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The United Kingdom

My last view of the Malvern Hills, from the Cotswold Ridge near Cutsdean on the B4077. I had already suffered my first puncture by this time. The view back to the A40 from my room in my first night's hotel, the Chequers Inn in Cassington. The Thames south of Oxford, acting as a warm-up act for the Rhein and Danube. A rather quaint little Post Office in Goring, with the River Thames beyond it. Reading. At this point, I am following one of the routes in the National Cycle Network. The Thames again, just before Sonning Lock. Windsor. That might be Eton School in the distance. At the time, it seemed sunnier than this picture shows. The M25 near Heathrow, at a point where it forms the boundary of Greater London. I entered London this way once when I was first experimenting with long days of cycling. A field where I wouldn't have expected to find one, just across the Road from Heathrow Airport. That collection of houses on the left is Zealand Avenue. I went there once. The first ice-lolly stop of my trip, next to the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park. I would get good aerial views of almost everything in the next few pictures as I flew into Heathrow at the end of the trip. Hyde Park Corner. Not very interesting except that, apparently, if you get into the lane where the fron bus is, you could drive 300 miles without having to give way or change lanes and would end up only a couple of miles from here. The Mall, looking towards Buckingham Palace. The Mall, looking towards Admiralty Arch. It's a bit odd for a road six lanes wide to have no markings for most of its length. That's not really a problem on a bike because you just keep to the left but it makes an interesting drive. After this will come... All right, here they are. Not really sure where I am at this point. Amsterdam, by the look of it. Greenwich Park, where I am contemplating for a moment before plunging into the Eastern Hemisphere. Zangwill Road, on the approach to Shooters Hill. I came here on the same day as I visited Zealand Avenue. You can probably guess what I was doing. The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Dartford, the last of the landmarks which I would see again from the air. Apparently, the cycle route goes this way. Interesting. I'm not aware of any car ferries which operate out of London. This is about the last I saw of the River Thames. A pleasant shady cycle route in Kent. At the start of 20 days of almost uninterrupted sunshine, the weather was already hot enough for me to appreciate the shade. Kent, <i>the garden of England</i>. Near the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone. Drive on the left. Beware of Frogs. Ho ho ho. Ah. I see a problem. Time for plan B. Plan B seems to have brought me up onto the North Downs again. This isn't right. I'm trying to get onto the sea. Aha! Here it is. This is Folkestone harbour, where I failed to find a hotel which didn't look full. Now what's happening? I'm up on the hills again. I can see France from here, just about. Shame I can't reach it. Folkestone. Look, that's France there. I'm now on top of the White Cliffs. After a night in Dover, I've finally managed to find my way off Great Britain. You may have noticed that I'm not cycling this section. It's the only part of the route where I would have to cheat. Dover and its surroundings, seen for the ferry. I was watching a programme about the British coast on the television in my hotel room last night. It featured quite a few shots of these cliffs. The White Cliffs again. Right, now back to the cycling.

France

France! Did you enjoy it?

Belgium

Belgium! There are plenty of cycle routes here, although it's a bit of a shame that I don't know where any of them will take me. Interestingly, in this region, the official signs are in dutch whereas most of the commercial signs are in French. It's not very easy to... I was hoping it would be nice and flat if I came this way. This looks good. The wind is behind me too. Here's why cycle lanes in Belgium are better than in England or France. A bread machine. These were quite common in Belgium. You can see my reflection in the window too. An entrance to the old part of Bruges. The city walls seem to be completely intact so all roads in and out pass through gates like this. The garden of my hotel in Bruges. I'm not sure why I've taken a photograph of this. Bruges bus station, just outside my Hotel. Look at the width of this cycle lane in the foreground! Another view of the square next to the bus station. Halfords, apparently. This is still Bruges. The clock tower which is catching the evening sunlight there would spend something like an hour playing tunes on its bells later, drawing a good crowd. The square by my hotel again. The building seen here seems to be some kind of theatre. The same square again. It's not just a walled city but also a moated city. This is the gate by which I left. Gent. A collection of older buildings in Gent. Erm, this seems to be the Pope. I'm not convinced though. For a start, he's sharing a bottle of beer with that cardinal. This was in a village called Baardegem, some 20 km from Brussels. When the Pope eventually moved on, these Eskimos took his place and spent a good ten minutes milling around, throwing water over each other and having a few more beers. Your guess is as good as mine. Still not really sure what this is all about. The policeman, who I think is real, doesn't want to let that cardinal drive through there. Is there supposed to be some kind of Summer theme here? If so, how does the Pope fit in? Hmmm, now we seem to have Scotsmen and... some other people. It's getting a bit surreal now. I have absolutely no idea. Okay. I'm getting out of here. I know where I am now. I came here last year. <a href=sb05_59a.jpg>Look</a>. Four of the twelve nationalitlies represented by the vechicles parked outside my motel. Okay, not very interesting really.<br><br>PE65MD: Perg, Austria.<br>SOK MG294: Saale-Orla-Kreis, Germany.<br>1253YN69: Rhône, France.<br>X191DAH: Norwich, UK. Here's somewhere prettier. This is Diest. Another clock playing tunes. This one is in a town called Bilzen.

The Netherlands

This is a spot where I stopped to eat some of my sweets in the shade. It's actually in the Netherlands but I hadn't realised that at the time when I took the photograph. Maastricht. More cobbles. This is Maastricht too. So is this. Naturally, enough, that's the river Maas. I thought it was quite pretty so I took a few photographs. Lots of bikes, too. Here we also see the good old Dutch red cycle route signs. I think it was the change of colour of the signs which first alerted me to the fact that I had crossed the border. Does anyone mind if I stop here for a minute? I don't need to say where this is, do I? Just a building. I stopped here to eat some of the fruit from that shop. There can't be many of these in the Netherlands.

