Preamble:

My father was a primary scool teacher and switched career in february 1968, to become holliday resort director, in Bulgaria. He worked for a company like "Club Mediterranee". That company was by te way later acquired by "Club Med".

I Believe, I passed my most beautiful hollidays in Russalka, at the Black Sea shore, for 3 consecutives years.

At that time Bulgaria was one of the east-block mysterious countries, and despite my young age, I could feel the politic pressure of the government on bulgarian people.

I ever deamed to go back to Russalka. I chatted with my friend Bernard, who knows Bulagari very well, and bulgarian language too, because it is very similar to russian language, that Bernard learned at the scool. Bernard has also a very good knowledge of the country, because he went many times for work or touring in Balkan Mountains.

Both, we planed to do this travel with recumbent bikes, and to share that adventure with  my old french canadian friend  Bertrand,with whom I crossed the whole Canada in 2013 and Scottland in 2014.

Chatting with Bertrand on the net to organize the travel, purchasing in France two Nazca Pionner recumbent bikes for the 2-B (Bert and Bernard). At the beginning of jul we met us in Besançon to start the journey.

Preparations made long discussion, mainly between me and Bernard: he never travelled a long way before, and we resolved before starting some problems about weight of luggage.

Bertrand, as a very experienced ld timer came in france with just two "banana"bicycle bags, and a very light loaded backseat bag.

07/08 Besançon - L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs

Oh yes, I know, it's not a very long travel today, but 47 miles, with front wind, and with my two friends, who doesn't fully tame their loaded mounts...

Just a quick stop at Besançon's exit at the portuguese baker, to buy bread and eat delicious "Pastei de Nata", then ride on the bike way "Eurovelo 6".

We were 4, because Miriam rode with us any miles until Bame-les-Dames. Bert liked very much the landscape. I must admit, that Doubs valley is very beautiful, under full blue sky (because it's not every day, we have to take the opportunity).

We hesitated to stop at "L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs" or at Mandeure, a couple of miles farer. But it's not smart to ride a lot of miles, at the beginning, to ride more and more. We rather take our own rythm,slowly. Big steps will come when bodies will be used to news conditions of food; of sleep and physical effort.

A beer at the campgroung terrasse, very cool, with Olivier (an other one), belgian cyclist who came a couple of minuts after us and rode in the other way.

First meeting, with a guy who travelled many times, especially in Bulgaria last year !

 

07/09 L’Isle sur le Doubs-Huningue

An amazing day, that start with unsual things: I wake up at first, and Bertrand is asleep like a dog (in french we say "like a tree root"), a long time after the sun ride !

Starting is difficult. Bernard is a little bit to slow to pack his staff.

We follow the Doubs river until Audincourt. Doubs valley gives us sweet landscapes. Less sweet is the uphill at Colombier-Fontaine.

And that cold front wind, called "bise" in french (kiss in english!). It makes us tired despite bike relays. Bert begin to admit the necessary of staying behind the other cyclists by front wind).

Crossing Montbeliard is shorter by using non asphalted tracks.

Trouée de Belfort : (kind of pass between Vosges Mountains and Pre-alps): we follow a canal with rising locks, one each kilometer, and suddenly, after the water divede line, a dozain of locks in the other way, like to show us that the canal lieds down to the Alsace and Rhein river.

At Dannemarie, we stopped in a little pub called "100 pâtes", near the canal bank, and where we can eat only pastas. Good atmosphere, very friendly, between cyclists, good, not very expensive, according to the volume of food.

First half-timbered houses, typical of Alsace region, a stork flies near us. We cross Mulhouse by a bike-way in the middle of the taown, and we ride downhill to the south. We stop to take a picture with 4 perched storks on a roof.

Last miles are hard. 78 today, it's too much, especially for Bert, who has absolutly no training. Bernard rides well, but is tired at the end of the day.

Campground on the Rhein river bank. Great wellcome, but great price too! 31 euros for 3 poor tents and 3 poor guys, no wifi, just 2 showers for men and 2 other one for women. A field for cyclists that seems like Woodstoke Festival, (for over crowding, not for music).

So, not very well, but nothing else.

After being unpack my bags, I rode to the supermarket to buy food, because the 2-B were "out of order" (in english in the text). I filled the camping cooker tank at the gas station, because it works with benzine, so that I can use it absolutly anyware, and after that we could eat rosted saussages with potatoes puree to enjoy our entering in Germany.

