And the secret of our success

Friction free thighs and bottom guaranteed!

The Black Sea 2810 miles

We made it! Nine weeks to the day.
Seems a bit strange not having to get up and cycle tomorrow but we have 3 or 4 nights here then a train to Bucharest for a flight to Dublin on Saturday night. Apparently we have to bribe the train guard to get the bikes on!
So....the Black Sea blue and the Danube was kind of browney gray....perhaps all the blue washed into the sea!
The bikes did well with no breakages or adjustments needed despite the endless off road, bumpy tracks and cobbles. Just the one assault by thorns that no tyre could have withstood.
Only one accident when i was squished by a fat German lady and no problem with Romanian dogs, as I seemed to frighten them more than they did me!!
And the weather....one and a half days of heavy showers, the rest was sunny and after France baking hot..
30c plus every day.

The picture of the marina is from our hotel balcony.....

And now for a celebratory drink (or two).

A sting in the tail!

The penultimate day saw us re cross the border in Romania for the last time....to be immediately faced by miles of cobbles...then hills and cobbles! Overall I'd guess at about 7 miles of them but they sure slow you down especially on the ups!
This south side of the Danube seems to be a more prosperous region and has endless vineyards on the hills.
Stopped over in a small village called Negureni at a basic but clean pension.
Our last 53 miles to Constanta was rolling hills again...the first half good cycling but slow then steadily getting busier so the last 10 miles were on a fast four lane highway with no shoulder...seemed to go on forever!

Tutrakan then Silistra.

Last night we stayed in a nice guest house restaurant in Tutraken which is apparently an ancient city with a historic preserved fisherman's quarter.....just looked a bit of a mess to me but maybe the Bulgariens view of a 'tourist town' is different to mine. Apparently 5000 fishermen and 100 boats used to work there and export to Vienna and Istanbul.
Today's ride crossed a range of hills, often in tracks and through some fascinating villages withe the locals involved in their maize drying and livestock tending.
Tonight Silistra where I lost count of mobile phone shops and ATM's...what a contrast.
Only about 100 miles left now so we should be swimming in the Black Sea on Sunday....how on earth will we fill our days then?

Dogs and amazing thorns!

Today has been a deserved rest in the Bulgarian city of Ruse. A pleasant place with an Austrian influence in its architecture. Its actually called little Vienna but the more austere Communist era buildings have their influence too. Like most cities, outside of the touristy centre its a mess (in my eyes anyway).
The previous two days were pushing into a fresh to strong headwind with long stretches over the plain interrupted by similar looking poor villages with their wells and horse drawn carts....Ruse feels a little incongruous given the poverty of the villages surrounding it!
Chased by two sets of dogs, hackles up and teeth bared...on both occasions I jumped of the bike looked as big as I could and growled back twice as ferociously....seemed to frighten the life out of the dogs who turned tail and ran :-)
Puncture. Even our excellent Marathon Supremes couldn't withstand the Romanian thorn assault. I was in the no mans land between Romania and Bulgaria and the front went flat....it resembled a cocktail orange with over 30 thorns firmly embedded!!! A border guard came to ask why we had stopped in such a strange place...then kindly helped. Believe me it took a long time to get all those out.
English thorns are for kids :-D

Over 2500 miles done....

With about 300 left.
Based on Carols pre trip research we are already 200 miles out into the Black Sea....
I'll say no more!!!

Vidin to Romania then back to Bulgaria then Romania

Decided to take the Romanian side of the Danube as its pretty well flat unlike Bulgaria which is one hill after another. So....another ferry for us alongside all the lorries.
Romania was obviously even poorer than Bulgaria, quite medieval in fact with every fourth vehicle being a horse and cart!
Most people have been really friendly with smiles and waves as we pass and the kids running over to high five :-)
The village we were heading for (Bechet) ended up having no accommodation, the next being 30 miles further (already having done 68m) so we decided to cross back to Bulgaria...just another 2 miles but with a sharp hill to the village. The ferry is again largely used by lorries and the weight meant it took about half an hour to get the bows off the bottom!!!
After 70 hot miles with a headwind the evening beers went down easily
Today back across the Danube and just 30 miles to Corabia and a half reasonable but overpriced hotel by the river.
Each days mileage is now very much controlled by the availability of somewhere to stay.
Surprisingly we have had no trouble with wild dogs here....yet, and they do have a really bad reputation. We are armed with stones and in case of serious attack pepper spray but it would be nice to be binning those unused before we set off home.
Note the handy toilet arrangement ....presumably designed for speed and efficiency..one can sit on the toilet whilst cleaning the teeth :-D

