VIENNA TO BELGRADE (Part 2)

DATE:  July 30

LOCATION:  Belgrade, Serbia

This post covers the trip from Budapest, Hungary through Croatia to Belgrade, Serbia.

WEATHER:  After the hot spell heading into Budapest the weather has been decidedly cool.  Temperatures have been in the 18-24 range.  We have also had several days of rain. 

These bronze shoes are a monument to holocaust victims.  The Chain Bridge and the Royal Palace are in the background. (Budapest)

A view of the Danube River, the Chain Bridge and the city of Budapest from the top of Galiert Hill.

This part of the world receives quite a bit of rain to go along with the high summer temperatures.  As a result, the grass is not that fried brown colour that we get in Ontario but remains a brilliant green.

ROADS AND TERRAIN:  We have abandoned our efforts to follow the cycle paths because of poor signage and because many of the paths are extremely rough.  We would never achieve the distance we have to make if we followed those paths.  Thus we have taken to cycling along roads.

Most of the roads south of Budapest were flat and fast.  Those conditions continued for the first part of Croatia but gradually the roads are becoming rougher and many have considerable traffic.

One of the flat and fast roads between Budapest and Belgrade.

After several days of flat roads we began to encounter hills as we approached the Serbian boarder with Croatia.  Heading out of Novi Sad (Serbia) we climbed 24 minutes up an 8% hill!

REPORT:

We have travelled through Hungary, eastern Croatia and now the northern part of Serbia, generally following the Danube River valley.  We took advantage of the cool weather and fast roads to put in a few extra kilometres, thinking an extra day may com in handy as we head through the Carpathian mountains next week.

We are self-catering most meals, meaning we stop at the end of the day, find a grocery store and buy food that we prepare.

This is a water tower in the town of Vukovar, Croatia, showing sigs of the fighting that took place in this area within the past 20 years.

Joe is excellent at reading maps.  Here he is discussing the best route through the Carpathian mountains with Duro and his son.  Duro is from Bucharest, Romania and has travelled many times along the route we will be going.  Duro is the friend of the owner of our wonderful hosts at the Garden Paark Hostel in Belgrade.

We continued our tradition of joining a hash whenever possible.  Here Joe and "Rabies" run through the palace gates on Castle Hill in Budapest during the weekly hash of the Budapest Hash House Harriers.

Street and other signs in Serbia are often written in the cyrillic alphabet, making navigation a bit more challenging.  This sign sazs  "Territory of the municipality of Indjia".

This part of Europe produces wonderful fruit and vegetables. 

NEXT:  On Saturday we head toward Romania.  With luck we will enter Romania on Sunday and make our way to Bucharest.  It is the longest continuous stretch of cycling days and takes us through the Carpathian mountains.  The next post should be from Bucharest in approximately 8-9 days.

VIENNA TO BELGRADE

Click on the map or a photo to see an enlargement

DATE:  Sunday, July 25

LOCATION: Budapest, Hungary
WEATHER:  Today it is cool and raining, but the previous week has been very hot, with the temperature in the shade reaching 37.  At one point, the thermometre I brought with me read 47 in the sun!  However, Joe tells me it is a dry heat. 

ROADS AND TERRAIN:  The roads have been good.  Much of this section has been on dedicated and paved cycle paths.  There has been a small amount on very rough tracks - across a farmers field, through a wooded area, etc. but that has been a relatively small amount.
REPORT:

THE HEAT
The heat during the summer of 2ö1ö may compete with the rain of 2öö9 as a major factor we have to contend with.  Although it may or may not be a dry heat, it does not feel like 47 or even 37 when we are cycling.  Probably the breaze we create by moving along makes us feel cooler.  Regardless, we are coping with the heat, drinking litres and litres of water and getting cool whenever possible.

Joe splashes himself from a pump during a short stop in ruraral íhungary.

Young people play in the fountain in the square in Gzor, Hungary to cope with the heat.

It must be hot, even for the citiyens of Budapest.  There were fans spraying a fine mist of water set up in the main square.

BIKE PROBLEM

 Joes bike was damaged during the flight from Toronto to Vienna.  We fiddled around with it at the airport and on the road but were unable to fix the problem. (The chain would not stay in the lowest 3 gears.)  We were finally able to get it fixed in Bratislava.  As it turns out, the bike was quite badly damaged - both the back forks and rear derailer were bent.  Now things are working well!

NEW FRIENDS

Meeting folks along the way is a special part of travelling.  Here Joe talks with Christina and Fidel from the Czeck Republic about how to get out of Gyor, Hungary.  just like last year, it can pose a real challenge getting into and out of cities.

SIGHTS

We are trying to see some of the sights and cultural events along the way.  One eveing in Budapest we attended a performance of the NATIONAL FOLKLORE ASSOCIATION, which included traditional music and dancing.

NEXT
Tomorrow we head south from Budapest along the Danube toward Croatia and Serbia.  The next post should be in about a weeks time, from Belgrade.

VIENNA - WE'RE OFF AGAIN - 2010

Click on the map to see an enlargement

LOCATION: Vienna, Austria

On July 16, Joe Lehmann and I will fly to Vienna to begin Part 2 of "The Great European Bicycle Tour".  In the summer of 2009, Jos Hulshof and I biked from London to Budapest.  This year (2010) Joe and I will complete the tour by cycling from Vienna to Istanbul.  In so-doing, we will cycle

• 80-85 kilometres per day, 
• for 29 cycling days,
• for a total of approximately 2,500 kilometres, 
• through 8 countries (Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey), 
• from Vienna on July 19, arriving in Istanbul sic weeks later on August 24, 2010.

Wish us luck!

Wayne