European Adventure

[Dan_seed]

Tuesday Day 18 Dubrovnik to Puke
Stats:
Distance: 296km
Hours riding: 6hrs 34 mins

After a very warm night in the tent (we slept with the door open most of the time), we decided to get up early your get everything packed away before it got too warm. The alarm went off at 6.30 which was ambitious and we finally got up at 7.30, packing up in record time. Breakfast on the go at a local bakery and we headed towards the border with Montenegro along the stunning coast road.

The issues came at the border. Asking to see our documents we dutifully handed over passports and insurance documents. We were then asked for our green card as our insurance wouldn't cover us, we tried to explain it would and that it was stated in the documentation, but we were told we needed to go and buy a green card and until then the police would hold our passports. 10Euros and a quick "chat" later, we were on our way again.

Once in Montenegro we followed the coast road again and decided not to take the ferry and take the coast road which would skip around the big bay. We then stopped in Kotor for a bite to eat and then followed some Italian bikers up and over the pass to Cetinje. This was a lovely drive and heartily recommended! We then went through Podgorica on our way to the border with Albania. We could see as we approached that there was a queue and also a storm rolling in. Not wanting to get too wet we filtered to the front to get checked out of Montenegro and then waited for about 45 mins while the thunder and lightening was going mad all around us. We did our best to shelter from the rain (under the border shelter -being asked by a kind border guard) but still got quite wet. We then skipped over to the Albania checkpoint and got through without any issues and only a passport check.

Now in Albania you could definitely feel that the country is poor and a lot of the buildings were rundown. You could certainly tell that disposable income was not available for many although there were still some nice cars and houses around. Task number 1 was to get some local currency which did not prove too difficult but understanding how much to get was the question......a quick google on the mobile revealed the exchange rate and therefore helped us to understand how much we might need. Task 2 was to get fuel. That again was no issue but we did attract some attention once we stopped 2 lads soon appeared from nowhere wanting to check out the bike. Perfectly innocent just interested! The pump attendant was also interested and wanted to chat which was not easy as we did not have a common language. A discussion around the map was all we could manage. We then stated to ascend another pass towards Puke hoping we would find a hotel or some sort of accommodation. The road surface varied along the way and I am certainly glad that I was on the GS and not a sports bike! We arrived in the town to find the main road closed with lots of people milling around. This confused us as we thought that there may have been some kind of festival and we did not know the way around. A quick negation of the back streets put us back on the main road at the other side of town, having seen no sign of any form of accommodation. Getting tired we decided that we could not continue towards Kukes and that we needed to turn around and find something in town. We only had to head about 200m and we found "Hotel Tourism Puke". The price was reasonable, they served food and brewed beer on site.....sounded perfect. The meal was a recommendation of the waiter and it did not fail to impress.....especially the meat soup. Absolutely beautiful.

Route planning and more local beer and sound advice from a local about the roads wound the evening away. Tomorrow Macedonia.

 

[PeterS]

Keep these updates and pictures coming, they are brilliant and make us feel like we are sharing this adventure with you. Some fantastic places seen and more to do. Will the beer get any cheaper??

 

[Dan_seed]

Dubrivnik pics

 

[Dan_seed]

Day 18 and 19 pics - Montenegro and Albania.

 

[Rocketman]

Gigs ,gits ,gits keep it coming ,great pics

 

[Dan_seed]

Wednesday Day 19 Puke to Struga
Stats:
Distance: 243km
Hours riding: 5hrs 20 mins

We were woken this morning by the bustle of the town waking up and people catching up over coffee (which many men seemed to spend the whole day doing, or so it seemed!) We headed downstairs for breakfast - omelette, toast and a large piece of feta cheese- all included in the 40euros price- perfect! Incidentally the huge meal we had the night before, including beers only cost £12.50.
As we'd arrived late the day before we took the opportunity to take a walk around the town, which was much bigger than we realized. It was great to see the local mini busses arriving laden with people for the town and some foods to sell and then heading back out to the small villages hidden down the dirt "roads" we kept seeing.

