A 4 month bike tour thru Europe 2014
Highlights of my day by day journal of a 4 month bike tour thru Europe
Four months is looong time, day by day, so, for easier downloading/reading the journal has been split into months:
May Stuttgart to Děčín ‑ via Paris & Berlin
June Litoměřice to Postjona
July Postjona to Armentières ‑ via Stuttgart & Paris
August Armentières to London ‑ via Brussels & Amsterdam
This journal is also available ‑ with lot's more images & detail ‑ on the really interesting, if somewhat old‑school, idosyncratic Crazy Guy On a Bike collection of bike touring journals
Part 2 of 2014 Europe journal
Děčín to Litoměřice
Distance: 51 km
Total Distance: 1084 km
A cool, sunny morning, the gentlest of breezes, a mostly smooth as silk cycle path that for the greater part of the day ran along the river bank, minimalist but effective signage and really pleasant rural scenery ‑ the word 'bucolic' sprang to mind (see what riding solo can do to you when you don't have to concentrate on riding, the mind gets a mind of it's own.... ) Anyway, bucolic is an apt description; small(er) fields of various shades of green, plenty of poppies and other wild flowers to add colour and as a backdrop, dark, wooded hills. A great day to be on a bike.
Again the kms just zipped by, I guess I shoulda known something would come along to spoil things and sure enough, it did. Just past Ústí at a massive set of locks, the bike path, note that, the bicycle, path, had stairs. The first set were ominous, I unloaded, carried the panniers up then returned for the bike and re-loaded, hoping that there weren't any more stairs like that. Of course there were... there were five sets of stairs within a coupla hundred metres. I reckon I used as much energy negotiating those stairs as I did for the whole rest of the ride.
Cos the day was so nice and the riding easy, I took a small diversion. I went to Terezin. It was called Therienstadt and it's basically a quite large eighteenth century star shaped fortress that spent more time as a prison than as a fortress. Gavrilo Princip was imprisoned there, you know, the guy who shot the other bloke and started the '14‑'18 war. It was used in the '39‑ '45 war as a ghetto (read concentration camp). It all looks so perfectly ordinary.
Even with a diversion I arrived in Litoměřice early afternoon and while checking out the atmospheric main square, rediscovered the therapeutic benefits of a post‑ride ice cream; a fabulous mixed berry gelato if you must know.
Litoměřice to Mělník
Distance: 49 km
Total Distance: 1133 km
Today I had a choice of a short ride or a longer ride, the Bikeline guide shows Mělník as the last place between Litoměřice and Prague where there are services available, so it was either 49 or 95 kms. I opted for Mělník especially as I was told over breakfast this morning that the wine from there is pretty good.
With such a short ride, I arrived in Mělník really quickly, well, I arrived at the bridge really quickly, to get to the town itself involved a climb. From the low point at Děčín I climbed a whole 40 metres over around 100 kms, the 65 metre climb to the town took some 800 metres. Not so much really but it's all relative. Anyway, it was worth it, at the top I found a neat, workman‑like central square ‑ complete with a piano for anyone to play, now there's a touch of class ‑ and a couple of atmospheric churches and some great panoramic views. I wandered around the old town area,and checked out the Chateau which was impressive, though to leave, you had to walk down stairs lined with antlers, stuffed heads and other such trophies, it was a bit disconcerting.
And the wine? OK rather than good; the white, another Müller‑Thurgau blend, was more interesting than the red, tho at about $1 a glass (200ml) you can't complain.
Got a message from my daughter today, she's taking a break in Budapest in a couple of weeks so that's where I'm headed, got a bit of pedalling to do! Still, I'm salivating already at the thought of lángos...
Mělník to Praha
Distance: 60 km
Total Distance: 1193 km
Ah Prague. It's been a long time since I was last here and it's just as magic now as it was then.
Leaving Mělník this morning was painful. After crossing the bridge, following the National (bike) Route 2 signs, the signs disappeared. I saw a National Route 7 sign but ignored it and a few kms later after getting hopelessly lost and almost getting back to where I'd started out, I came across one of the many info signs for cyclists that I'd seen since entering the Czech Republic and it very helpfully explained that as this section of the 2 route also formed part of the EuroVelo Route 7 the signs would now be 7 rather than 2. I duly followed the 7's and all was well.
Well except for a few k's about 20km from Prague when the track took a couple of climbs. The first around Kralupy wasn't so bad as a climb, it's more that it was unpaved, drying mud and a loaded bike sank into the mud leaving deep tracks and making things harder work. In passing, I wouldn't want to be riding that bit in a month or so when the ruts & ridges have been baked into hardness by the sun. Then past Dolánky, the path climbed and climbed and climbed, it was tough work but the descent was even steeper and on a smooth as silk road that had nice sweeping bends what else could you do but enjoy?
While the route certainly looped and wandered, it delivered me into the heart of Prague with only about 1 km of negotiating urban streets. And Prague is a very big (as in spread out) place. I lucked into a nice place to stay literally a stone throw from the Charles Bridge, riding thru inner city traffic to get there was, as they say, a challenge.
