Cycling the world (Days 1393-1399) Hungary: Eurovelo 6, Lake Balaton, wild camps, canals and cakes!
Well there it is folks, the flag of Hungary, I'm not even going to try and pronounce it in the native tongue but here we are for the next film for you, and we're going to stop here and meet a couple of angels called Ferdi and Vicky. Didn't film it much because of the circumstances but when we were in La Paz and we got the call about me dad, they were stopping in a hostel nearby and they helped us pack up, got us food, booked the flights. We could not have done it without them, we could not have done it without them, which meant we got back home in time to say goodbye to me dad. So, if that doesn't class you as an angel I don't know what does. So let's go and see how they're doing. Hello Hungary! Welcome to Hungry Debs. A bit smart. A bit smart, I don't reckon much to the cycleways look at this wide enough for us to film you.
That's cool little mini level crossing for cyclists, like even with its own gates. So we've just crossed into Hungary and realised they don't use the Euro something else can't remember the name of it so found a cash point next to the Spar so here we go, and there we have it 50,000 Hungarian something or other. Forint. And here we are folks this is going to be a good day today cuz we're here with our Hungarian guardian angels Ferdi and Vicky who we last saw in La Paz who saved us in La Paz and helped us get home to see me dad, so they're going to show us the local sites eh Debs? Yeah very very excited and Vicky's made us tea so I'm even more excited about that. What's for tea Vicky? Goulash! In Hungary Goulash of course. How could you not have Hungarian goulash when you're in Hungary. Nice. Let's go, let's go. After the second world war we voluntarily became part of the USSR and because of basically all modern day Hungary or like from the middle ages we had really fertile lands so like our fields could grow like wheat. We were too independent and rebellious, so they had the glorious idea to create the country of steel and iron and have heavy industries, and this is one example.
So this is a pocket machine? It is also a unique thing. So it was an actor, a Hungarian actor who decided to print tiny books so people can carry it in their pockets, therefore they are called Pokets and they actually have English ones too All right. Yeah sometimes you can get lucky and find English ones. This is called in English I would say chimney cake. Chimney cake. Traditional Hungarian dessert I've seen them yeah I've seen them. Chimney cake. Yeah chimney cake. Hungarian and Transylvanian. Yeah Transylvanian or Székely, that's in Romanian nowadays but it's like a Hungarian speaking native Hungarian area. Look at it. Wow. Like a chimney. Yeah,
you put it on a wooden barrel. It's a spiral. And bake it over charcoal. Wow sweet sugar nice. It's not hot, It's best when it's hot. But still good. Yeah. It's like the traditional Hungarian torte to which translate to drum cake because it has the hard sugar as a drum. Enjoy. Angolkert, that means English garden, English park, so here we are in English Park in Tata in Hungary, and there's a Ford Escort. That's so English. As English as it gets. How do you feel? Yeah it's hard, It's hard, Hungary's got some hills now, it's too much, nearly there. Just a bit more. Champions Champions.
Now this is what you call a fireplace look at this. Go for it. Go for it. Fantastic, there she goes. So the next day after a lovely night at Vicky's parents with a most beautiful goulash, we've got a new addition to the top 10 food, they've ridden out with us for a few miles and now we're on the cycleway down to place called Venice I think Venice? Venice. Lake Venice. Lake Venice. Lake Venice and then Lake Balton, Bolton? Balaton. Balaton. Which is actually the biggest lake in Eastern Europe. Oh there we go and we've changed our route as is often the way with local advice, changed our route to take in these wonders of Hungary, so thanks folks, see you on YouTube. You're welcome. Have a great day. Thank you. Bye.
Well this is how we live in Hungary folks. Half past eight, pizza for breakfast! Yeah, well at least it's not cake. And I think I've got a donner kebab pizza, which is absolutely marvellous for me, not to everybody's taste but for me donner kebab pizza at 8:15 yes. Tomato and sweetcorn for me. Party time. Yeah. Hungarian level crossings always seem to have more than one train, so you're waiting here for like 5 minutes, here's another one, number two, I think the record is three but this is two. This one's going a bit slower. Stopping of the station And here ladies and gents is Lake Balaton I know I haven't pronounced that right but it's a big big lake, I think the biggest freshwater lake in Eastern Europe, and here it is.