As we loaded up the bike, we checked the quality of the road we were intending to follow with some locals, "no problems, it's a good surface"........... Well it's all relative I suppose! The road was rather slow going with 2nd gear being the gear of choice for most of the day! Although the surface could be unpredictable it was all rideable as long as the pace was not too enthusiastic! We arrived in Kukes and then we head towards Peshkopi. This was shown on the map as a smaller road so this was a brave step. We needn't have worried though as it was very similar to the morning. Again slow but very rewarding giving an insight to the country and some great views of the hills and countryside!

By this time we were getting rather weary from the ride and lunch was a little late. We spotted a bike sat out side a small cafe and decided to stop. It turned out that the Albanian owner of the cafe spoke fantastic English as he had lived in England for 4 years before moving back due to the lack of available work. We chatted about England and Albania and he prepared us a simple lunch of spaghetti. This and the drinks we had cost about £1.50 for both of us!

Whilst we were chatting I asked where I would be able to get a sticker for the bike. This prompted much action with his son being summoned to go to the local auto parts store to obtain a sticker.....unfortunately they did not have any in and he therefore called ahead to the next store to see if they had any available. They did and he "reserved" us one and were warned that we would call in on our way past. This guy could not do enough for us! This again showed us that in the main people really are great!

Following sticker collection and a fill up at the petrol station to use up the last of our currency we head for the Macedonian border. Again we fell foul on not having a "green card" and even though our insurance documents stated that it covered us in Macedonia the border guard would not accept anything but the green card....which we did not have. The alternative was that we would purchase insurance from a local agent. 50euros later saw us on our way......we felt a bit ripped off but this will teach us our lesson for not having a green card.

We then head for Struga which is a town on a lake. The road there was in better condition and was lovely and twisty following a couple of reservoirs and the river.

We arrived to find what felt like a seaside resort. We thought we would end up in a hotel again as we could see no sign of a camping site in the sat Nav. Laura however spotted a sign for camping and we just had to follow the lake a little further to find a great site complete with its own beach. The owner was really friendly and recommended that we did not bother with the showers as the lake would be lovely for a swim at this time. He was not wrong! A total of about £7 saw us with a camping pitch and a couple of beers too! Great!

 

[Dan_seed]

Thursday Day 20 Struga, Macedonia to Serres, Greece.

Stats:
Distance: 404km
Time riding: 6hrs 15 mins

We wanted a reasonably early start to try and get sorted and some miles in the bag before the temperature started to rise and so we were up and out by 9. A quick stop the supermarket for juice and chocolate (staple diet of the road tripper!) and we were on the road. We were heading for the Greek border skirting a couple of national parks and a lake hoping for a picturesque ride. It turned out that the road was quite low and therefore no big views but we did get some twisties! Once past Bitola we were soon at the border. A quick passport check complete and we were in Greece (and another time zone!)

For a start, as we crossed the border, the country looked quite poor with many businesses looking closed and buildings being run down (clearly a reflection of the current economic crisis). However a few short miles down the road things perked up, although there seemed to be no one around, just the odd farmer with his herd, and everything seemed shut (only in the evening did we realize about siesta in Greece and clearly this is where all the sensible people were. Not riding about on their motorbike, wearing full on protective gear in 38 degree heat - it was like riding in a Dyson hand-dryer!)

Our original plan was to go to the coast, but due to the raising temperatures and the thought of sitting in traffic, we decided to head for the hills and the cooler temperatures. Heading through a small town we found a small coffee shop and decided to stop for lunch. It was clearly a popular stop with a constant stream of locals stopping by for iced coffee, with one guy riding off on his scooter clutching 3 in one hand and vaguely steering with the other hand! A couple of sandwiches and a humongous donut and we were back on the road fueled with espresso.