An afternoon of sightseeing, along with hordes of others, made for a really pleasant day.
Praha to České Budějovice
Distance: 5 km
Total Distance: 1198 km
Well here I am in České Budějovice so what do you reckon I did here?
You do, of course, recognise České Budějovice?
The German name for the town might give you a clue, they call this place 'Budweis'.
The day started out with a short (but long enough given it was all cobblestones) ride to Prague train station where it was really easy to buy a ticket for myself, a reservation for the bike and a ticket for the bike ‑ sounds way more complex than it was. Access to the platform was a breeze, but as usual, wrestling a loaded bike up onto a train is a bit of a pain. Once on the train tho, it's just so easy. The train wasn't as fast as those in France or Germany, but it was just as smooth and comfortable. The scenery was really pleasant, forest and rolling hills ‑ and some not so rolling, more like, very big hills too. All went well, and then the ticket inspector came along and when she saw the bike reservation/ticket she launched into a long, excited speech, of which the only word I understood was 'autobus'. A minute or so later the station indicator screen in the carriage had a message, in English, about track work and buses. In the event, apart from more bike wrestling getting off and on the train, the bus interlude was easy as. All the passengers were herded onto commuter buses for a short trip around the track work, no-one batted an eyelid about having a bike taking up a few of the seats, in fact, everyone gave a hand to get the bike on and off the bus. Naturally in these circumstances, people talked to each other and me, so I soon had plenty of advice about where to stay, where to eat and what to see.
České Budějovice is a lovely regional town, with nice bike paths, everyone is friendly, the town is very photogenic, but the principal attraction for many, including myself, is the Budweiser brewery, the home of 'real' Bud beer. So, yes, I took myself of to the brewery for a tour (and a tasting). Fascinating tour, but I can't remember the flood of factoids, but I do remember the tasting, the beer was unfiltered, partially matured and a tad colder than desirable (2° C) but it was a good brew!
A stroll around the big, very big, central square ‑ where a band were playing 60's Beatles tunes ‑ and nearby churches completed a very pleasant afternoon.
České Budějovice to Wien
Distance: 7 km
Total Distance: 1205 km
A very short riding day today. Why? Cos if I want to catch up with my daughter in Budapest I had to make a choice, ride into Vienna or ride into Budapest. As I've previusly ridden the EuroVelo 6, I know what's ahead so I've forsaken the very pretty, very civilised ride into Vienna in favour of the rougher but more exciting, ride to Budapest.
Being a Saturday the station and the train was swarming with bikes, mostly mountain bikers out for a day of fun in the mountains. The train journey was beautiful, lots of trees, farmers harvesting meadow hay, fast flowing streams and lots of little villages. A seamless change of trains in Linz and I was off to Vienna. The train arrived in the massive Westbahnhof mid‑afternoon, and as my accommodation was near the real Danube, as distinct from the canal that many mistake for the river, I had to ride thru the crowds on Mariahilfer Straße and there was a crowd? I sort of skirted the centre, I went right thru the museums quarter and on to the river, mostly via on‑road bike paths, sometimes simply on road. While the pedestrianised Mariahilfer was a challenge, the on road bits were a breeze.
A late afternoon ‑ it was late afternoon cos I attended to domestic stuff (like laundry) first ‑ stroll amongst even greater crowds and a nice 'citron' gelato topped of an interesting day.
Wien to Bratislava
Distance: 72 km
Total Distance: 1298 km
A short day on the bike, it's a hot today ‐ a digital sign across the street is telling me that it's 38°C, it's not, but it is hot! An early start to a pretty easy ride, smack thru the enormous Shell refinery at Lobau, it went for kilometres ‐or at least it seemed to ‐ thru broad acre farms and national parks on pretty good paved paths. Interminable straight sections.
Quite a lot of cyclists out and about, especially as I neared Bratislava. A few small, but good, changes to the route since I rode it on my way to Istanbul ‐ a couple of hairy main road crossings avoided for example. Even with a stop (iced coffee, no cake) in Hainburg, I arrived in Bratislava well before lunchtime.
Again my GPS created a convoluted route thru the heart of the old town, really picturesque but with the narrow streets, the crowds (not mention the trams, or the cobblestones) it was crazy ride.
Probably not the best day to climb up to the Castle, but that's what I did anyway. Some nice panoramas and the climb was at a level of exertion sufficient for a reward, and the reward wasn't cake, when a litre of (very good) beer costs around $2, whaddya think my reward was?
Bratislava to Györ
Distance: 84 km
Total Distance: 1382 km
Another hot day, another early(ish) stop.
An early start helped, roadworks that messed up my carefully planned 'no cobblestones' exit route didn't help at all, I got lost, but simply headed toward the river and soon picked up the EuroVelo 6 and headed off towards Hungary. It's only some 20kms to the border, but somehow it feels more, even tho the bike path is really good. A bit of seat of the pants navigation was required in Cunovo, the Slovakian town almost on the border where signs of any sort are totally absent.