Before sleeping, we decided to get up tomorrow, when we will be awake. Everybody is right with that.

 

07/10 Huningue - Waldshut

 Quiet awakening…. Bernard is not yet very efficient for loading his staff, but he will be…

 We must take care to exit Hunningue/Bale, because there are no road signs. We followed the Rhein river all the time. Only bicycle pathes, sometime a wide asphalted road, sometime a small rural low traffic road , sometime a gravel track.

 We crossed many time a railway, that was following the river, roughly 50 meters over the water level. So that we had to ride up and down many time, and last uphills were very hard.

 Very beautiful vantage point over Rhein, and a very cute old wooden bridge, at Bad Säckingen

 To finish the journey, a very beautiful campsite near the Rhein. More and more expensive are the campsites. Here we have to spend monnay for showers !!!

 It’s too much for me, I went to the river to take a bath, and Bernard too…

 After that, we rode to Waldshut to visit the handsome city and for shoping.

 

07/11 Waldshut – Engen

Amazing welcome at the Engen campground. A pub that seems like the campsite office. Because he saw that I was a stranger, the guy in the pub begin to talk in german-gibberish, like « What you want ? Here no office ». Furthermore, he had a very strong accent (we are very very near the swiss border) and I ask him, in german, if it’s possible for him to speak german. Vexed was the guy ! « Ich bin Deutsch und ich spreche deutsch ! ».

After that, he leads me 20 meters farer where is, well hidden, the true office. Nobody here. By pressing a button, the office employee come immediatly, from nowhere, riding a fairly new scooter Vespa. Not like the driver : 70, 75 old. He gives us a paper, and we have to write fist name, name, birthdate and birthplace. We saw less complicated… Then he copies all information in a book. His phone is riging, a kind of german folk music like « Dis Tyroler sind lustig ». Atmosphere…

Writing in the book spend a lot of time, he his copying character after character, one at a time, I suppose he learned writing very late.

Then, he rode his scooter and leads us 20 meters farer to show us our camping pitch. Not very chatty, not very smily, but efficient.

Great surprise : bathrooms are new, very clean, great quality ; showers are true shower rooms with thermostatic mixers, hairdryers are free…

It had nothing to do with the camping factory of yesterday, where all was paid service : Wi-Fi, showers, electric burner.

 Today, great progress for my friends : starting was half an hour earlier than everyday. And my buddy Bertrand begin to push well on the pedals, sometimes he can ride faster than Bernard.

Beautiful travel along the Rhein bank this morning, until Schaffhausen and the amazing Rhein fall, and after in the green countryside and flowery villages.

Any small rought uphill finish to complete the troops morale, near Hegau and his perched castel, near Singen, on the top of a rocky peak.

Last uphill to join the campground destoyed them at all. They came tired, and by foot...

 

Jeudi 12 juillet : Engen – Sigmaringen

 

German people are little crooks : when you are at a town entry, there are no more road signs to lead you on the Eurovelo6, so that you are lost in the middle of the city, when obviously, you can find every thing to buy…

We lost Bernard. We made a pause in a great prairie, and he doesn’t take care when me and Bert started again. We rode very slowly, and we thought Bernard should join us, we stopped for a lunch, but he took an other way, the right one.

After unpacking the food, we called him by phone. He was farer than Mulheim, a town that we didn’t yet crossed !

Finaly, we joined him and took the food out of the bags one more time. Bert discovered the delicious blend raw ham/melon.

 

Nice day, that began with 2 or 3 little uphills to join the Danube valley ; By scrupulousy following road signs on the bike path, we were able to make a full loop, with a very strong uphill in a gravel path into it. When we began the second lap, Bert found the right road sign, we rode straight on the track, and we found the Danube river, a kind of small estream that snakes on the bottom of the valley.

We were very lucky when we crossed a little wood bridge, because we could see a fishing busy stork in the river.

 Then many uncredible landscapes, with perched houses on the top of rocky peaks, very great cliffs.

Little hard uphills to cut Danube’s meanders. One time, two times, five times.. We didn’t count but the mast one become more and more difficult.

Bertrand might have to push his bicycle one or two times, but less at the end of the day. (Then a sentence in fench canadian dialect, absolutlty untranslatable, to say : « When you cannot pass the little bearing, you are very bad geared »

Finish at the overcrowded Sigmaringen campground. Shower, beer-Wifi downtown, eat and sleep...