We had contemplated a wild camp in the beautiful Greek countryside, however the thought of a tent (we couldn't see anywhere for the hammocks) in these temperatures wasn't very appealing and so thought we'd find a nice hotel. This turned out to be trickier than first thought as many of the small towns we passed through looked completely shut, we eventually saw a hotel signposted and took the bait. 20minutes later we were cooling off in the swimming pool- I'm surprised you couldn't see the steam coming off us!!

The hotel kitchen was closed due to a wedding at their sister hotel, so after a quick chat with the very friendly guy on reception we were back on the bike heading into Serres. Serres was bustling with people, everything was open and the place was alive- a complete contrast to what we'd been seeing all day. We found the restaurant and fed like kings (again!) for about £16. The restaurant continued to fill up around us and there were still people arriving as we left at 10.30.

A short ride back to the hotel and we were back in the air-conditioning..... Bliss!


Friday day 21 Serres, Greece to Lake Batak, Bugaria

Stats:
Distance: 265km
Time riding: 5 hrs 1 min

After a lovely lie in we headed down for the hotel breakfast, Laura was pleased she got the cornflakes and cold milk she'd been dreaming of (it's the little things that matter on a motorbike tour!)
On the road we headed for the Bulgarian border, enjoying our last taste of the Greek roads. Heading for the border meant heading into the mountains and therefore more interesting routes. We crossed into Bulgaria at Exochi, through the tunnel of friendship! Nice and straightforward and we were in country number 12!!!!!!!!!

We had expected the country to be quite poor, but on first impression it seemed more affluent than Albania and much greener, although we understood even less on the road signs. We'd taken some last minute advice from the best biking roads website, again heading for the mountains.

We stopped for lunch, via the cashpoint, in Satovca a small village which again seemed shut. We found a coffee shop on the square and ordered a chicken burger and chips......or so we thought........ What arrived was a large finger roll, with sliced kebab meat and chips inside! Topped with ketchup, mayo and cabbage. It was lovely!!! And a bargain at £2.70 including drinks and espressos.

As we were getting ready to leave, what seemed like the entire male population of the town were walking down the street, 4 abreast in complete silence. The women appeared to have been with them but were now peeling off, we assume it was a funeral, quite an eerie scene. We got chatting to a fellow tourer (who also took a photo of his lunch), who was on his return leg towards France. He was heading for a camping spot at Batak, so we decided to aim for the same spot as we had no definite destination in mind for the overnight. We were however planning to take different routes with ours being down a smaller road. As we left Dospat along the lake towards sarnica we started on the small road and the surface got a little bumpy. Probably a good idea that our lunch friend did not join us on his CBR. We were climbing now and go to a heigh of about 1500m. Up here the temperature had dropped and the rain started. We donned the waterproofs and continued on, passing many horse and carts with their passengers getting soaked in the rain. We eventually passed what looked like a temporary village with shelters built with wood and plastic sheeting. We did not understand if these we travelers or not. It did make for a a very interesting sight though. Puts things into perspective really........I was worrying about my tyre pressures and their carts barely had wheels never mind tyres!

We continued through to Velingrad and then backtracked towards Batak and the lake. We were now on the look out for the campsite we discussed at lunch but did not managed to find anything. We did however notice that the edge of the lake was scattered with tents, campers and caravans. We decided that this must be the way of working here and decided to cross one of the fields to the lake edge and put the tent up. This was a fantastic location for our first wild camp of the trip. We caught a great sunset whilst cooking tea and taking far too many photos. Once the light had disappeared it was great to stargaze looking out for shooting starts, and we spotted quite a few big ones, whilst sipping tea or a little bit of single malt!

 

[PeterS]

Loving the updates, they make us feel like we are with you. It's interesting to hear about the different things in different countries. Bring us back one of those lunches you had in Satovca!! Keep the updates and pictures coming Daniel and Laura.

 

[samja1]

So Rob has 'accidentally' read this now whilst we sat by the fire pit sipping wine. I am doomed! Lol.
Love love love the blog and the photos. You are both amazing!
Xxxxx

 

[Dan_seed]

Greece pics.