Not too far into Hungary there's a big sign next to the bike path, 'Bank 5km'. Cos I'd started early I thought I might be too early for the bank ‑ I needed to change euros into Hungarian forint ‑ but these guys know their market, about a dozen or so bikes outside, cold water on offer inside, they only deal in euro, US $ and UK £ and their hours are 07&58;30 to 15:30. Plus you get service with a smile. Yes, a bank offering customer focused service!
Riding in this part of Hungary is unbelievably good, separated (paved) bike paths that have been well planned so the gradients and curves are bike friendly, plenty of signage and plenty of rest stops and, best of all, flat as, I flew along, as did plenty of other cyclists. The scenery is a bit so‑so, the towns/villages are more 'lived in' than the postcard places in Austria or Germany, the fields are vast and everything here seems a bit more advanced, the corn a bit taller, the grain showing some yellow amongst the green.
Györ is the first big town on route after Vienna. It's also very attractive and besides, 80ish kms is quite enough in the heat. I got lost coming into town! Still, it turned out to be fortuitous, I came on a cluster of panzio (pensions) right in the old town area. A walk thru the busy old town, it's also the shopping area, and a few treats, like a lángos - basically fried dough, smothered in garlic, yoghurt and cheese, might not sound, or look, that good, but oh boy, they're fabulous! Of course, all that garlic made me thirsty. I'm sure you get the picture of my afternoon?
Györ to Komárom
Distance: 52 km
Total Distance: 1434 km
Isn't it amazing how you forget bad stuff but remember good stuff? I had totally forgotten the crap goat track around Nagyszentjános that passes as the EuroVelo 6 international bike route.
But, yet again, I'm getting ahead of myself.
A later than usual start but the excellent bike path and new signage out of Györ meant that I made really good time; along with half a dozen other bike tourers (all heading to Budapest). Until Nagyszentjános, the only iffy bit was where the route went on-road around Böny, where the road was just a collection of patches on patches, just like your average Australian country road. When I arrived at Nagyszentjános, I remembered the path, too late to take an alternate way (along the very busy main road so it's Hobson's choice anyway). The nearby café was firmly closed so I was uncaffeined to face the ordeal. It was hell. The route is single track, thru sand and/or rocks and where it's neither sand nor rock it's dried out rutted mud, nasty looking ground cover abounds and thorn bushes line both sides. 20 minutes of intense concentration later, during which time I covered all of about 3 km, the path emerges onto broken up asphalt, the sort of surface that you usually curse, but here it's a welcome relief. I reckon that the goat track is in even worse condition than it was a couple of years ago.
Even with this interlude, I reached Komárom really quickly, and like the last time I passed thru here, I felt the same 'edge-of-the-world' feeling; it's a sleepy almost desolate place, it's sole claim to fame, a nineteenth century fortress ‑ apparently used by post‑war Russia as a huge munitions dump. And to top everything, the làngos lady said it was too hot for her to make lángos! Almost enough to keep me pedalling.
As I rode out of town the previous time I was here, the area to the west looked more interesting so I headed in that direction and sure enough, found a little group of hotels/pensions around the thermal bath. So that's where I am. Nice shady park, a few pools for swimming or for sitting in warmish water (on a day like today?) and plenty of very pale, very aged flesh on display.
Komárom to Esztergom
Distance: 54 km
Total Distance: 1488 km
A slightly overcast morning made it a good day for a later start with a mere 50ish kms the days target. After the horror stretch of path yesterday, today was just so easy. A fair bit of on‑road route today, including a goodly bit on National Highway 1 ‑ which, in passing, is an object lesson in on-road bike path planning; clearly delineated & marked for both motorists and cyclists, heaps of signs,again, for both motorists and cyclists, even those rumble strips that make such a racket when you drive over them, to keep both motorists and cyclists on their toes. As you'd expect, Highway 1, carried a lot of heavy vehicle traffic, and even when it whistled by right alongside, I never felt intimidated or concerned at all. In fact, the on‑road bits were better than a heap of the off‑road bits.
Even with a few stretches of concrete, I was looking like I'd be in Esztergom in a couple of hours, I needed to slow down. As I'd gone without làngos yesterday, when I spotted a hole‑in‑the‑wall làngos place this morning I stopped and had an early morning tea, làngos of course. Light as a feather, dripping with garlic, it was the best yet! Not long after crossing the train tracks as you enter Süttö on Highway 10, you turn a bend and start a (small) climb, there's a small (nameless, sign‑less) place on the right and for just over $1, heaven on a plate is yours...
