Trans Europa Day 34 Hegyko to Szombathely - 59km

BABOONS AT DAWN

BABOONS AT DAWN

It was agreed last night that this morning would be baboon day so we all turned out for breakfast with our shorts inside out! Great fun was had by all. Some rode off this way but most changed back to normal wear for the comfort of today's short ride to Szombathely which has quite an interesting history as you will see from this link: Szombathely

The memorial to the left is located in Szombathelynext to the former synagogue (now used as a concert hall). More than 4200 Jews once lived in this town and its surrounds before World War II began, but most all were sent to Auschwitz.

Unfortunately, I did not see this in person but extracted the above information and photo from the internet.

I got into town around 10.30am and had a wander around. Gergo had suggested taking a look at part of the original "Amber Route"" excavated under a Bank and I found the usual array of interesting buildings and street art depicted below.

Part of original Amber Route

After my tour of town, I cycled to camp, set up the tent and then headed to the restaurant across the road for lunch. Gergo had recommended the Hungarian Traubsoda as the soft drink of choice but when I asked for one I was instead offered an Almdudler which I gleefully accepted. Feeling a bit peckish, I ordered Hungarian chicken soup and saffron risotto with shrimp which was beyond delicious and which was washed down with 3 Almdudlers in all for a grand total of less than 13 Euros - a great lunch.

John joined me at lunch for the risotto.

I was just told by Brian, one of our Riders, that Miles is making risotto and corn for dinner...

Trans Europa Day 33 Bratislava to Hegyko - 95km

We left the good ship Gracia in convoy and headed to Austria where we stopped for a group photo at the border. An abandoned desolate reminder of what once was the might of the communist border patrol.

It was nice to be back in Austria and straight onto the bike paths which I cycled last year on TDA Orient Express with such ease.

Today would be a 3 country ride - Slovakia, Austria and Hungary. Quite amazing to do by bicycle!!

                                   

After a mocca and schnekker at a very nice Austrian cafe in a small town not far from the border, it was off along the bike path around a lake and through a resort area which had a number of restaurants and swimming areas and a cyclists' walk of fame with an arts and crafts market across the road.

Onward to the lunch stop where to my surprise I was first in. Thankfully today was a watermelon day so that was lunch! Scott, who is usually first in to camp, arrived shortly afterwards and we rode together after lunch across the border and into Hungary and onward to Termal Kemping where Scott allowed me to be first in thus taking the quinella for the day - first and last time I would guess :)

Austria border with Hungary

Scott in the sunflowers

Once the tent was up, time for a bit of bike maintenance, a couple of drinks and then dinner of chili con carne with quinoa but preceded by a short Hungarian lesson from our guide Gergo who is a very proud Hungarian! We will be in Gergo-land for only 3 days and then on to Slovenia.

Trans Europa Day 32 Bratislava Rest Day - 0km

Deja vu - here's my Bratislava blog from last year's Orient Express Bratislava



Back on the good Botel Gracia, Bratislava is much as I remember it from last year but with the addition of a new installation of a 3/4 size replica of an ornate twin-towered synagogue in the place where it stood until it and the entire Jewish quarter of the city were destroyed by communist authorities in the late 1960s to build a new bridge and highway. 

The destruction of the synagogue, built in 1894, little more than two decades after most of Bratislava’s  15,000 Jews were murdered in the Shoah symbolized communist-era suppression of Jewish life. Indeed, right after the fall of communism in 1989, activists painted a big picture of it on the pavement where it had stood, with an angry scrawl alongside: “Here there was once a synagogue!”

There is a video playing inside the replica with historical footage of the destruction of the synagogue.

In the tradition of the rest day, enjoy the photos!

Tonight's very simple dinner = 3 fresh rolls with pressed chicken and prawn dip

John and friend

Trans Europa Day 31 Jelenec to Bratislava - 117km

Apart from some small damage to the kitchen canopy, we got through the windstorm in one piece and packed up before sitting down for breakfast joined by our kitten friend.

Rode all day into headwinds or crosswinds so not very pleasant as we hit the outskirts of Bratislava. Lunch at around 70km with refreshing watermelon on offer and then the long 40km or so haul in to town where unfortunately I lost the markers but, because I was here last year with Orient Express, I found an alternative route to Botel Gracias where we are moored for 2 nights.

Dinner for eight in town with the gang. Chicken soup and duck - not bad but not as good as Poland!
And note the choc chip muffin served with the duck!

Trans Europa Day 30 Banska Stiavnica to Jelenec - 78km

After a restful night and a light breakfast it was time to take Merlin for a 6km hill climb out of town and then into rural Slovakia. Lots of religious statues along the roads for inspiration


 

                                                                                                    
Quite a pleasant morning's ride to lunch at around 50km just after the almost 1000 year old monastery town of Hronsky Benadik.

The sun beat down as we climbed more hills to get to the remote campsite with no store, no wifi but plenty of animals including a horse, chickens, a very old red setter dog and a tiny kitten to keep us company.




I set the tent up in the shade and managed a nap before dinner. Then into the tent for a good night's sleep except for the fierce winds which ripped through around 2am causing havoc and destruction around us. But we survived to tell the tale.