Germany

Sunset on the approach to Düren in Germany. This was the only day when I did any cycling at night. It was also the only day on which I rode through three countries. A rather organised approach to electioneering in Zülpich. Germany's general election was about three weeks away at this point. I didn't have a very good map of Germany when I arrived here yesterday so I could't really understand where the cycle routes were taking me. After buying a better one in Zülpich, I can now follow this route confidently. There's my bike, in the shade of that tree. This is near a place called Euskirchen. A field of poles near Rheinbach. I think something is going to be trained up them. Possibly grapes. The name of the town might give you some idea what lies just over the next couple of little hills. Without really realising it, I have been gradually gaining height since Maastricht. In front of the horizon in this picture is an unexpectedly deep valley containing the River Rhein. The River Rhein. I have been looking forward to reaching this ever since I left Calais. You may have noticed that these boats are using the wrong sides of the river. Apparently, they do that where the river bends to the right so that the one going upstream can have... There's a German village, looking German. One of the Köln-Düsseldorfer ferries. I would see several of these operating on this part of the river, despite the act that Köln and Düsseldorf are both downstream from here. On top of the bridge, you can see the blue board signifying that this boat wishes to go onto the... Not really sure what I'm trying to show here. That boat again. The castle on the far bank is one of a pair on opposite sides of the river. A covered bridge on the Rhein cycleway. The number 2 in the foreground is one the the markers which appear every hundred metres on each bank of the river. You will see one of the kilometre markers in a moment. A bloke in a hat. I said I would show you one of these. As you can see, I'm now 627 km downstream of a point which must have some sort of significance. I never quite worked out where it was though. I think the source is further away than that. A boat race. Over there near the other bank. Can you see it? Scenery. There's certainly no shortage of hotels and restaurants along the riverside. Most of them expressly say that they welcome cyclists too. I won't be needing to stop at any of them though because I believe I've got a room booked in Koblenz. More hotels, more bikes. This is a place called Bad Breisig, by the way. Yet more bikes. There's that castle again on the opposite bank. One of the ferries across the river. I won't be using those though. That would be cheating. It's not very easy to see but, bizarrely, that white blob in the middle of the picture is the word <i>Fosters</i> in a vineyard. I'm glad there's this route along the bottom of the valley; I wouldn't much fancy having to go up and down those slopes too often. Oh look, a bike. This one's got quite a lot of luggage. I wonder how far it's going. More bikes. I would see the group on the right again the next day. More shipping on the Rhein. This is Koblenz. I have come to the railway station to look for a map which might show me where my hotel is. I've found the hotel. It's on the road which was on the far side of the big archway in the previous photograph. The good news was that they were expecting me. The even better news is that the greengrocer's is still open. Fruit and hamburgers for me tonight! The view from my window. Not especially pretty. Looking through the arch towards the station. Dodgy looking bloke. Why is he wearing a scarfe in this weather? The view towards the station after dark. Koblenz by night. Dark, isn't it? Koblenz station the following morning. I'm now trying to find my way out of the city. I've found the Rhein cycleway again now. Here's a brewery. The white markings on the sides of the arch show the water levels of various floods over the ages. The Rhein again. The town of Sankt Goar, featuring a bicycle-friendly hotel in the foreground, a Youth Hostel in the middle and a less convenient hotel at the top. Sankt Goar, where I have stopped for another lolly or two. Rapids on the Rhein. The ducks seemed to enjoy going over these. Another small German-looking town. Bikes, vineyards, a barge. I bet you weren't expecting those. The cycleway through Bingen seems a little obstructed. I don't think it's open at the moment. Yes, yes, yes. Another chairlift. I've probably taken more photographs than was really necessary. More of the same, really. Now here we have a problem. The sign for the cycleway I was following points straight into that "no cycling" area. It turned out that there's some work going on in the area to the left and the cycleway has been diverted but the notice explaining all that was not... Here we have a cluster of milestones. The small one on the right shows 507 km, like the huge one. The stone on the left tells me that I am 340 km from Basel, 88.6 km from somewhere else and 22.133 km from somwhere else. Does that mean anything to you? The ramp up to the bridge across the river at Mainz. The railway bridge across the Rhein at Mainz. After crossing this bridge, I will leave the Rhein and instead head up the River Main, as in Frankfurt-am-Main. Rüsselsheim, where I seem to get a choice of paths. Bike racks at the Opel car factory in Rüsselsheim, which I thought was quite amusing. Still in Rüsselsheim. This road is called Rugbyring, after Rüsselsheim's twin town. The road on the other side of the hedge, where the houses are, is Donaustraße. I've only just left the Rhein and already the Danube is making its presence felt. This looks like a rather minor path to for part of a transcontinental route. It would soon peter out completely and dump me on a railway line. Again, I've booked a hotel in advance. This one is in Neu-Isenburg. After getting a bit lost and having some hairy experiences with trains and traffic, I've found it. Wow! It's a sparkly one. A bridge for walkers and cyclists across the road from Neu-Isenburg to Frankfurt. I'm off to Frankfurt now for a bit of sightseeing on my rest day. I don't actually need to go through there. I've come in to take a picture of the road anyway. I'm only a few miles from the middle of Frankfurt here. The buildings aren't really visible in the photograph though. Another view of the bridge. The Binding brewery in Frankfurt. Frankfurt. One of Frankfurt's nice smooth cycle lanes. Frankfurt. That's the river Main's cycleway down there. I won't be using this section of it because my hotel is a few miles away from the river. Frankfurt's outdoor market. The skyscrapers of the financial district on the north side of the river... ...and a load of carpets for sale on the south side. A Binding beer stall. They seem quite keen on it here. I'm coming into the financial district now. Frankfurt! More of Frankfurt. One