A long bit of very new, very good off‑road bike path and a bit of on‑road and all of a sudden, the dome of the Esztergom basilica pops up over the trees. Esztergom has a bit of a sad feeling, lots of boarded up, dilapidated buildings, lots of empty shops, lots of 'For Sale' signs. Even the street market looked a bit sad, fruit well past it's use by, ultra cheap synthetic clothing and such like. Naturally, in the 'tourist zone' around the Castle and the Basilica, everything looked better. Like almost everywhere I've been on this adventure, there's heaps of restoration work being done.
Esztergom to Szentendre
Distance: 57 km
Total Distance: 1545 km
Esztergom is either 44 or 46 km from Budapest according to road signs (on the same road perhaps 200 metres apart in Esztergom) but following the EuroVelo 6 and the Danube, the distance almost doubles to 80 kms. Of course, 80 kms are eminently do‑able in a day, but after texting my daughter we arrived at the point where she may or may not have met me in Szentendre, a baroque fantasy world of art galleries, museums, cafés and day‑trippers from Budapest.
So, today was yet another short (but beautiful) ride. The bike path hugs the river almost all the way, and includes a couple of crossings ‑ by ferry ‑ so while much of the ride is off‑road, the on‑road bits are on very low traffic roads. The first ferry, a quick 12 ks from Esztergom, was crowded with cyclists on one of the myriad of organised bike tours between Vienna and Budapest, naturally we chatted while we waited for the (very) slow boat, when we got to the other side of the river the views were great, towering wooded hills with castles perched high above ‑ the river weaves and winds a bit but no matter what direction the path took these vistas always seemed to look into the morning sun, so I got to see something you can't cos there are no photos. At Vác, some 30 km later, there was another ferry crossing, a bigger ferry that runs to a timetable, and as there was a bit of a wait until the next crossing, what else could I do but have coffee? And if I'm having coffee, why not cake too?
The 15km from Vác to Szentendre was mostly on‑road and as it's almost outer suburbs of Budapest there was a fair bit of traffic. No problems tho, drivers were considerate ‑ even if one or two of the cycling tour group didn't give drivers similar consideration. The last bit of the path into Szentendre is along a new riverfront promenade, a fabulous bit, but today it was blocked by police, I had to (again) carry the loaded bike up a flight of stairs. Being Friday 13th, it appears it was an auspicious day to test the new demountable flood barrier.
Szentendre to Budapest
Distance: 29 km
Total Distance: 1574 km
A very slow start this morning, and a nice slow ride too. A slightly overcast sky with a gentle breeze and a mostly very easygoing route. A slight hiccup where the EuroVelo 6 meets Highway 11, you can see the bike path on the other side of the Highway, but how to get there is another matter. Stairs, naturally. But for a lot of the way, the path is right on the river bank, under shady trees, past small cafés, rowing clubs and boat sheds. Being a Saturday there were plenty of families out, walking and cycling. There have been a lot of improvements since I rode this section, heaps more signs and that bit where you had to manhandle your bike across train lines has been replaced by a well-thought bridge for cyclists and pedestrians.
As I've ridden this bit before I was waiting for that first magical glimpse of the domes and spires you get as you round a blind corner, even so, when the moment came it was as breathtaking as the first time. The entry to Budapest on the EuroVelo 6 just has to be one of the most enchanting entrances to a city possible.
I spent a lovely afternoon walking, and walking, in Buda and Pest with my daughter. Plenty of people about, and we followed the crowd as it were, which was fortuitous cos we came across an open air book fair and there right in front of us was a stall selling maps and guides, including a guide to all the cycling paths in Hungary. I bought a copy cos right now I have absolutely no idea where my next destination will be. We walked to the Central Market, closed. We walked to Sziklatemplom - the church in a cave - closed. We took the hint and walked back to the apartment (via the Chain Bridge).
Budapest to Velence
Distance: 82 km
Total Distance: 1656 km
As nice as the past few days of being in Budapest with my daughter have been, the road calls... I've opted to ride south wards to have a look at Lake Balaton and on to Zagreb.
Another good morning for riding, overcast with a gentle breeze, so I made an early start, along with what must've been every other cyclist in Budapest! There were heaps of cyclists, lots of buses but not so many cars as I weaved my way out of the city. Leaving a big city is always a pain, Budapest is no different. A considerable part of the first section was on the EuroVelo 6, they've done a heap of work on this particular section over the past few years, it's now pretty easy riding, though there are a few gaps where the route is still very ordinary. The Hungarian bike guide I picked up the other day showed a couple of likely bike paths that should've made good short cuts,yes, yes, I should've learnt by now! In the end, I rode all the way to Ráckeve on the EV6 before making the turn towards Valence.
A short ride from Ráckeve bought me to Lorév and the ferry back across the Danube. The ferry runs on the hour and with great timing I just missed one and so I had to cool my heels. Now how do you reckon I passed the time? A gold star for those who said "ate lángos". (OK rather than great, but what can you expect at a truck stop?) Once across the river, I had a fairly direct, slight upwards ride thru interminable fields of grain and corn, corn and grain. The fields stretched forever and of course as the morning wore on so the cloud cover dissipated and it was a warmish ride. Once over the last crest, it was a short, sharp downhill ride to the shore of Lake Velence. The lake is some 10km long and 3km at it's widest point and averages a depth of just 1.6 metres and about ⅓ is covered by reeds, so the water gets pretty warm, and while quite a few were enjoying themselves in the water, it didn't actually look all that inviting.
