Litovel Komarno

... Basilica on the top of a big hill, in what seemed to be a small town. We decided to take a break from driving and stop to take a walk up to the basilica. Eszertagom was the name of the town and after a steep climb up the hill we came to a beautiful Basilica with gardens and a small forest. At the back of the Basilica there was a lookout over the river into Slovakia. After enjoying a break from driving and stretching out our legs we hopped back in the car to Budapest!

... very industrial. Others are quite picturesque with farmhouses and town squares that look like they would have looked in the middle ages. Most of these towns have little iron crosses with a silver or gold Jesus hanging on them. Our guide said these were put up in the 1800's, and some of them had to be taken down during communism, but they were put back up again afterwards.

The highlights of our bike trip have been the little picturesque town of Telec, which was ...

... to accommodate someone who is new to the language. They even tried some English (bull...sheet.... bullsheet! haha!)

After our visit, we went back to Szomod to pick up Bela and from there we went to the new water park at Tatabanya. It was nice (great if you have kids) but the one at Egerszalok was nicer. I was starting to come down with a cold so the chlorine was a little agrivating. Anyway ...

... there. They graciously offered us coffee and palacsinta (Hungarian crepes) while we waited for Kathy to come to the restaurant. When she arrived, they brought us a round of Gosser beer. We had a nice (albeit brief) visit with Kathy and piled into the car once more.

Attila wanted to show me Szekeszfehervar... but he didn't know exactly where to go. After asking three different locals, we found the pedestrian ...

... We drove to Egerszalok where there is a sprawling new bath complex. As you enter, you are given a wrist band that looks like a watch. It is like a credit card and keeps track of all your purchases (food, drink, sauna time, massages, spa services) and your time in the complex. When you leave the computer reads all your data and charges you accordingly. We sampled almost all of the 17 pools (skipping the 2 kiddy pools), including a ...

... are different currencies in the two countries and I couldn't buy anything after I crossed the border, although the city of Sturovo looked fun to stroll around with icecream in hand. I didn't know anything about the beautiful city, but I didn't think it was a tourist spot.

... Balatonfökajár - Füle - Polgárdi - Szabadbattyán - Szekesféhervár - Söréd - Bakonysárkány - Komárom. Balíme vsetky veci, kontrolujeme bicykle a o 10:22 vyrázame. Uz ani nepísem, aký bol plán. No pravdou je, ze Valér bol opäť prvý. A to mi pomáhal baliť stan. 40.00 km - 12:40 hod vchádzame do Szekesféherváru. Tempo máme ohromné, za 2 hodiny sme presli 40km. 45.56 km - 13:13 hod centrum mesta, obedujeme v pizzerii Isobella a d ...

... dyke which edges the river, which soon turned into a huge lake as there is a massive hydroelectric dam at Cunova. I was glad that the wind was on my back, as the dyke-top is very exposed. As it was, I sped along averaging nearly 15mph, which is good for me. Later on, the route moved away from the river, and I found myself going through rustic villages and lovely farmland where the harvest was in full swing. The guide warned that ...

... waiting to start (the event is apparantly too small to warrant any kind of security) for about twenty minutes, before setting off again. Within two minutes I was hailed by another cycle-tourist (this happens sometimes) who wanted to swap stories and statistics. He, it transpired, had done 10,000km in five months on a European circuit, his bike only cost him 300Euros and he slept in woods. I congratulated him, wished him well, and was on my way at last. In general my plan for the day ...

I dragged myself away from the Backpackers Hostel on Thursday. I left about noon kind of wishing I was staying for the weekend, but I have to press on. By the time I had travelled a few blocks I was glad to be on the move again on this fabulous sunny day. I was going to follow the great sweep of the Danube approximately northwards. From the cycle path opposite the Parliament building to the campsite at Esztergorm on the Slovakian border it was a ...