Danube - Vienna to Mosonmagyarovar

Nothing like a 3 country day!  Left Austria after breakfast, went to Slovakia for lunch and Hungary for dinner!  

Had a breakfast meeting in the Hodgson / Lachance suite before heading out for 7am this morning.  62+ miles to go to Mosonmagyarovar. Left Vienna by crossing a bridge to the island between both halves of the city.  Rode for several miles on an island park created by dredging the Danube, by the equipment used to dig the Suez Canal (the things you learn on bus tours!).  The trip out of Vienna was 6 miles in total, but seemed to be less fraught. Maybe because it gets quieter and quieter as you go, rather than more and more intense?

Saw some crazy maps along this route.  Stood there thinking, 'And we go where?!"

When we stopped for a water break, met a man who was pedaling from Turkey to Amsterdam - wow, what a trip!  He said things got much rougher after Budapest where we won't be going.  No camping for him, unlike the Brit we met earlier who was pedaling from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, camping all the way.  Nice to have a chat about our respective journeys.

Did 40 miles by lunch!   Came over the border to Slovakia, turned towards the river (hitting our biggest headwind of the trip) and crossed the bridge into Bratislava.  Came off the bridge and, poof, we were in the Old Town.  Garlic soup in a bread bowl was worth the trip!

Back over the river and very shortly crossed the border into Hungary - no sign, no border guards / no checkpoint.  If the border hadn’t been on the map, we wouldn’t have known where we crossed.

Made it to Mosonmagyarovar, our first Hungarian stop, and after struggling with Google maps a bit found the hotel (thanks, Liz). Nice place, very quiet, plenty of restaurants. Had a wander and then dinner at the hotel. Had beef cheeks for dinner - that qualifies as Steak Night!

Today Liz completed her first Metric Century at 66 miles, 106 kilometers at speeds of up to 16.7 miles per hour!  Great cycling day - 75ish, flat and a tailwind at times.

Comments:

1. LizJune 21, 2025 at 4:58 AM

   I only got to that 16+ mph because of the tailwind! Lovely countryside, lots of corn and wheat fields (HUGE fields)
2. 
   Stephen HodgsonJune 21, 2025 at 7:10 AM

   So the random oriental gentleman in the picture is a guy we bumped into on the trail who is riding from Turkey to Amsterdam, big respect!! As you can see he was pretty whippet like (more fat on a chip as we say in the North) and very enthusiastic.
   Enjoying experiencing Hungary which was behind the iron curtain till the end of the 80s, you can tell the difference still between east and west Europe but the differences seem to be getting smaller than last time we were here 10 years ago. Food and drink is excellent, the people are friendly, the younger ones all seem to speak some English, probably a deliberate strategy🤔.
   Weather continues to be great, early starts keep the number of miles pedalled with the temps in the high 80s or 90s to a manageable level. We are 16 days in (20 odd if you include travel and rest days) and it becomes almost a way of life, get up, pack up, get breakfast, pedal, lunch, pedal some more, check in, get showered & changed, quick explore and drink, dinner, bed and sleep. Repeat!! What’s not to like?
3. 
   BrianJune 21, 2025 at 1:46 PM

   Wow...hard to believe you can just bike over the border(s) with no showing passports and such. When I biked from Canada into Vermont I had to stop at the border guard, show a passport and tell them where I lived and where I was going. And that was 20+ years ago! Nice to not have the hassle for you guys. Nice routine to get into! 😎