Velence to Siófok
Distance: 69 km
Total Distance: 1725 km
A slow start but the spanking new bike path around Lake Velence is a corker, smooth as, with curves & gradients (and there are plenty of both) designed for bikes, I fairly flew the first 15 or so k's alongside the water, not that I saw much water, saw plenty of reeds tho. After leaving the Lake, the first few kms were thru more corn fields and then the path met the main road to Székesfehervar and the roller coaster ride began with a sharpish climb into town.
Székesfehervar was a bit of a zoo, it seemed to take forever to get thru, about as long as the name itself. Things weren't helped by the bike signs ‑ plenty of them ‑ having a different route labelling system to that of my guide. Still, I eventually worked out I should follow the signs for K1, and naturally, they promptly disappeared! So I reverted to ordinary traffic signs and followed (non‑motorway) signs for Siófok and ended up on Highway 7 for much of the ride.
Predominately on‑road, with bits of off‑road bike path popping up and disappearing at random, dumping me back on the main road. For most of the ride the traffic was fairly light and pretty considerate, the closer I got to Lake Balaton tho, the worse the driving became. The ride really was like a roller coaster, up and down, up and down. Some of the climbs were wearing, the slow grind types, but a couple of descents were pretty good. The ups and downs didn't end when I arrived at the Lake, after leaving Highway 7 just after Lepsény and scooting 3kms to Balatonvilágos along a 'no bikes allowed' road, the first few kms of the Lake Balaton bike path were quite high above the water and after some more ups and downs there's a mostly gentle roll down to bring you to water level.
The bike path, a train line and a heap of 'ribbon' developments, all line the shore, with only glimpses of beautiful blue water between houses, cafés and so-on. It felt a bit never ending, so I broke the monotony with a lángos stop. The bike path isn't particularly attractive, but it is obviously popular. A bit like Siófok itself, getting to the water is problematic, most of the waterfront is 'private', there are beautiful tree lined streets that are crammed full of bars, ice-cream shops and fun parlours, each playing it's own (loud) music. Sort of attractive, but very, very popular. Tho once you cross the railway line that follows the shoreline, the town changes and becomes an attractive, 'real' place; probably like resort towns everywhere I guess, and this is quite obviously a resort town (with resort prices), only now do I find that it's known as the partying capital of Hungary!
Siófok to Balatonmáriafürdö
Distance: 64 km
Total Distance: 1789 km
Another slow start and onto the Balatoni kürtó (Lake Balaton bike path) for a leisurely roll south wards. The bike path meanders through back lanes and rougher tracks alongside the train tracks, after the first of these off‑road excursions I opted to find my own way along sealed roads and so I wandered off and back onto the bike route all morning. I cycled along some very nice streets, past grand houses with expensive cars parked amongst immaculate gardens. I was told later in the morning that this area has the highest per capita income in Hungary and on the basis of what I've seen, I'd say that that may well be the case. Of course not all the streets I cycled on where swish, there were some mean streets too. It seemed as if every second house had either a sign advertising accommodation or a for sale sign. While there were some interesting diversions, in the end, urban cycling is urban cycling and all of today's ride was urban.
All morning a band of grey cloud had been thickening and as I rode on, the wind came up and the cloud dropped, and when I felt a spot or two of rain, I thought it best to call it a day. With amazing synchronicity, a hotel right on the bike path, advertised not only very good rates but offered 10% discount to cyclists, so in the spirit of mutual support, that's where I stopped.
Balatonmáriafürdö seems to be just a small collection of hotels,restaurants, nightclubs, marinas, private 'beaches' and a few market stalls selling beachwear and blow up water toys. And the grey clouds are still here intermittently drizzling, just enough to be a pain. At least I'm not riding...
Balatonmáriafürdö to Nagykaniza
Distance: 57 km
Total Distance: 1846 km
The rain cleared overnight leaving a partially cloudy sky which sheltered me from the sun for most of the morning, tho when the sun did come out it had a kick, it got hot quickly. The first few km of riding were on a very good ‑ well, tree roots were making their presence felt ‑ bike path that quite quickly left the built‑up area and went thru forest and rural areas. About 10 k's on I had a choice, take a 10 km shortcut on a highway or a 25 km U turn on the bike path. I took the shorter option, and for once it worked out OK! The highway was busy, lots of heavy vehicles in both directions, but I had no problems. It was a slight climb and the rest of the ride today was upwards as well. Most of the ride was on‑road, but on low traffic back roads through small villages. Every now and again an off‑road bike path would suddenly appear and disappear just as suddenly. It was a great ride, even if it was an almost continual climb ‑ with a couple of great descents too ‑ through more fields of corn and grain and something else that looked like a pepper plant (paprika?:), but today, there were orchards too. All really scenic.
