Bana to Neszmely: Cats and dogs.... - London to Istanbul on a Recumbent Tandem - CycleBlaze

October 12, 2012

Bana to Neszmely: Cats and dogs....

Awoke to wind and grey skies. - looks like the prediction of rain may be true.
Our zimmer included “fruhstuck” (breakfast) which was brought to our room. Coffee, tea, bread, meats and jam gave us a nice start to the day. The hospitality of Europeans is something that we must never take for granted - it is a special part of our travels.

As well as the resident dog, we discovered a kitten who came running the moment we opened the door. We could hear its purr from a distance and it royally entertained us as we packed to leave. The kitten managed to get into our room and was most intrigued by our strange belongings. We had a lot of fun with the kitten and Barry had to go out and reassure the dog that he was not forgotten.

A few km from Bana we reached the larger community of Babolna which as predicted had much accommodation available. They offer free wifi in the community which we took advantage of. Rode up over a hill with countless wind turbines across the horizon.

Passed an enormous turkey farm - about 40 large poultry barns lined the road and the smell was difficult to take. As with so many buildings in Hungary (including homes), the area was completely protected by fencing, gates and barking dogs.

The thermal spas of Komaron were tempting for a stopover, but as we had only gone 30 km we opted to carry on. Komaron seemed like a charming town, but as we left, the quality of the paved trail deteriorates, the housing reflects tough times and the industrial remnants and abandoned factories of the Communist era speak of difficult times that they are emerging from.
We are realizing that we need to stop sooner in the day as it is getting quite cold and dusk comes early. As well, since we were sharing the narrow road with buses and many trucks carrying new cars from a nearby car factory, we decided to stop at a zimmer in Neszmely - what a lucky find. The old building had been restored recently and we had a 3 room house to ourselves. The hostess, Maria, proudly showed us a poster on the kitchen wall from 1966 which showed the menu from the time when her father ran this building as a bar/restaurant. The walls were so thick that we couldn't hear the freight trucks going by through the night.
There was a strong smell of sulfur from the water - Maria explained that this was a good thing as this area is known for its therapeutic, mineral water. She encouraged us to drink lots and shower for our health.
The last 3 zimmers we have stayed at in Hungary have shared a common trend of hospitality by bringing food to welcome you. Maria brought us food from her garden - walnuts, grapes and pears.

When not distracted by the falling leaves, our little friend was saying goodbye to us.
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Our other friend, the "guard" dog was anxiously watching us leave as well.
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Tandem Hungarian style
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Oh yeah, we had to try them and they were really good.
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Really impressive- he had 3 dogs on leash running with him as he cycled. And many pit stops along the way..
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A big bag of dog food on his back rack.
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We saw much evidence of run down buildings and abandoned industry from the Communist era.
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The kitchen in our zimmer.
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Now a walkway, remnants of the former bar at the zimmer.
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Maria, our zimmer hostess, spoke no English, but her desire to make us comfortable and her charm made us feel at home.
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Maria seeing us off.
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Today's ride: 54 km (34 miles)
Total: 3,323 km (2,064 miles)

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