Thursday Negotin today Bulgaria

The cost of accommodation has settled at about 30 to 40 euros for an ensuite room for two with breakfast so the decision to post the camping gear home is well justified. Amazingly our 10k parcel took just 3 days to arrive with Ian in Chester....and I wasn't even sure it was air mail....fantastic so if you ever need a heavy parcel to get somewhere quick...fly to a remote Hungarian village to post it!
Tonight we are in Vidin. The change at the Serb border was dramatic, the town being significantly poorer looking and post communist in architecture.
Riding into Vidin was through row after row of high rise flats each with its large number painted on the side...a little soulless to say the least. The place is a bit of a culture shock for Europe...
Looks like just a couple more days of 31c then a more sensible drop to mid 20's ....bliss

Iron Gates

Another day of blistering heat, but reasonable quality roads. At this point the Danube becomes only 100 Mtr wide but 90 Mtr deep!
Now at a cheapish motel in a small village called Tekija...seems to be be just full of drinkers wanting alcohol bought for them....great and not very relaxing!

To the Iron Gates

Leaving Belgrade was the normal city challange but after crossing the Danube a right turn took us a few miles along a roughish dyke top....OK in the dry. The rest of the day was smooth fairly quiet main roads only punctuated by Carol succumbing to the heat and needing an emergency cafe stop and cold water head refreshment....well it must have been a shadeless 34c so its not too surprising. Covered 61m the last 5k of which on a bumpy canalside made more interesting by passing a few feet away from a guy having a crap in the open!
Stopped over at a Guesthouse to await the 0800 ferry accross the river...no push slipways here...just shovel some gravel so the cars don't bottom out when they drive on!
This afternoon started through the Iron Gates the border between Romania and Serbia and the divide between the Carpathian Mountains and Balkan Peninsula. Scenic pleasant riding....the first for a week

Tomorrow we'll continue through the gorges...and the 21 tunnels!!!!

Clive....I'm not sure this is about stamina..more a futile attempt to get fit enough to keep up with you, Martin and Ivan! I think it may be easier just to blame my bike in future!

Belgrade

After a night in a basic but clean room in Beska we made it to Belgrade after another day if narrow fast main roads, so a day just concentrating on staying alive....and yes this is all EV6, and they don't mention that in their pleasant descriptions!
Belgrade is nice. A lively bustling city with a thriving street cafe culture. The average age of the people here seems to be about 30 so of course I feel very much at home :-)
Staying at the Moskva hotel, a lovely art deco building that has been immaculately updated.....even has large fountains on the landings. Apparently the only hotel outside Russia to be able to use the name.
Weather for the next few days is forecast for up to 35c...phew!! We could do with some cool.
Tomorrow heading towards the Iron Gates.

Serbia

Another day of busy roads, rough tracks and very tough tracks made for hard going at times! Serbs seem very friendly an example of which was the girl in our pizza lunch stop sharing her chocolate, knocking money off the bill an insisting on washing and filling our water bottles.
Last night in Beska (a small village) was £11 each for a clean on suite room and an excellent meal with drinks £5. Half a litre of good. Bottled lager £0.74. Not bad eh?
Today heading for Belgrade...

Martin you are right hill are supposed to be less than 6% and the roads less than 1000 vehicles a day but I think they must think its 1000 an hour!

Marie Joe yes I mixed up the distance we have covered 2150 m now.

Picture is of the Austrian fort at Novice Sad built to keep the Turks at bay.

