Day 59 - Petek 7. junij 2013

From - Ljubljana.
To - Postojna.
Distance - 53km
Time - 3 hours
Total - 3753km

Before I went out yesterday evening I was seduced by an 'all you can eat' barbecue at the hostel for 6 euros. Three full plates later I considered that I had had good value. It was washed down with Slovenian beer. There are two brands of Slovenian beer, one is Lasko and the other is Union and just to be fair I had one of each!

A short walk to the City Exhibition Centre and I was at my concert venue for Sierra Maestra. The ticket time was 9pm and at half past the support band came on. Cutting through the language I think they were called Professor of Blues and were very much a Retro Blues band but with young band members. They were very talented, the lead guitarist was great and the harmonica placer was excellent too. They did about an hour which is a little long for a support band and we had to wait till 11pm before Sierra Maestra came on. It was the last gig of their tour and it looked like it. A couple of the singers could hardly manage a smile. Having said that the music was authentic and hugH quality especially the guitarist and the trumpet player. They were still playing at 12.45am but half the audience had left, probably because of the time. It's such a pity they didn't start earlier.

I was back on the road in the morning. I short journey to Postojna. I was wrong about the hill because there were two. Both were gradual even though there were a few hairpin bends before I got to Postojna. I arrived at the Sports Hotel and Hostel by lunchtime and checked in. The weather forecast had been totally wrong so far because it was beautiful and sunny when it had forecast rain. I got a hostel room for nine people but I am the only one. What's the point paying extra for single rooms when you can get big dormitories to yourself? The lady told me that the admission fee for the cave is 23 euros! That's steeper than the hills I have cycled up! I bit the bullet and set off to the cave and called into the Tourist Info on the way. I bought a cave ticket there and got 5% off, well it's not much but it's nice to get some reduction.

It was still lovely and hot in the sunshine. I walked to the cave (Jama in Slovenian) and found that this is a big operation. There were many coach parties from Austria, Germany, France, Croatia and Italy. It felt a little bit like a cattle market. In fact I was at the back of the second train that transported people into the cave. When we stopped I went in search of the English speaking tour on,y to find they had set off without me and I had a heck of a job battling my way past other language groups to catch them up. I commented that the English speaking people must be the fastest walkers. The cave itself is massive and very spectacular. I took several photos but haven't bored you with them apart from one. Photos don't express the beauty or the size of the place properly. It's certainly bigger and more spectacular than anything I've seen in the UK and that comes from someone who got his 'speleologist' badge in the scouts! - not many people know that!

Of course when I came out the sun was still shining but a big grey cloud was lurking and rain just held off until I got back to the hostel. It gave us a good downpour.

Going through these places that no-one has previously heard of made me become philosophical. I have always liked the phrase 'Wherever you go, there you are'! For me, this means that wherever you go, you are the same person so it doesn't really matter where you go its more about your state of mind and what you make of it. A new place doesn't make a new person, you are just the same. What does this mean in reality for me? It means that I am hungry wherever I am! That seemed to take a lot of philosophy to work out that I'm a greedy pig! There is a fat person trapped inside this (fairly) thin body.

The evening got sunny again and I walked to the top of a nearby mountain called Jelicova. There was a cafe at the top and the views were fantastic. The cafe was playing Bruce Springsteen. I enjoyed it just as much as going into the cave. The photos don't do it justice. As a result I have chosen my favourite Bruce Springsteen track 'Jungleland' as my song of the day.

Italy tomorrow.


Photo 1, Can you guess what this is a picture of?
Photo 2, A photo of a nice field and woods.
Photo 3, Sport Hotel and Hostel.
Photo 4, on my way to a Jama party!
Photo 5, Entrance to the Cave.
Photo 6, Stalagmite and Stalactite.
Photo 7, Water wheel and wear next to Cave.
Photo 8, view from Jelicova.
Photo 9, Another view from the top.

Day 58 - Četrtek 6. junij 2013

Rest Day in Ljubljana.

I managed to get my weary body to the Los Van Van concert last night. I didn't know what the expect really. I found the place by walking across the city centre. The sun had managed to get out again and it was lovely to see the beautiful buildings whilst it was quiet.