Boat number 27 folks, ferry across Lake Balaton, here we go. Another cracking wild camp folks right down there on the field edge, and we're right next to the canal path. That's our journey southwest towards Serbia. Go Debs. I hope you can make that out on the GoPro, all the poplar seeds coming, it's like it's snowing. Wow. Fantastic.
So on Ferdi and Vicky's recommendation we've come to Paks to see a rather unusual church, and looking at this spire from what I can see from here it looks pretty cool, like something out of a Gothic movie, look at this. Look at that bloody headwind again. Exactly the direction we're going. What a pisser. But it's all right cuz I've had seven shots of coffee this morning, I'm buzzing. Another mighty bridge over the mighty Danube here we go. After our little excursion into the hills to see Ferdi and Vicky we're back along the Danube Deb, which means? We're riding along the Danube. The Danube, the Danube, we're riding along the Danube, tomorrow we do the same. Go on. We're riding along the Danube, the Danube, the Danube, we're riding along the Danube, tomorrow we do the same. Here we go folks. What a river, look at the size of that.
You know it's hard when you're on the level ground and you're pushing hard in fourth gear. It's a tough day today, one of them ones, but we'll battle through it. Come on Debs! Half past 4, we've had a tough day into headwind all day, so we're looking for a wild camp Debs. Be nice to be by the river which is down there somewhere I think. Let's start looking for a wild camp. Right, this looks a promising one, look at this down there, there's a little track down to the river, let's find it.
Farm over there, but it's just one lonely little farm, I don't think they'll mind. Now I don't know babe but we might have hit a top 10 here. It's looking top 10-ish to me. Second try with the Danube wild camp, Top 10ish. We'll let you know in the morning if it makes it. Well seeing as this could be a top 10 wild camp we haven't done a time lapse of putting the tent up for a while Debs eh? Nope, no, might as well. Let's do it, here comes the tent. We've got changed, we haven't even started cooking yet, the sun's going to go down exactly opposite our camp, and what do you reckon Debs, top 10? I think so, I'm just putting it on iOverlander and I'm going to let them know it's a top 10 spot for Debs and Tom.
And we've got a nice tea we've got gnocchi and pepper and tomato. Onion and a bit of cheese. Cheese mmm. That creamy stuff can go in it as well. Hey look at that folks this is living the dream, living the dream. Cooking on gas Debs. Cooking on gas, lunchtime leftovers going to get added too. Tell you what if they had smell-i-vision you'd like it, this is lovely. Smells gorgeous doesn't it. Yep, gorgeous. Father Bean would approve, he knows about me and my gnocchi and this is fantastic.
Well Debs there's no doubt about it now Top 10. Yeah it definitely definitely is a top 10 Tom, Top 10 camping spot on Debs and Tom. Hungary is going out with a bang isn't it. Oh yeah. It's the last day in Hungary, to Croatia tomorrow and then after Croatia Serbia. So thank you Hungary, I don't know what we've done to deserve this but it's bloody lovely. I mean we've worked hard today into headwind haven't we Deb but. 50 miles into a headwind, yeah it's quite hard work.
Yeah. But lovely and quiet pretty much 95% on cycle paths and the roads when we were on them were very quiet. Morning peeps, what about this for a way to wake up? I reckon this is going in number two straight away on the wild camp top 10 list. Look at this.
Well Debs leaving the best, well the second best wild camp I say. Yeah I think the wolves in the night dropped it down from the number one spot. Yeah we heard a big pack of wolves but that goes in at number two, look at that, that is a good wild camp Debs. If we had more water we might stop longer but we're out of water aren't we?
We need we need water yeah, could have had a second coffee. Let's go, thank you wild camp, thank you Danube, we'll see you again cuz we're riding down the Danube! Ha ha. Boat number 28 coming up, another ferry across the Danube. Mohács something I don't know, but I think we've just missed it cuz it looks like it's going away from us. Oh well. Just missed it Debs. Yeah that's a bit frustrating but still. So we've come to a city called Mohács I don't know how you pronounce it but If we'd come in the last week of February we'd have seen these, half the town dressed up like this for some festival something to do with a war, a battle, I'll find out more, but look at that.
Well folks our time in Hungary has come to an end. Nice place, especially if you like cakes, great cakes, and great to catch up with Ferdi and Vicki, our guardian angels from La Paz, thanks again, but this here I think is the border to Croatia, so next stop folks Croatia, see you in the next film peeps. There it is.
2025-04-30 13:55