 

[Dan_seed]

Bulgaria pics

 

[dr nosh]

Hey. A really good ride report. Some of the photos superb, eg. Landscapes, sunsets, draganfly...and so on. Write up equally as good. Like the stats bit as well.

How do you find the cooling performance of the Rev It jackets that you are wearing? Even on the recent hot days in the UK, I just would not be without mine.....stuck behind the screen of an RT.

Keep it coming.

 

[Dan_seed]

Thanks for the comments. Really happy people are reading and enjoying the report/ photos.

The jackets and trousers were definately worth the investement for the trip. they have made the 36/37 degree riding a better experience......still warm mind but better than the all weater kit we already had. these incombination with rain suits for when it gets cooler or we are a pretty good combo!

Hey. A really good ride report. Some of the photos superb, eg. Landscapes, sunsets, draganfly...and so on. Write up equally as good. Like the stats bit as well.

How do you find the cooling performance of the Rev It jackets that you are wearing? Even on the recent hot days in the UK, I just would not be without mine.....stuck behind the screen of an RT.

Keep it coming.

 

[Dan_seed]

Saturday Day 22. Lake Batak to Voditsa, Bulgaria
Mileage 401km
After a lovely night stargazing and sleeping peacefully on the edge of Lake Batak, we dropped the tent reasonably swiftly and headed off (we think the fact we only had enough water left for one cuppa in the morning aided this decision. A short drive down the road and we stopped for an espresso just to make sure we were fully charged!

From Batak we continued on road number 37, which meant that the twisties were still with us, but faded out as we headed towards Sofia. We then turned away from Sofia on a main road catching up with several bikers at a petrol station, getting their advice on routes to take. They recommended a pass through the Naroden Park,which took us up to 1525m and some great views.

We wanted another night camping, but after the wild camp the night before we ideally wanted a campsite (or in reality, their facilities!!!!). A quick search on the net at a petrol station over coffee, reaffirmed the fact that Bulgaria was not known for its campsites. We found St James Park, a secret campsite run by a British woman who had moved out to Bulgaria around 4 years ago. It was a little bit of a backtrack to the town of Voditsa, but it was worth it. We found the house described on the website, but no one was home and we couldn't see much evidence of a camp site, although the guard dog was definitely there. As we were chatting about what to do, a neighbor appeared speaking to us in Bulgarian.... Not a clue.... We hung around a little longer but finally decided to move on...... as we kitted up and headed down the road, we saw the same neighbor, who started waving her phone at us and speaking in Bulgarian.......feeling like naughty school children we turned the bike around and waited outside the house....5 minutes later Dancho (the owners partner) appeared. After a quick chat it became clear that they didn't really have the campsite anymore and really just catered for volunteers who stayed with them for a number of weeks, but they were more than happy for us to stay. Elly, the owner had bought the house 9 years ago and was slowly renovating (with the help of volunteers). They grew their own food, kept pigs, 2 dogs and 11 cats.
We pitched the tent in the garden and 20 lev each gave us an awesome home cooked meal and breakfast in the morning, not to mention great thought provoking conversations.


Sunday Day23. Voditsa, Bulgaria to Bucharest, Romania
Mileage 162km
After our fill at breakfast, a whole pot of lovely tea (Laura was very happy!) and a quick introduction to the pigs we headed along the back roads towards Ruse and the border with Romania.

After a 20minute wait on the bridge over the Danube, due to construction work, we passed easily into Romania. We stuck to the main road with the intention of getting to Bucharest for a look around the city. The use of free wifi at our favorite haunt of a petrol station paid off and we found a decent, and reasonably cheap, hotel on the outskirts of the city. This meant we could at least try and navigate the city center ring road with a destination in mind! We of course made full use of the hotel room, washing a load of clothes and hanging our washing line in the bathroom, whilst recharging camera batteries and headsets. We also had to do a quick duct tape repair of Laura's headset as the soaring temps has melted the glue and it fell off on the way into Bucharest!