On my way to the ticket office I was approached by a ticket tout offering me a cheap ticket. I am embarrassed to say that I bought it! Naughty person! The concert took place in a place that had a roof but was open at the sides. There were some seats but the area was mostly standing. I thought the support act were great, they were a Cuban band and really lively. People were dancing to the music straight away and some of the people were really good salsa dancers. Then Los Van Van came on. They had 12 musicians and 4 singers. They were great and the whole place was dancing. I was approached by a good looking young girl who spoke to me in a sultry foreign language. I thought 'ey up, me lucks in', and I told her I was English and I couldn't understand. She said 'can you move to the side so my camera gets a better picture'! That's the normal affect I have on women!

I actually had a room mate last night, he was asleep when I came back so I probably disturbed him. He was Swedish and works in Nigeria but that's all I gleaned before breakfast and he's gone now. My breakfast was slightly less gargantuan than usual. I need to look after my figure! I had a leisurely start and took the opportunity to have a shave. These are becoming rare occasions so I include it in the blog as an incident worthy of a mention. I walked into the centre, had a coffee in the Presernov Square prior to taking the free guided city tour at 11am.

The tour was excellent and took about two and a half hours and covered almost everything except the Castle up on the hill. One surprising piece of information that was given was that most Slovenians need to climb the biggest mountain at least once and when they do it for the first time they have to have their backsides slapped hard to mark the occasion. The guide covered all areas of history, economic, political and cultural issues. We were lucky to be blessed with nice sunshine as well. I got the impression that the things to see are all in the city centre and a good weekend here would probably cover it. However, my good impressions from yesterday have been reinforced that this city is well worth a visit and it has a lovely unhurried, unhassled atmosphere. Budapest was great and there was a lot more to see but you do get some unwanted hustle from people trying to entice you into their restaurants or beggars etc. I went up to the Castle and admired the views than back down for a cake and coffee before having another more leisurely look in the Cathedral. Very baroque with big paintings on the walls and ceiling. I suspect the Italian churches are going to be special too!

I went back to the hostel later in the afternoon to try a little snooze before going out the evening for another taste of Cuba with Sierra Maestre and Buena Vista Social Club. I think it will be more traditional Cuban music with more variation of music styles rather than constant full on salsa. I am in a standing area so their could be more dancing! I'm not going to take my iPad tonight. It's good for. Couple of photos but its a nuisance having to look after it.

Tomorrow should be a short cycling day but almost all of it will be uphill. I am stopping at a place called Postjna near the top of the hill where there is a famous cave. After that it will be going downhill into Italy and Trieste for a couple of days. Venice is on the horizon in a weeks time where I will meet Rebekah and John for another cycling interlude.

Today's song choice is 'Lovely Day' by Bill Withers, just insert 'Lubbly' instead of Lovely!

Photo 1, Support act.
Photo 2, Los Van Van - look them up on You Tube.
Photo 3, St Nicholas' Cathedral.
Photo 4, Church in Presernov Square.
Photo 5, inside the Cathedral.
Photo 6, View from the Town Hall.
Photo 7, Ljubljana Castle.
Photo 8, View looking down the Funicular track to the city.
Photo 9, Just in case you forget who I am. What do you think of my green hat!
Photo 10, Looking after my figure again!

Day 56 - Torek 4. junij 2013

From - Ptuj
To - Zalec
Distance - 75km
Time - 5 hours
Total - 3636km

Last night I went out and had a Slovenian Pizza. Like all pizza, its difficult to distinguish between some of the varieties but this has some horseradish sauce in one part of it and some black beans as well as all the normal things like cheese and ham and tomato. The woman at the restaurant told me a joke. It involved the Slovenian President talking to the Chinese President casually after an international leaders meeting. He asked the Slovenian President what population he had. The reply was '2 million'. The Chinese President then asked 'Where exactly is your Hotel'?

Later, I also had a chat with a man who managed the hostel. He gave me some advice about a hostel to stay in at Ljubljana. It is the 'Hippest hostel' according to Lonely Planet and was previously a prison. It still has its bars! So I have booked it for two nights but I have to get here first!

A decent sleep. I was the only person in my six bed dormitory but no breakfasts available at this hostel so I went to a supermarket and successfully bought something similar to a sausage roll, a chocolate doughnut and a croissant filled with vanilla. You probably don't think that is very healthy but it did the job washed down with a carton of orange juice.

Today's riding started flat on a busy road westwards to Slovenska Bistrica. It was a fairly bland town that wasn't helped by the drizzly weather. I could see the rain coming towards me as I cycled. It was only a brief shower but its not been a great day weatherwise.

