Big motorcycle ride out: 11-14 July

Mon 11th

Leaving Maribor in Slovenia crossing into Hungary the landscape almost immediately changes from green rolling hills to flat farmland stretching off to the horizon. Being so flat Hungary really catches the sun which makes for a hot and dusty days riding. Not needing to go over or around many obstacles, the roads are fairly plain in comparison to the last couple of weeks which makes for good easy progress if not great fun. Hungary was the first country where the images of traditional Eastern Europe first started appearing, people scything long grass, horse drawn carts and Dacia cars. I really love the idea of 'urban exploration', looking around abondoned places, and there are no shortage of them here, however with no local knowledge it would be crazy to go looking. It makes for great photos but is something you really need some knowledge before you start...

A highlight of the day was stopping for fuel outside a small town when a couple on a big Suzuki VStrom rode up and stopped just for a quick chat and to take my picture! I really don’t like being in photos, but when little things like that happen it feels good to stand out a little bit!! Everyone that looks at my bike always seems curious about the tax disc for some reason which is in a little holder near the front brakes.

Getting used to another currency always take a moment, in the last few weeks I’ve had Polish Zloty, Czech Koruna, Euros, Croatian Kuna and Hungarian Florint, with Romanian Leu soon to come as well. Paying 3,100 Florint for a bed in hostel makes you quickly calculate in your head, it sounds a lot but is just about £10. The risk of getting it one digit out could be an expensive mistake...

In Hungary, the two main places to be seemed to be Budapest and Lake Balaton. I will hopefully fly to Budapest for a weekend city break sometime so missed it off my plans for now in preference to making some distance across the country and seeing the lake.

Lake Balaton is one of the largest inland lakes in Europe and has an air of somewhere slightly on the downturn as German tourists start heading to the Croatian coast instead of their former haunts on Balaton. That said, the beaches were still fun and the sun was blazing. As you have to pay for the beaches, and I dislike them at the best of times, I took a climb through some woods to a lookout tower on a rare hill for a view of the lake which stretches out of view in each direction.

Lake Balaton tower

Sunny Lake Balaton and Revfullop

In the 4 bed room I was sharing, two room-mates turned up later, Scotty and Rajiv. Scotty is Australian, with green and pink hai, lives in London and has worked at South Bank (the university I went to) as a foodie and cleaner. In his time he’s found Jimmie Choos and US$12,000 left by one US student who didn’t even notice. He was bemoaning the demise of News of the World because it had the best Dear Deidre section.

Another guest, Leona, a German girl working for the EU in Brussels joined us for lunch and drinks in Revfullop’s small village centre. Being still water the mozzies were biting like crazy, Scotty’s sarong came into its own, but my feet got a right seeing to and itched for days. It was one of those nights that flew by with Scotty’s passion for Hungary and earnest non-stop worldly advice – “always look down, you might find money, if not, at least you’ll avoid dog shit”. In bed lateish but with traffic and stifling heat it was too hard to get any sleep.

Mozzies by moonlight

Scotty, me, Rajiv and Leona at breakfast

The Hullam Hostel has a resident photographer!
He does trips on a Vespa scooter only taking what he can,
stuff under the seat, very sensible!!

Tues 12^th

Learning to cope with the heat, I spent most of Tuesday until late afternoon in and around the hostel, not setting off for a small village at the north of the lake called Koszarhegy until late in the afternoon. Traffic was easy and in an hour or so, I found my CouchSurfing hosts for the night, a family who live in a little village like Tunstall. It was so refreshing just to go out to walk their dog around quiet country lanes as the sun was setting. Doing things like that and the cinema that have a feeling of normality are essential every now and then!

Straw heads nr Balaton

Walking around Koszarhegy

Koszarhegy, a Hungarian Tunstall

Unfortunately they wern't able to stop miners setting up

Weds 13^th

Leaving early as there was more distance to do, and the chance of getting kilometres in before the heat started in earnest was ideal. I was heading for Szeged, the last place I’d see in Hungary. If it wasn’t for the intense heat, I would have probably tried to visit their high point of the country, but its one you drive to rather than walk, so that combined with a lack of interest in rushing and riding all day to get there, meant I’ll have to give it a miss.

After negotiating a tricky city centre mostly dug up to make new tramways, this was another night of CouchSurfing with a family who have just moved into a beautiful 3 storey townhouse with grandparents, kids and all fitting in comfortably. CouchSurfing is such a fantastic way of dropping in and out of family life. With the weather sitting at around 38 degrees most of the day we all thought a quiet night was for the best and instead would go for a look round town the following morning. Szeged is an architecturally beautiful city, much larger than I’d have expected, but again in no time I had to head for the park for some shade as the buildings and pavements radiate stifling heat.

Before saying bye to Andrea who had been a great host and guide and setting off for Romania, I did manage to cut my own hair with some borrowed clippers, and to my total surprise, it’s not a complete disaster! Still need a proper cut sometime soon, but it’ll do nicely for a week or two.