Danny Beer. Tourist on Wheels. A European Adventure - Danny Beer

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you find a restaurant and stop for lunch. Your one embarrassment is that you leave the seat up in the women’s bathroom.

      You find a service station just out of town and inflate the tire easily. But just one km later it goes again, totally flat. Once again you start walking. This town is quite attractive. Why isn’t it in the guide book? Oh, it is. Lots of pretty buildings and even a 16th century cage for putting impure women in. You ask for directions to a bike shop and sure enough, success! A pretty young girl even follows you to make sure you find it.

      So you buy two new tubes and a bike pump. You even get the guy to inflate it for you, after yet another unsuccessful attempt. Yet again the tire blows after riding it for a little while. You go back to the shop and the guy finds the reason why. There is a hole in the actual tire itself. So you buy a new tire. You think it is a little smaller than the old one but you’re sure it will be fine. You hope.

      But now it is almost five. It is starting to get cold and dark. So you’ll stay here tonight. You don’t want any frantic searching for accommodation on dusk like last night.

      To Kosice.: Cold cold riding

      Wednesday February 28, 2007, 91 km (57 miles) – Total so far: 726 km (451 miles)

      28—2 91 km

      You awake again to blissful snow falling down from the heavens. Breakfast and a quick (ish) trip to the town hall museum and you’re off. The first point of call is the neo-gothic cathedral just out of town. This turns into a ten km plus detour up a hill you really didn’t need to make.

      Spisske Podhradie is the next point of call, sight of Spissky Hrad, the largest castle in the country. There is also a magnificent cathedral there so you stop there first. But alas you have to wait half an hour so into town for lunch you go.

      The cathedral is great, like its counterpart in Levoca. The castle is closed for winter. But by then it is already two and it’s a long way to Kosice.

      Just out of town you see your first evidence of slums. “Gypsies’ you think. The sun bids you hello but snow abounds. You are slower than time allows for. A mountain hinders the final few km to Kosice. It gets cold and dark. The final descent is no fun at all. It is however eerily beautiful.

      Eventually you make it into town and eventually you find a place to stay, the same place you stayed five years ago with your then girlfriend. Riding for just a few minutes without your gloves chills your fingers. You put the gloves back on.

      No cycling tomorrow. It’s a rest day. Besides, you have a lot of tourist stuff to do.

      A tourist in Kosice.: Rest day

      Thursday March 1, 2007

      Ah, the first day of spring and the first day in a week it hasn’t snowed. Today, the last full day in Slovakia, is a rest day, to be spent doing tourist stuff. There are a couple nice museums in town and many chances to take photos of pretty buildings.

      This year marks the 800th anniversary of the town’s cathedral. A climb up the narrow tower stairwell affords great views of the city.

      You buy a bike pump but it doesn’t work so you exchange it for one which does. Another bike shop has the same bike, a Giant OCR 3, for sale. It’s the newer model so has a few better features. It also has a price tag almost double what you paid.

      Slovakia is a great country. Kosice is a nice city. But it is time to move on. Hungary beckons. Hopefully the cold Slovakian winter is left behind and a warmer climate is found.

      You see a bum peeing in the middle of the street. Oh. How lovely. You don’t think before crossing hurriedly.

      To Hungary.: Fairwell Slovakia

      Friday March 2, 2007, 85 km (53 miles) – Total so far: 811 km (504 miles)

      Fairwell Kosice. On the outskirts of town you spot another of the numerous dogs, ready to attack and yet fenced off from doing so. It runs along yapping until it runs out of yard. Then it pops through a gap under the fence and keeps going. “Oh shit!” That wasn’t supposed to happen. Eventually it tires and you slow down to a more relaxing pace.

      It is too difficult to find a restaurant open for breakfast so you elect, instead, to find something on the way out of town. Fifty km and near the Hungarian border later you find somewhere. By now it is lunch time.

      A look at the menu doesn’t help at all so you choose something at random. It must have been a lucky guess. Yummed up and ready to go the border check point proves slow yet eventually painless. It is certainly easier than five years ago when you had officials from both countries follow you through five train carriages to retrieve your passport from your bag.

      And welcome to Hungary! And wow, a bike lane just for you. How convenient. Haven’t seen one of those for a while.

      Hungry in Hungary

      Saturday March 3, 2007, 107 km (66 miles) – Total so far: 918 km (570 miles)

      Blue skies and a quiet country road makes for a happy cyclist. But this cyclist is hungry and doesn’t get to eat until lunch, 45 km later. You see a couple horses pulling a cart. You get out your camera but they pull into a yard. Never mind though as this will certainly become a familiar site over the course of the day.

      After lunch you spot a couple wooden bell towers. Apparently there are three dozen such towers throughout the region. You try to take some photos but the towers are sillowetted against the sky.

      Fehergyarmat is today’s destination. The last twenty km or so finds a nice riverside bike path. It also finds rain which is less than welcome.

      You spot some venison running along. Thoughts return to your empty stomach. You also see one bloke, pushing his bike laden with firewood. “And I thought my load was overbearing.” You think.

      You make it into town but accommodation is difficult to find. Making enquiries two km out sends you back into town but never mind as success is at hand.

      This is the second and last night in Hungary. Tomorrow Romania beckons. Perhaps it is the quiet roads or maybe the lack of hills but Hungary has been a great improvement cycling-wise over Slovakia. The beer, however, is much more expensive for much less quality.

      Hello Romania

      Sunday March 4, 2007, 97 km (60 miles) – Total so far: 1,015 km (631 miles)

      It is a nice ride to the border. You decide against a detour to a 14th century Gothic church. It may have been nice but there are other nice things to find.

      The Romanian border guard is quite interested in your story. Or maybe she is just doing her job. Either way she lets you through without trouble.

      A dog is the first to greet you as you head into Satu Mare. It is of no great bother and soon gives up chase. A bank and restaurant are the first and second orders of business. After that you have difficulty trying to leave town. After a while of traversing the town’s pot-hole rieen roads you head in the general direction out on what may or may not be the road. But you find your way.

      A strong side wind makes life difficult along the busy highway. Drivers here are not as friendly as in Hungary and the previously two mentioned conditions make for some dangerous cycling. Of particular danger is when a large truck would pass or overtake sending a strong gust of wind your way.

      Off

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