I had intended to make for Letenye, but as I passed thru Nagykaniza, the central area was closed to traffic for a local festival, a beer festival. Now how could I pass up such an opportunity? I found a place to stay, parked the bike and went off to investigate. Beer ‑ mostly German, tho the local brew was prominent of course ‑ was the star attraction but plenty of food as well so I took the opportunity for one last lángos and it was good! Naturally there were lots of oompah bands to provide suitable beer drinking music, and for the kids, a jumping castle and a boxing ring. The beer festival yesterday ended with a retro rock concert which shut down on the stroke of 21:30, five minutes later you could've heard a pin drop. And, in passing, a beer festival where I didn't see anyone legless nor any alcohol fuelled violence, take a bow citizens of Nagykaniza.
All very laid back and good humoured. Which describes the town itself, apparently once a big oil producer, now, apparently, a centre of 'dental tourism'
Nagykaniza to Varaždin
Distance: 69 km
Total Distance: 1915 km
The hotel in Nagykaniza was full of Russian tourists and breakfast was an absolute zoo so I was on the road before 7#58;30. I intended to simply ride Highway 7 but there were even more 'no bicycles' signs as well as a heavy police presence so I took a slightly longer route on back roads. Much the same as yesterday, lots of hills, lots of grain & corn, plenty of small villages along the way.
The border crossing at Letenye also had 'no bicycles' signs but I ignored these and rode thru a desolate customs post before arriving at the passport control post where a Hungarian border officer (standing next to a 'no bicycles' sign( waved me over, took my passport, played around with a computer and then handed me back my passport and pointed to the Croatian border post where exactly the same process played out, on seeing my Australian passport tho, the Croatian official started chatting to me about his cousin who lives in Sydney and such things, he also advised me not to miss Varaždin, and then pointed out a large sign 'R3 bicycle route to Zagreb' not 5 metres away.
Usually when you cross a European border, things are pretty much the same on both sides, at least for awhile, today tho, there was an instant change, the roads changed from OK to phenomenally good. I followed a designated bike route on high quality minor roads. It was easy riding, mostly on road, but with a very long stretch of really good off‑road bike path around Čakovec. Some hills but nothing to challenge the legs, tho all morning I rode towards the jagged mountains that formed the horizon, now they look leg challenging.
I came to Varaždin quite suddenly and at first it wasn't so special, but once in the centre, I discovered a beautiful world of baroque and rococo fantasy. Plenty of sights, all with multi‑lingual plaques explaining their history, museums and galleries plus, of course, plenty of cafés and, after Lake Balaton, it's all very low key. I spent a great afternoon wandering around. With my usual forward planning and attention to detail I arrived in a new country on a Sunday so all the museums/galleries were closed but the upside of a Sunday was that there were plenty of families out strolling, and plenty of cyclists out for a ride and so‑on, it made for a lively atmosphere, a very friendly atmosphere.
A bike tour is nothing if not a voyage of discovery, and today I've discovered a gem, Varaždin.
Varaždin to Zagreb
Distance: 5 km
Total Distance: 1920 km
The sky was overcast this morning in Varaždin but quite dark over the mountains, and the weather forecast for today was for thunderstorms so I decided to take the train. And those of you who think any excuse not to have to tackle a 90 km mountain route today, well, there might just be something in that.
As the train didn't leave until 10:00, I had a very leisurely start to the day. The train was modern and comfortable ‑ with the usual bike spaces ‑ but the trip was slooooow, even for an 'all stations' train. According to my ticket, the distance was 104 km and the journey took more than 3 hours. It was a very scenic trip tho and until the train neared Zagreb it was fairly empty, by the time we arrived at the main station however, it was standing room only. And I was able to ride from the platform straight into the centre of the city, there were no barriers at all.
A short ride into 'lower' town ‑ handsome buildings, lots of parks and trees ‑ and I found a place to stay and I then set out on a walk to 'upper' town, the old town area of winding cobbled streets, the cathedral, churches, museums and so‑on.
I may have left lángos behind, but I can now have burek instead. While some may say burek is only burek when it's filled with meat, the white cheese version is ubiquitous and really tasty. Goes very well with 'drinking' yoghurt. Thus refreshed I followed a well‑marked walking path around 'upper' town. All in all, Zagreb is a very attractive and relatively compact, a good walking city. Not much riding but a pretty good day.
Zagreb to Čatež ob Savi
Distance: 55 km
Total Distance: 1975 km
Yesterday I spent a great day exploring Zagreb, and in passing, I've been to museums dedicated to pigs, to marzipan, to paprika and such, but today I found something truly left field, a Museum of Broken Relationships, which has exhibits about exactly that, from underwear to a grievously misused gnome.
