Keszthely

September 10, 1994

This day surprised us a bit. There were 20 km more to it than I expected. I calculated the ride from the distance markers on our map, which has been very accurate. I think there must have been figures down in the centerfold that I missed.

Highlights for the day (I've gotten behind a bit, and am catching up after the fact):

Vesprem is a lovely town - colorful, with a fire tower like the one in Sopron. We have a fine view of the town and surroundings from the top. There are three or four colorful churches; all of the buildings in the core have been painted in pleasing pastels. It was wonderfully quiet here. From the fire tower we could clearly hear the crackling of a brush fire far off on a neighboring hillside. Most of the houses in the area seem to be almost minifarms, with large gardens and chicken runs in the back.

The churches of Vesprem, from the fire tower

Shortly before Vesprem, we stopped to help an old man with a large, heavy root that he was pushing down the road on his wheelbarrow. The wheelbarrow had tipped over and he was struggling to reload it. We troubled him for his photo after we helped lift it back in. He posed playfully, and then wrote his name on the road with his finger (he spoke no English, of course). Wonderful experience.

It made a surreal vision, seeing this small figure pushing his load down the road, far from the nearest landmark.

Helping this man right his wheelbarrow is probably my warmest memory of Hungary

We stopped for lunch at Lake Balaton in midafternoon, dining on bean soup, fish and chips at a snack bar. After that we lay around on the grass for awhile, enjoying the view and recharging ourselves.

From Lake Balaton to Keszthely was flat, generally busy, and quite touristy the whole way. Pretty, but not really exceptional until near the end of the day, when the hills closed in on the lake. In this area, the isolated hills are lovely, with houses and vineyards climbing up their slopes and one with a castle ruin on top.

We stayed the night in the Amazon Hotel. The place is decidedly uncharismatic, and quite run down. At 3800 florints, I suspect we were overcharged by the young man at the desk. No shower curtain, broken cold water handle, large patch of plaster missing from the wall. Oh well - it served its purpose - and after cleaning up, we roamed the streets in search of cirske paprika - which we didn't find, but came away feeling full and happy anyway.

In the middle of the night we were awakened by a very loud, prolonged altercation by a couple on the street below. Very disturbing.

Today's ride: 82 miles (132 km)
Total: 365 miles (587 km)

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