Croatia

First day in Croatia was excellent cycling on quiet roads to Osijek a university town with a pleasant old quarter in side some walls. A good guesthouse and a tasty traditional spicy river fish stew with a bowl of noodles made for a good night.
Thursday was rather less successful with a 50 mile trip on busy main roads and ending with a few 10% hills...had to be done but not pleasant cycling.
Unfortunate the lasting effects of their war with Serbia are all too apparent with bullet holes still maring many buildings and houses...
With a bit of luck once they both join the EU such things wont be repeated.
Our hotel on the Danube is more peaceful as the picture shows!

Tomorrow over the bridge to Serbia...we reckon we have about 760 miles left which is pretty good as Carol told me the whole ride was 2300 miles...and we've already done 1050!!!

2000 miles

Last night was at a small village Fajsz in a small one bedroom and kitchen 'tourist hotel' ...had to phone the number on the gate and edit for the proprietor to arrive...difficult as she didn't speak a word of English!
We decided that on this leg of the trip camping was unlikely as sites are few and far between and the cheap price of pension's (we're told as little as £2 each with breakfast) that we'd post most of the gear home. A trip to the local Co op you scrounge a big enough box, string and sticky tape then to the post office with a 10 kilo parcel..£30 so not too bad if we ever see it again of course! ......and now my bike feels like a greyhound! (Well a dachshund anyway).
Bumped into the first few tourists in a few days...the nice thing about touring a little out of the way is that everyone stops for a chat and to swap notes...was the same in Norway and Sweden last spring. We met a nice guy called Nick Thorpe the Budapest BBC correspondent who was riding ad part of his book research on the people of the Danube.
Tonight in a pleasant guest house in Mohacs ....tomorrow Croatia.

Choices choices

Mmmm what's it to be? The very tempting tripe and brains or the gourmet gizzard stew?

Spoilt for choice!

Hot and Bumpy!

Leaving Budapest was fairly straightforward for a big city, made easier by a seemingly relaxed attitude to Cycling on the pavement and the wrong way up one way streets! Hit the usual urban sprawl and endless high rise flats, main potholes roads and HEAT....about 32c of it for most of the day.
Coveted 60 tough miles into a fresh headwind and lots of bumpy off-road along dykes the worst of which is in the picture....good job it was dry.

Hi Martin...yed this section is going to be a bit of an adventure I think, as the route finding is tricky and often takes terrible surfaces...the optional main roads are a bit of a worry with the fast driving!

Budapest

After a day of rough roads, paths and fast main roads crossed the Donau by ferry and picked up some reasonable dedicated cycle tracks.
Arrived Budapest about 1830hrs and headed for a hotel in an old river cruise boat....not bad at all at €50 each for two nights and a good breakfast thrown in.
I guess I must be city phobic as one day does it for me before the noise dirt and frenetic activity has me desperate to get out! Yes I know I'm a Philistine and everyone raves about Budapest and its got a few nice buildings but its not a pamtch on Vienna, especially for cyclists.
Tomorrow we head south for a couple of days before reaching Serbia and Croatia.
And now we have maps again!! The last lot ran out at Basel!

Hungary

<p>After a short ride in Slovakia on excellent paths and roads we crossed the border into Hungary...more of a deserted weedy car park really. Moved in to a lovely town called Gyor...chic and touristy but very pleasant. Leaving today was less good...difficult to pick up the route, and through dilapidated industrial sites.<br>
That set the flavour for the day...rough sandy tracks, bumpy concrete block cycle paths and a not always easy to follow route. Plenty of busy main roads too with lorries thundering past at full speed, although fortunately all give cyclists a wide berth.The scenary was kind of interesting and a complete contrast to the beauty of France Germany and Austria. I guess that's cycle touring...no just seeing the nice tourist town centres but some reality thrown in too!<br>
Hello to Dave and Genevieve great to hear from you, it would be good to have your email address so we can keep in touch. Re the 700*28 tyres yes I think you'd get by but I'm on 35mm and that feels about right as things are rough at times and the heavy camping gear needs a bit of cushioning.
Tomorrow Budapest.