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Pictures from our Cycling along the Danube holiday.

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We went on a seven day guided and luxurious cycle holiday, mainly on the flat, alongside water, woods and villages to the north west of Budapest in Hungary. The area is called the Danube Bend which features both volcanic hills and fertile flat plains alongside the Danube river.

Peter was our local English speaking guide and we were followed by Marietta, driving the support minibus and trailer for our luggage and bikes.   Peter and Marietta were running this tour for the first time, after our encouragement, and it turned out to be a great success, due to Peter's prior research and selection of cycle tracks, places to visit and the chosen hotels.  Start and finish in Budapest.

Arrival for our cycling Holiday	Hotel Normafa
Historic Ski train up to Normafa	Eating poppy strudle, again !

Friday.  Welcomed at the airport by Peter who took us straight into Budapest via the Elizabeth Bridge to Hotel Normafa on the Buda Svab hill.  The hotel has a swimming pool and just opposite there is a park with trees along the top of the hill ridge, with views down over the town and the Danube in the distance.  Just into the woods is a snack bar that does very nice apple strudel with poppy seeds.   At dinner we met up with the other 7 guests for the week, all from the US and Canada.

Cycling downhill into Budapest towards the river and remembering Raoul Wallenburg who saved one of the relatives of a guest on this cyling tour !	Half crossed bridge and turned north onto Margaret Island.  Parkland and fountain, with music if you are lucky!
Margaret Island. Ponds, nature and rare species reserve.	Over the road from the hotel. High on the ridge of Buda Svab hill overlooking Budapast

Saturday:  After breakfast cycled down to the centre of Budapest, passing memorial to Raoul Wallenburg.

Lunch at beach bar along Danube	Hungarian fast food: Hake fish - always a favourite with Eric
Crossing the Danube by ferry boat at Szentendre	Sightseeing in "arty" village at Szentendre. Marzipan shop and museum.

Scandanavian style hotel. Monastry adjacent to prison.	Cycling from the log hotel. Outside, ready to bet bikes off the trailer.
Hotel on Szentendre island Flowers of Hungary	Crossed in ferry to Kismaros then on narrow gauge railway up the Volcanic hills

	Organ in the church
Sunflowers	Imadkozzal Arettank

Monastery adjacent to prison.	Castle on top of hill at Visegrad overlooking Danube.
Guard at the Royal Palace	King Matyas ( 1458 - 1490 )

View of the Danube Bend from Visegrad

Royal Crown as worn by Kings of Hungary

Leaving the Silvanus Hotel

Picnic for the bikers !

Gateway in forest clearing

View over lake at Tata	Marble Hill with geologic trail
The dome of Estergom cathedral	Bike trail in the woods
Covered pool	Hilltop wine at supper time.
Tata	Sailing

The picture above of the 4 crosses and church is Marble Hill or Marvany-hegy, now renamed St Ivan's Hill since the Middle Ages. Around 1350 a three aisled church stood here.  Fellner Chapel as seen above was built on the ruins in the 18th century.,  There is a tall slim tower behind (not visible in the picture) which was a combination of observation tower and a shot tower, used for making lead shot by dropping drops of molten lead into the air at the top. The Calvary statue group was made by Antal Schweiger in 1770.  In the limestone rock there is the Megalodus cave where there is evidence of thermal springs which flowed in Tata thousands of years ago.  The passages of the cave stretch for 280m and cover several levels, with the roofs covered in hundreds of Megalodus shells.  In the front of the cliff is an open air geological museum.

Thermal bath and swim pool at Lipot

Lipot outdoor sauna and shower

Canoeing on Danube.	Hungarian goulash stew for picnic lunch
Cycling along the track	Our bikes were excellent
Hadevar Kastaly Hotel	Great picnic lunches

Any comments please e-mail eric@satsig.net. All content Copyright (c) Satellite Signals Ltd. 2008 Page started 28 July 2008, amended 28 July 2023