Day 55 - Ponedeljek 3. junij 2013

From - Nagykinzsa.
To - Ptuj.
Distance - 100km
Time - 6.5 hours
Total - 3561km

I am not really sure which language I need to use for the title of today's blog. I have actually plumped for Slovenian because that's where I am writing this. If you really want to know what it is in Croatian it is Ponedjeljak 3. lipanj 2013.

I was sad to find out that I am missing the 'mashed potato' festival here at Nagykanizsa. It takes place in September so book your holiday now if you want to avoid disappointment! I'm not sure what the festivities involve apart from eating mash potato? There could be 'speed mashing' competitions or 'mash fights'. There would be endless possibilities. I'm sure it would be a great event, maybe we could steal the idea and do something similar in Flookburgh, after all we grow lots of potatoes and we could use it to market our produce. It sounds silly but there could be an opportunity here!

The day started well and got better. I spoke to the hotel owner yesterday about what I might have at breakfast. He offered ham and eggs and I said 'yes please!' and also told him I needed lots of bread for energy. It turned out that I was the only person for breakfast and he had taken my hint about having a large appetite! I started on yoghurt and coffee and began buttering some bread when he appeared with a plate of five fried eggs and three large slices of ham!! I thought it was my birthday. There was also a plate of sliced meats that I didn't touch and soft cheese and tomatoes and a fresh paprika. I had bread with apricot jam and more bread with the thickest prune jam I have ever seen. If I can't go go go! on my bike after the eggs and prune jam then nothing will get me going!

The weather started grey and gradually improved through the day. Eventually it became a pleasant afternoon and a bit cloudier evening. During the day I realised that with all the cycling I was getting a bit of skin colour but it then crossed my mind that it wasn't so much of a tan, more like I was turning yellowish after eating the eggs!

The first hurdle was to get across the border from Hungary into Croatia. Bearing in mind that I hadn't had to show my passport at any border crossing so far I had a funny feeling that I would have to show it today. The border control was almost deserted except for the customs official in the kiosk. I had my passport examined leaving Hungary and again when entering Croatia.

My second hurdle was the route I had chosen to cross a motorway, so that I could cut about 20km off the road mapping route. I was committed to going for the very small road shown on my cycling mapping system that seemed to give me a more direct route into Croatia. In the end it was a bit of an anti-climax as the road was a perfectly good one. Even better, it was not open to motorised traffic. It must have been a road for traffic before the motorway was built.

I only cycled through about 40km of Croatia, so I can't claim to know it or even judge it. It seemed very similar to Hungary. It was fairly tidy but certainly no frills. I only went through one proper town called Cakovec where (shock horror) I was caught breaking the law. I was riding through the main square when I spotted 3 policemen on foot. I knew from the moment the policeman saw me that he was going to stop me for the heinous offence of cycling in a pedestrian area. Of course when he stopped me he must have regretted it when I spoke English and he couldn't. He asked to see my passport (it will get worn out at this rate). I was, however, very impressed with him. He was smartly dressed, very polite and he used his initiative by stopping a young man walking past who admitted to being able to speak English. He translated what I had been stopped for and I apologised and that was it. Thankfully there was no 'on the spot' fine, as I had no Croatian currency. They were kind enough to have a picture taken and I resisted the temptation to ride away! I pushed my bike to the end of the area and then had a look round the outside of Cakovec Castle.

It wasn't much further on before I was crossing the border into Slovenia and the European Union. It wasn't busy here either! The Croatian customs man checked my passport. He checked all the pages, saw there were no stamps anywhere in in and asked me if it was new. I said that it wasn't new and he offered to stamp it for me. I was made up. I've had it over 3 years and been abroad quite a few times but it has never been stamped. I then had to show the passport one more time at the Slovenian side (it will be getting frayed at the edges). It was so quiet, I thought of the Cold War period where the borders were sealed and I imagined that I might be an English spy being swapped for a Eastern Bloc spy! I must keep my imagination under control.

Slovenia made a good impression straight away. The scenery was prettier and the houses looked more like Alpine Chalets with the shutters on the windows and wooden balconies. Things looked better looked after too. I had cycled 80km before lunch and I stopped at Ormoz, which was a rather non-descript town but I popped into a bank and changed the Hungarian Forints I had left over.

I'm sure that all of you will have heard of the town of Ptuj before. You haven't, shame on you. Apparently it was the European City of Culture 2012! I'm sure they give that title to about 10 cities each year! I was unsure of how to say the name of the place and had to ask. Apparently it is pronounced like 'chewy' with a P at the beginning! It is a very nice place indeed. The first thing I did was go to a bike shop and pump up my tyres. I was allowed to use one of their pumps and I wasn't charged. Next was a coffee, sitting in the sunshine in the main square of the town. Third, I went to Hostel Eva. It was locked despite the message on the door saying it was open 24/7. A man working across the road offered to make a call for me to get someone to come. Very kind man! He asked about my cycling trip and was impressed about my journey. I was let in by a lady and allowed into my 6 bed dormitory that I presume I have to myself because there is only one key for the door and I have got it!

After a shower I went for a walk around town. There are lots of nice looking bars and restaurants, nothing flash but the whole ambience of the place seemed relaxed and pleasant. I headed for the Castle and enjoyed fantastic views from there. The hills on the horizon are starting to bother me, they don't look so bad from here but they are a long way off. They will probably hit me later tomorrow and even worse the day after.

I am now back using Euros for the rest of the trip and things are again more expensive. I had a double scoop ice cream for 2 euros. I didn't mind because I had a blackcurrant scoop and a coca-cola scoop with chocolate sauce on top. It was a big ice cream, yum yum! I'm not too sure what to do tonight. Probably look for something to eat and early bed, as usual.

I've really enjoyed today. The better weather helps but Budapest apart I wasn't too impressed by Hungary.


Photo 1, Trabant car outside the Hotel at Nagykinzsa. It was a classy area!
Photo 2, Busy day at the Hungarian Border.
Photo 3, What's Croatian for 'you're nicked'!
Photo 4, Cakovec Castle.
Photo 5, Slovenian Border. No busier. I will try to comply with the speed limits.
Photo 6, I think the TUS supermarket needs a new Marketing Manager.
Photo 7, I have found the answer to my tyre problems!
Photo 8, Ptuj street and Castle on the hill.
Photo 9, View from the Castle.
Photo 10, Hostel Eva, my abode for the night.