Eyes on a shiny prize

We wake up today, ready to roll into Budapest. From now until the end of this trip we will be riding along EuroVelo (EV) 6 which follows the Danube River. Our hotel is a little bustling hive of cyclist activity, with several riders preparing to head off, including a couple from the UK who are riding all the way to the Black Sea on a tandem!

We take advantage of the hotel facilities – including a handy pressure cleaner –  to clean our filthy bikes so they will be sparkling for the trip to the big city and while they dry we take another walk around Esztergom. We visit the Basilica and take in the views over the Danube, which will be our constant companion for the remainder of the trip.

We don’t head off until well after 11. EV6 takes us along a riverside bike path and we enjoy a brisk trip along this path for six or seven km until we hit route 11, a road that would take us all the way to Budapest, if we wished. We follow this road for another five km and then make the turn to the ferry that will take us to Szob, on the other side of the river. The ferry runs only once an hour, so we have a little wait. It is getting hot, so we get drinks from the café and while we wait we meet a young German couple who are cycling all the way to the Black Sea. Young and budget-conscious, they are camping most of the way and planning to stay at vacant student accommodation in Budapest.

Sometimes when travelling, and when beyond a certain age, meeting and talking with young people can make you feel very, very old. Sometimes when travelling, and when beyond a certain age, meeting and talking with young people can make you feel very, very glad to have the means that a long and fruitful working life can give. Today I am glad to think of the river-cruise-brochure views from our Airbnb apartment and I’m glad that I will not be staying in student digs.

Resuming the bike path at Szob, on the other side of the river, we are struck by the number of cyclists we see. Relative to the remote mountain tracks we have ridden so recently, EV6 in this section feels like a bicycle superhighway. We take a break near Nagymaros to admire Visegrád Castle on the other side of the river, then push on, eager to reach Budapest. It is warming up, in the mid-30s now and we are feeling the heat and built-up fatigue. Especially me.

A little way further, the bike path becomes unclear as the route heads into riverside streets. A stranger on a bike stops upon seeing us studying a map and says simply, “Follow me”. We follow him – mind you he keeps up the pace of a man on a road bike out for a Sunday spin, and not the pace of two weary travellers steering barges – to Vác, where he peels off and we stagger into a restaurant to eat and wait for the next ferry. I get my fill of fried cheese, then we board the ferry for a quick trip across to Tahitótfalu (and no, my language podcasts did not teach me how to pronounce this!).

We still have 40km to go and it is late afternoon. I am messaging with Anna, who is waiting to give us access to the apartment in Budapest, and I am trying to make guesses at what time we will arrive. When we reach Szentendre, I am exhausted, and hoping to catch a ferry (missed the last one) or a train (not running at the moment) to get to Budapest. I call Anna and tell her we are 20km away, and I can’t be sure what time we will arrive. She says, “But 20km is not so far”. If I were anywhere near her I would not be responsible for my actions. Instead I sob in a broken little voice that it might be longer than she thinks and we again hit the road.

Our path veers off a busy road and onto a riverside path again.  It is quiet, and would be lovely and peaceful if I wanted to be anywhere else rather than bed. As we approach Budapest, maybe 10km out, we strike a busy area, with many people and food stalls. We have to get off our bikes and walk. It is a warm summer Saturday night and people are out enjoying themselves. Something in my weary brain tells me to take note of this; it might be a nice place to come back to.

Closer to Budapest the path leaves the river and takes us through quiet streets. It feels endless, but finally we reach the Margaret Bridge, the crossing point to our accommodation. Tired, we are snappy with each other as we make our way around Parliament, which, at another time would be spectacular (and will be over the next few days). We finally reach the apartment and find Anna waiting for us. We are so late, but she doesn’t show impatience as she shows us through the apartment. I want her to go so I can step out on the balcony and admire our prize. Think of every European river cruise ad you have seen. What we see from our balcony is the best of those views and I am immediately restored. Momentarily. Intense hunger strikes us both, and we hurry through showers so we can just get out and eat. We find restaurants nearby our apartment and order great plates of food and huge beers. Being in a large city, I’m able to order pasta and not fried cheese. And for that I am grateful.

Stats for today:

• Distance: 84.5km
• Climb: 208m
• Average speed:17.2km/h
• Average temperature: 27C
• Moving time: 4:55:35
• See our ride on Strava

The beer picture

At the end of a day’s ride, our tradition is to enjoy a beer, and to photograph it for posterity. Today’s beer picture failed to happen because we were so busy enjoying our view and then rushing out to eat before Budapest shuts down.

Along the way today: