7. From Rackeve to Vienna (H, Sk, Austria)

From the 9th to the 20th of August

After finishing our internet message (we spent 3 hours on the computer of the tourist info office of Rackeve) we quickly ride on the bikes to the AquaPark to have a jump in the thermal pools and in the same time to pick up the kids (they were alone there for the whole afternoon). And we continued our way to Budapest. On the next day, 9^th of Aug, we had a meeting at 10,30 am with Elodie, Pit, Paul and Alix in front of Gellert Hotel in Budapest. We managed to be on time and we waited for them... They insisted they were on time but I still believe they arrived 10 min late. After the greetings we climbed up Gellert mount to enjoy the panoramic view of the city. We spent the afternoon in Széchenyi baths at the other side of the city. We had great fun in the pools, happy to have the rain in the warm water, naively ????? how the day will finish. The following day we advanced slowly along the curves of the Danube river, passing through the cities of Szentendre (and its craft and ice cream shops), Visegrad (and the 3 star view on the Danube according to Pit and its Michelin guide. To have such view you need to deserve it and to climb the 5 km steep road to the top – with the camping car for some of us and with bikes for Damien and Pit), Esztergom (and its huge basilica 1 Michelin star), Komarom (and the thermal pools), Gyor – a charming town with quiet and coloured paved streets  (and the best thermal pool ever rated by Mira and Sashko), Lipot, Bratislava (and its Radisson breakfast), Hainburg, and finally 30 km ride through the surroundings of Vienna to achieve Maria Enzersdorf, where we are still today also.  The road was flat but the wind sometime made the ride difficult. During the first part Damien was biking with Mira and Pit, Elodie and Paul were biking with us. After they left Mira was biking alone for the first time in order for Nina to rest a little.

We are now in Austria and most of the roads are cycling paths following the Danube curves. It is 20^th of August and we have biked so far 1640 km! We are half way to our final destination.

Different days – different breakfasts

After 12 consecutive nights in the tent, some time under storm, wind and rain, we finally stopped in a hotel (for a night only!) in Radisson SAS Bratislava. It was quite a change and so pleasant to sleep in a large bed after a long and relaxing hot shower (2 min shower for Damien...) Mira was concerned she sleeps so far away from Sashko – 2 meters away instead of the 10 centimetres in the tent.

The next morning - huge breakfast was waiting for us downstairs. Kids did not manage to stop to Ohh and Ahh and Auu the first 10 min and they ran to the food like bulls in front of red silk, and prepared for themselves plates full with million things…

Some of you might think that the reaction of the kids shows we do not feed them enough during our regular biking trip days. I strongly disagree – our food is plain and simple, without extravagances. Our usual breakfast is bread and chocolate (the chocolate is shared between us by either Mira or Alexander – like that they are practising multiplication and division – it is a sweet way to learn math). Sometimes our breakfast includes as well melon or water melon and sometimes even croissants or banica from the local bakery.

The following day after Radisson, the morning and the breakfast were quite different. During that day we quit Bratislava, passed the Austrian boarder and biked along the Danube River. We stopped and slept in a playground meadow, next to the village of Stopfenreuth. When we woke up we had the nice surprise to realise it is Sunday morning in Austria: no shop open the whole day. So one tablet of chocolate and one melon shared between four of us was our breakfast and lunch…

One week with Pit and Elodie (Aug 9 – Aug 14) – from Nina

I had the silver opportunity to learn French finally and I missed it again… 5 days in Pit & Elodie’s camping car, I dared to talk French only with the 7 years old Paul who was amazingly patient for a kid but anyway advised me to go to a French school if I want to learn to talk in French…

Though often I was frustrated and afraid if I will manage to continue to bike, the time spent with Pit and Elodie was very pleasant. Damien, Paul and the kids were biking either with Pit or with Elodie, I was sitting in the car together with the 2 years old Alix, watching through the window the small Hungarian villages or sleeping. I was often very envy to the others who were biking and very sad I can not be with them. In the same time we managed to see very nice, old, small villages – Damien, Sashko, Mira, Paul or Pit – pushing or pulling Mira’s bike where I was sitting with my gypsed leg, we saw a rainbow above a small green hill next to a beautiful castle, we slept at very nice meadows – their camping car staying next to our tent made us feel cosy and not alone, we had so nice dinners with funny games after and so pleasant breakfasts with milk, cacao, corn flakes for the kids and lots of chocolate, we spent lazy afternoons at mineral water swimming pools and we felt happy listening to the kids playing and laughing or arguing and laughing after. We were all little sad the day they had to leave. After they prepared and left for us 2 bags of food and we all have eaten a good-bye ice cream, we were waving long after the camping car left..

This same evening I biked 3km – for the first time after I removed my first gyps. I was so happy. Damien was so happy. Kids understood and became excited. We slept next to pine trees. It was happy night.