Today we made 81 km, 155m of climb (which is triv) but at the end of the day we had solid wind against from the East. Heat, but not the showers the forecast offered.
One of the first things we learnt this morning was that our destination is pronounced Gyair, not that we can ask the way in Hungarian anyway.
Last night we had an early taste of Hungarian culture visiting St Elisabeth’s church, all done out in blue and white. So Bratislava is a bit Hungarian.
We were reminded of the German influence because the loo in our breakfast cafe is papered with old editions of the Pressburger Zeitung.
The route uses some islands in the Danube. Getting off one of these we see a tiny sign with the Hungarian flag and soon we are in our first Hungarian village, with its Co-op, park, antique water tap and party from Wisconsin on their epic journey to Budapest.
Soon after we tried some loose surface farm tracks to see if they are worthwhile. The road we found would be a lovely rally stage but slows progress from our normal 22 kph cruise to about half that. It about trebles the wear on the bike and quintuples the mental and physical wear on the Sid and Doris. So we will be on the loose whenever the alternatives are only mud or motorways.
We pause to take photos of a device for putting a bucket into a hole and a device for raising baby storks.
We also see several fine structures which Miftah Bat sez remind him of a giant … lollipop [we carried on seeing these for several days down the Danube, we still have no idea what they are- D.]
In the traces of war theme we came upon a Jewish cemetery, something once common here. Now someone has added a further monument, and as soon as we have deciphered it we’ll let you know what’s gone on. Approximately, we think it says “The Jewish community used to bury their dead here but due to our horrible behaviour there is no more need for the rest of the space in this graveyard”.
As we approach Gyor we find a Lutheran church built by its congregation. On the wall this memorial to the dead of 1941 to 1945. In ’41 Hungary sided with Germany against Russia. Part of the price was Jewish deportations; about 550,000 of 750,000 Jews in Hungary were deported and died. Hungary became part of the Soviet Bloc. Doubtless we will find a memorial to the 1956 uprising somewhere.
Gyor makes much of the local invention of the soda siphon, and as a Campari drinker Sid salutes them. We were out looking for the town history museum and found a sign to the Tiled Stove Museum. Oh, joy, it is open until six o’clock and we are given a personal guided tour in Hungarian. But we can work out what’s going on and of course have seen these in the Widow’s house in Weimar, only connect eh, Sid.