It was a very early start at the Patio Hostel. We slept well, were up at ‘dawn’ and had breakfast all before 7:30am, a record for us. We had committed ourselves to a very big day today, planning to conclude our ride in the ancient twin town of Komarom in Hungary, which is separated by a bridge across the Danube to its ‘twin’ in Slovakia called Komarno. You can be forgiven for being confused.
We always look out the window first thing in the morning to see what the weather is likely to dish out to us. This morning, even at dawn the sky was blue and the haze that has been sitting low over us for a week or two now seemed to have largely disappeared. We could see the sun and blue sky which we have never seen so early in the morning since coming to Europe. We therefore dressed lightly with jackets, assuming we would be in the warm sun all day. Wrong!
We lined up at 8:25am out front of our Patio Hostel which had been a very comfortable home for the past three nights. We rolled out of the very broken paved carpark, being careful not to come to grief even before we made the footpath. The road out front was already busy with racing traffic including the old rattling trams that despite their apparent age were nevertheless very efficient and appreciated by the local Bratislavians. We braved the traffic, careful not to be hit or hit pedestrians, while avoiding the network of tram tracks that went in every direction. We headed for the unused traffic bridge across the Danube. The bridge was old and now closed to traffic, and was basically a footbridge for walkers and cyclists. The sky had suddenly closed over with the heavy mist, blocking the sun and hiding the blue sky, and thus basically closing off the view to the Danube. As we crossed the bridge, the view back to Bratislava had virtually been consumed by the heavy mist.
It never lifted for the entire day! After we crossed the old bridge across the Danube, we immediately turned east on the bike path that basically followed the river all day, except that due to the mist and later the distance from the river, we never really saw anything of the river until we eventually crossed the bridge at the 118k mark into Komarom in Hungary. The path was all bitumen enabling the bikes to roll freely. We were also quite fresh after two ‘bike free’ days in Bratislava. We made excellent time.
The track followed the Danube along the dyke that ran alongside the river, and eventually along the massive Dam that the Slovakians have cleverly built to basically split the Danube, with half of the flow being diverted into a very long Dam, and the other part continuing unabated as the Danube on its way to Hungary and beyond. The ‘dyke’ section started at about the 5k mark, and continued until we passed 50k! Due to the now very low and thick mist, our visibility was down to less than 100mtrs for all of that 50k. We were elevated on the dyke wall, but had virtually no visibility either side, and very little to the front of us.
This means that we were riding in a very thick casing of watery soup, and as the mist got increasingly thicker and our visibility gradually less and less, it became quite spooky because we had no sight other than the few metres in front of us. We were at this for some 3 hours, wondering when it would all come to an end. We knew from our map that there was a final dam wall across which we were to finally exit the dyke and get back on to firm Slovakian soil again.
We just had to keep cycling into the mist in the belief that out of that mist eventually would loom our exit bridge. At 52k the bridge finally appeared, and away from the vast water of the dam we went with some relief.
The dam wall itself after the split with the Danube, runs for about 30km. It is an elongated dam, running parallel with the river but with more width and depth. It seemed to us like a deep mysterious ocean, only because we could only just see the edge of it. It is quite a wonderful achievement, without seemingly having too much of a detrimental impact on the regular flow of the Danube.
The track resumed on the northern side of the dam, and followed a regular road through what would normally be open rural fields interspersed by occasional country villages. Although we couldn’t see it due to the mist, the dam continued to our right, with the Danube further again to the right, which had now become the boundary between Hungary and Slovakia. The mist was low and thick, and we were very cold now as a result. We were looking for a small village to call a lunch stop, hopefully in a warm café.
By the time we came to the village of Sap, we were not aware but the dam finished and the Danube resumed its normal course. We chose to bi-pass Sap for the larger village of Medvedov in the sure hope of a warm coffee shop. We had become extremely cold, especially hands and feet. Julie and SJ were particularly cold, so the stop was overdue.