I then got off the busy roads into the country. The scenery has been beautiful and lovely villages dotted the hillsides. The cycling was very much up and down. Steep ups and steep downs, its really annoying but I managed. Granny gear was fully employed. I stopped in a bus shelter for my lunch, not really the best place ever but it was out in the country and I got a seat with a view and no reservation required.

The last part took me through the fairly large town of Celje, it looked a bit of a commercial centre so I carried on towards Zalec. On the way I stumbled across an old mansion called Novo Celje that was under renovation. It had been owned by he man who introduced hop growing into the area and more recently it had been a mental hospital till the Second World War when the Germans took the patients away and executed them.

I had noticed the hops growing in the fields as I cycled and when I arrived at Zalec the lady from the tourist information directed me to the Hop museum. I was a bit reluctant, after all how interesting can hops be? I was wrong again. The museum was in an old hop drying factory and I was the only visitor. I got a personal tour from a friendly English speaking lady. She showed an old film about hop growing and picking from the past. It was really quirky and showed thousands of hop pickers getting off trains and enjoying their work. I suspect it was actually hard graft in reality. Now the best bit..... I got to drink beer made from local hops and only sold at the museum. It was lovely, just what I needed after my cycling. Another member of staff was kind enough to give me a second beer free and he took a nice picture of me.

I moved onto my hotel which I had booked previously by Internet. I had taken a gamble on booking the Casino Hotel. It's a large green modern building in the centre of town. I must say it is very comfortable and to my surprise there are some English speaking channels on the TV. The best I have ever had before was BBC World News and that has only been in a couple of places.

I have become aware of the flooding in parts of Central Europe. I am thankful it isn't affecting me. It is affecting some of the places I have been through. I believe Passau is badly affected. I recall speaking to a local man near Linz called Conrad who was telling me of the floods of 2002 and he proudly showed me new flood defences. I hope they have done the job for him but like lots of flood defences they just move the flooding problem elsewhere! The weather forecasts for Europe still seem very unsettled for this time of year, even Northern Italy is having rain. I was banking on a bit of sunshine when I got to Trieste and Venice. I'm still hoping. I think it could be the Vernon curse. Dodgy weather follows me around.

Bigger hills for me tomorrow in my attempt to get to Ljubljana and get to that prison cell. I checked a different mapping website called ViaMichelin.com and it is really good because you can do a route and click a cycle icon and it will use smaller roads to work out a route and also show where steep hills are. Well the good news is that tomorrow there are five steep hills and all of them are downhill!! However, I know that I am going about twice as high as I have been today so the website is keeping the bad news to itself. Apparently there is a small village at the top of the hill that does the best doughnuts, so I will have to give one a try as a reward for getting there.

Song of the day has to be 'At the Hop' by Danny and the Juniors.

Photo 1, Town of Slovenska Bistrica.
Photo 2, Slovenian countryside.
Photo 3, Village of Ponikva.
Photo 4, Scenery near Celje with train.
Photo 5, Hop plant.
Photo 6, Novo Celje.
Photo 7, Church in Zalec.
Photo 8, The Hop Museum.
Photo 9, The best bit, sampling the beer at a Hop Museum.

Day 57 - Sreda 5. junij 2013

From - Zalec
To - Ljubljana
Distance - 64km
Time - 4 hours
Total - 3700km

What an evening at the casino tables. My tuxedo wasn't too creased when I got I out of he pannier. It was worth bringing it all this way just for tonight, it gave me the James Bond look and it attracted the bunny girls to my side! Well, I am making it up a little bit. I actually watched cycling on Eurosport channel. I mentioned the number of English speaking TV channels. There were several English speaking films with Slovenian subtitles. I guess this may partially account for the excellent English spoken by all the people I have met, especially the younger ones. Elsewhere in Europe the films are dubbed into there own language and when you ask people if the speak English they say 'leedle bit' but here in Slovenia they say 'of course'.

Massive breakfast again. I'm sure I am eating enough for a whole day at breakfast time! I only got as far as the next village, called Sempeter, before I stopped. There was Roman necropolis that the tourist information lady had told me about. No, it's not a Roman Police Station, its a burial ground. I was charged 5 euro to go in and it took me 10 minutes at the most before I left. The burial monuments were very much intact and in good condition but I'm not sure I got my money's worth. It started cloudy but thankfully a bit warmer than yesterday. There was no wind to speak of either which was perfect for my cycling.

