# A Time of Gifts



## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

This summer I cycled along the Danube River from Bratislava to the Black Sea. I met a friend in Strasbourg France and we cycled to Budapest together. After a week with friends in Budapest I continued on along the Danube. 

People I met along the way were incredibly gracious and helpful. If I asked for directions or advice people would walk with me to help me find the way, or inquire about a hotel, or make a call to a friend to ask about a pension or camping spot. It was an enjoyable adventure. 

This trip report is named after Patrick Leigh Fermor's classic in travel literature. He walked across Europe from Holland to Constantinople in 1933 and 1934, often following rivers including the Danube. He passed away in June.

Strasbourg, France









Strasbourg Cathedral and markets









Polish dancers









Ill River. Flows into Rhine at border with Germany









Artistic shows at a pub. There were storytellers, musicians, art projects for kids and this origami demonstration. My friend played the accordion there.



























dancing at the cathedral









One night we watched a water, light, music and animation show in Strasbourg inspired by Tomi Ungerer. 

We biked over to Kehl Germany to buy tickets for the trip the next day to Bratislava. 
Kehl Germany. Check out some of the transportation infrastructure they have. 



























Light rail and pedestrian street









Getting around Strasbourg via velo.


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

We leave for Bratislava. We took four trains to Bratislava due to having bicycles. 


















We biked across town in Vienna to another train station for the last train of the journey. My friend studied in Bratislava and speaks Slovak, in addition to French, English, German, and Spanish. 

Bratislava Slovakia and Dunaj









Castle









St. Elizabeth of Hungary 1207-1231. The daughter of King Andrew II and his Wife Gertrude. She took a vow of poverty and devoted her life to others, particularly the poor and the sick.









Bratislava



























Light rail and pedestrian street in Bratislava


















part of Old Town Bratislava was bulldozed to make way for automobiles and a bridge









The Rough Guide to Europe: "The most insensitive of Bratislava's postwar developments took place on the west side of the old town, when, following the annihilation of the city's Jewish population by the Nazis, the Communist authorities tore down almost all of the Jewish quarter in order to build the hideous SNP Bridge, now known as the Nový Most or New Bridge." The image on the wall commemorates the temple that was on the site.













































The root beer is a tradition I am told.


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

After a couple of days in Bratislava we started cycling along the Danube. The first night there was a tremendous lighting storm as we were camping near the levy. It seemed to last about three hours and I was up most of the time watching the bolts and counting the time to thunder. 



















Magyarország









We stopped at a cafe in Győr. It has a wonderful town center.

The soft energy path









EU 6 bicycle route









Esztergom. Capital of Magyarország from 10th to 13th centuries.









Basilica. Built on the site of the first cathedral in Magyarország, where Vajk was crowned as King Stephen by a papal envoy on Christmas Day 1000 AD. This signified the creation of Magyarország and brought it into the Roman Catholic Church.









Cardinal József Mindszenty is also buried in the Basilica. He was opposed to Communism and was arrested for treason and tortured. Eventually freed during the 1956 Uprising he lived in exile in the US Embassy in Budapest and, as a critic of the Vatican, later forced to Vienna where he died in 1975. His remains were returned to Esztergom and buried with state honors as the last Soviet soldiers were leaving in 1991. 

Duna, Esztergom









A room with a view









Budapest, Magyarország


















People at a canoe club hosted us when we couldn't find an official camp site.



























more to come....


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## quattrotom (Jul 15, 2006)

That looks like an amazing experience. How long did you spend touring in total?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Art853 said:


> ...more to come....


Great report, nice to see the area again.

Can't wait for more! :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

Beautiful report. Thanks for posting.


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

Thank you kindly. I should mention the route we were following is called EuroVelo6.

I arrived in London and rode through Britain from Land's End to Edinburgh before arriving in Strasbourg. I ended the trip in Paris. It was about 2 months total. 

I had been suffering from asthma and after arriving in Budapest I needed to take some time to rest and recover (with the help of French medical care). I wasn't sure I could go on at all and was concerned about riding into an area where I might not be able to leave easily. It wasn't clear if I could take a bicycle on some of the trains outside of Hungary or what kind of medical care I could find if things got worse. I spent about nine days in Budapest staying at my friends' home. It's a wonderful city and I will post some photos of my time there in the future.

My friends had not been to the part of Hungary along the Danube so they were eager to see my photos of the region. The Danube river plains are mostly farmland and small towns and not a typical tourist area for Hungarians. 

There are cycling guides to the Danube but I wasn't able to find them in Budapest. I bought regular road maps instead. In Hungary the tourist information centers have a map of the cycling routes in the country. 

