Bratislava, Slovakia to Gyor, Hungary, 49.4 miles (79.5 km), 3 hours 47 minutes, 471 feet (143.5 m) elevation (climbing):
This was a long day for us. We weren't really along the Danube River that much, as you can see. There were a few climbs, but I was grateful it was downhill at the end of the day. I did learn that I was pronouncing Gyor wrong. I was saying it phonetically, with a hard 'g', and it's actually pronounced "Jer," I believe. That's why the couple at lunch had no idea where we were headed when they asked us, and we answered them. Our day started out crossing the Danube over a big bridge. I took a still from a video clip of our ride over the bridge:
After crossing the Danube, our ride pretty much looked like this:
We are continuing on the Eurovelo 6 bike route which basically runs across several European countries, starting in Nantes, France and ending at the Black Sea in Romania. As we were riding, I needed to use the "facilities" and as you can see, the options are limited. There is actually only one option. Find a discrete spot, have the hubby watch for approaching cyclists and cop a squat in the bushes. As I prepared to do my business, I looked down and saw this:
He's lucky I saw him first. Not a fan... Luckily, after a surprised scream, I found another place to conduct my business.
We arrived at our hotel to discover we were staying in a monastery that had been converted to a hotel. The only thing that made me nervous was that our bike had to be stored outside in the courtyard. The courtyard was locked from the inside, and we always put a lock on our bike, but I didn't like that it was open to the elements. Oh well, you can't be choosy with a 9-foot (3 m) bicycle. I did tell my husband we were putting the plastic seat covers on our bike so that the seat didn't get wet. Our seats are cushiony gel and absorb water easily.
Every time I use these 'seat covers' for this purpose, he reminds me that the covers are actually panier (bicycle bag) covers, not seat covers. I have to chuckle because sometimes I think engineers don't like seeing items being used for purposes other than their intent, and refrain from reminding him how many times he's 'rigged' some fix on the bike with parts not intended for that use.
We had a very unique hotel room. There were two heavy wooden doors to open to get into it. We actually had a skeleton key, too. The entrance to the room was midway up the wall between a loft and a sitting area. There were four steps down to the right that ended in the main living area, which was a sitting room with a bathroom beyond it. Also from the landing were several steps up to the left, which ended in a loft where our bed was. It was a really nice room but at our age, we want middle of the night trips to the bathroom in a strange place to be easy. The steps were also polished wood. I was going to have to wake up fully to navigate to the bathroom in the middle of the night. When you exited the room into the hallway, to the left was a giant crucifix hanging on the wall at the end of the corridor. It was probably taller than my husband. That was certainly eye-catching, for sure.
We had time to explore Gyor the afternoon we arrived, so we walked around town and went into the Benedictine church, which was amazing inside (see thumbnail). The ornate gold icons and alters were incredible as was the artwork. So beautiful inside.
After our jaunt around town, we ended up eating outside a nice little pub where I finally got some real vegetables. I had not seen an honest green vegetable in days, so was very happy to enjoy my pork tenderloin with green beans. I was really surprised at the lack of available vegetables on this trip. Everything was meat and potatoes and, of course, schnitzel. We also stopped for ice cream, which I ate several times on this trip.
Gyor was a nice place to stay for the night and we really enjoyed walking around the city and taking in the sites.
If you would like to read more about our three week-long bicycle tour starting in Prague, Czech Republic and ending in Budapest, Hungary, here are the links to our entire adventure:
Day Zero in Prague (Weather or not I wanted to)
Day One.... The Hills are Alive .... and I am not
Day Two....Vistas and Grocery Stores (and an angry cashier)
Day Three.... Are we Hiking or Cycling? (Today it was hard to tell....)
Day Four.....My Favorite Place on the Entire Tour (and a nod to the Beer of Kings along the way)
Day Four and a Half (I couldn't do it justice in one post)
Day 5 ...... Will This Day Ever End???
Day Six... Pausing in Passau (AKA This is the way we wash our clothes.....I think....)
Day Seven - Off down the Danube (If we'd only had that meeting.....)
Day Eight - We needed a day like today.....
Day Ten Cycling the Danube - Cloudy With a Shot of Melk
Day Eleven Cycling the Danube... A rare short mileage day!
Day Twelve Cycling the Danube - Aahhhh Vienna!!!
Day 13 - Our Day in Vienna (It's not supposed to be this HOT)
Day 14: Vienna to Petronell-Carnuntum (Apparently, I can speak some Italian.....)
Day 15 Petronell-Carnuntum, Austria to Bratislava, Slovakia (Rain and broken Chain...)
Day 16 Bratislava, Slovakia to Gyor, Hungary (There's a snake in the grass....)
Day 18: Komarno, Slovakia to Esztergom, Hungary (A tense tummy and a tense moment......)
Day 19: Esztergom to Budapest, Hungary (A long ride for the last day)
Day 20: A Day in Budapest (We had to see the last of the "Stevens/Stephens")
