot shower and clean warm clothes i went to eat, looked online found a Lebanese restaurant just a few blocks away, and it was great.
Stopped at Lidl and Aldi on the way back got my groceries for 2 breakfasts and dinners, now it’s a good time to go lights out and not sure but I think Harry Houdini house tomorrow, and maybe Buda castle, or a hot thermal bath, or a thai massage… we will see in the morning.
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