Balaton :: Departure kingary.net
"matching tracksuits and everything"
  Wednesday 18 August 2004  ][ Back ][ TOC ]

Packing and Leaving

I can't deny I wasn't a little nervous about the thought of traveling close to 700 kilometers (420 miles) with two bikes strapped to the roof. The bike racks seemed to be less than stellar examples of design.

This became evident the day before as we were actually putting the bike rack together and it turned out that two of the u-bolts were too long and so the threads didn't extend far enough to enable us to tighten them properly. A few extra nuts and the problem was solved.

Putting the bikes on the rack (that sounds Inquisitorial) Wednesday morning revealed the need to improvise some more: we had to secure the front wheels with nylon string so the handle bars didn't bang together as we rolled along.

Before our departure, a group photo was in order (view large version).

On the Way

Kinga and I at Donovalay
(view enlargement)

The trip itself was somewhat uneventful — just the third time from Poland to Budapest.

We stopped in Donovalay for a snack, in Sachy for coffee, Vac for a walk, and somewhere for lunch, though I can't remember where.

Gary denerwował się trochę tymi rowerami na dachu ale w gruncie rzeczy to mieliśmy poczucie, że nasz samochód wygląda po prostu - cool - z tak wspaniałym bagażem. Największy stres przeżyliśmy jednak na ulicach Budapesztu. Jest to miast wyjątkowo nieprzyjazne dla kierowców, szczególnie tych obcych. Centrum miasta to labirynt ulic jednokierunkowych, w tygodniu miasto jest niewyobrażalnie zakorkowane a do tego budapesztańscy kierowcy nie mają za grosz cierpliwości i nie zdejmują nogi z gazu jak tylko warunki na drosze im na to pozwalają.

Poza tym, to jechaliśmy sobie beztrosko, słuchając dobrej muzyki, Gary przygotował wcześniej najróżniejsze składanki na wszelki możliwe nastroje jakie mogły nas dopaść na trasie.
Interior of the basilica in Vac Group picture in Vac on the bank of the Danube
After my folks got on the plane Thursday morning, Kinga and I headed to Balaton, finding a wonderful room with a fenced yard where we could leave the car in Felsoors.
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