Table of Contents
Day 43 Subotica to Sombor (110 km)
Woke up at 6:45 (WOW what an achievement). It’s starting to get a bit cold. I arrive in Subotica for lunch, facing a nasty headwind all morning. The city center is very beautiful, and there’s a lovely synagogue. You can feel Hungary is just next door. The waiter where I stop to eat reassures me that crossing the border into Hungary should be no problem, which is comforting for the coming days.
To make it on time for my evening meeting/host, I push hard on the flat at a good 25 km/h average over 50 km with my panniers—not bad for a performance.
My host isn’t immediately available, so she has a young friend, Larisa, welcome me in Sombor. She takes me to a good Serbian restaurant and tells me she is 19 years old. At first, I don’t believe her because she seems much more mature in the topics we discussed and her plans for marine biology in Split. Pretty impressive ambitions 🙂
Later, we go to a pub (Aquarium), where I finally meet Alexandra, who is very happy to see me—it’s a pleasure. She is a private English teacher and had to prepare her classroom for the start of the school year. She loves cycling and shares her fight to preserve the roadside trees and her views on the importance of cycling in Sombor. I can confirm that very few people cycle in Serbia, except in Sombor and Novi Sad, where I’ve seen promotion and many more bike lanes than before. Tomorrow, we will go canoeing all 3 together and later we will meet with Alexandra’s cousin, who is returning from Abu Dhabi. A few glasses of wine later, I still don’t understand putting ice cubes in rosé, but I accept and adapt. We head back to her apartment to enjoy the balcony and some good herbs. It’s very cozy. Oh, and I forgot that the two girls do diving and cycling in the same club, explaining their close bond despite a 10-year age gap.
Day 44 Sombor Pause
Second day in Sombor.
Woke up at 10:00 for canoeing with the girls on the local calm and pleasant canal for a few kilometers round trip. We enjoy the beautiful weather and a relaxed atmosphere to recharge. Such a pleasant and restful moment.
I go alone for an iced coffee afterwards waiting on Alexandra and her family. I meet Boris and Dubravka, Alexandra’s cousin and his wife, who are expecting a child. He’s a studio photographer and she’s a stewardess. They’re back in Serbia after 7 years in the UAE, which is quite a time to be living in the Middle East. The exchange is going pretty well and they’re really nice people. It’s already time to say goodbye, and Alexandra and I head back to the apartment on our bicycles.
I’ll be having my solo evening in town as Alexandra has a birthday of her own, which is just as well for organizing the next day’s departure. The two beautiful days on site were great and the welcome very warm and I’m very grateful. I’m going to leave a note for my host. What I’d like to continue doing if I get a warm welcome in the next few weeks. I cook a little caramel pork and rice to reduce the weight of the panniers and keep some leftovers for the next day. I still have one more thing to see in Sombor before heading off from Serbia to Hungary. Answer in the next paragraph.
Day 45 Sombor to Between Mohács & Pécs (HU) (90 km)
Woke up at 7:00 to wander around the town and have a leisurely breakfast. The city center of the city is quite cute. I go to find the graffiti of Sombor’s child tormenting NBA paintings: Nikola Jokić, already a future legend from here. The graffiti is on a wall of his school building.
Then, I head towards the Hungarian border, 30 km away, which closes its doors to me in the end… I could have gone through Subotica, but it’s too far now, so I aim to cross through Croatia, hoping it works out easily. The double crossing is very smooth. First at Batina (Serbia to Croatia), with a beautiful commemorative statue of WWII heroes, then at Udvar (Croatia to Hungary), finally arriving in Hungary. The border guard is very friendly and even gives me a souvenir—a sticker reading “Only for Transit,” which makes me laugh. The idea of my bike in transit for 48 hours on a 400 km journey seems so plausible. The situation is clear: I technically shouldn’t pass, but the passage is tolerated, allowing me to enjoy the country peacefully (I hope).
I head towards Pécs, where a cyclist guides me along bike paths. Finally, an easy way to avoid the road, quite a change from the Balkans. I stop in the vineyards to eat my caramelized pork leftovers. I also take time to think about my options after passing through Budapest in a few days. Should I head to Slovakia and perhaps take transport to Poland to change the route, or directly aim for Bratislava, then Vienna, and quickly move through Germanic countries? I lean towards the second option—no cheating with additional transport.
Day 46 Mohács/Pécs to Orfű (50 km)
Woke up at 8:00 and departed at 10:00 : I realize that taking two hours to start after waking up is quite long, but it’s my pace. I can always adapt if needed. The wake-up routine, morning necessities in the wild, breakfast, packing up, and writing my daily notes take a lot of time, but it’s part of the journey.