We headed for the Peoples Palace (Parliament building) only to find it was closed and deceived to head back the following morning and so headed for the old town instead. After much meandering we found the hundreds of restaurants and pubs that filled the old town. Not really sure on what we should see, we bought a tourist map and walked around the old town spotting the beautiful buildings and architecture that had survived the communist building regime. Obviously we also HAD to visit the traditional beer hall ...... it would have been rude not to!

Monday Day 24. Bucharest to Bran, Romania
Mileage 168km

The day started with a Hotel breakfast and then packing our gear into the luggage room so that we could head off to the peoples palace for the tour, before heading out of the city again. A short taxi ride and we were at the palace once again marveling at its enormity! Well it is the second biggest building in the world, but apparently the heaviest!!! We had to wait a short while for the English tour to start but it was well worth the wait! The place is fascinating and the history lesson about the revolution was also very interesting! We spent about 2 hours roaming various rooms in the palace, starting in one of the small conference rooms and eventually heading to one of the biggest rooms that would 1000 people when full. this lead out on the the balcony at the front of the building with a great view down the avenue. From here we were to head to one of the underground sections. This was very brief but it soon showed the complexity of the ventilation systems that serviced the building (they didn't have normal air con for fear of poisoning!) If you have the the opportunity to go into Bucharest and visit this place then do!
We then grabbed a quick lunch before going back to the hotel to get kitted up and head out of the city. We had Bran on our route and thought this would make a good overnight destination. The weather was not great with a good crosswind making anything over 60mph pretty miserable and then as we started to get a little higher into the hills we also saw some rain. We stopped for a coffee and this turned out to be a great idea as when we got back on the road we saw some evidence of local cars either having come off the road or even on their roofs due to the wet weather. A set of hairpins saw us on the road that heads south from Braslov and soon we were in Bran at Vampire Camping.

This turned out to be a very popular destination with travellers and we spent the evening with a lovely couple from Australia who have great experience of traveling 2up on a motorbike all around the world (Great to meet you Grant and Julie). Also with us were a german couple who were about half way into a 6 month tour on 2 BMW's. some great stories and advice exchanged!

Was also great to see some english travelers here. Not on bikes though but with campers, caravans and a great Iveco 4WD truck........Large enough to carry a GS as their run around!

Tuesday Day 25. Rest day in Bran visiting Draculas home!
We decided that we would take today as a rest day with the time to explore Bran and the castle, hoping to catch a glimpse of Dracula. Most of the morning was spent again exchanging stories with others on the campsite and with us only getting into Bran at lunchtime. A quick snack which consisted of deep-fried bread covered in cream and cheese (Langos) .......not sure I will be quick to request that one again!
We then joined the queue for the castle. The place was very popular with Romanians and this meant that the place was packed! It was very interesting to have a walk around and check out a very different type of building. The room layout was a little chaotic but this made it even more interesting!
We spent the rest of the afternoon hiding from the rain storm in a bar catching up on the blog and sorting our a few photos.
We should also mention the local stick bread (Kurtoskalacs) we had ours covered in chocolate powder - it didn't last long! Thanks to Isobel and Marcus for the recommendation!

 

[Dan_seed]

Bucharest pics

 

[Dan_seed]

Bran Pics

 

[Dan_seed]

Transfagarasen Pics

 

[Dan_seed]