of the bikes provided by the railway company. They seen rather over-engineered. Frankfurt station, where I managed to buy maps, a newspaper, all sorts of food and, of course, a couple of cans of Binding. Frankfurt station. Another view of Frankfurt. Frankfurt, seen from inside the station. I'm on my way back to Neu-Isenburg now. Riding into the city centre along this road was a strange experience. The buildings just seemed to swallow me. Guess where Neu-Isenburg is twinned with? Ah, now I get a chance to do some interplanetary cycling. Hey, I can see Uranus from here. Sorry. The view across the Main valley from Klingenburg. A flight of steps forming a bit of a bottleneck on the Main cycleway at Miltenburg. A lock on the river Main at Freudenburg. People enjoying the sunshine at Hasloch. A finger post in the village of Dertingen. Of particular interest here are "London 882 km" and "Brüssel 455 km", both behind me, and "Wien 640 km" and "Budapest 924 km", still to come. Also, at the top left, is "Nordkapp 3459 km". Apart from the short ferry crossings in... Oh, a hill. Not sure if I can remember how to do these. This is the cycleway approaching Waldbüttelbrun. The view from my hotel in Würzburg. The view from my hotel in Würzburg. The bridge over the Main in Würzburg. The bridge over the Main in Würzburg. Würzburg Town Hall, I think. My last view of the river Main, at Ochsenfurt. The view to the south from Gnodstadt. The view to the north from Gnodstadt. The scenery looks rather flat in this picture but this seemed like a wonderfully elevated viewpoint after my days spent at river level. Enheim. Ickelheim. On the phone in Trautskirchen, booking a room for tonight in Nürnburg. That's an aqueduct. Yes, really. It's full of water. This is the mighty Main - Danube canal. The route into Nürnburg. The route into Nürnburg. Nürnburg. Nürnburg. Nürnburg. Nürnburg. "Hoffeller's hoe-House" in Nürnburg. Intriguing. There's a railway going into that building. Another aqueduct. Impressive, eh? An advert for some kind of pub, just 28 minutes from here by foot or 4 minutes by helicopter. Pick-your-own flowers at Rednitzhembach. I passed quite a few fields like this, although I think this was the only one where someone was picking their own. That can't possibly be a lock gate, can it? It is! Look at it! It's absolutely enormous! When that barge gets in here, the door will close and it will float up to so that it appears in the gap between the two concrete pillars. To give you an idea of scale, those are people standing on the bridge... The village of Heuberg, near Hilpoltstein. The ridge forming the horizon in this picture is rather significant. You'll see it in the next photograph. The European Watershed. I think the Americans call their equivalent the Continental Divide. Water which lands on the ground on the right-hand side of the road in the middle of this picture would disappear down the slope just beyond the car and find its way into the Main then into... Apart from the ornamental stag which isn't really visible, the only interesting thing here is that this petrol station is selling Austrian motorway <i>vignettes</i>, a sign that the border isn't far away. I seem to have been in Germany for quite a long time. It's also selling drinks and ice-lollies. I think this is a place called Kinding. More lock gates. Prunn. A footbridge in Essing. I didn't have to cross it. I've reached the Danube at last, at the town of Kelheim. I think that calls for a celebratory pizza. I didn't book this hotel, I just found it. Places like this have more character and quirkiness than the big chain hotels. For a start, there appears to be a small house in the middle of the landing. The same hotel, obviously. This place is also quite a bit cheaper than the ones I had been booking by telephone. I never really worked out what that structure is on the hill. The people of Kelheim are obviously proud of it though as it is the only building which is lit up at night. Although I saw the Danube last night, the Main - Danube canal hasn't quite reached it yet. This bridge crosses the canal. Kelheim, seen from the bridge. The shorter clock tower is on one of the gates of the old town. Another view of the thing. The distance markers on the Danube are rather smaller than those on the Rhein and also seem to be only on one side of the river. Downstream, where the river is wider, it will be impossible to read these from the opposite bank. Unlike on the Rhein, these markers number... Demolition work a few miles out of Kelheim. A rope from the tractor is wrapped around the top right section of wall. After several attempts, it came down. Regensburg. I tried to book a room here for last night but the hotel was full. That didn't matter though. It would have been quite a long day if I had come here yesterday and the hotel I found was cheaper and more interesting. Nice place though. I had seen... I couldn't leave Germany without photographing one of the public cigarette machines. They are everywhere. This one is on the wall of a private house. This is the Danube cycleway. The river is on the other side of that grassy bank on the right. I believe this is a building called Valhalla at Donaustaf, although I'm not sure what it is. It was just visible up ahead in the previous picture. Look, it is blue. Unfortunately, I've had to stop here to fix my fourth puncture. They seem to be getting less frequent though, probably because I've reduced the tyre pressure. Straubing, seen from a distance. Straubing's main street, with several rather tempting pavement cafés. Would sir like to see the cabbage list? We have red and white. There were also a huge number of little white butterflies. Cabbage whites, I suppose. The view from my window in Deggendorf. The decor inside was in a better state of repair than this, although it did seem a bit dated. A more tidy view in the other direction from the same window. A fountain in Deggendorf's central square. My hotel is the tall building to the left of the pink one. The square in Deggendorf, which is very pleasant this warm evening and feels rather Italian. Most of the pavement cafés specialise in ice-cream. Deggendorf again. One of two churches situated in the middle of the square. A bridge across one branch of the Danube at Passau. Passau's dam. I had been sort of racing this boat all the way from Deggendorf. It seemed like quite a large boat in the previous photograph but it looks rather insignificant in that lock. Look at this. A map specifically for cyclists. This shows me how to get on the path to Austria. Ah, I'm coming to the end of Germany now. Of the four towns on this sign, two are in Austria and one is in the Czech Republic, as denoted by the little ovals. Another narrow section of cycleway. The bike has now crossed into Austria, which means it gets a new style of cycleway sign to lean against. I've come back into Germany to take the photograph.

