Golden grand piano – my beautiful castillo
29 July 2019
Another train journey (from Prague this time) and another opportunity to bring the blog pretty much up-to-date.
So far we have made it across France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria where we have enjoyed a great family break in Vienna. On Day 64 we said goodbye to the boys and once again mounted our trusty bicycles heading further eastwards. Our destination at the end of the day was another country (Slovakia) and another capital city (Bratislava). Interesting facts – Bratislava is one of Europe’s smallest capitals and is the only national capital that borders two sovereign states. Don’t say you don’t learn any useful pub quiz answers reading this blog!
We left Vienna by back-tracking a few kilometers so that we were on the island that runs along the length of the Vienna Danube and has a cycle track along its length and made the progress out of Vienna very pleasant and easy.
As we left Vienna we kept noticing the letters FKK painted on the cycle track. We learnt later this was short for freikörperkultur (nudist beach!) and the bathers (and nearby cafe users) were in full view of those cycling by. It seems that naturism is most popular with people that are better advised to keep their clothes on but made for some giggles as we pedalled past.
After a few days rest we had plenty of energy and we cycled 76km to our pre-booked hotel. We had not heard much about Bratislava before our journey so did not have high expectations. Initially the area around the hotel just outside of the city centre seemed to confirm our initial thoughts but after a relax in the hotel we decided to grab a taxi to the centre to look around. What a good decision! We really liked the center of Bratislava – not too big or busy but with a lovely atmosphere, nice sights and good restaurants.
Day 65 was another long day at 76km. We stocked up at the local Tesco’s (yes – Tesco’s!) and cycled in sunny weather mainly along long straight tracks. At one stage we cycled past a lake with a number of bathers. “At least these ones have their clothes on” said Janine – only then to be confronted by a number of bare bottoms!
The second half of the day was a long slog with not much to see. It was hot and we were running low on water. We arrived at a power station that spanned the river and, for some unknown reason, seemed to be a place to visit though we couldn’t work out what the attraction was. We spotted some toilets where we could refill our water bottles so whilst Janine went into the Ladies to fill her bottles, Richard savoured finishing his supply of water he had been rationing. You can imagine his face when Janine returned and said there was a sign in the toilets saying the water was unfit for drinking! So it was two rather parched cyclists that arrived at our Pension for the night. After rehydrating we realised we were just about half way between Vienna and Budapest which was always the destination we had set ourselves when we set off in the middle of May. What to do after Budapest became a thought that started to occupy our time whilst cycling along. We had an important birthday to celebrate at the end of August (our youngest son’s 21st!) so that needed to factor into our planning.
We had read a book about a couple that cycled the length of the Eurovelo 6 and they had noted how the route was not so pleasant through Serbia and Romania to the Black Sea so we had already decided that we would part company with the Danube at Budapest and head towards home one way or another. As evident from recent blogs we have opted to take our bikes on a few trains to take us a bit further north so we can rejoin the Rhine and follow it up to eventually take us to the Hook of Holland where we plan to take a ferry to Harwich – but we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit here – more later.
Day 66 was a shorter day distance-wise at 56km but the first half of the day was tough going. The Slovaks clearly have not (yet) invested as much in their cycle tourism industry than others we have visited and this section of the track remained unpaved with sand, loose gravel and other challenges to navigate which made the going more challenging – especially with 20-30kg luggage attached to your bike. However the afternoon run was much better with smooth tarmac, no traffic and a down-hill run leaving us in good spirits when we arrived at our accommodation in the town of Radvaň nad Dunajom.
Day 67 started with breakfast overlooking the Danube. We were wise to fuel up as the terrain was again challenging in parts (and perhaps and indicator of the route beyond Budapest). It was also another milestone day where we clocked up a tour total distance of 3,000km and we congratulated each other on what we had achieved since our wobbly departure from Jersey all those weeks ago.
Having flirted with the Hungarian border for a few days we finally entered our seventh country which took us just one ride away from Budapest. Waiting for a cross-river ferry during the day offered the opportunity to chat to some fellow cycle tourists also waiting for the hourly ferry. We met some more friendly Canadians who were travelling from Vienna to Budapest on an organised Eurobike tour.
Our hotel for the night was also on the river and the friendly staff allowed us to practice our Hungarian during dinner. Our vocabulary was limited to “Hello” and “Thank You” but seemed to be appreciated by the locals.
Day 68 was the day we finally reached the destination we had been aiming for since the very beginning of our tour – Budapest. The morning cycle was a combination of cycle paths, busy roads and one particularly bumpy section but we joined our Canadian friends from the day before to enter the city along the river with spectacular views before finding our hotel for the next few days.
The next few days were spent exploring Budapest, with the first day involving plenty of walking and sightseeing and the second day a bit more laid back when we visited the nearby Széchenyi thermal spa with its numerous pools of varying temperatures. There was even a beer spa where you could soak in water treated with beer ingredients and drink the actual product at the same time!!
Despite the spa being very popular and busy, we enjoyed our time there – particularly when we managed to secure a couple of rare sun beds. We spent a large part of the day chatting to a friendly couple from the south of Ireland and felt very relaxed when we returned to our hotel room, ready for the long train journey we had booked for the following day to Prague.