Duna, Budapest









Szent István-bazilika (St. Stephen's Basilica)









Budapest









The first day was riding along a long island in the Duna. There was a small pedestrian bridge at the end I learned about from the woman at the tourist info center in Ráckeve.
Ráckeve market









Ráckeve. French cyclists









The Duna in Magyarország from the cycle path along the levy.









A shepherd and his flock









Sometimes there were multiple possibilities for a route. This one was improvised and passed through paths of tall grasses and woods. 









I stopped to check my map in Kalocsa. A man with a child on the back of his bike rode up to talk with me and ask how things were going. He recommended avoiding the levy (too slow and bumpy) and staying on 51. He called a friend on his cell phone from Dusnok and asked where I could camp around there. He recommended a park next to a small river (Vajas-fok) and a pub (Mediterrán). A lovely spot. The trailer in the picture is full of watermelons. 






















































Crossing the Duna by ferry at Mohács, Magyarország.


















Mohács. An important city marking the beginning and end of Ottoman rule.









Cycle path outside of Mohács.









Delivering babies. Storks are a common sight in Hungary.









Udvar, Magyarország









Here I was riding towards the Croatian border.


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## Kurious Oranj (Oct 11, 2009)

Great report! Thanks for sharing.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

man.....
we need to move to europe.


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## rkj__ (Mar 21, 2007)

Art853 said:


> The soft energy path


I like this one. ^^^

Very cool stuff. Thanks for posting.


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

Thanks a lot. 

I rode into Croatia after leaving Magyarország. I eventually met a group from Slovenia that was touring along the Dunav. They would ride into the evening and then look for a place to stay. I took a wrong turn and went down a cobblestone road to the Dunav again. There was a thunderstorm coming and I was looking for a place to sleep. I stopped to talk to some people walking along the road. One woman spoke English and suggested I sleep under a bridge near the levy. I was concerned about the lighting and bridge so I moved off downstream near a small boat launch area. After I set up my tent a heavy rain and lighting storm started giving me a good rain shower. Some fishermen came and docked in the night and a dog came over to see what was up. 

Nice place to rest. First evening in Croatia.









Snails grow to 2 meters long in Croatia


















A group from Slovenia. They invited me to join them during their ride and breaks. Riding toward Osijek, Croatia.









After a watermelon snack break in a park in Osijek.









No camping sign (aka land mines). Thank you to the good doctor for the warning.









Vukovar, Croatia. Water tower is symbol of 87 day Battle of Vukovar in 1991 and Croatian 
War of Independence









The local bike shop.









Vukovar









Memorial


















Between Croatia and Serbia's border checkpoints


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

*Serbia*

I arrived at the Serbian border in the morning. It had rained hard during the night and the ground was a sticky mixture of mud and clay. It clumped on my wheels and I had to drag the bike. My feet had small snowshoes of mud on them. I tried to clean up by the border but I was concerned about what the guard might think. His dog gave a short growl to me but was told to stop. They checked my passport inside, then returned it and lifted the metal bar and sent me on the way. 

In Serbia I was descending a hill and as I passed a car stopped in the road a woman standing behind the car waved to me and held up a bag of fruit. I stopped in front of her car and she came over and gave me a couple of peaches.

I arrived in Novi Sad and stopped at a grocery store for some food. After having some snacks I was looking for the town center, along with a restroom. I went into the KFC and tried to inquire about a restroom. The young woman answered in perfect English it was upstairs. I also asked the location of the town center and she told me to go straight on the street across from us. 

The pedestrian town center was a lively place filled with people walking around on a warm and sunny day. I found a cafeteria style cafe and hence I could just ask for food easier by pointing out different dishes. A couple at the table next to me were reading and the guy was reading Grapes of Wrath. They were Canadian and had been in Croatia and eastern Europe for several weeks. They sold all their stuff and were WWOOFing around the world. I enjoyed talking with them and then realized my late lunch was extending into dinner time. Eventually I left Novi Sad but given the late time I ended up camping on the other side of the river from downtown. The park is the site of a huge Exit Festival each summer. I was next to the river and some people gave a concert through the night even though it was raining at night. 

Novi Sad, Serbia









Novi Sad center. Lively pedestrian area. This photo doesn't reflect how many people were walking in the streets.


















After riding out of Novi Sad in the evening along the river I realized it was not a through path and returned back to a beach near the city to spend the night.









The next day I rode toward Beograd along the old route between Novi Sad and Beograd. People would occasionally wave and friendly honk to me.









Area of cafes along the bike path, park, and river









Serbia has a well signed bike route along Dunav. Inspirational messages below the signs.