There's precious little readily available info on cycle routes either in Zagreb or Croatia, so I spent a little time in the afternoon checking out the options over (very good) coffee ‑ apparently your average Croatian drinks the equivalent of 5 kilos of coffee beans a year, said, with a certain pride, to be amongst the highest per capita consumption anywhere. Be that as it may, there are coffee houses everywhere and almost all offer free wifi.
A nice early start, maybe the drizzle helped but traffic in Zagreb was very light, tho the trams were running and the bike lane is between the tram tracks, keeps you on your toes as it were. Naturally I got lost, but I was soon back on track, from there on all I had to do was follow the road. Visibility was pretty poor and as great sections of the road were concrete and as always concrete roads really fall apart at the edges and joints, so concentration on what's directly in front takes propriety over surroundings, much of the urban part of my ride is a bit of a blur. Even in these conditions I soon reached the border post at Bregana. The Croatian officials just waved me on, but when I presented my passport to the Slovakian officials I was told I couldn't use this checkpoint, I'd have to another border post and it was on the autobahn so after a terrifying 3 km ride along the autobahn with huge puddles everywhere, without a 'breakdown' lane or verge/shoulder to ride on, with lots of heavy vehicles spraying great clouds of water and speeding autos flying by I arrived at the checkpoint. Formalities were over in a flash, and even tho bicycles weren't supposed to be on that road, no‑one questioned why I was there. A Slovakian official gave me directions on how to get off the autobahn. I got lost, it ain't easy getting off an autobahn. As usual, bystanders pointed out the way. After a bit of to‑ing and fro‑ing I finally found my way onto the back road I wanted.
The new wet weather gear I bought way back in Dresden finally got a workout today, it's good, I was &49;mostly) dry and certainly didn't feel like a drowned rat, even so, a continual slow ascent, accompanied by heavier rain, made the decision for me, I stopped soon afterwards in a little village, Čatež ob Savi, that had a nice looking pension.
Čatež ob Savi to Novo Mesto
Distance: 41 km
Total Distance: 2016 km
A very scenic route today, a touch of mist at the top of forested hills, sunlight panoramas and lovely little villages. And the 2,000th kilometre!
The day started out overcast and the road followed the river, it was easy riding. As the road led away from the river and closer to the mist covered hills, there were a few spots of rain so out came the wet weather gear, but there were only a few sporadic spots amongst fine mist as I rode through some very nice forested areas, on a narrow, mostly well paved road that carried a surprising volume of traffic. Navigation was too easy, all I had to do was follow the road.
The 2,000th kilometre of my adventure came up, aptly, as I rode up a long, slow climb thru a forest, just as the skies cleared and sunshine broke thru. I thought that this milestone deserved celebration, and the first opportunity came less than 10km later when I rode into Novo Mesto. Novo Mesto is on a horseshoe bend on the Krka river, and has a small but picturesque old town area. Just the place to celebrate, and to call it a (very short) day. I duly found both a place to stay, right on the old town square and a nice outdoor café for a celebratory beer. The old town is very compact, but has quite a few interesting buildings, mostly churches/monasteries/church schools, most with a multi‑lingual sign explaining their importance. A walk around the town brought me to a bookshop that had a prominent display of maps, including cycling maps of Ljubljana and its' surrounds and another with a route to Trieste. I bought both and spent a bit of time, over coffee, studying both maps.
Of course stopping in smaller places can mean limited choice for eating, but there's always the cyclists stand‑by, pizza. So it came to pass that I discovered yet another taste experience, a pizza smothered in horseradish cream, to be precise, horseradish mixed into sour cream. Tasted way better than it sounds, very good in fact. I had my veggies too, cabbage #38; carrot salad on the side. And on the table, a bottle of Tabasco sauce plus a bottle of chilli sauce, both half empty, they must like it hot around here.
Novo Mesto to Grosuplje
Distance: 60 km
Total Distance: 2076 km
The gods are playing with me, great weather for riding, smooth roads, jaw‑dropping panoramas, beautiful scenery, generous and friendly people, great coffee ‑ for all of 1€ ‑ in short, all that is good about cycling and all that I had to do to enjoy it all was some, read, a heap of, gut‑busting exertion.
As soon as I reached the outskirts of Novo Mesto this morning the first challenge of the day appeared, a stiff climb. A road maintenance worker told me (at the top) that it was a 500 metre ascent, I think he was gilding the lily, but it was tough, especially before my legs were even warmed up. Almost straight way I hit a couple of kilometres of 14% gradient, quickly followed by a 14% climb which, thankfully, wasn't as long. While it was fairly hilly for awhile, there was nothing that was very daunting, until the next biggie, a loooong 18% grind to the top where there was quite a nice little village, it was a sort of reward, the road then went downwards a little which pleased me (and my legs) greatly. Then the gods put another 18%er in front of me, it was a monster! It just kept on going, each time I thought I'd reached the crest, there was yet another climb ahead. It really was a case of just turning the pedals and thinking of England as they say. By the time I reached the top I was barely moving and if I'd been on an unladen bike I'd have walked, but pushing a loaded touring bike up a hill isn't easy, it's way better to keep riding. Of course, the view from the top was pretty spectacular.
