Meeting Spike in Budda...
Hello from a decidedly undecided weather in Budapest, Hungary.
After leaving Zagreb, which, despite protests from readers of these mails, didn't redeem itself, we headed north for the first time on this trip, to the border with Hungary. Now, an aside note, that if the news from Zagreb wasn't fair, it was merely how we found it for the couple of days we visited. But in contrast to the ten or so other cities we visited, Zagreb appeared tired, drab, undynamic and somewhat lack lustre. Sure, cafe life is excellent there, and cheap too, but the Lonely Planets comparisons with Paris (a parisien feel) left me wondering, really wondering what thy meant.
With Budapest the following city to Zagreb on this trip, the disadvantage is even more unfair, perhaps.
WE left a complicated Zagreb road system, and travelled past more spit roast animals, one looking like a greyhound. Over some absolutely superb terrain, much like Tuscany, the yellow (small) roads took us through some idyllic scenery, possibly the best yet since the Hardangervidda in Norway. We were impressed by gentle rolling hills, terracotta roofs and wonderful country quietness, the sound of tractors in far off fields the only sign of people. We reach our destination town, the one with the campsite marked, but alas, it wasn't to be found, so an expensive stay in a guest house followed, but it had CNN on the tv, so we got some low down on Turkey and the quake.
We crossed the border in Hungary and into a cheap country full of trucks. Up to the north of lake Balaton and into a huge open air hot springs at Heviz, where we bobbed about for half an hour amongst loads of germans in rubber rings. The spring bubbled up from 40 metres below, a thought I didn't care to dwell on.
A couple of days cycling up along the north and less touristy side of lake balaton made us glad that we hadn't cycled up the south side. I can't imagine how trashy and touristy it would have been. The entire length of the lake is covered with campsite, restaurants and shops selling imflatable boats. We left this area full of germans and expense heading north east to Budapest. Paul counted 50 cars passing us, 26 of which we german, 24 hungarian. Nobody spoke english, only german.
We arrived in Budapest after spending the night in a campsite 20 kms out, and found the excellent Museum Guesthouse, really a hostel full of interrailers, notably a couple of guys from Westminster Uni studying film, who were very positive about our film efforts, which makes a nice change. In Budapest we rode the cog railway up to a narrow gauge railway run by children, and found ourselves in the middle of the most incomprehensible kind of passing out event. We guessed that the hundred of kids in railway uniform had completed a training course, allowing them to be the new recruits to run the railway. We didn't therefore ride this railway, but were instead amazed and fascinated at how groups of 10 kids placed their right arms on the shoulder of the kid in front and paraded over the who station, engine house, signal box and tracks, half heartedly singing what could only be the Railway company's song. I have never before seen such a geeky looking bunch of kids. I wish them luck.
After 12 counties and 5000 kms, we finally managed to eat at a Hare Krishna restaurant, Govindas (for a change), which was fine, apart from some fairly > repulsive hippies who discussed the finer points of hand stitched bags and how glue was, well, just BAD.
From here we have a long haul to Bucharest, some 850kms away, thats if we don't go the wrong way. After hearing many bad stories about Romania (bandits, bad smells, no food), some french cycletourists we met (paris to beijing) told us that Romania is fantastic and easy, and were all in all very encouraging. Which is nice. Tomorrow we leave on our biggest leg yet, expect the next, thrilling installment from the capital of Romania.