Phils European Bike Tour 2018

No bicycle miles (but lots on foot!) Last day on the Danube and last day on EuroVelo 6!  No more well-marked, protected, cycle tracks. I’m half-way and heading West towards home. In some ways it will be more exciting. I’ve seen enough of rivers for now. No more big cities either - until I reach Ljubljana in about six days.  Today was hot (again). Thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow and Thursday.  Spent the early morning in the artists village of Szentendre, just Morth if the city. Quite cute with its colourful houses, cobbled streets, and galleries but not as good as I hoped. Not the case with the pastry shop I mentioned yesterday. I called in on the way back - it was fabulous. Málna - The Cake Shop, if you are ever in Budapest go. Agnes and Zoltan will makes you very welcome and it’s on 2 short stops on the H5 line. District 3 is lovely, and quiet compared to the bustle of the center.   Spent the afternoon visiting tourist spots. Budapest is, unsurprisingly, li...

80 km (50 miles) day, 1,291 miles total. Plus about 120km by train.  Lovely day but very hot. Now in Hungary. Not much of the Danube on show with the cycle path on dykes or farm tracks. Saw a pretty big snake sliding across the path but he/she didn’t stop to talk. Highlights were the towns of Mosonmagyaróvár (easy for you to say) and Györ. Mosonmagyaróvár is much  prettier than my pictures suggest.  Györ was very pretty with many squares with statues and fountains. Quite a lot of tourists. Lots of bars and places to eat. Beer is EXPENSIVE in Hungary if Györ is anything to go by.  Note the adoption of a Donald Trump writing style here - “the Swiss May have expensive beers but we have BIG, BEAUTIFUL, AND MORE EXPENSIVE ONES IN HUNGARY!!!!” So sad! I blame the press”.  Met a very nice Hungarian couple while drinking (slowly) my beer. They own an English pastry shop in Budapest (who knew?). Promised to visit. Route planning at the bar showed more of the same on the ...

86 km (53 miles) day, 1,242 miles total  A good, sunny, if quiet day. Once across the Danube in Vienna (to North bank) the first 6km had the banks covered with sunbathing and swimming Viennese. The next 2 km had thousands of nudists! (No photos!) Both clothed and unclothed were barbecuing! The nudist section may have gone on for more than 2km but the path turned away from the river after this point so I will never know. That said, the early miles passed quickly. Most of the day was spent in quiet countryside, or on the embankment that protects the fields from the Danube. Entertained myself with music from my iPhone. Tune of the day “On the road again” by Canned Heat (1968). The only interesting town was Hainburg with its medieval walls, castle, and gates. Arrived in Bratislava around six and went immediately to the Irish pub for food and drink. Really hungry, really Thirsty, had a great night. Long day tomorrow.  LeavingVienna  The Ferris Wheel used in the “Cuckoo Clock” ...

No cycling! Vienna is a fabulous city. It’s architecture is fairy tale in expression. Unfortunately, the opulence, scale, and scope doesn’t lend itself to being captured adequately on an iPhone camera. I’ve placed below some unidentified photos that give a small idea of what is here. Fantastic squares, lovely parks, intimate courtyards, great cafes and bars, astonishing palaces. The museums and galleries are many and also wonderful. It has been great to spend a couple of days here with Tom, and three with Lindsay. It’s also been great to have the benefit of a luxury hotel! Back to the bike and camping tomorrow! Architecture  Food Museums, Galleries and Mozart’s music