Park and boardwalk outside Beograd









Entering Beograd


















Beograd center pedestrian streets. The downtown center and parks are lively day and night.









In Beograd I search the bookstores for a cycling guide to the Danube without success. I ended up buying "A Guide to the Serbian Mentality" by Momo Kapor, a famous Serbian columnist who passed away last year. One Serb I know at home recommended "How to Understand Serbs" instead. He said it was offbeat and probably more authentic.

Kalemegdan Park in the evening









Beograd Fortress









Beograd Fortress view of the confluence of the Sava and Dunav rivers









Kalemegdan Park









Memorial to 89 children killed by NATO bombing in 1999









Leaving Beograd and crossing Dunav









Pančevo. Security guards advancing on the left.


















Golubac Fortress from the 14th Century. Built on a Roman settlement


















I took a detour up into the hills for the evening. I met some Serbs mountain biking along these roads. I spent the night up there and not one person passed along the road for the 13+ hours I was there. I heard a strange animal that sounded like a wild goat in the night however. It yelled and ran off when I turned on my light after waking up to shuffling leaves. 










The road less traveled 









Has some amazing views


















Motorcycle rider on a break









British chaps riding to Istanbul. Two on road bikes with backpacks.









Iron Gates. Romania on north and Serbia on south. Carpathian mountains on south and Balkan foothills on north



























Father and daughter from Germany. He was very knowledgeable about riding in the area and helped me decide on a route. The choice between Serbia and Bulgaria or Romania. Note the efficient bags.









Home garden









Colorful houses and a sleepy dog. Somewhere in Serbia.









The last city I visited in Serbia was Negotin. 



















Then a ride through small towns and farmland to the border with Bulgaria.



















One last inspirational message before leaving Serbia and entering Bulgaria (България).


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

*Into България! Bulgaria*

Entering Bulgaria I rode through the countryside to the town of Vidin. 










I rolled in during the evening and found the town center. I asked a couple of women sitting on some steps for a recommendation of a place to stay. They called someone on their cell phone and ended up walking me over a few blocks to a pension. It was a house with an entry room leading to four doors. My room had several beds but I was the only one in the room. 




























The next morning I rode and walked around the downtown. I thought I was the only tourist there. I saw a guy loading up two bicycle with touring bags and I stopped to talk. He invited me to tea with his wife. They were a Swiss couple riding the Danube. Each summer they would tour for two weeks. They had been doing this for years and now were leaving their bikes at their last point and asking people to store them. We had breakfast together, rode through the park and outside the castle, and started along the Danube.





































Stopping for some tomatoes. Change given in more tomatoes.









View of Дунав from our lunch cafe


















Meeting of cyclists. As we rested a Swiss guy came along heading to Istanbul and an English woman heading west toward France from Greece.









Dinner time near the Дунав









Cobblestones. We rode together for two days before he headed south to Istanbul.


















Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant. Units 5 and 6 operate. US DOE listed Units 1 and 2 among the world's "ten most dangerous reactors." EU paid Bulgaria 550 million euros to shut down Units 1-4 to join the EU.









dobro utro comrade (другар)



























Park with a cafe for a lunch break









Dunav at sunset from hills above Nikopol. Entered the city at night.


















Buying some breakfast in Nikopol









Across the Dunărea in Romania from Nikopol









She joined us for breakfast









There was a wedding last night and the celebration continues









Too many of these along the road









Basarbovo Monastery. A World Heritage site and rock wall monastery.









Ruse, Bulgaria. Pedestrian town center.









People selling vegetables. They gave me a peach and a cut up watermelon as a gift.









Gift peach









Most drivers were respectful of cyclists, especially professional truck drivers. One exception.









Srebarna Nature Reserve, Bulgaria









Market in Silistra, Bulgaria. Last stop before Romania.


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

Great adventure. Great trip. Great shots. Photo essay of the year.


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

Mapei said:


> Great adventure. Great trip. Great shots. Photo essay of the year.


Wow, thank you very much! 

Writing a thorough trip report is a response to the kindness from people I met along the journey.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Art, you definitely did a dream trip and what a great report. I would so much love to do the same type of thing but know I'll probably die in my cubicle from old age first .


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## Art853 (May 30, 2003)

*Romania*

Thanks! Entering Romania.










Many cobble sections and vinyards. There were also people selling food along the road. Remember to change money in a city before entering a country if you would like cash to buy food from people.


















People sell honey along the road.









The Tropaeum Traiani is a Roman monument in built in 109. It commemorates Emperor Trajan's victory over the Dacians, in 102, in the Battle of Tapae.









Sun setting on the way to Constanța. I rode the last hour into the city in the dark.


















Sunrise over the Black Sea. Constanța Romania.


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