 

 

07/13 Sigmaringen - Rottenacker

Today a less interesting step. Beautiful landscapes, but less surprises : flat cultivated extends (wheat, barley, corn), storks landing in each field, Danube river that lazily snakes in the countryside, and crossed towns with for my taste heavy loaded style architecture.

Often is the EV6 a unsealed road, with an amazing 20 % short uphill.

I arrived very fast, but made a mistake with gearing, so that I was immediatly stopped. When I wanted to start again, my front wheel took of because of the very high slope. Fall, scratch on my elbow and my knee, on the right side.

Bernard’s derailleur was between the rear spokes, when he arrived on the top of the uphill.

We spent about 20 minuts to unbent derailleur chain guides and adjust again the derailleur. All is right, except indexation that works wrong.

 

We were lost in Ehingen, there was no road signs, and we decided to go back to a campsite – Rottenacker’s one – and not go farer to Ulm, because it was too far, at least 2 hours ridind...

 

We put our tents in a room that could be heavenly if there were not here a goup of young people who was ready to party with many bottle of beer and big sound system.

 

Friendly, but vigorously, I told them I hope, they don’t be noisy late in the evening.

 

Little consolation : we did a true holiday meal, with tomatoes, cod with mushroom and cream, pasta, cheese, and fruit yogurts...

 

 

 

 

Samedi 14 juillet: Rottenacker - Dillingen

 

I presume, my good quebec cousins, who – I know hat – are reading this blog, and especially Lise, are wondering about coffee problem…

 Unfortunatly yes !

 Bertrand, whom I consciously initiated to the good black and dense french coffee, made many progress on the matter, since we met for the first time. Evering morning, I make a coffee for him, et each day I increase a few the dose. So that at the end of the journey, He is able to drink a true good coffee…

 But Bernard ! A true french guy from France, who’s drinking coffee, but put into it powder milk that I bought for Bert, and sugar too !

I know, I can do something for Bertrand, but for bernard, I’m desperate !

I rather talk about something else...

 

Yesterday evening, as previous, our young neighbours were very noisy. I took my tent away and put it again 100 meters farer, so thatI could sleep well. (like a dormouse, we say in french).

This morning, start of the ride like everyday. However Bert forgot to wake up : finally, he stayed sleeping half an hour more , instead of waiting that me and Bernard are ready to go. Please Bert, think about that to do right next mornings...

Then a big hundred kilometers step but without any elevation and many gravel ways and front wind. My friends and me are thinking, that the gravel ways share is around 20 % for the whole route, and 30 % in Germany…

 At Ulm was the EV6 occupied by food stands, from all the Danube countries, because it was a big fest. Romania, Austria, Germany, etc.

 We stopped, me and Bernard eat a flammkuche, and Bertrand a rosted saussage, because he wanted to taste « true saussages that were eaten by true Germans ».

Then we took a walk in the city and its « little Venizia ». Beautiful.

Near Dillingen, we saw Staline in a garden, by a stone mason.

Like often were the last miles a little bit too long, we were looking for a campground, that finally we founded near the river. Big beer, shoping in the town, shower and meal...

 

 

   07-15 Dillingen – Ingolstadt

 

Last night campsite was very friendly. The owners were two nice smily ladies, who were busyto fill as often as possible our beer glasses

It’s not the same today : we were welcomed by a high aged femeale bulldog, who took money : 54 euros for 3 tents and 3 bike riders, it’s definitively too much !

Shower was large, hot, with a great flow rate, and I have taken the liberty of staying a very long time into the shower. No scruple (see higher).

 It must be said that we came in the campground muddy, wet, rinsed after 20 km in the forest, by a very strong rain. At the storm peak, we founded a house near the road, that shelter us half a hour from the heavy rain.

However we started very early (9h) and took the chance to ride in fresh air and without wind. At half past twelve, we rode 65 km, and we stopped to lunch. I expected to find open foof shops, but we can’t resupply.

 Because of warmth and hunger, Bernard made a slowdown, and we choose to heavy option : rice with Chili dehydrated sauce that I have bought by any chance the day before. Rice filled us, chili was very spicy, and both made us valiant to ride again.