I visit Pécs in southern Hungary before heading to Lake Balaton, one of the largest lakes in Europe and probably the largest in Central Europe. Arriving at noon at an Italian restaurant, the waiter gives me spots to visit in the city:
- The central church, which has been a church, then a mosque, then a church again with changes in sovereignty (Ottoman Hungary from 1541 to 1699). The atypical shape clearly has a Muslim influence, though it’s a shame they demolished the minaret, it’s beautiful in any case.
- The basilica, very massive and impressive with its beautiful style. The statues of Jesus’ apostles are also very striking. You can tell we’re back in predominantly Catholic countries now, leaving Orthodoxy behind.
- The necropolis, but it’s closed on Mondays, the day of my visit…
- The Zsolnay Museum and Mausoleum (a renowned ceramics specialist in his time), also closed on Monday too… He gave the city its importance.
The city center is very beautiful and still has a southern feel but with many Austro-Hungarian style buildings. The art nouveau-style Király Street is also very charming.
At 17:30, I attempt a late departure towards Lake Balaton. Before nightfall, I manage to climb (one of the only) elevated hills in Hungary. It’s a bit challenging before returning to the flatlands. The Komoot app sends me on an old bike route with an absurd gradient and almost mountain bike terrain, so I have to take the main road, normally forbidden for bikes, but I can’t waste time turning back. There’s some honking, but I manage.
Then, a nice downhill takes me to Orfű. It’s a lovely fishing village around a lake. The houses are built facing the lake, with little access points for fishing. I spot a frightened fox that runs away as quickly as I see it—it was beautiful.
My spot for the night is quickly found outside the village, but illness and fatigue take over. Time to sleep and consider a good rest in Budapest in two days.
Day 47 Orfű to Siófok (110 km)
Departure at 9:00, wake up at 7:30. Not having a network helps me get moving. Heading towards Lake Balaton, which I hope to reach by 16:00 if my body allows. The days are getting shorter at the end of September, especially in the east, with almost an hour less sunlight in the evening compared to France.
My mattress deflates during the night, so I slept on the ground. Everything hurts, so I’ll have to fix the mattress somehow. Finding the tiny hole is a joy (not really). I use a patch meant for a tire puncture, but it does the job.
On the descent, I see huge, well-built bulls that seem to appear out of nowhere in their large pasture. I start to really not feel well, but I aim for over 100 km. It’s hard to find a restaurant for lunch, but I eventually discover a local diner where a lady makes me an excellent burger (1300 forints with drinks, about 5€).
Quick arrival in Siófok, which I speedrun. I chill at the beach and take a quick swim (when feeling less sick), which refreshes me a bit. I have battery recharging issues (the external battery is almost empty, and charging times are too short when not staying in a place with electricity for the night), so I use my solar panel in the morning, which provides some help despite its average efficiency. I have a sugary snack with pancakes in an American diner and find my spot for the night, hoping for pleasant nights in a hostel in Budapest.
Not hungry for the evening, I settle for cereal and fruit. A decent night without a deflated mattress is a win!
Day 48 Siófok to Budapest (100 km)
Departure at 9:30 : We will get to Budapest no matter my physical state today. I pass by another lake on the way to the capital. The weather is good despite the forecast, and I’m looking forward to the thermal baths in Budapest. My only issue is that I’m dealing with a bit of a stomach bug, making mornings unpleasant, so I’ll need to manage it with rest over the next three days.
I also pass through a town that’s cuter than its spelling and pronunciation: Székesfehérvár. The town center is charming with beautiful statues and a flower bed in the shape of a clock. I have a small Hungarian dish on a terrace and head towards Velence, where I also grab a dessert. It seems the Hungarians know their pastries well; it’s very good and comforting.
The end of the journey is physically tough, and bad weather is coming. My neck and lower back are starting to ache with every pedal stroke—it’s really time to get off the saddle. I arrive at the Bubble Hostel, which is very welcoming. I don’t even eat and quickly go to bed to recharge as much as I can (a real 22:00 – 8:00 sleep will do me a lot of good).
Day 49 Budapest Pause 1
A light day starting at 11:00. I have a fantastic breakfast next to the hostel (Mindenem).
Then, I take a leisurely walk to enjoy the good weather and mental rest without too much planning, plus I already know the city a bit from a weekend visit in 2019.
I walk along the big Danube and get a Lángos in town (some fried “pizza” dough with savory toppings, a bit too greasy for my current physical and mental state). I arrive too late to tour the Parliament and see that they’re checking temperatures. I hope I won’t have any issues with this tomorrow.
I return to the hostel not feeling great; some diarrhea appears. So I’m going to rest and try to recover to start the following week in better shape.