Austria

Germany had a better collection of signs than Austria so I took a picture of those too. Deer huddled in the shade of a tree. As I might have mentioned, the weather was a bit warm. The village of Kasten. At this point, the Danube cycleway ran alongside a road and even the petrol stations provided racks for parking bikes. The Danube seen from Kasten. The land on the other bank is still Germany. The dam at Jochenstein. The "Smuggler Road" across the dam to Germany. The building on the horizon is a monastery. From looking at the map, I had been worried that I would have to go up there. For the next 26 km, the valley becomes rather twisting and steep-sided. The main road leaves the river and heads over a few hills, whereas the cycleway clings to the south side of the river. Although the road is shorter, the cycleway is flat and mainly in the shade. A hotel aimed at cyclists. I've got a room booked in Linz though. Another view of the Danube. I took this picture less than an hour after the previous one but the hills just seem to have disappeared. On the way into Linz. The sign for my hotel pointed into that tunnel, which is for motor traffic only. The river in Linz. Quite a hilly place, which is obviously why they need that tunnel. I'll have to find a way over it somehow. I'll try going up here. A view of the old part of Linz. Linz's main square. They're thinking too hard to notice me taking a picture of them. Linz station, looking more like an airport. I had a good walk looking for it. My hotel is just across the road. A building outside the station, and a load of bikes. Not that interesting really. The atrium of the hotel. The view from my window. Seems a funny place for a railway line. I've just used this bridge to cross the river out of central Linz and found the Danube cycleway again. Here's a sign for my next landmark destination, "Wien 227 km". This is the station in a place called Sankt Georgen An Der Gusen. The thing which surprised me about it was that there were no platforms; the tracks were at the same level as everything else so passengers would have to clamber up into the train. That would turn out... A large group of cyclists. I would manage to overtake all but one of them before the road narrowed and I got stuck behind the remaining one. A quiet village. The station in Dornach. There's a train disappearing into the distance. A random building in Dornach. A Danube pleasure cruiser heading towards the town of Grein. Another view of Grein. The village of Schloßberg, nestling between a couple of hills. A rather old train in Schloßberg. The Danube now has a cycleway along each bank. Signs like this one in Kleinpöchlarn show where the river can be crossed and which towns are on each side. I don't know what that it but it seemed worth a photograph. A village called Sankt Michael. Vineyards near Sankt Michael. Dürnstein. The road here lead straight into a hotel but it looked a bit expensive and didn't advertise having rooms free so I thought I would carry on to Krems and try my luck there. Finding accommodation in Krems was remarkably easy. The bloke in the blue shirt stopped me in the street and offered me a room and a place to store the bike. I don't think the guy in the jacket looks like a tourist though so I don't think he's trying the... Like Kelheim, Krems doesn't seem to make much of its waterfront. The town centre was more impressive than this. After dinner in the town, I will realise that although I have a key to get back into the hotel at night, I don't know its name, its address, the names... A river which is soon to meet the Danube. Heavy industry near the riverbank. Another view from the same place as the previous photograph. Better start to slow those boats down. There's a dam coming up in 4 km. A section of turbine pipe as used in the hydroelectric dam which I have just crossed. 1975 km from the sea and therefore 434 km downstream from the marker I photographed near Kelheim. The ruler on the right shows the river level. Some flood markings are shown on the board on the left. The top one is from 1899 but the 2002 flood is close behind... The cycleway goes through the middle of the audience at this arena in Tulln, which must be rather distracting when there is a show on. These houses have no ground floor. If that's an attempt to save them from flooding, the owners clearly don't trust the levée on which I am standing. A choice of routes into Vienna. I think I'll take the family route. Vienna! A building which I passed on the way into Vienna. Funny place. Signs giving directions to each of the city's Mercure hotels. Unfortunately, the ones for the hotel which I have booked would go a bit useless not long after this. Still trying to find the hotel. The Hungarian College, whatever that is. It's a funny looking place though. My hotel is on the other side of the road. A bizarre form of guided tour in central Vienna. Another form of sightseeing transport. Vienna, where I'm trying to find a bookshop. Plenty of cafés. "Off to Bratislava" or alternatively "messing about with the camera trying to put off going to Bratislava". No really old cars allowed down here. Prater Huuptallee, a broad straight traffic-free road running from the centre of Vienna right out into the countryside, making the exit from the city easier and more pleasant than the entry. It found it rather remeniscent of London's Mall. The <i>Liliputbahn</i>, a narrow-gauge railway in Prater park. Crossing the Danube on a cycle lane suspended under Prater Bridge. A wind turbine - there's something I won't be glad to see the back of. Unfortunately, the back of it is just what I can see up ahead of me now, meaning that the wind isn't really helping me today. This was one of the least interesting sections of the whole route, the flood defences to the East of Vienna. The whole morning was like this, including a ten mile section which was completely straight apart from a very slight kink in the middle. After an hour, the scenery had changed very slightly so I've taken another picture of it. We now have two parellel embankments. In the distance, there is a football pitch on the strip of land between them. The view from the bridge at Hainburg. Almost invisible up there is an Austrian frag proudly flying on one top of the last Austrian hill, with some of the last Austrian vineyards in the foreground, a spectacle which for some reason made my brain form the slogan "Triangular honey from triangular bees, Austrian wine from antifreeze". I... I can see Bratislava already. I'm not even in the country yet. What I don't know is that the hotel I've booked is at the summit of the hill, just out of shot to the left. Another view of Bratislava.

