Hungary and Northern Croatia

The ice fog was still thick in the air as we rode into Hungary. We followed quiet country roads to Esztergom where we were greeted with a wicked view of the Esztergom Basilica, perched high on the biggest hill around. It snowed a few centimeters that night, but by morning the sun was out and everything was melting into a huge sloppy mess of slush and road grime. With only 50km to ride to Budapest, we had thought it would be an easy day… but didn’t count on the busiest, narrowest roads of the trip, how tired we were, and how long and stressful those 50 kms would actually feel. By the time we rolled into Budapest, our bikes and bags (and us!) were covered in a thick slime of slush, dirty puddle spray, and road salt, and we wanted nothing more than to get clean and put our feet up for a few days.

It was a much needed break. It’s always hard to be away from friends and family at Christmas, but this time we had learned from past mistakes and set ourselves up well. We rented a nice comfortable apartment where we could really relax and treat ourselves a bit. There was a huge, bustling Christmas market to explore, gluhwein to drink, and huge bowls of goulash eat. On our first day off we spent the entire afternoon soaking in some of the city’s famous thermal baths, strolling lazily back and forth between different temperature pools until we looked more like prunes than people.  Over the next few days we visited Buda Castle, the City Park, and hiked up Gallert Hill for a great view out over the city. We also sat on the couch and watched movies and ate all the delicious food that is hard to carry on a bike. After scrounging through multiple different grocery stores in search of ingredients we even managed to pull off a pretty decent Christmas dinner.  

Rested and rejuvenated, we set off on a 4 day ride to Pecs, where we wanted to spend New Years Eve.  I read somewhere that there isn’t much wilderness left in Hungary, but we must have found a pretty good portion of what is left, because much of the riding was through forests and green spaces mingled with small farms. The weather had warmed up quite a bit since Slovakia, making for some nice nights in the tent. One surprise though… apparently bikes aren’t allowed on most Secondary, and even Tertiary roads in Hungary!  We only found this out after taking a small ferry across the Danube, riding up onto the other shore, and being confronted with big signs once we reached the highway. With literally no other option, we rode on past the signs, braced for the lights and sirens which thankfully never came. 

We spent the last 2 nights of 2017 in Pecs, which is a smaller city than Budapest, but felt much more vibrant and interesting.  New Year’s Eve was bright, warm and sunny, and we wandered around the centre of town watching the festivities build. Over the entire day the energy ramped up as the streets got louder and busier, filling with costumes and horns and firecrackers. We had an awesome time hanging out and experiencing it all, then did the responsible thing and went to bed before midnight so we could get an early start on the next day. We fell asleep to endless fireworks cracking all over the city.

New Year’s Day came early and I was pretty glad I hadn’t had any more beers than I did, because we had a long ride ahead of us and our first real border crossing! We rode out of Hungary and into Croatia on dead-quiet highways as everyone else recovered from their parties. 

We were only in Croatia for 5 days before crossing over into Serbia. One thing that stuck out from those few days were the number of buildings and houses we passed which were still showing scars from the Yugoslav wars of the 90’s.  Many residences had bullet holes in the plaster, and a few looked as if they had been destroyed and abandoned, never repaired. It made us wonder about the people who used to live there, and the ones who still do. Being so recent, there must be some pretty raw wounds among those who lived through it, which would be anybody over the age of 25. It would be interesting to hear some first-hand stories, but we did not get the chance. Vukovar especially had some pretty poignant reminders of instability.  The city’s water tower was heavily damaged by fighting but has been left in place on purpose as a symbol of the suffering endured. The train station is also still standing, but full of the holes that were blasted through it while the city was under siege. It’s quite sobering to see these very visible signs of war amidst otherwise normal, lively cities and towns.

Another spot along our route was Osijek, the region’s capital, which has a beautiful waterfront along the Drava River. We ate our sandwiches in the sunshine while looking across the river at the picturesque buildings of the city. After basking in the warmth for a bit, we hopped back on the bikes and followed a bike path along the water to leave the city. 

We’ve been lucky with the weather for this stretch. Every day in Croatia was sunny and warm, and we felt a bit silly wearing t-shirts while our panniers were stuffed full of winter clothing. It’s definitely not what we were expecting for January, but it’s been a nice treat.  On our last day the temperature hit +18C! We didn’t camp at all in Croatia because this areas still has issues with unexploded minefields, but as long as it stays like this we’ll be living pretty comfortably once in Serbia.

The Hungary Round-up

ODO start: 2187

ODO finish: 2569

Total kms: 382
Actual country name:   Magyarország
Flat tires: 1 

Ferries taken: 1 (Across the Danube river)

Days in Country: 11

Days riding: 6

Nights camped: 2

Number of road rules broken: 2 (riding faster than 40km/hr, and riding on the highway)

Distance ridden illegally on the highway: 15 km

Number of Christmas Markets visited: 2 (Budapest and Pecs)

Grocery stores visited in search of Christmas dinner ingredients: 4

Coldest riding temp: -5C

Warmest riding temp: +14C

The Croatia Round-up

ODO start: 2569

ODO finish: 2751

Total kms: 182
Actual country name:   Hrvatska

Days in country: 5

Days riding: 3

Nights camped: 0 (Landmines!)

Farthest distance in one day: 102km

Time spent cooking dinner on a sidewalk before the police showed up: about 10 mins (They thought we might be illegal immigrants.)

Warmest riding temp: +18C