The first 15km were flat and then I was mentally preparing myself for the climbing. It wasn't as bad as I had feared. I climbed for about 10km but it was steady climbing all the way and none of that steep stuff only to come back down again. I got to the top, to a village called Trojane where they sell the famed doughnuts. Of course I had one! They were big, filled with vanilla cream and had a chocolate top dusted in coconut. See the picture below, I could hardly get my mouth round it but it was my treat for the climb. The view was rewarding too!

The downhill was great and I saw a couple of cyclists pushing up, I empathised with them and I thought it was definitely steeper from that side. I managed to find a riverside cycle path that took me off the main roads as I approached Ljubljana. I went straight to the Celine Hostel that had previously been a prison. It is in an area that they call 'Kultural', this is code for covered in graffiti! It is actually a hip and cool place, so not only can I claim to be a 'youth' because I stay in Youth Hostels but I can claim to be hip as well! I couldnt go to my room till after 3pm so i went to the cafe and had a soup and salad lunch. The place was busy and played some great music.

I had a quick walk into the city centre and went to the tourist information. I had already spotted that there were some music possibilities over the next couple of evenings and both were Cuban music. Tonight I could see Los Van Van and tomorrow Sierra Maestre. I booked Sierra Maestre and when the lady printed the ticket I was extra pleased because the band is joined by members of the Buena Vista Social Club. This may not mean much to you but I suspect that between the three groups the cream of Cuban music is in Ljubljana in the next two days.

I went back and checked into my room. I haven't got one with bars but they allowed me into one that does and I took a photo. I think they are all a bit different. The one I photoed was a single room and had a circular bed that you had to climb steps get into. My room is a four bed room but I was the on,y one in it so far. I'm sure I'm in quarantine! They must think I have something?

I came downstairs to get a better wifi connection and as I was typing this two lads walked past wearing kilts! I didn't get chance to speak but I will if issue them again. It seems very multi-national here and there seem to be many people speaking English.

I have been reading the tourist guide and found out lots of interesting things. Legend has it that Jason and the Argonauts stopped here and Jason fought and killed a famed monster called the Ljubljana Dragon. The town was called Emona by the Romans and in 2002 an ancient wheel was found here dating back to 3200BC and it is the oldest wheel in the world. Ljubljana is also the most honest city in the world, according to the Readers Digest but of course you would know that already, being avid Readers Digest readers.

It was a lovely afternoon with warm sunshine but this evening we have had really loud thunder but not too much rain yet. I'm hoping it will be dry later if I go to see a band!

I will do most of my sightseeing tomorrow and so there will be more city photos. I have been thinking again about a song for the day. I have chosen a Lancashire Hotpots classic called 'Keys, Wallet, Phone', it makes me think it should include IPad and then it would be exactly like me. Look it up on You Tube, its brill! but make sure you are wearing your flat cap when you listen to it.

I just spoke to the Scottish lads. They are from Dumfries and are stopping here tonight before going to Zagreb to watch the Scottish Football Team play Croatia tomorrow! It's a strange world!

Photo 1, Roman Burial Monument at Sempeter.
Photo 2, View of approaching hills.
Photo 3, Trojane Doughnut.
Photo 4, View from the top - the photo doesn't do it justice.
Photo 5, Celica Hostel.
Photo 6, Looking down the river from Dragon Bridge.
Photo 7, Bedroom with bars and a raised circular bed.
Photo 8, The corridor outside my room.
Photo 9, Dragon Bridge at Ljubljana.
Photo 10, Kultural area! A band called My Bloody Valentine are playing here at the weekend. My son will know who they are!

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.

Day 54 - Vasárnap június 2. 2013

From - Siofok
To - Nagykanizsa
Distance - 108km
Time - 6.5 hours
Total - 3456km

Last night I just went to the Hotel restaurant and was joined by 18 German fans of Bayern Munich. I can't believe it, Bayern were in another Cup Final, against Stuttgart this time. I managed the first half while I had my Venison in Wild Sauce! Aptly named as I was furious I had to wait for 20 minutes for it to be served! It was actually nice and served with the local favourite...bread dumplings. I went back to my room to watch the second half and Bayern almost lost a 3-0 lead to finish with an exciting 3-2 win.