Slovakia

I'm now in Slovakia and rather nervous about it. I don't know what to expect here. I don't think I'm going to enjoy this place. It looks a bit stark. No it's not. This is all right. Very pleasant actually. Hey, look at this. Loads of tourists. Quite a few of the signs are in English too, which is helpful. Wow. I rather like Bratislava. Look at that. I really feel like I've arrived somewhere now. I didn't get that in Vienna. Near the station in Bratislava. I'm now in the hotel. If I had known it was at the highest point in the whole area, it would have been easier to locate although no easier to reach. It didn't matter though as I was rather happy. Slovakia didn't seem scary at all, I loved Bratislava, the... The outdoor part of the hotel's own restaurant. It doesn't really interest me though; I know where I'll be eating. There's nothing particularly interesting about this part of Bratislava; I was just intrigued by the "3 boxy taxi trend", which you can't easily read from here. One of several painted concrete cows in Bratislava. Several cities across Europe have this kind of thing. In Umeĺ in Sweden, it was dragons. The New Bridge, seen from the old one. A view of the New Bridge from the cycleway heading out of Bratislava. One of Bratislava's motorway bridges. I don't have to cross it; I've just come up here for the view. This section of the route has replaced yesterday morning's as the most boring so far. I've trees on one side, water so wide that I can hardly see the far bank on the other, the whole place is a bit misty and again the path satys completely straight for ten... That's Hungary over there. I think this bit of water is actually the Danube while the broader branch behind me is called something else. The trees on the far bank are in Hungary. In the foreground is another kilometre marker. These signs must all mean something to people who drive river boats. I think the point is that there is a ferry operating across the river just ahead of here, at Vojka. The Budapest - Vienna hydrofoil. I would see it again tomorrow with a group of bikes mounted on the roof. Can you tell which way the cycle route goes here? The marking is in yellow paint in the middle of the path just before the sign for the guesthouse. I didn't spot it the first time either. This is a town called Cicov, where I get back onto proper roads for a while. Oh, this bit of the path seems a bit overgrown. Are you sure this is the right way? Actually, I think I might have gone wrong somewhere. Back on track now. This is the railway bridge from Komárno on the left bank to Komárom in Hungary on the right. Komárno, displaying the flags of both Slovakia and Hungary. Most of the signs were in both languages. The view from my hotel in Komárno, one of only two places where I had a proper balcony. The view of the sports hall across the road. You haven't seen what's strange about this place yet. This is the view from a window in the corridor outside my room. You'll get to see the outside of the hotel in a moment. A couple of buildings in Komárno which I saw while I was on my way to the supermarket. Here's the hotel. Can you see what else it is? Kelemantia, a Roman settlement near the river. The river, possibly at a place called Kravany. I'm now looking forward to getting across it into Hungary. Stúrovo, with Esztergom Basilica in the distance. The basilica, seen from the Stúrovo - Esztergom bridge.