Wednesday Day 26 - Bran to Sibiu
Mileage: 283km

We had a night listening to the sound of the rain on the tent hoping that it would disappear by the morning. It did slow down but not to the point we hoped for and everything was soaked though.
We started the packing up ritual, only to be slowed by an infestation of ants in the roll bag. A quick decontamination later and we were packed. A few errands to complete, and quietly hoping the rain/cloud would get much better, before getting on the road then meant we left at about midday.
We followed the road south for a start to Campulung and stopped briefly for lunch. We then got back on the road in anticipation of the "best road in the world", the Transfagarasen Highway. This started rather slow with the road surface a little sketchy.....not helped with the covering of water and me not being able to see so well with the visor covered in fine rain. We kept thinking that maybe Top Gear had got it all wrong as we could not imagine any super car getting on too well with these roads, even in dry conditions.
All the way to the top of the pass the conditions did not seem to get much better with the surface being a bit of a patchwork of tarmac and concrete, with many road repairs evident.......and even some that were not evident with some of the road sides missing and just marked with a bollard or 2. We then went through the tunnel to surface again at about 2000m and the top of the climb. This was marked with several stalls selling food and general souvenirs. They even wanted me to pay for parking........I refused and parked at the side of the road with enough time for a few photos and a toilet break.
We jumped back on the bike and started the descent only to be greeted with the view that you get if you google the road.....WOW. What a view. We stopped for further pics getting drenched in the process. We then started once again and tried to enjoy the road despite the conditions. I think the road was nice but I am not sure that I can agree with the Top Gear boys in the title that they gave it! They need to drive some more in the Alps and then let us know their conclusions!
We continued towards Sibiu with Camping Ananas programmed into the sat nav. We arrived not looking forward to putting up the tent and spotted that they had some small huts available......90Leu (about £15) saw us with a dry warm place for the night! Perfect!

 

[louby79]

Thursday Day 27 - Sibiu to Farcasa, Romania
Mileage: 352km

After a lovely night in the cabin, drying off clothes and camping gear, we put the wet weather gear back on and hit the road. Neither of us really looking forward to another soggy day on the bike - but at least we weren't at work!!!
We didn't really have much food for breakfast, so decided to save ourselves and splurge a bit at lunch and so, following a recommendation of a lovely town we headed towards Sighisoara. Unfortunately with the way the gear is on the bike, we're reluctant to leave it for too long out of sight and usually look for somewhere we can park right outside. We struggled to find somewhere on the outskirts of Sighisoara! And so after a couple of circuits of the town we headed out and found a hotel/restaurant. Weirdly they sold mainly Chinese dishes, which were huge!! A perfect way to warm up and dry out.

From here we rode through the gorges in the Cheile Bicazului Hasmas National Park, which were impressive. Unfortunately it was too wet to stop and get pics. We eventually arrived in Bicaz, stopping to get more funds, continuing along the edge of the reservoir and onto a smaller "yellow" road, which had clearly suffered from subsidence making it quite interesting. The road took us through several small villages, with the shepherds still out in the fields wearing sheets of plastic to stay dry (suddenly our deal didn't seem so bad!)

After another long, wet day on the road we were looking out for a hotel. We found Pensiune Orizont in Farcasa. I popped into the bar to see what the deal was, with everyone turning to see who the blonde woman was, who had walked into the bar full of local men..... Unfortunately the girl behind the bar didn't speak English and so directed me to one of the locals who did his best to understand me and direct me around to the hotel. The guy here was lovely and we were soon unpacking in a lovely comfy room for 100Lei.

We joined the locals in the restaurant for a feast of local "peasant meals" and of course local beer. The food and atmosphere were amazing - and of course the prices were really cheap! All capped off by a sound, dry nights sleep.

Friday Day 28 - Farcasa, Romania to Fogado, Hungary
Mileage: 468km

Today we accidentally drove to Hungary!

It was a big day, mileage wise. We wanted to get towards the Hungarian Border, so we could sample some more Romanian hospitality, whilst having a short drive to following day to Budapest. We intended to head to Oradea, following mainly the E58. We actually followed the 1H which turned out to be a lovely, newly resurface, twisty road-great fun.

The weather was awful and it rained all day, we stopped for the odd coffee but decided to plough on looking for another hotel or pension to spend the night. We struggled, and when we finally found a hotel, it was pretty expensive (by Romanian prices) so we decided to press on, in the rain. Suddenly we were at the border at Artand and through into Hungary before we knew it, but now we understood why the hotel was expensive.
It was getting late and despite the weather we decided to programme a campsite into the GPS, luckily we spotted a hotel and restaurant just into Hungary and managed to get a room, meal and breakfast for less than the border hotel in Romania.