Having knackered myself, and for the very first time, used more than ¾ of the battery power, I decided enough was enough when I saw on a sign that the next decent sized town was a mere 7 km away. The descent into Grosuplje was pretty good, for some 4 kms I didn't turn a pedal, I just rolled and rolled ‑ the brakes got a decent workout tho.
Almost the first thing I saw in Grosuplje was a coffee shop, I stopped, I reckoned if ever there was a day that I'd earned cake, today was the day. Cake of the Day was a rather nice banana cake. Even tho Ljubljana was but 15 kms further on (over more hills), I briefly entertained the idea of pressing on and as I did I felt my legs throbbing. The legs won and I called it a day.
Grosuplje to Ljubljana
Distance: 18 km
Total Distance: 2094 km
Anyway, it's been a very relaxed day; a nice late start, up hill for sure, but nothing like yesterday, and then a straightforward run into Ljubljana
About halfway here, a fabulous (on‑road) bike path appeared that took me right into the centre of the old town, via a tunnel under the castle. I found the tunnel a bit scary, but it was only some 400 metres long and I was able to crank up the revs and speed thru.
Being a mere 18 kms and mostly flat, maybe, actually, after that first hill, slightly downwards, I arrived mid&'morning. I was able to leave the bike and my gear and set out to explore. The city,is quite compact and with lots of parks, lots of pedestrian only streets, it's like a mini‑Prague or Vienna. The 'old town' area is full of baroque buildings and churches, including a pink fantasy that faces onto the just as fanciful Tromostovje , the 'triple bridge', why have one bridge when you can have three, ornate, almost Venetian, confections? And perched above, absolutely dominating the skyline, Ljubljana Castle. Ljubljana has an ultra relaxed attractiveness but it's also a living city, the market square was jam packed all day with shoppers getting fresh fruit and veggies. In a nearby square there was a green market, selling only organic produce, it was just as packed. The street cafés were also pretty full all day. I couldn't help myself, I stopped for coffee ' no cake ' but I later stopped for a burek & beer. Which reminds me, both Slovenia and Ljubljana are easy on the wallet, the coffee, for example, cost 1.3€ And there's free stuff too, free wifi all over the old town area (60 minutes, then you have to pay) and free (ultra clean) public toilets ‑ free toilets are as rare as hen's teeth in Europe.
Ljubljana to Postojna
Distance: 54 km
Total Distance: 2148 km
It rained, hard, all night long but the rain was expected to start to clear mid‑morning so I messed about for awhile re‑packing panniers for better weight distribution and such other similar make work activities, but the urge to just ride got the better of me and so after putting wet weather gear on self and panniers, I set off in very light misty rain. Getting out of Ljubljana was so easy, well‑defined, well‑signed bike paths ‑ not shown on any of my maps, rather these show a series of disjointed bike paths, obviously they've since been linked into one path. The mostly off‑road bike path took me halfway to Vrhnika, some 10 km. As with bike paths everywhere it ended abruptly. To make things a bit more messy, for the next few kms there were roadworks which reduced the quite busy road to a single lane, in some places there were traffic lights, in other places it was a free‑for‑all. There were small towns all the way along the route and these all had bike paths ‑ lines painted on the footpath but no matter at least I could avoid the vast number heavy vehicles using this secondary road in preference to the nearby motorway.
Instead of clearing, the rain actually got heavier mid‑morning, not surprisingly as I was climbing into the cloud shrouded mountains. The GPS reckoned the altitude to be about 1000 metres but the maps I have put it at less, whatever it is, the climbs today were very, very long ‑ the climb out of Vrhnika lasted almost the whole way to Logatec which according to the map, the two towns are 9 kms apart. In passing, signs showing distances are not very common. The climb seemed to go forever but at least the gradient varied and there were some flattish bits to relieve the constant exertion.
A coffee stop in Logatec was a respite before another loooong climb. The road out of Planina was one of those switchbacks so you could see the road high above, and, (much): later, way below. Again, the gradient was nowhere near even the 14‑18% of the other day, and thankfully again the gradient varied considerably over the course of the climb. About halfway up, the road was blocked by police ‑ a heavy vehicle carrying logs had rolled on a tight bend and was obstructing the road in both directions. A fair amount of traffic had accumulated but as I too came to a halt, a policeman approached and told me ‑ in excellent idiomatic English, how did he know?: ‑ that I could continue on, he said the road ahead was narrow and steep and I'd probably have 15 to 30 minutes where I'd have the road to myself before traffic started again. I rode on, using the next power setting on the e‑control, and while I only had the road to myself for some 10 minutes, it was enough to get me a long way up the ascent before any traffic came. Of course, using a higher power level meant using a lot more than usual of the battery power but I did't have far to go to Postojna where I was heading.
Jump to Part 3 of my 2014 Europe journal