Hungary

That was Slovakia. I rather enjoyed it. Esztergom. The settlement on the far bank is Nagymaros, whereas I am near a place called Visegrad. One of the waterskiers at Budakalasz on the approach to Budapest. I've reached Budapest. I never really expected that. Now apparently I've got to go across here and along the station's attempt at a platform. The park on Margrit Island in Budapest. The parliament building in Budapest or, more specifically, Pest. Budapest. Erm, traffic in Budapest. I'm not sure what I was trying to show here. The trees on the right are on Margrit Island so you're only seeing half of the river here. Canoeists passing the end of the island. Parliament again, seen from Buda. This area seemed to lend itself to being photographed. As you can see, I wasn't the only one who thought so. I've just crossed the bridge into Pest. Now to start looking for the hotel. I ended up going a rather longer way than was necessary to find it. One of the bridges across the river. I'm trying, not entirely successfully, to block out the Sun with that pole. A pleasant stree of pavement cafés in Pest. Another view of the same street. Okay, this tells us the current levels of carbon monoxide, ozone and nitrogen dioxide. I'm not sure what they are given as percentages of. Some kind of recommended maximum perhaps? Nearly three hours after entering Budapest, I've found the hotel. I'm standing outside it now. Pest by night. This statue was visible in the picture where I was having trouble with the Sun. It's easier to see at night. I don't actually know what it is though. A view from the bridge. A view mainly of the bridge, I'm afraid. Budapest is rather pretty by night. The traffic is also less of a problem now than it was in the daytime. I think this is probably the best time to be here. This is the first town since Bruges which has had what I would call proper lighting. A pleasure cruiser. That's probably a good way to see the lights. Ah, they have Tesco in Hungary. And a rather small unit of currency. Many of the underpasses and underground stations contain shops which are open and full of life. These ones seem a little underused though. Here's a more lively one. The road out of Budapest. Most of the roads in this area are in a pretty poor state. It's good to see some work is being done to repair them. Hungary's Great Plain. Flat or what? Stubble burning in the fields. I thought that had been banned. This was meant to be a picture of a woman with a herd of cows just below that mast on the right. Instead, it just seems to show the standard of a typical road for this area. Some sections were considerably worse. Hungarian roads improved as I headed further south,... The outskirts of Kecskemét. The square in Kecskemét. The square in Kecskemét. The square in Kecskemét. The arrows radiating from this mound give distances to other towns in Hungary. Szeged, my destination for tomorrow, is listed here as being 84 km away, although I will have to ride quite a bit further than that to get there. One of the churches surrounding the square. The building on the left is my hotel. I've now reached the region covered by my guide books. The one for Hungary describes the Aranyhomok as the ugliest hotel in the town. I didn't think it looked that bad. It had a very smart reception and provided me with a... Kecskemét by night. It's well-lit just like Budapest but it's a bit on the deserted side. Kecskemét by night. This is the second M5 motorway I've crossed. The first was in Tewkesbury on day 1. A storks' nest near a place called Csólyospálos. Forráskút, which I thought looked like a typical Hungarian village. Villages here tend to be stretched out for a couple of miles along one road. The water tower in Forráskút. Every village had one but they weren't normally emblazoned with the coat of arms like this. A better view of Forráskút. The road into Szeged. What I thought was interesting here was that it was the first time I had seen Belgrade mentioned on a sign. Szeged. The Szeged ring road. The road is named after the cities which helped to rebuild the city after a flood in 1879. My guide book says this is the London section but the sign calls it Paris. The sign on the gantry however gives the distance to Belgrade. In the other direction, the road goes to Bucharest. This is definitely the Paris section. The Hungarians seem rather proud of their national heroes. This is the junction of Attila and Bartok Streets. On the left just beyond the junction is a map shop with a very helpful, English-speaking owner but not many maps of the south of Romania. Széchenyi Square in Szeged. Széchenyi Square in Szeged. Széchenyi Square in Szeged. I know where my hotel is but it's still early so I'm having a good look at the town as I make my way there. Some of these buildings don't seem to be as old as they look. That one up ahead is dated 1997. This is the Tisza River, which comes from the Ukraine and, not far downstream of here, flows into Serbia. Szeged's Votive Church is visible in the distance on the right. Another view from my balcony. That building on the left is dated 1998. The riverbank. That barge is a bar. I'm off to try and do a bit of shopping now. Looking upstream along the Tisza. I would cross this bridge the next day on my way out of the city. The Votive Church, looking rather impressive. Oi! Get your own language! What's that all about? This is Church Square. In the cloisters are busts of 80 famous Hungarians. Another view of Szeged. The Votive Church by night, seen from the hotel. I had been informed by many sources that bicycles weren't allowed on Hungary's single-digit main roads and had planned a route accordingly. This ban on route 12 caused something of a problem. The only alternative route was rather complicated and started off as a track across a field. I didn't... Up ahead is the Romainan border. Officials can sometimes be a fit funny about people photographing border installations so this is the closest view you will get of it. I hope I'm allowed through otherwise I'll have to contend with more of route 12 on my way to the larger...