First part of this step was on a large plain with corn and wheat fields. In the villages, the smaller farm tractor was giant. Sure we were in the Germany’s granary.

 After that, we joined Danube river with gravels tracks, and rode through the very beautiful forest, west from Ingolstadt. There the storm caught us. When we started after the rain, kind of fog was rising from hot ground, it was very nice, very « romantik », we would not be surprised, to see blond riding Walkyries cross the Eurovelo 6...

Finaly Ingolstadt, that we didn’t see at all, because we stayed on the Danube bank  with the eyes riveted on the campsite signs.

This evening, free time for the cooker (Yes ! So decided my friends, and it’s a good thing, because food shops are closed at the sunday).

On the restaurant menu, Tafelspitz, bavarian culinary speciality, beef tongue served with potatoes and litthe vegetables, all with a lot of cream and parsley. Simple, effective, delicious.

 Tchüss !

 

07-16 Ingolstadt – Straubing

 

We decided to start early this morning, to avoid forecasted middle afternoon storms. Wake up 7h, Start riding 8h : a swiftness record !

 Step begining was in a wet and fresh atmosphere, near the Danube bank.

Speedy were my two friends (on the picture they seem like penguins), they are beginning to take their pace.

What’s new today ? Fourth meal at half past ten. Foods were salty bretzels, chocolate milk and white grape. Oh yes, I known, it’s amazing, but it’s what we wanted to eat.

Quiet long step in bavarian countryside. We crossed West-East with a straight line a plateau between two steps.

 We saw potatoes fields, wheat fields, hop fields, asparagus fields, beetroots fields, as farer as we could see.

We crossed many little villages without typical except a mural painting with a deer.

 No elevation, well ride until a dozain of kilometer before Staubing. There, we we were riding near a regular road – for cars- and the distance to Straubing, on the signs, was 9 km, and 12 on the bike path signs. So we choosed to ride on the regular road. At a very simple crossroad, path for bike was very complicated, imossible to understand well, we should ride in the other way, at all to turn at the firt right exit (in Europe, to turn right is like to turn left in England : noting more simple).

  I must admit that I was a little bit angry, and I considered that for that day I was driving a car and not riding a bicycle, to the great depleasure of bavarian drivers. For them, roads are strictly reserved for car (BMW and Audi manufacturies are in the region), and bike pathes for bicycles (but someone are still using bike pathes with cars).

 Finaly we arrived with a sensation of cool freshness at a very friendly campground that was on a Danube island. What happened after was very regular, in no particular order : shower, cooking, shopping, writing the blog and sleeping.

 The dinner : melon with tyroller ham, burgers with « hunter sauce » and onions, whole wheat pasta with cream and shredded mozzarella (never see before), fruit yogurt.

 

 

 

 

 

07/17 Straubing - Passau

 

 

We were a little bit late thi s morning. He must be said that he campsite was very cool and we were less eager to leave it than the day before.

Navigation to leave the city was a little bit hasardous, but finaly but are riding on THE true official bike path. Ok ! Just following it to the end ! Well riding, smooth asphalt, but at one time the EV6 becomes a very bad roughly path over a dam, with left a very beautiful car road, with nobody on it.

We leave quicly the bad way for the beautiful road, and we did so all the time during the step.

 

Landscape is also flat with cabbage or potatoes fields.

 

Mountains, that we could see in the far are now nearer, and Danube is surrounded by hills. It’s more beautiful when landscape is hilly.

 

At Vilshofen, we stopped to lunch, and recover a few force, and we rode again on the Danube bank.

Passau, it’s in the same time Danube, with its great tourist houseboats, Inn that is a very large river, on the Danube right shore, with a very high flow, and Ilz, that is a little left shore river. At the bank of it is the campground, just for tents with a very cool atmosphere.

104 kilometer today. Not so bad… Bertrand begin to ride as fast as in Canada.

We met a couple of people from Grenoble and we talked with them, and we founded that we have common friends near Grenoble. We met a joung lady too, who we saw sometimes since 4 or 5 days : she ride the same way like us, but sometimes she takes the train.

No Germans , no Austrians, they manly ride in the other way, except an Austrian who comes back home, and whom we see two times in the last campsites. We don’t ride the same distance every day. Curiously there are no many campgrounds on this EV6, whereas there are many people travelling on it.

At the end of the afternoon, we went shopping by foot, me and Bert. When we came back, there was a very strong wind hit, that was during 5 minuts, no more. Just the time for tents flying and bikes falling down.