Damp, shattered and full we collapsed!

Saturday Day 29 - Fogado to Budapest, Hungary
Mileage: 268km

We wanted to be up and sorted early this morning, to try and make the most of the afternoon in Budapest- and we actually managed it. A quick breakfast in the hotel got us ready to go and we were on the road in the rain.....again

We'd done some research the night before and decided to head for a campsite in Budapest as not knowing the city, we felt it was easier than trying to park the bike.

We rocked up at the campsite early afternoon, which was perfect for us to pitch up and get sorted, especially now it had stopped raining!. The campsite was compact for tents, with possibly the busiest toilet/shower block in the world- even at 12.30am, but it was very convenient for the city centre. Not long after getting the tent up, we got chatting to Aaron, a fellow Brit who was taking a year out, solo, on his push bike. He'd already come across Europe and was heading towards "The Stans" next. After some good gear talk and travel stories we headed off for the city center.
A 5 min walk and short metro ride later we were in the heart of Budapest, somebody pinch me! A quick orientation with the tourist map we were soon walking through the beautiful city, with impressive buildings and bridges coming at you from every angle. We wondered the streets for a while and found a small Hungarian restaurant which was popular with the locals and took the opportunity to try some local food and of course "rehydrate"! We headed along the river as the sun went down, and the city transformed again. We were glad we had another day to explore and try and take it all in!

Sunday Day 30 - Rest day in Budapest

We set the alarm for 7.30am (on a Sunday! on holiday!), so we could get into the city early and make the most of our day. We got chatting to a lovely Italian guy who was asking Dan loads of questions about the bike, and telling us about the bikes he's ridden over the years. He disappeared and reappeared with pictures of the bikes he's lovingly restored, a Moto Guzzi with a sidecar which was voted the 2nd best restored bike in Italy and a beautiful BSA- sometimes you don't have to speak the same language to understand.

After a month on the bike, we decided we deserved a treat and headed to the Thermal Spa. 5 pools ranging from 22 to 42 degrees, a 15.5 deg plunge pool, saunas and steam rooms- 2 hours of bliss (and a slightly pungent sulphur smell). We spent the rest of the day wandering the city. We had an awesome view from the top of St Stephens Basilica, some thought provoking moments by the Shoes by the Danube and parliament square and an interest in mooch around the folk museum.

There is so much to take in, we know we'll be back. If you're heading to Budapest we would suggest some research before you go, we did some basic research but know we barely scratched the surface.

Monday Day 31 - Budapest to Stara Lesna, Slovakia
Mileage: 285km

After a nutritious breakfast of biscuits and tea, we headed off towards the border. (Without wet weather gear!) going north out of Budapest following E77 (or Route 66 as it's known locally). We stopped just before the border to refuel the bike, and ourselves, as you're never quite sure how border crossings will go. We really didn't need to worry as there was no one there are we drove straight through. Happy days and hello country 15!
We continued on to Banska Bystrica then followed the yellow Route 66, turning off towards Poprad through the Nizke Tatry National Park before crossing the motorway and heading up to the Tatransky National Park.

Slovakia is beautiful, very green with some big hills. It also has some huge flats which proved to be very windy, with welcome respite in the lovely villages we drove through.

We passed through a huge ski resort and found a little campsite (Rijo Camping) just outside Stara Lesna with the stunning Tetra mountains in the background. There was loads of space (especially compared to the city campsite), however the facilities are basic and showering was an "experience", so I'm glad to be bouncing out tomorrow.

It's great to be back in the mountains again, cooking up a feast on the trangia whilst chatting about our adventures (not to mention catching up on the blog!).

Poland and Auschwitz tomorrow, best get some sleep then.


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[louby79]

Will post some more pics when we have a better internet connection.


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