Romania

There was no problem at the border. Entering Romania was a bit of a surprise though. As you can see, it's a bit on the rural side. This picture, like the previous one, show the village of Bulgarus. Unfortunately, you can't really see the cows under the trees. The road out of Bulgarus. Most of the traffic around here is horse-drawn. More cows and a train outside a village amusingly called Sandra. Some kind of monument just outside Biled. The botanic gardens in Timisoara. The market in Timisoara. Outside Timisoara station. Timisoara's North Station which, slightly confusingly, is to the south-west of the city centre. The hotel was a bit of a surprise. It's stuffed throughout with antique furniture and paintings. Sorry about the dirt on the camera. The view from my skylight. Timisoara is where the revolution started and many of the roads are now named accordingly. You get that kind of thing in cities everywhere but in this case, I remember the revolution happening. "I've got fourteen thousand forints in my fridge," to mis-quote Eric Idle. This is Hungarian currency which I haven't been able to change. Lugoj. I don't know what's in that pipe. Here's another view of Lugoj, featuring a good selection of Romanian Dacia cars. A furniture shop. I just thought it looked a bit odd with that big arch there. These mountains have just appeared out of the haze. Apart from riding up to the hotel in Bratislava, I haven't had to cope with any hills since meeting the Danube in Germany. I'll have to go into these mountains tomorrow. One of the many graves by the roadside. I don't know if they are for people who were killed on the roads. Another horse-drawn cart and another Dacia overtaking it. Romanians will overtake pretty much anywhere. They often did it as I was approaching in the opposite direction, forcing me off the road. The mountains are a bit easier to see now. These haystacks are a common sight throughout Romania. There's a picture of one on the cover of my guidebook. I didn't expect to reach Caransebes on the bike. The wheel was turing very stiffly this morning and I thought I would have to give up. After a while, the oil which I applied got to work and it's running fine again now. The receptionist in Timisoara has booked a... I don't know what this dancing was supposed to be. The music coming out of those big speakers was <i>Greensleeves</i> More barbecues. They look rather appetising. Another view of Caransebes. Aha! There's the hotel. I was starting to think I would have to park the bike somewhere and call a taxi. It would have been rather embarrassing if I had done that when it was just around the corner. Have you seen enough views from hotel windows yet? Here's another one. And another. Now look at this. All this can be yours for just Ł13ˇ50 a night including a large en-suite bathroom and breakfast. Ł14ˇ50 including the beer. That's the Hotel Armando, Caransebes. More haystacks, this time near Bucosnita. Markers like the red one here appear every kilometre on all A and B roads. These will be the mountains I have to cross then. The view from the Poarta Orientala pass. It's a shame that it's a bit misty. Another view from the Poarta Orientala. Another view of some hills. Following this valley should bring me back to the Danube. Baile Herculane is apparently a high-class spa resort. This is the closest I got to it though. Toplet. I've found my way back to the Danube at last, at a place called Orsova. Another view of the Danube. The road and railway running along the Romanian side of the river. They are good if you like bridges and tunnels. That's Serbia on the opposite bank. The <i>Iron Gates</i> dam. It was created to remove the dangerous rapids from this section of the river but also generates hydroelectric power and provides a way of driving to Serbia, not that I'll be doing that. Another view from another hotel. This one is in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. That's the fire station on the left. See, Romanian is pretty simple really. In the foreground are some of the tables of the hotel's restaurant. I wouldn't get to eat there because I would be chased away by scraggy... It's the next morning and still raining. The forecast shows that it will continue for days. The news shows that roads all over Romania are underwater. That could make riding rather dangerous as I won't be able to see the pot holes. I think I'll stay here another night and... Not much to do except sit here and watch the barges. The extent to which I can see the Serbian shore seems to be a reasonable indication of how hard it's raining. A queue at the Bank. It's now Tuesday morning and I'm getting out of here. It's not actually raining at the moment but it will so I've got a ticket for the train to Bucharest. This is the last glimpse I got of the bike. Can you see it? The station in Drobeta-Turnu Severin as it is now... ...and as it should be soon. This is George Enescu Square in Bucharest on Wednesday morning The big building with the domes is the University Library. I didn't go out on Tuesday because the rain was terrible. I just went into the first hotel I saw when I came out tof the station. My guidebook didn't... Revolution Square. On the right is the Senate, which was the Communist Party building before the revolution. In the middle of the picture is the burnt-out shell of the former Securitate building. Now somebody has built a tall modern glass building inside it. The ground floor is now a coffee... This is the Cismigiu garden. There is supposed to be a lake in the park but not here. I would see a shot almost exactly like this on the news later. The canal in Bucharest. The Palace of Parliament, the third largest building in the world. It's still commonly known as the <i>Palace of the People</i>, the name which Ceausescu rather inappropriately gave it. Bucharest, seen from outside the Palace of Parliament. My guidebook mentions something about guided tours but I couldn't find one. The National Institute of Statistics, boasting an impressive array of air conditioners. The front of the Palace of Parliament. It seems a bit cheeky of them to be flying a European Union flag in front of it when Romania won't be joining until 2007. Unirii Boulevard, once known as the <i>Boulevard of the Victory of Socialism</i>, another of the dictator's creations, designed to be 6 metres longer than the Champs Elysées. The Unirea Shopping Centre. It looks like a bleak Soviet-style concrete institution from here but inside its four or five floors are mainly full of trendy clothes shops. I found a bookshop up at the top with all the computers and plasma TVs though so at least I'll have something... Unirii Square, outside the shopping centre. This is University Square, where the worst massacre of the revolution took place. The woodden cross in front of the side commemmorates it. I'm not sure what the cow climbing up the side commemmorates. I saw several painted concrete cows in Bucharest, just like in Bratislava. University Square, dominated by the Intercontinental Hotel. Under the clock in the middle is a display showing 467 days until Romania joins the EU. Another couple of Bucharest buildings. I don't really know what this building is but there's some kind of filming going on outside it. The view up Aviatorilor Boulevard from Victory Square. I'm glad I didn't try cycling here; the traffic looks rather chaotic. The Government Building in Victory Square. The <i>Arcul de Triumf</i>. I really am starting to think that Romanian is just French without the silly accent. Herastrau Park in the rain on a Thursday morning in the Autumn. I'm pretty much the only visitor. Bucharest is becomming a bit depressing really. I wish I was somewhere else, or at least that the rain would stop. The Press House, with its unashamedly Communist design, where many of Bucharest's journalists still work. Still in the park. Still raining. The <i>Village Museum</i>, one of Europe's oldest open-air museums. The description of it in my guidebook pretty much amounts to "not as good as it was before the fires". Some of the styles of traditional Romanian house represented in the museum. Actually, they aren't as traditional as they might look. Most of these designs date from the 19th century. I couldn't work out if I was meant to look inside the houses. Most of them were locked and the others had museum staff sheltering inside them. More exhibits plus some spare thatch and, bizarrely, a fairground carousel. There were also a lot of soldiers hanging aroung all the entrances to the museum. I didn't find out why. More of the Village Museum. The view down Victory Road from the Arch. My guidebook also said that the arch was open to the public. It took a long time to get across the road to it and when did reach it, it was locked. Nice weather. I saw traffic signals like these in places from Budapest to Istanbul. People crossing the road on the right have another 20 seconds to get across. Those crossing from the left will have to wait 39 seconds before they can start. The Russian Orthodox <i>Student Church</i>. Bucharest's main station, the "Gara de Nord". Another view of the "Gara de Nord". The Istanbul train should be here any minute now. My cabin on the train. It's designed for three people but no luggage so it was fortunate that I got it all to myself. More dogs. These ones chased the train when it moved off but it's rather less worrying to have that happen when you're in a train than when you're on a bike or walking. The bridge From Giurgiu to Ruse in Bulgaria. When the road on the left gets high enough, it will take its place on top of the railway. I had seen conflicting reports on whether or not bicycles were allowed on the bridge but, looking at it, I'm fairly sure they... This will be the last time I see the Danube. It's become very wide now. In the middle there are three barges strapped together.