The dinner is : chicken breast with black pepper and cream. Impossible to find green pepper here ! And pilaf rice with onions.

When we were eating, we were invaded by ducks from the river. Panic on board, everybody hides food and cooking staff that were everiwhere on the ground. Not very fat, the ducks.

What a pity...

 

 

 

07/18 Passau - Linz

 

Me and Bert have been ride many travels together : 42 steps to cross the Canada, 15 to cross Scottland, a few in France near the Ventoux Mountain, so 80 at all.

He says that today step is the most beautiful he ever rode, after IceField Parkway, between Jasper and Banf in Alberta, but before Highlands in Scottland. I’m used to sea european landscape, and I would choose other British Columbia steps, in Coasts Mountain, but I have to admit that the landscape was very picturesque : Danube is now a large river, with great barges and snakes into a hilly topography, no car roads, and the bike path is sometimes on the right bank, sometimes on the left one. And ferries to cross the river. Each kilometer, a new perspective of that valley that turns in any directions.

 This morning everybody was early ready (or allmost ready, as you can see on the picture, Bernard is packing his tent).

 We leave Passau without any problem, and after crossing the Austria border we passed thousend of kilometer since Besançon. Short stop to immortalize the event…

 ...and we rode again on the Danube banks, that began slowly to be higher, most wooded.

 Left bank path is over. A small wooden ferry enables us to complete our travel.

After Aschach, Danube founded again the plain. One more ferry to join the left bank, and finish at Linz.

 Very big city, that we crossed in the N-S way to join Pichlingersee Campsite.

 

 

07/19 Linz- Shönbuhel

When I began to write my blog yesterday, my two gentle penguins went to shopping. Wi-Fi was efficient, then people were coming back to the campsite, connect them on the web, and nothing could be sent after that. Impossible to sent the least picture.

So this morning, I woke up at 6, I tried again and by the happiest miracle, all was working well…

My friends woke up very quickly too, and à 8H10 we were ridind our bicycles.

 

Little roads in the countryside to begin the travel, before joining Danube, a track on the dam during any kilometers and a first ferry to go left bank, at Mathausen.

Little strong uphill at Grein gave me the pleasure to take a picture of my two penguins (also called because of their waddle when they are pushing their bike)

Danube is crossing amazing flat landscapes, and more hilly ones, but our route is always flat, with no elevation. So that we can ride long distances, thanks to the friendly tailwind and good pavements

(110 km today).

 

 Unlike nearby Germany Bavaria where are many cars factory (BMW, Audi, etc), Austria is fited with amazing effective bicycle structures.

All bike pathes are in a very good condition, with very smooth pavement, and when we are riding on the regular road – like says Bernard to me- we feel save, because Austrians drivers take care to the cyclists.

E.g. that duckboard over the river to avoid that cyclists must ride on the small road...

Crossing Danube just before Melk, with upride on the bridge by that three turns spiral ramp. Just for the fun, I did it two times...

Then Melk and its castle. As I asked to Bernard how he could describe it, he aswered that if this castle was a cake, its would be indigestible. Excellent way to descibe it. Next days, we fear worse, in the style « meringue-whipped cream »

Melk sould be our step, but the campsite war to near a touristic important point : whole busses that were pouring tourists flow into very large tour boats and vice versa, and on the car parks, in addition to busses, there were many trucks with trailers carrying bikes.

So, not very cool.

Because it was early, we decided to ride a bit more, to the Schönbuhel campsite. Cool, with a restaurant, with view on a very beautiful castle. I believe, this evening, we will eat austrian meal...

 

07/20  Schönbuhel – Klosterneuburg

Do you realize, Bernard ? We are in hollidays ?

Bertrand’s « Cri du coeur », after 1298 km and 13 days riding. Just a little tired, the penguins. Me too.

Yesterday, they wanted change their status, from penguin to apostle. We took a walk (You know, Karen : « to bring a step ») after dinner (Goulash for me and Bernard, Schnitzel for Bert, followed by an home made ice cream), and our walk led us to a monastery over the Shönbuhel castle.

So that, this morning, they were not ready to ride… (It’s a recurrent joke, to take a picture with not ready guys, but I only have a cam…)

 

We began with a beautiful uphill to pass the right bank hill where was built the castle, then we followed Danube, with its touring boats, its barges, its perched castles.