We had little experience of travelling with bikes and panniers on trains so a prior reconnaissance visit helped make sure we were well prepared. On the morning of Day 71 we boarded the train as soon as it arrived in the station, secured our bikes and all of our luggage and then felt able to relax for the 7 hour plus journey which thankfully did not require any changes.
We met some nice English lads who were Inter-Railing after their A Levels and had noted that there seemed to be quite a large number of similar aged teenagers in Budapest during our stay we surmised were probably doing the same thing . The journey was trouble free (for us) but delayed by about 25 minutes. We were fortunate to have a carriage with effective air-conditioning but it seemed other carriages had faulty air-con and as the train got busier, the rising temperature did cause some frayed nerves elsewhere and we saw the conductor appeasing some hot travellers with bottles of water.
When we arrived at Prague’s main station we were relieved to find ramps (versus stairs) off the platform and travelators (versus escalators) out of the station. Before leaving the station however we visited the international ticket desk and bought more train tickets – this time to Frankfurt. Unfortunately there was no direct service and our hopes of finding a route that allowed bikes and minimized changes were dashed when the only route on offer involved four changes! This meant loading/unloading the bikes and a dozen bags four times – the delights of cycle touring we thought.
On Day 72 we awoke in our hotel in our eighth country and fourth capital city of the tour. We spent the day exploring the city and seeing the sights. We enjoyed the visit and the city but we found it very busy and popular with groups of stags and hens – it was probably the least favourite city we have visited so far.
At the end of the day we were also thinking about our next train journey and all the hassle involved with multiple platform changes. Upon studying the tickets we had bought (which were not in English) it still wasn’t entirely clear about where we needed to make the changes but our experience of this tour has made us more adventurous and after undertaking another reconnaissance mission we undertook to go with the flow.
So Day 73 started with a 6:30am breakfast and short bike ride to the station before getting on our first train of the day. On searching the online timetables Richard had thought he had found a more direct route that involved only one change stopping at a town called Regensburg. As luck would have it we sat near a couple of tandem bike tourists. It turned out Paul (German) and Carole (English) were returning to their home in Frankfurt after a 2 week cycling tour. They told us they were returning via Munich which was much further than Regensburg so we decided to stick to our plan of alighting at Regensburg and trying to catch the Frankfurt train from there. When the time arrived they both helped us to unload all our possessions at the station and Janine waited on the platform whilst Richard went to the ticket office to check if we could take our bikes on the next train to Frankfurt which would have been perfect. Unfortunately this was not possible and we were back to taking about another 3 slower regional trains – grrrr!
When Richard returned to the platform to break the bad news to Janine, the train was still in the station and we made the quick decision to get back on (with some help from Paul who convinced the conductor to let us back on). Fast forward another hour and we arrive at Munich – only to discover the outgoing train to Frankfurt went from another station so we pack our bikes with Paul and Carole for an unexpected 9km cycle across Munich.
We arrive at the station and are told by the Information Desk that our tickets are only valid for the slower regional trains and if we want to take the same fast (and direct) train to Frankfurt as Paul and Carole we need to buy another ticket from the ticket office. But despite translation help from Carole the ticket office won’t sell us a ticket as the train is already en-route from Austria – and there were no other direct trains that day or the next morning! A few days in Munich was looking on the cards.
We had about 45 minutes before the Frankfurt train arrived so grabbed a coffee with Paul and Carol. We decided we had nothing to lose by trying to board the Frankfurt train and attempting to find spare space for our bikes and buying a ticket on board.
We move to the platform and locate ourselves at the spot we expect the bike carriage to stop. Then it starts to rain heavily and the train pulls in and it all gets a bit frantic. There is no bike carriage! Richard said “Let’s go for it” and with help from other people on the platform we manage to get the bikes and 12 bags on board just as the whistle blows and off we go.
Richard managed to find a single space for his bike where we could also pile all our bags but Janine’s bike was more or less blocking the train. Carole came through from the next carriage and said their tandem was doing the same. We had images of an irate conductor throwing us off the train at the next stop. Janine and Carole went further up the carriage and discovered an apologetic conductor – the train had been configured with the huge bike carriage in the wrong place. All we had to do at the next station was take our bikes up the platform. No problem – and we were really pleased to know we would make it to our Frankfurt hotel ready for cycling again. We did have to endure a long train ride – mostly standing as we did not have seat reservations and the train was busy but we passed the time chatting and by 8pm we rolled into Frankfurt’s main station with its street level platforms and simply pushed our bikes out of the station, said farewell to our travelling companions, and rode the short distance to our hotel tired but relieved to have made it.
At the mention of hotels, some readers may be curious how we find our accommodation. One very good source we have used is booking.com. As we’re now premium members, if you join booking.com using this link you will enjoy 10% cash awards on your booking (and get us some credit too!)
That brings us up-to-date and song of the week has to be inspired by the destination we’d been aiming for all these weeks.
I think you should have cycled back. So, a beer Spa?? I like the sound of that. Hope you guys are well. What an amazing adventure. What am I going to rwad on my commute that’s going to inspire me? X