Sadly, we couldn’t find any shop at all in the town. People were scarce but we managed to find one lady who in very basic English told us there was no such thing as a coffee shop in town, just a small pub and a very tiny general store that might sell a sandwich.
We found a park bench with an awning and decided we had no option but to unpack and do our own coffee. The temperature however had not lifted above 10 degrees all morning, and was gradually going down again, and we were like frozen blocks of ice, especially our feet. We enjoyed the lunch, but not the conditions. We took it in turns to visit the small smoke filled pub just to warm up a bit! We set off for the final 40k or so, a bit warmer but still keen to get to our final destination for the day.
We decided to stay on the roads. They were narrow, quiet and from this point had some lovely parts with views of fields being ploughed, or great sections of huge elms and oaks with their autumn coloured leaves. This was great riding, especially on full stomachs. The girls were pumping away at their bikes seemingly unaffected by the large toll of miles mounting up for the day. We passed through small country towns of Klucovec, Cicov, and Travnik completely unsighted from the Danube. The mist was still low and thick, but we could see the immediate vicinity around us.
When we arrived at Velke Kosihy for the final 20k or so we had a choice – the shorter distance along the Danube but on a loose gravel track, or a 5k longer route by road but bitumen all the way. After one look at the very loose gravel, we quickly chose the longer route by road. It was a good choice. We sat on 20-22kph for most of the way, the final 15k being on a very busy main road but with a small apron at the side on which to ride. It was easy riding, and we could see the kilometers closing with every pedal stroke.
At about 4:30pm we came in to the outskirts of Komarno on the Slovakian side of the River Danube. We had it in our heads to stay in Hungary for the night, so we battled on, found our way to the river bank and the final 2k along the river to the bridge that basically crosses the national border. It was a stately old bridge, but a precious moment to pause for the official photo. It was quite exciting to be crossing in to yet another former communist bloc country, another beautiful one at that.
Once over the bridge, we were in Hungary, in the town of Komarom. Darkness was closing, accentuated by the low thick mist that had hung over us all day. We had thoughts of camping, but after such a long day (we had just completed 118k) and closing darkness, we decided to find a hotel for the night. We trust the Lord for these things, and after taking a few wrong turns we found ourselves outside the ‘Hotel Corner’. The young receptionist spoke excellent English, yes they take Euros (we had no idea of Hungarian currency), yes they had vacancies. We have a cheap room, but a high standard, with shower and bath (!) and also free breakfast – a home away from home.
It has been a great day. We rode very well today. For SJ, this was a ‘PB’ for her as far as distance is concerned. Julie being an old hand has to pass 120k before claiming ‘PB’ status. Tomorrow we plan to make Esztergom, described as the ‘Rome of Hungary’. It will be a shorter day, but opportunity to explore this beautiful historical town which is then only 80k to Budapest.
Reflecting on today, our vision was reduced significantly. For the hours we spent on the dyke wall, we knew we had a large body of water to our left, and a significant drop to farmland to our right, neither of which we could see very well. We just had to keep focused on the track in front and not let our imaginations run away with us. We just had to keep pedaling, knowing there was a long day ahead and we had to cover it with reasonable haste and efficiency.
Not only the conditions but the distance today was not just a physical test but a test of our spiritual capacity also. If we relied just on the physical, we may have run out of steam a long way from the end. As we spent hours in the thick mist on the dyke wall, we were reminded of the great verse from the scripture, one of the great promises and assurances of God, for those circumstances that are too often too big for our own resources. Our own strength is often limited, and our own resources of power never usually enough. When we face those circumstances that are seemingly beyond us, it is good to be reminded of the limitless resources of God’s mighty hand in our affairs. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit’ says the Lord” (Zechariah 4:6).
As we rest tonight close to the edge of the Danube in the Hungarian city of Komarom, we rest knowing that the limitless resources of the God who put the stars in place are available for the want of simply asking.
With love from Kelvin, Julie and Sarah-Jane from the banks of the Danube, Hungary.
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