Because of the high water there was again a change in our morning plans. Instead of biking, we took taxis to the Sturovo train station in Slovakia to ride along the "Danube Bend" where the river makes almost a 90 degree turn as it passes through the Borzsony Hills on the left bank and the Pilis Hills on the right.
With this very "important" man signaling the arrival and departure of trains,
We arrived at Vac, a lovely, little visited town on the west bank with the relaxed Mediterranean ambiance. It was an important river crossing for the Romans and is even mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century "Geographia".
Among other things, we visited the market where one could buy all sorts of vegetables, meat and sweets.
If one desired, chicken complete with feet were available-
And chicken eggs sold by a farm woman in typical dress.
The main square was a busy place with water fountains, a parked fire truck which caught the attention of this tot on his bike, and young couples just enjoying the sunshine.
These 2 children were part of a group passing through on their bikes. I couldn't resist asking if I could take a photo.
We boarded the ferry for a short ride to Szentendre Island, a wooded island in the middle of the Danube where we reclaimed our bikes and planned to ride on the dike near the water's edge.
However, conditions there were also impossible.
We rode on streets through the interior to a lovely old hunting lodge converted to a restaurant, for lunch.
As we departed on our bikes for the next ferry, sandbags were being filled in preparation for the rising waters.
And since the ferry dock was inaccessible we had to walk our bikes again to a new landing.
The ride across the swiftly running Danube was short and accomplished in 2 groups -
Skippered by this very able captain who insisted on showing me that he had life jackets as I departed. Perhaps he thought I was the one who needed it.
On shore again, we biked past the the preparations as the waters of the Danube continued to rise. We also were told that we were going directly to Budapest and our 5 star hotel, as our proposed hotel for that night the "Holiday Beach" was no longer accessible, but it too was being sandbagged. The beach obviously had moved!!
With this very "important" man signaling the arrival and departure of trains,
We arrived at Vac, a lovely, little visited town on the west bank with the relaxed Mediterranean ambiance. It was an important river crossing for the Romans and is even mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century "Geographia".
Among other things, we visited the market where one could buy all sorts of vegetables, meat and sweets.
If one desired, chicken complete with feet were available-
And chicken eggs sold by a farm woman in typical dress.
The main square was a busy place with water fountains, a parked fire truck which caught the attention of this tot on his bike, and young couples just enjoying the sunshine.
These 2 children were part of a group passing through on their bikes. I couldn't resist asking if I could take a photo.
We boarded the ferry for a short ride to Szentendre Island, a wooded island in the middle of the Danube where we reclaimed our bikes and planned to ride on the dike near the water's edge.
However, conditions there were also impossible.
We rode on streets through the interior to a lovely old hunting lodge converted to a restaurant, for lunch.
As we departed on our bikes for the next ferry, sandbags were being filled in preparation for the rising waters.
And since the ferry dock was inaccessible we had to walk our bikes again to a new landing.
The ride across the swiftly running Danube was short and accomplished in 2 groups -
Skippered by this very able captain who insisted on showing me that he had life jackets as I departed. Perhaps he thought I was the one who needed it.
On shore again, we biked past the the preparations as the waters of the Danube continued to rise. We also were told that we were going directly to Budapest and our 5 star hotel, as our proposed hotel for that night the "Holiday Beach" was no longer accessible, but it too was being sandbagged. The beach obviously had moved!!
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