Hungary 1998
Unusual use for a kiwi fruit on the way into Satoraljaujhely. Not a great tourist resort, probably no one can pronounce the name. Having a rest for two days. Found a restaurant in a small village and of course had goulash. Only $6US for both our three course meals.
Eastern European favorite of stuffed cabbage using pork and beef etc. Potato harvesting time, many people digging up millions of potatoes. The roads not bad for the east but much concentration required and yes this view was probably the most common. Signs in the country pointed to a hotel which was closed as it was for river flood control people only but they let us have a free night and invited us to their party with tons of goats meat goulash and drinks, to hell with not speaking Hungarian we had a ball.
The famous Trabant were in abundance in Hungary Parking up at a country supermarket, always a hard job getting what we wanted. The wave pool at Hajduboszormeny. Reality strikes! More country roads as we continued to head south east (no bicycles allowed on main roads).
Romania
Heading south to Arad, This sign said Sofia 990kms, Bucuresti 545kms, Viena 650kms, Budapesta 275kms and Belgrade 180kms etc. Arrived in Deva, yet another disgusting industrial city where the same boring architecture prevailed. Moving through more small towns again and these two brats were after the usual, money & cigarettes.
The ancient castle ruin on the hill above a small country town with a typical Rumanian church steeple in the foreground. A back street in Brasov and in contrast a lovely church clinging to a hill. This is the city where where we would launch our search for Dracula's castle, high in the Transylvanian mountains.
Yes, we arrived at the entrance to Bran castle where the story of Dracula was set. Shot shows looking at one corner of this most interesting and quite different building. Radu, explaining it all. Peles Castle (pronounced "pelesh") where we both experienced the most fantastic building we had ever seen let alone toured internally.
The young women in Eastern Europe certainly make an effort to look good, and they do. There are so many varieties of police and heavily armed as well. Just another stinking power plant blocking the view. Arriving finally on the Black Sea coast at Constantsa.
Bulgaria
Not such a good idea waving a camera around too much but caught some shots from the bus after cycling to Varna. Note the modern Coke sign, a few of Bulgaria's black sea fleet. Hard to show how bad the roads are using this format.
Turkey
What a sight, as we try our hardest to stay awake heading along the motorway where you fight in the traffic with mad Turk drivers and the sun slowly rising over what is one hell of a huge glorious ancient city. Oh thats right there is plenty of rubbish left lying around here too.
Arriving at the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet. Much more on Istanbul and Turkey to come in next months update.
In the meantime its off to find a paradise to have a holiday.
So here we are at the top of the last hill with Erdek in the distance, on the Marmara sea, not far from Gallipoli which we will visit later, along with everything else, but first it's the Bermuda Hotel all to ourselves as the season has finished, and three great Turkish meals a day and a two roomed apartment....(only $38US per day) It's simply heaven.
Back to work, cycling back from Erdek to Bandirma and across the Marama sea to Istanbul, staying in the area of Sultan Ahmed we visited the huge Grand Bazaar, with a grand entrance, entering into a main hall full of gold and silver stalls lining over 200metres of hallways. Avoiding blokes selling chestnuts and other street foods.
From downtown Istanbul after a few days enjoying a hotel and not bad food, we head along the coastal highway to the Atakoy MotorCamp where we meet up with 24 other people and head on around Turkey through Syria, Jordan, and Egypt on the first leg of our overland adventure to through the Middle East and Africa. For the benefit of those interested in viewing just the overland adventure, there is a separate section called "EcoEx". Just click on it and your there.