Bulgaria

Some rather nasty looking black sludge pouring into a pool. This is the first glimpse you get of Bulgaria if you enter by train. A Bulgarian train. Bizarrely, it's a Skoda. The train's corridor. The attendant has now converted my seats into a bed and is patrolling the corridors making sure nobody is out of their cabins. It seems a bit early to be going to bed. The station at Byala, as it says on the end of the building. They use the Cyrillic alphabet in Bulgaria, of course. A board showing which platforms to use for trains to various cities: Sofia, somewhere, Ruse, Stara Zagora and something-grad. This station was surprisingly busy for twenty past one in the morning.

Turkey

The Thracian scenery, seen from the train. The station at Kabakca, where the train has now been stopped for about two hours. The guard spent a while getting me to unpack my bags and then told me that another train was about to appear on the other platform and that I should get off. I did. It didn't. Eventually, somebody found out that it would take hours for the fault with the engine to be repaired and decided that he would catch a bus instead. As this news was translated into more and more languages, the crowd of people following him grew until it was probably larger than... Still waiting. We're on out way again. I don't know what this is meant to be. The station at Halkali. Unlike Bulgarian stations, Turkish ones have their names displayed prominently in several places, which must be helpful for people who aren't going all the way to the terminus. They also have proper platforms. There doesn't seem to be anything keeping the train doors shut though. This train is on its way out of the station now. some people ride along like this for the whole journey. The approach to Istanbul. There's an impressive array of minarets in the distance but they aren't very easy to see here. Another view of the Istanbul's outskirts. The Blue Mosque. I must be close to the end of the line now. There's the Bosphorus Bridge up ahead. The train was nothing like this long when I boarded it in Bucharest. It picked up extra carriages at several of the stations along the route. This is the end of the continent. The other bank there is the start of Asia. It's a shame I didn't manage to get this far on the bike. I wonder if anybody's managed to get the lock off it yet. Another view across the Bosphorus, from the car park of the Topkapi Palace. Another view. The Middle Gate of the Topkapi Palace. This was as far as members of the public were allowed in the days of the Ottoman Empire. The chimneys of the Palace kitchens, which now house a display of Chinese pottery, seen across the Second Court from the Gate of Felicity. The Second Court seen from outside the Inner Treasury. I've become a tourist now and I'm certainly not the only one. The view from inside the Imperial council Chamber. The Terrace Mosque, with a view across the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus again. And again. There's the bridge, and a boat. Another boat, and a turkish flag flying rather proudly in the Asian part of the city. Guess where this is? I'm beginning to doubt the Solent's claim to be the busiest stretch of water in the world. A bit more of the Palace. In the distance now is the Galata part of Istanbul, on the other side of the stretch of water known as the Golden Horn. I'm still at the Palace, waiting for a tour of the Harem. The Audience chamber. Tourists looking at bits of Mohammed in the Sacred Safekeeping Rooms. We're not allowed to take photographs in there. Seen enough yet? The Courtyard of the Black Eunuchs in the Harem. Same again. A 16th century gold mixer tap. This feature of the Palace is still in use. It's the urinal in the gents'. The Aya Sofya museum, which has been a mosque and a cathedral in its time. I decided to put off going there until tomorrow, when it would turn out to be shut. The Blue Mosque, seen from across Sultanahmet Park. I took another photograph without the woman but it didn't look properly balanced. <i>Million</i>, the marker from which all distances in Byzantium were measured. It would have been a good place to end the ride. A monument next to <i>Million</i>, bearing some unusual graffiti: "m<sup>2</sup> = m<sup>3</sup>", "x < y < z". The Basilica Cistern. The Basilica Cistern again. It's hard to tell at first how big this place is; it's all rather dark. One of the people reading those boards is translating them into sign language. I don't know why the deaf people can't read them themselves. Apparently, this place was forgotten for hundreds of years. I seem to have come off the tourist trail now. The <i>New Mosque</i> The original Turkish Delight shop. I couldn't really pass without popping in for a few boxes. The restaurant where I went for dinner. The group on the right are obviously getting into the culture; they're playing backgammon and smoking a hookah. The service here wasn't very good, unfortunately. The staff were more interested in getting customers into the place than in paying any attention to them... The hippodrome. "Sorry for the temporary bother that we make". You should know what this is by now. The inside of the Blue Mosque, showing the "elephant's feet" pillars. Apparently, the Aya Sofya, despite being a thousand years older, has a much more delicate method of support. I didn't get to see that though. Street vendors. "Flowers, lovely flowers?" "Bread?" "You want cordless drills?" Taksim Square, at the heart of the modern business district of Istanbul. It's a big mess of buses and traffic. One of the gates of Constantinople. The old city walls. The ferry terminal from which boats leave for various other parts of the city. Fishing is very popular around here. The Galata bridge, behind me, is lined with anglers shoulder to shoulder. Later, I would eat at a fish restaurant under the bridge. That experience started off badly but got... The Bosphorus. There's the Galata bridge on the left, and the Galata Tower in the middle. Boats. I'm waiting for one to take me to Asia because I fancied a trip in the tethered balloon which I had heard was over there. It wouldn't be operating. A car transporter ship. Haydarpasa Station, which was apparently a present from Kaiser Wilhelm to the Sultan. Presumably not a surprise present. Inside the station. I don't want to catch a train; I just came in here for the amusement of seeing Tehran on the departure board. Outside the station. I think the smoke has been left behind by one of the ferries. It's not coming from that train. Two questions which had been troubling me for a while whenever I looked over to the Asian shore were "Where's this balloon I've read about?" and "What's that... Europe. That's where I live. Actually, this is the first time I've visited another continent in eight years. The Aya Sofya is in the middle and the Blue Mosque on the left. Europe in the background, Asia in the foreground. This is as far as I'm going. I hope you enjoyed the trip.