First vineyards in Wachau region.

 

Overflows may be terrible here, because of the architecture of little houses that were built downwards the dam, and water proof doors that close the houses area surrounded by dams.

 

Because I stopped to take a picture, I lost my friends in a first time, then I was lost in a second time, and we spend half an hour to meeting. Long live the phone !

Nothing else. Steps that are following each other and look the same, so much time in fact that following the EV6 until Constanza seems doubtful.

 

 

07-21 Rest day in Vienna

We took a train, then a subway to go to Swendenplatz, center of Vienna city. Then we went by foot to Hundertwasser neighbourhood, by taking streets with colossal buildings on the sides of it.

So, I don’t like very much « Haussmann style » in Paris, but here it’s too much for my liking. And about colors, to stay in the food area, it was melon – pistachio ice cream.

We arrived at the Hundertwasser buiding. Hundertwasser was impacted by Gaudi (Wiki dixit).

The building was built before he transformed it, contrarily to Barcelone Gaudi’s building, that were build from nothing.

What doesn’t remove anything to the crazy look of the building, with trees in facade, facade recesses, bulge columns, and flashy colors, unfortunately by pollution blackened.

 

In any event it was so different from amphatic and rigourous style buildings we have seen since.

Then we went to Stephandom Cathedral. All we could see was in the same style, heavyweight.

I hope I didn’t see the nice Vienna neighbourhoods. Because I was just desapointed by our walk.

 

Hundertwasser visit was my wish. For Bernard, it’s Mumok modern art museum. Bertrand is following, he just tries to avoid to loose us. An european capital city, for a canadian guy like he, with not perpendicular and straight streets, it’s worse than a maze...

 

We took the subway at Stephandom station, (beautiful gothic cathedral), but too much surrounded by buildings just arround it. (Difficult to take a picture because nowhere you can have enough distance to get both the base and the top of the cathedral).

Volkstheater neighbourhood is very different : new style, lots of room between buildings, where people are taking walks, like young and less young people that were dressed as their preferate movies heroes.

Heroic fantasy characters, some Wald Disney’s ones, and many manga’s ones. Bernard, who has culture, blows my mind that it’s a « cos’play » meeting.

We came into the Mumok, that looks like a great bunker, with the part over the ground (4 floors) is so high than the part under the ground.

Me and Bert were not very enthusiastic, but finally we were seduced by eclectism, originality, and collection development intelligence.

As many rooms as there are themes, like Austria current history through movies, pictures and papers articles, and like artistic aspects, be they graphic, cinematographic or musical, of Austria in general and Vienna in particular.

Nicely done, very informative, and allows to understand what is austrian identity.

I took any pictures with my smartphone (it was allowed). But to insert it into the blog, it’s not easy. Next time…

Lunch when we went out into a very friendly coffee shop.

Weather (and not time, as previous french President Sarkozy would have said) war turning to storm, so that we took subways and train in the other way to go back to the campsite.

After that: less well. Continous rain. No problem today, because we can use a room with a roof, tables and chairs.

Less fun tomorrow to pack tents before starting, maybe under the rain...

 

 

 

 

07 - 22 Kleusterneuburg - Dunakiliti

 

Rain last night, rain this morning. It stopped raining at 6 o’clock. We packed our staff, the wet tent the last, and we started riding after breakfast under the camping site roof. We just rode one kilometer, when Bertrand signalled to us a bad noise of his bike.

 

Maybe loose front wheel spokes. So we tighted each one with a quarter rotation, and made care of keeping a true wheel. But the noise is always here : Krouik, krouik. (each rotation).

 

Impossible to ride with this noise, one krouik per kilometer, so 60 000 krouiks just for the step of the day. We tryed oil,.. Krouik, krouik, maybe a little bit lower. And I had the genious idea (in all humility) : replace the wheel in the other way. Just a little noise after thet, but 60 kilometers farer, thanks to the bad pavement the noise was stopped. We didn’t dare to replace the wheel in the original way…

 

Vienna is built on te right bank of Danube, and because the EV6 is on the other side, we didn’t see anything from our bikes.

 

Sometimes our small bike path crossed very big road interchanges . A bike path well used sunday morning by race bike cyclists. Because we were on the left bank, we had to cross the river with a small ferry that leaves us on a pebbles shore, without pontoon, without path, nothing. Amazing sensation...

