Hungary, here i am !

It seems like everyone is on holliday.

Me too.

Nothing written since 9 days, with some tipos corrected after (i saw them and there might still be some hidden). A short break...

So let's get back to the basics and cound day after day, what happened to the poor little Samuel lost in central Europe...

The time in Vienna was just "easy going" and "relaxing".

Adrien and Anna (friends from Paris) just said when I arrived : "Stay as long as you want !". I explained i wanted to be in Budapest for the 15th or before, then spend a bit of time in Bratislava, but no more plan.

Then Adrien said : " So we have a CS meeting to morrow wednersday for some punk music, thursday evening to play the Werewolves (loup garou), friday for a BBQ on the Danube island, saterday for a birthday evening in a castle around Wien, and sunday for the monthy meeting on a boat in the center of Wien. You should stay until Sunday evening..." And as i was on an easy going mode, I said "Yeah" and i don't regret it. As i am here in Budapest even on the 13th... and i could spend a bit of time in Bratislava.

So in between these meetings in the evenings, i could go to some restaurants with A & A a few times, read on wikipedia about history of Austia, i could cycle around the city a few times, go to the gardens of the 2 main castles of Vienna, swim in the Danube (it was a bit hard as the water is not really clear, like the Baltic Sea, but much warmer than the Baltic Sea!), and have great times with the local CSers.

It was even hard to leave, but life is such that sometimes having appointments with people makes you leave some other people... that you may/hope to see again later !

I did not go to the Opera, nor to the outise cinemas, nor to any museum (i was not in the mood for museums... even if Vienna is a great city for museums, which are all in the Museum Quarter - i just sat on their yellow concrete seats).

So on monday the 10th i left Anna around 12:30.

I easyly found the EuroVelo Route 6 going to Bratislava, as i had looked for it the days before.

67 or so supposed... I actuelly made around 90 as i went for some extra ways and got kind o

f lost a few times, but that was fine.

The only problem is i had no host, and as i went on to some hotels (60 E, too expensive fore me) then to some backpacker's hostels (competely booked), i finished going a bit out of the city at 9 pm during the night (can i tell you again that in this part of Europe there IS night and it even arrives EARLY), and found a good spot in the forest along the Danube.

So on tuersday, after a nigh of rain but some only cloudy weather in the morning, i went back to town with all my paniers on the bike and looked around a bit thanks to the city map i had been given at a hostel. I saw the main monuments, baught a road map from Hungary, ate for lunch, waited for the storm (! with lightings and a lot ofrain!) to end, and went back on the road again at 4 or 5 pm.

I met this Finnish guy Ippe, who had started his hollidays hich hiking and had finally baught a 40E bike to follow a group of cyclist in Hungary, then ended his tour cycling alone back to Bratislava. Then i found this hotel in Cunovo with lots of tents in the field around it. I asked if if was possible to camp and for 5E (yes, Slovakia has Euro since 1st of January 2009) i could have a warm shouer and a safe place tostay. Eating dinner at the restaurant i found out that my neighbours in the camping were the French Kanoe National Team, just at this place to prepair a meeting with Slovakia ns close to the Hotel.

On wednersday the 12th i left to go to Györ, Hungary. I had most of my way along the Danube in Slovakia then 17kn in Hungary. I could change some Florints in Györ, then find Dávid my host. We went out for a beer (i could have a botle of dark Staropanen, when last time when i was in Tchek Republic a few years ago, I had not found any bottle of the dark verion of this beer, available for buying in the shops!), then for eating in a typican "modern" Hungarian restaurant without Goulash but with fishes (fish soup), meats prepaired with pumpkins' oil and paprika, and this drink made from half sparkling water and half dry white wine.

Thursday i rode around 50km in Hungary, went back to Slovakia for some more 45km, met there a crasy family from around Toulouse, traveling with 2 parents, 4 kids, and all by bike from Wien to Budapest in 1 week (Should i tell you? This EuroVelo route 6 is a highway for cyclist from all over the world... you cannot be quiete here, not as you can be in Finland for sure!). They provided me with the official book made by the Germans, about the Danube bike trails, and i could take pictures of the maps, which helped me plan my end of day, as i had to be in Budapest for 5pm in the 11th disctict, to meet Eva before she leaves for her week end.

So i could cross the border again in Eszergom, and ride in direction of Budapest for some 20km or so (after Visegrád), then find a spot to wild camp. This time i had a 3 hours sleep ok, then i heard some stange noises, maybe wild pigs, and started to be scared a bit... I was happy when 7 am arrived and i could have light enough to pack and ride again!

I then arrived in Budapest city and thanks to Ippe's map made for cyclists, i could find my way

easyly, and could even go close to the island where the Szigets festival takes place, and i could ask for information there. There are still tickets available for sunday, and they are 10 500 fl, around 42 E... I should go there for one evening then !

So that's it, now i'm in Budapest, and for the moment, I like it (beatiful bridges, nice buildings, a few gardens...). I'll write to you later then !

Now, pictures for all, click here !