Across Croatia

We spent two days cycling across Northern Croatia, close to the Hungarian border. They were very hot days and most of the distance covered was over almost totally flat countryside. It was all on ordinary roads, and they all had an excellent surface. Even the main roads were not particularly busy, so cycling along was not difficult. But it could be boring, just trudging along through vast fields of corn or sunflowers or (occasionally) tobacco.

Each day had a particular feature that belied boredom. On the first day, we stopped at a bus shelter for a snack, when a woman invited us to look round a wildlife and conservation centre next door. It was about conservation areas by the river Drava, which is slow flowing and has a considerable flood plain. A sideline was that they look after wounded storks who had fallen out of their nests when too young to fly.

We stayed in an appartment on Domji Miholac after the first day. The next day, crossing the Drava was impressive. But the feature to remember was an exhibition in a little village church about the expulsion of German people after the 2nd world war. They just were kicked out with only a suitcase each.

Later that day we had to cross some hills before crossing the Danube. We started on the wrong road that took us to a hillside shrine. On the right road police waved us aside and a peloton of a bike race shot by in the opposite direction. The descent to the Danube was disappointingly cobbled; no going fast!

Crossing the Danube took us into Serbia. Passport checks and a HUGE river.

Duplication

I have done two accounts of "after Nagyvasony". I have not yet compared them. Seems rather silly when the entries are coming so late anyway!

After the diversion; into Croatia

We left Nagyvasony after 5 days there. We retraced our way over the mountain to the lake, taking an alternative path at lake level towards the ferry. This started as a lovely lakeside path, but soon put us through our paces in coping with very steep climbs on narrow paths. It was as well we had left on good time; we made it to the ferry and the station at  Zamardi on time for our train to Nagykanisza.

Was this the last time we will have the ecstacy and the agony of getting fully laden ebikes on to a Hungarian train? Anyway, we did it and after arrival on Nagykanisza, carried on South on EV13.  Not far to Zakany and overnight in a panzio

The day had been extremely hot. Cycling from Nagykanisza had been later in the day through lovely rolling countryside. The next day was equally hot and the terrain became more and more flat. We finally arrived in the town of Barcs and soon after entered Croatia: passport checks in Hungary and Croatia reminded that the Schengen zone stops somewhere. Then over the Drava river, on about 8 km and to hotel in a lovely restored mansion.

Out of order

By now, some of the blog entries are not in the time order they ought to be. This is partly because I cannot keep up with brilliant minds in Google who designed blogger and the blogger app. On other words I cannot get it to do what I want.

The entry "A diversion" should be one place earlier. A previous version of this sits in drafts and refuses to budge.

The photos do not always come in in the right place, in terms of the text entries.

Still, I hope the broad sense of it all comes across.

A diversion

We diverted off the EV13 route for 5 days to visit our friend Anna and her family, in a village called Nagyvasony. To get there, we took a train to Zamardi on Lake Balaton, a ferry across the lake and a bike ride of a couple of hours beyond the lake.

It was good to see a bit of central Hungary. The scenery and countryside is peaceful and beautiful, with rolling hills and forests and woods. The village has a medieval castle which we visited.

There is also a medieval church, which was opened once a year, and we were at the opening. Most churches are much more recent, maybe 17th century or later. The reason this was the day it was opened, it was the national day for the foundation of Hungary. There was also a carriage-and-pair horse competition which we were late for, but saw the prize giving. How did they do these parades before the Raditski March?

We also went on a walk to a ruined monastery. We made a short trip to the regional capital, Verzprom. But actually the diversion was about chatting with Anna.

Lake Balaton seems to be a major holiday place at this time year. We saw it only from the ferry, the train (briefly) and cycling along the lakeside for a few km.

On and on. (By train to start with)

We left Nagyvasony 5 days later. It was back on our bikes and back to pedalling. Comforted a bit by the whirr of the electric motor - well, a quiet whirr.  An ebike won't go without some input from the rider, so you have to do some work to which the electric motor adds something more.

We rode back over the hill, only this time not so much climbing, and down to the lakeside. We went round the Tihany peninsula the other side from last time. This started on a good cycle path, then when one had gone far enough not to turn back, it turned into a less than ideal rough track with really steep bits. Kept going and eventually arrived at the ferry. Over the lake and up to the station in good time for the train back to Nagykanisha.

Then no more assisted travel, except for the ebike motor. Back on the EV13. It led us South through lonely rolling countryside to Zakany where we had accommodation booked

Kormend to Nagykanizsa

Trying to cover two days cycling.

Kormend is about 10km off route and the first thing was to get back on-route. This was level cycling, but once on the route again, it was another matter.

The uphill started in Heilingenbrunn, where we asked the way in a hotel and were both told the way and given coffee on the house. We went up and down on a string of very neat and tidy Austrian villages, with EV13 clearly signposted, until we ended up on a dirt road through a forest that took us to the church of St Emmerich in a clearing, exactly on the Austrian-Hungarian border, with evidence of when it had been closed. The church had been partly destroyed but later completely restored. The whole area was moving. Several groups, by bike or by car came by. In the last one we talked a bit and were told that earlier in the history of the closed border, the main church entrance being in Hungary and the sacristy on Austria, quite frequently people escaped to the West by going in the main entrance and leaving by the sacristy door. This stopped when an exclusion zone began on the Hungarian side.

After the church, EV13 took us on a remote forest trail for some distance, eventually to Szengotthard, where we paused for iced coffee.

Finally that day, on to Apatistvanfalva, where we stayed in an excellent hotel. We are going up-market this year with (so far) no camping but always overnight in a guest house, hotel, etc.

Next day took us into Slovenia, soon after starting off. It also took us steeply down hill, which was nice. Ebikes are making uphill much easier to cope with, but nothing beats a good downhill!

It was only a day in Slovenia. It included a visit to an old mill, and lunch in a churchyard in remarkable heat, opposite a bee tenement - a stack of hives - across a small stream. Then we arrived in Lendava and into a total middle looking for a bike shop and also somewhere to stay, in both cases with no success. We continued on the route, finding nowhere: even a campsite was defunct. It got dark and we trudged on and came to a roadside hotel a bit before Nagykanisza, where we could stay and did. Good supper