June 4, 2013
Ráckeve (plus 5km off route) to Solt, 48 km, 1350km total
13-16 C, wind, rain and thick cloud cover

Park Motel 5000 HUF ($22.50) for double ensuite, breakfast 700 HUF PP

 
News of the Floods

With horror, have we followed the news about severe flooding in Central Europe. Prague and Passau are very hard hit. We talked about Dave standing in front of the Rathaus high water marks in Passau, the highest one reaching unimaginable height. That was in 1501. This current flood threatens to surpass that. We watched the images on the news and think of the many people affected.

We hear Budapest is preparing for Donau levels to rise too. I shot off an email to the US Embassy, asking for updates to be sent to my email. So far it appears that we are staying just out of reach of the severe storms. We keep an eye on the temperament of the Donau Dragon.

Breakfast wasn't served until 9 am. It turned out to be worth waiting for; Fresh ground coffee, quality cheese and cold-cuts, boiled eggs and an assortment of fresh rolls. There was plenty for nice pack-lunch too.

It started to rain as we pulled out at 9:40am.

 
Swollen Donau But No Overflow Yet

.....We decided to bee-line directly along truck route highway 51, with its moderately heavy traffic, to Dömsöd. In Dömsöd, we turned right and joined up with the Donau radweg and followed the yellow Velo 6 signs again. The road surface was riddled with potholes and soon we were riding on dirt. The rain had stopped by now. The Donau appeared more swollen high on its banks. Of course we had nothing to compare it to.

 
Wildflowers Abound in Quaint Hungary

This entire stretch is again lined with a mixture of grand homes with beautifully landscaped gardens surrounded by older homes with moss covered roofs, several boarded up vacation cabins.
 
At Szentgyòrgypuszta (don't even try to pronounce that) we started to ride narrow single track on dyke that veered away from the Donau. It was tough going but soo worth it. And in spite of the trail condition, wind and cloudy sky, it was a gorgeous ride.  Wildflowers abound. We passed meadows with violet and yellow flowers, then purple, white and red flowers and many other color combinations that made us stop and admire the beauty around us. It was birders paradise too. I watched a stork take flight right in front of Junko. Hawks hovered above the fields and flocks of birds did their synchronized dance ahead of us. We passed several old farms. Some had herds of recently sheared sheep, their dogs barking at us.

At around 1 pm, we stopped for a picnic on the dyke. Apart from an occasional farmer, we didn't see many people on this stretch. The amount of other cyclists we encounter has gone to just one or two a day.

Totally we spent 25 km on dirt or grass. Sometimes the single track is a deep rut and tricky to navigate, especially when encountering mud, which I did and lost control and fell. Dave and Junko slipped too but were able to land on their feet.

This area is starting to look more like older and quaint Hungary. The villages we pass have simpler and older homes often with weathered roof tiles. The gardens around the homes are functional, growing vegetables and fruit. Many fenced in watchdogs barked at us. We stopped and picked a few cherries, Junko's favorite fruit.

 
 
Solt

At 2 pm, we rolled into Solt and found pretty good hotel. The accommodation prices appear to be dropping, this far south.

Dinner at the restaurant next door to our hotel was the best Hungarian food I have had. It started with a mistake. The vegetable soup I ordered turned out to be a delicious cold fruit soup whip cream and all. I decided to set it aside and save it for dessert and ordered a tasty goulash soup.

 

Junko and Hiro Write;

To Solt
土手にどこまでも続くワイルドフラワー。大地に果てしなく広がる麦畑。
一面のみどり。そこにたわわになった麦の穂の畑が時々顔をだす。  
金色に光って重そうにして収穫を待つ。とうもろこしは今成長中。
ジャガイモは花が咲くところ。菜の花は種をつけ始めている。
そして一面のひまわり畑。このひまわりが咲き出したら、ああ、
このあたりはどんなことになってしまうんだろうと想像して走る。
  
_________________________________

References: 

....1) The Danube Cycle Way; Donaueschingen to Budapest by John Higginson
... 2) Bikeline Maps & Guides; Donau-Radweg 2, (5 books in the series)

Our plan in a nutshell; 2900 total kilometers at 50 km per day - 2 days riding for 1 day off for a total of 58 riding days & 90 total days - April to July, 2013 :)