 

We founded a small muddy path, then a paved road on wich we couldn’t ride faster than a pedestrian if we didn’t want to brake everything on our bikes, then we climbed a sloping road.

 

Then, we leaved Danube shores and rode in the austrian countryside. A lot of windturbines, tens, hundreds, maybe one miller ? We never saw that before in a single area.

 

We passed by a triple border between Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. A flat countryside, with a very long straight track without any house, but with hares every 200 meters.

 

In the middle of nowhere, a small hut with 2 young austrian custom officers, vvery happy to have seen soneone today. Of course, they made a sign to pass. No custom officers on the other side of the borderline, anyway we didn’t know if we were in Slovakia or in Hungary…

 

A few kilometer fare, we saw in the other way a Lada Niva 4x4 with an hungarian number plate. When we arrived in Rajka, first hungarian village, after crossing that

 

Nous sommes passés par un point triple no man’s land road, all seemed be different : cars, first :

 

Even we saw some high price cars, many people drive little low coast cars.

 

After a few kilometers we founded the campground/restaurant that we planned to reach. A small friendly green spot, and immediatly in a other atmosphere :

 

People sitting since a long time, according with the number of empty bottles on the tables, and relaxed attitude of the owners of the campsite. We took two half liter beers and an half liter apple juice for 3,66 euros !!!

 

So that, after the shower, we didn’t think a quarter of second to cook ourself !

 

We took grilled meat with potatoes fries and a kind of pickles/cucumbers. Me and Bernard drunk a other beer, and the final bill was 28 euros, for three, beverage included !

 

 

 

07-23 Dunakiliti - Komarom

Today amazing day, that should stay in our memories ! Wake up at 7h. Bert was ready the first...
Rain was waiting that we went out of our tents to start falling. A small thin rain, but that deep wets. We choose to ride, because we thought the rain will not fall all the day. In fact, the sun began to appear, I put my wet clothing to dry it on the luggage carrier. The bike track was quiet in well statement, sometime crossed by roots that prevent to ride fast.
At Györ, I put all my staff into the bags, because it wasn’t a thin rain, but a true deluge. Beautiful town, Györ…
We get
 some troubles to leave it and to find the road to Kormarom, because if signs to prohibit bicycle use are wery ofen, there are no information for bike riding elsewhere. But thanks to the Bernard’s magic smartphone software, and thanks to GoogleMaps, we have succeeded in finding a road, that leaded to the right way, and bicycle authorized.
… and on the end of the road : nothing ! Just a bike forbidden road and a kind of track, in very bad statement that goes right but not really in the good direction. After a few kilometers zigzaging to avoid to fall into big hole in the asphalt (when it was), we took left and joined teh EV6 !
In a small village, when we were searching our way, a very old man on a rusty bicycle shouted something in hungrarish langage, with a large arm gesture to show us the good way. A few later, we were ready to pass him when suddenly, he raised his left hand , and from the righ side of the road he crossed before us to left, without showing if someone came behind him. We were, Bernard and me, so surprised that we had a laughing fit thaat was during half a kilometer...
Then, because it was straight right, we rode straight right. After leprosy tar, it was gravels, and after a few kilometers, only two parallel single tracks made by 4x4 cars
No other option, so we continued and we arrived to a wood, where we began to ride mountain bike with our loaded bikes : muddy ground, little lateral slipery, avoiding big water full holes and finally crossing big water puddles. Very fun !
Bertrand began to get bored, and what was more, he had doubts about the way : impV6 cannot pass in that wood, we definitely took a wrong turn !
And, at the end of the wood track, we saw a EV6 sign ! That was the true way !
Later, and the campground, all the cyclists we met did that wrong track, by following the official paper printed travel guide.
The campsite : Unaffected by the passing of time, a part of an old resort with hostel, last century thermal complex, washroom with two rows of lavatories and showers, very old but in good statement and an incredible hot water pressure.
Meeting two old ladies (70-75 each one), that are travelling with their bike from Angers, in France, to Constanza in Romania. They are riding very heavy loaded bicycles, they are sleeping under the tent, are coocking their food, like us. But with 15 years more than us… They rode 3000 km in 2 monthes.
This evening, we coocked half a kilo pasta, then we went to the office, where we can sit on comfortable armchairs. It’s more easy to write...