My Journey Mate |
“Today’s route is slightly
complicated.” Chandan is beaming with
enthusiasm as he studies the route. We will cross Danube river on the
bridge today and cycle on the Slovakian side for some time. Later we will cross
the Wag River and again come on the Hungarian side and will continue cycling up
to the historic town of Esztergom.
The Yacht Club |
We finish our breakfast quickly
today since there is not much of a choice. As we cross the bridge and reach the
Slovakian side, it feels stunningly beautiful. We are blessed with a clear and
cool weather today.
The path is excellent. Fresh
grass on both the sides is welcoming us. ( According to Milind, the grass is so
fresh that you feel like eating it.😃) We are full of energy and are getting
used to our routine. There are some other cyclists following the same route.
There is a yacht club we must visit as
per the guide. It is a small club with no one around. We take a quick look and
proceed further. The poppy flowers have disappeared. Road is paved though the baron grass land
along the Danube River.
Heep of Dry Garbage : Hungary |
I see a tiny hill in the midst of grass land. As the curiosity is aroused I focus my camera lenses and zoom it as much as I can. And to my dismay I realise it is a heap of dry garbage. I can clearly see a small mountain of plastic junk overlooked by the vultures flying around it. So the situation in Hungary is no different.
Selfie Time : Road Unpaved |
One for the road |
rizing. I feel in the heart of heart that this road should never end. And of course it comes to an end. We are suddenly dumped on a path we
As we cycle down this path and
try to make friends with it, the path ends suddenly and we are back on the tar
road. Our effortless cycling gives us a feeling of floating in the air. We are
rejuvenated. Today we will not go
directly to the hotel. We need to visit the Basilica in Esztergom. It is regarded as Rome of Eastern Europe. As
we ride past the green fields and clear streams, we suddenly reach a huge
bridge on Danube River.
The first thing we notice is the
gigantic structure of Basilica. It is situated on a small hillock and
Basalika |
We carve our way though the town
and reach the base of Basilica. There is
one hour before it closes. Hence without
wasting time we rush towards the entrance. As we go inside, we are flabbergasted
by its sheer size. The gigantic dome, huge organ in front of the altar, the
holy Christ everything is so enthralling.
Girls on the Bridge |
We come out and spend some time
observing the surroundings. There is still enough daylight hence we decide to
rush to the hotel. It takes us almost 45 minutes to reach the hotel. It is at
the fag end of the town. We are
awestruck by the view of the hotel. It is one of the finest hotels of our trip.
However since it is far away from the city center, we have to take a bus back
to the town to eat. We do not want to go back on our bicycles hence we decide to
use the city bus.
We reach the city center and eat
in a Chinese
Dog Carriage |
Without much difficulty we come
back to the hotel. It is already bed time. We now hit the bed without any word.
Tiredness takes over from here as we dream about our last day of cycling.
Extremely crisp description. Reading the blog makes me want to book myself on the next flight.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot. Yes it is very tempting.
DeleteAshwini this is truely the right eay of exploring country side..You are among the few Choosen one to blessed with so much time & passion..Will try to go with you on one such trip..
ReplyDeleteYes sure. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteMastach Ashwini your writing is so cute and sweet it feels like we are there with you
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot nice of you to comment.
DeleteVery well written. Could see the countryside through your writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Yes the experience made it look more beautiful.
DeleteStill repenting for not coming with our group.
ReplyDeleteWe missed you too. I am sure you will join next time.
DeleteSoo perfectly described.. feel like we should have this as next target tour.. ����
ReplyDeleteYes Medhekarji. Its a must do at least once. Thanks.
DeleteThese are Great experiences one gets outside your comfort zone. well written Ashwini
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot makarand dada.
Deletebeautiful......it's refreshing to read
ReplyDeleteThank you Vrunda.
DeleteAshwini, you are great 👍. Awesome 👏 No words to describe precise ness, aptly written. Kudos!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for kind words.
Deleteashwini, travelled with you while reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks Savita Tai. Feels like objective of writing was accomplished if you feel that way.
DeleteMeaning of word bicycle is
ReplyDeletea vehicle consisting of two wheels held in a frame one behind the other, propelled by pedals and steered with handlebars attached to the front wheel
But I would like to refine as.....
A frame of togetherness propelled by everyones will and steered with mutual understanding together attached to your experiences while you all made your way across.
Superb...
Wow Ajit. Excellent correlation indeed. Very apt.
DeleteGreat write up as always
ReplyDeleteIt really brought memories back
Thanks for penning down our wonderful journey
Thanks Chandan. I also felt the same way while writing.
DeleteDr. Ashwini, as I read your various blogs on your challenging tourism activities pleasantly described very lively, I feel like actually pedalled in your group colleagues.( Pravas varnan vachtana swata pravas kelyacha aabhas vachkachya manat nirman karne mhanje tumhi uttam lekhak -Author aslyachi kabuli denyasark aahe)Collection of all these blogs shd b PUblished asap
ReplyDeleteThanks sir. Nice of you to say that.
DeleteWhen is the next blog available for reading?
ReplyDeleteI will be posting the last blog in the series, 'Europe Cycling'
DeleteWonderful experiences and lovely written!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteLooking forward to reading more of your enjoyable escapades.
ReplyDeleteSure. Last in the series coming soon. Thanks for reading.
DeleteLoved reading your experiences...Superb flow in your writing...Looking forward for more👍
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot Gauri. Experiences are so enriching that they automatically enrich the writing.
DeleteIt's not a race it's a journey enjoy the moment
ReplyDeleteThanks Vidya. Nice of you to comment.
DeleteDr. Ashvini your blog takes us to on the spot and gives reader to get into mental framework of power of visualisation. Do keep us engaged further.
ReplyDeleteThanks sir. Will surely keep posting.
DeleteVery well written Ashwini. You explained it so nicely, I travelled through countryside. Looking foward for more....
ReplyDeleteThank you. Yes the words cannot capture the beauty of country side in totality however tried my best.
Delete