It rained heavily during the night but was nice and sunny when I woke and had my nice big breakfast. I got away at 8.45am and enjoyed a leisurely start. The ride was like a match of two halves. The first 55km I stayed on small flat roads by the shore (or close to it) of Lake Balaton and was thoroughly pleasant. I am not too quick on the uptake but as I was riding I saw quite a lot of people jogging or walking in the opposite direction. I was confused because they looked pretty fit individuals but they were going slow and some were hobbling as if they were in pain. It eventually dawned on me that not only had there been round lake bike rides, there was also a running event!! These poor blighters were running 200km around the lake and had been at it for around 24 hours. Respect!

Just before I left the shores of Balaton I spotted a little cycle shop that was open on a Sunday. I couldn't resist the opportunity to check my tyre pressures whilst I was still in civilisation. That was a mistake. The owner got his son out to do it and he cranked up a compressor! I would have preferred him to lend me a hand pump with a gauge but I went along with it. He checked the back tyre, it was close to the correct pressure and then he did he front. It could have done with an extra 'bar' of pressure but the compressor didn't have enough power to put any air in! I thought 'never mind' it's not too far off. But what did take the wind out of me was when he asked for 300 forints for failing to put air in my tyres! 'Three Hundred' seemed to be the only English he knew! I made all sorts of gasping and tut tutting noises but I did pay it, only because he had turned his compressor on and it was less than £1 so it wasn't worth digging in for a big argument.

The second half of the route was dull and a little wet. Light rain became set in for about 3 hours and I was on long undulating roads with no shelter. I did however, notice that my back tyre was trying to get off the wheel rim! It must never have been seated right when it was put n in Budapest. Anyway I stopped deflated the tyre, fiddled with it and then pumped it up again. Like most DIY type things I do, it didn't do the job. It started to do exactly the same thing again but it got me to Nagykanizsa where I ad another go using a tyre lever to push the tyre down onto the rim. It looks better now but I'm not convinced that it won't need to be done again.

So, I am here in that famous town of Nagykanizsa! I know you will all be familiar with it....not! The hotel s rather basic but the owner does speak English. The buildings around are all old style communist era five storey flats. The town centre itself will never be a tourist destination but it has some nice features that you will see in the photos.

I nipped to a Lidl supermarket and picked a few things for an evening meal. I fancied a sausage roll and I studiously checked the pastries looking for the ones with the roll of meat in the middle because its a complete waste of time trying to read any labels in Hungarian. I also bought a tub if Somloi Galuska. I had seen this on a menu in Budapest and instead of an English interpretation the menu said 'just try it'. Well I didn't try it on that occasion but I thought I would today. Later when I ate the food I was surprised to find that my sausage roll was a jam tart! and the Somloi Galuska was actually quite a nice rum flavoured sponge pudding with cream (I bet you thought I was going to tell you it was a savoury sausage meal).

I did mention yesterday a bit of a dilemma about two arguably famous Hungarians that I haven't mentioned so far. The first is Johnny Weissmuller, who was born before he First World War in a part of Hungary that is now in Romania. His parents were both of German nationality and he was taken to USA when he was a baby. Who could forget Johnny Weissmuller wrestling a plastic crocodile in Tarzan, he was my favourite Tarzan for sure. The second person is Tony Curtis, he was born in USA but his parents were both Hungarian and he only spoke Hungarian till he was 5 or 6 years old. I'm still not sure if I could include them n my list or not. I need an adjudicator.

I am planning my next moves. Tomorrow should take me out of Hungary, into Croatia and stay overnight in Ptuj, Slovenia. Should be interesting. I am taking a bit of a chance with my route because the road mapping directions I get tell me that I need to do a big loop to he north because the only direct route involves a motorway. However, I have spotted a way that I might be able to get across the motorway on my bike where a car couldn't! I suspect it involves a farmers track, which will no doubt be flooded or so muddy that I won't be able to use it. If I get this route wrong I will have to back track for over 10km and use he northern loop which is also much longer than my desired route. To make things worse the little track I am looking for is on the Hungary/Croatia border. Croatia is outside the EU until later this year so I could be shot for trying to escape out of Europe!!

Photo 1, Balaton is also a wafer biscuit! So, have a Balaton by Balaton.
Photo 2, Busy M7 motorway on a Sunday afternoon.
Photo 3, Hotel Touring.
Photo 4, Apparently the on,y monument in Hungary to commemorate the Treaty of Trianon which split Hungary to a third of its previous size after the First World War.
Photo 5, Nice building and church in Nagykanizsa.
Photo 6, Main square, nice fountain and statues.