Budapest to Timisoara

(335km's, 14 hours; cumulative distance from Paris: 2406km's, 118 hours)

We had an interesting time in Budapest. Carl and I found a lovely restaurant in one of the many pedestrian squares and enjoyed a delicious meal. Carl enjoyed a Slovakian Gnocchi dish with ewe cheese that came with a complimentary Slovakian beer. I had a Hungarian dish of chicken with a paprika sauce and both were yummy. No beer for me though! J

Carl and I took a bus tour around Budapest. We were able to escape the heat and learn and see more about Buda and Pest – it stormed during this bus tour but that didn’t detract from a good experience. A visit to the Photographic Exhibition called Soul and Body was well worth the effort.

In the evening we went to a restaurant which I had seen the night before. A trio consisting of a double bass player, a violinist and a guitarist were playing to the diners at the pavement cafe. They thought playing for me was also a good idea. How beautiful were the tunes they played – I requested the Argentine Tango piece from Scent of a Woman and New York New York. The memory lingers – assisted by their CD that Carl bought for me.

Now a little bit about our daily routine.

It is very hot now and we try and leave as early as we can to escape the heat of the day. To achieve this we are now served breakfast at 7. This usually consists of muesli – a bit of a jungle mix with an assortment of nuts, seeds, grains, and various types of muesli, cornflakes and more. Occasionally there is a choice of porridge on some days and boiled eggs and hectic slices of bacon on others. Other times there is yoghurt too. There is always an endless supply of bread and jam, peanut butter and endless jars of Nutella. The latter is also available at lunch time. Breakfast happens of course once we’ve taken down our tent and packed up. We pitch our tent at every campsite and this is usually 2 or 3 days in a row following which we are in a hotel for 2 nights. That pattern changes now that we’re in Eastern Europe where we are mostly in hotels - campsites are apparently not that wonderful.

The vans take our bags for us. We are allowed 2 bags each on the trip, the 70litre size barrel bag. One bag is the daily bag which has the tent and other camping gear, the riding gear and civvies to wear at camp when the ride is done and of course the sponge bag and quick drying towel. (The towel might be quick drying but it leaves me damp!) The other bag is kept in the van and we only have access to it on our rest days.

We begin our ride feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Distances vary from 80 or so kilometers to 130 or so kilometers per day. The terrain varies too. The last 2 days has been very flat and very hot. The lunch van usually meets us at about 50 to 60 km’s into the ride. The van is parked in a suitable clearing with shade; tables are set out, a hand wash container and drinking water. Lunch will be rolls or bread and tomatoes, cheese and some type of meat and fruit and of course the Nutella, peanut butter and jam. Lunch is not prescribed by time but by speed and distance. Lunch could be as early as 10h00! Once lunch is complete we’re on the road again. Often we stop along the way if we find an inviting drinks spot. We’ll have a little reprieve over an ice-cream or a drink.

Then it’s the final kilometers into camp. Once a suitable spot has been located we pitch our tent, pump up the luxury 8inch air mattress, and cover that with the fitted sheet and then the down duvet and pillows (camp pillows). It is so hot now that we sleep on top of the duvet. Carl and I enjoy a good, comfortable night’s sleep. Then it’s off to shower and freshen up, enjoy a snack or a trip into the nearby town if there is one or simply have a nap. Some of the campsites have pools – most of these have had a fee attached to them!

Evening meals are served after a rider briefing. Supper consists of some form of pasta and salad or veggies. We’ve had grilled pork chops and on another occasion grilled turkey breast fillets, sausage etc. Jaco from Malmesbury in the Cape has on occasion jumped to the rescue and is the able cook for the barbecued meats – and a jolly good job he does too.

Bedtime has been in daylight because the sun sets so late, however as we travel further east this is changing. Our clocks changed yesterday as we entered Romania, so we lost an hour and will be going to sleep at 21h30 in the light again.

We had a “talent show” in camp a couple of nights ago. Inadvertently Carl, our tandem “Bluebelle” and I provided humorous topics for fellow cyclists. The photographs on our photo link show Win and Dan as Carl and Rita singing “Daisy Daisy” and Jos and Manon being Carl and Rita. Manon was very accurate in her imitation of me putting on lipstick (lip ice) on the back of the tandem and taking photographs as we ride. They did a fine job. Both acts were very amusing!

I still wonder why I am doing this trip and can’t believe that I have managed to get this far. It seemed like a bridge too far when we first began, but here we are having completed some 2400 kilometers of cycling and still going strong. Carl and I took a little tumble yesterday about 15 km’s from the hotel. The sides of the road are white gravel and in the glare Carl did not see that where the road ended and the gravel began was quite a deep rut. The wheel got stuck and we went for a slide on loose gravel. All this so we could sit in the shade to get out of the heat! Jos was on our wheel at the time, watched all this happen and promptly came to our rescue. Alan, also from South Africa, arrived soon after. Jos poured water all down my leg and arm to clean off the blood and grit and check the injuries. Carl put antiseptic cream on and then Jos helped clean Carl’s arm. Many fellow cyclists stopped to assist and encourage us. This is what this ride is all about. We were truly cared for. After drinking the cold water which Alan bought for us, Carl and I set off once more on Bluebelle and rode the last 15 kilometers into Timisoara. Amandine, the tour nursing sister did a splendid job checking our wounds, cleaning them properly and dressing them. The photograph shows this. After a good sleep Carl and I joined some friends for dinner in one of the many beautiful squares in this amazing town. We are both ready for the ride tomorrow after a very relaxing rest day. The mountains of Romania await us!