It’s amazing that in just 3 days of cycling you can go from the capital of Austria, to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava and then to the capital of Hungary, Budapest; and that is exactly what we did.

The ride to Bratislava continued along the Danube trail, and the riders were quite quick to finish the stage.  Which was great for them as we were staying in the “Botel”, a boat turned hotel permanently anchored on the Danube in Bratislava.  From there it was a very short walk into the historical center which is full of restaurants, cafes and shops selling all sorts of traditional knick knacks.  After a good nights sleep we headed east for our final stint on the Danube cycle way.  As a going away present nature offered us a roaring tailwind for the first 40kms along the river!  

On reaching our stop in Komarom, Hungary many riders mentioned the great change in the villages compared to Western Europe.  There is the leftover feeling of Soviet times and the extreme neatness of the west has dissipated and something more rustic has appeared.  There is a feeling mid-way through the Orient Express that all is suddenly new and for those who have not traveled this part of the world there is much excitement as to what will come next.

Our ride into Budapest was led by the one and only Gergo, our trusty bike mechanic, expert on all that is Hungarian and resident of Budapest.   Despite the busier city traffic the cyclists had a fun and safe ride to the hotel.  Everyone was also very lucky to see Gergo and his band, Arabesque, play a concert on our rest day here at a very cool local bar.  It was great to see everyone out enjoying themselves in this amazing city.

Next up is 5 days of cycling to Alba Iulia, Romania.  We still have a few flat days ahead of us crossing the Hungarian plateau, but once we enter Romania the hills begin.  As we have still had a fair bit of rain we’re all hoping for some sunshine.

Happy trails.

 

Austria. TDA Archives

From the jangle of bike chains and the whistle of the wind, from grunts of pain and shouts of lyrical laughter, the Orient Express
Cycle Tour’s symphony of sound pedals into Austria, proclaimed by many to be the birthplace of Classical music. From the sound of music to the sights of architectural splendour, this section of the cycle tour is sure to delight!


Linz. TDA archives

From the city of Linz with its world-class art galleries, striking architecture to its revolutionary concept of striving to be an acoustic city, through its monitoring of ambient urban noise, we’ll wind our
way through the glorious Austrian countryside to the capital city – Vienna. Set against a backdrop of imperial palaces
and majestic mountains, the city will spark a song in your soul as you
get to spend some days resting and indulging in the sights and sounds of
classical delights.


Vienna.  Photo by Bachspics
 
After visiting fairytale-like palaces and being swept away by world-class opera that will transport you back through time, perhaps
you’ll find yourself at a road side restaurant sampling schnitzels and tasty tortes, while sipping locally produced schnapps or
slow roasted coffees.

But before we’re tempted to remain in this musical wonderland, it’s back on our bikes and off to Bratislava, the cosmopolitan capital of Slovakia.
 
Bratislava. Photo by Martin H

With its cathedrals and castles that are millennia old to its views of the nearby Carpathian Mountains, you’ll be singing the praises of this enchanting city.   With its glorious countryside and exceptional options for skiing holidays, Slovakia is fast becoming a popular tourist destination for those who are looking for something more quaint and less commercial. We’ll get the special, selective, slow paced tour as we cycle our way through the Slovakian scenery further into Eastern Europe.



Explore the ‘new’ Europe on the old continent with the Orient Express
Bicycle Tour. From the French vineyards, to the spas of Budapest, the
Carpathian mountains in Romania, and the spices of Turkish bazaars, this
is a continental tour of Europe like no other.

Whet your appetite...
German Treasures
Vival la France
Eating in Istanbul
From Paris to Istanbul

Available as a full tour or in three shorter sections.
Click here for route, pricing and registration details.




 

So I’m writing to you from the Slovakian capital of Bratislava. And since my last update in Linz the tour itself has changed almost as much as the worlds we’re traveling through. The two stages leaving Linz are believed by many to be the most beautiful days on the tour so far. Austria is quite scenic. Although the Danube is no longer sided by huge cliffs, the rolling lush landscape provides for a natural wonderland. The small towns have hosted some amazing sites for the cyclists to visit. About halfway through the first stage there was an optional side trip that added a few km’s to the day, but gave an opportunity to see a concentration camp from the WWII, just outside of Mauthausen. Although it is important that we learn from the mistakes of our past I didn’t visit it. Its too depressing and in some sort of twisted way, I feel that making a place like that into a tourist attraction almost glorifies it. The following day the trail led us through several agricultural villages. Every hill slope was terraced to host a myriad fruit orchards and vineyards. In the villages there were small shops that use the local fruits to make juice, wine, brandy and schnapps. The best part is that you can taste any of them before you decide what to purchase. We also took a side tour that day to visit the Monastry in Melk, a UNESCO heritage site. Not only is the architecture amazing but the library there has books dating back over a thousand years. That night we camped just outside of Krems in a small family run vineyard. Being the last night of camping with our sectional riders, we had a bit of a celebration, enjoying our hosts’ homebrew and the flavours of the orchards we rode through in the last two stages. Riding into Vienna is a bit of a convoluted route and not so scenic, but I love Vienna. It's one of my favorite European cities and it just happens to be Jazzfest here right now. Most people spent their days visiting the numerous museums, churches, art galleries and enjoyed the sounds of Mozart and Strauss in the evenings. Whereas I find myself seeking out the seediest subterranean blues bars. My favorite is Jazzland, a dank dungeon of soul that I stumbled upon two years ago. Its located beneath the city streets, a brick cellar that has been converted into a bar which has become the Viennese institution of jazz for the past forty years. It has hosted all the greats from Miles Davis and Dizzy Gilespie to James Brown ad Wilson Pickett. I saw a performance from the Hot Jazz Ambassadors. A fantastic show of dueling clarinets, banjo, baritone, trumpet, and alto sax. Their lead singer was this crazy red head with matching leather boots stomping out a metronome to her lungfuls of raspy lyrics. We had two rest days in Vienna and each night I tried to explore a different venue. I saw a Sri Lankan reggae band at the Casablanca club and I ended my time there with an acoustic guitar and tenor sax duet in a coffee shop. Vienna is where the tour ended for seven of our clients who have been with us since Paris. Group dynamics and chemistry is something that cannot be forecasted and the first half of this tour has been incredible. These riders have become part of our family and their individual eccentricities will be missed. We had a farewell dinner on the night we arrived to say our good-byes. But during the course of our time off in Vienna we were joined by six new sectional riders. They had an interesting first day as we had two convoy rides one leaving the Austrian capital and one entering the Slovakian. Not to mention that with the border crossing they have already had to deal with two currencies and two languages while they try to adapt to their new lifestyle of cycle touring. They still don’t really know what a permanent bag is! I look forward to seeing how the dynamic will morph to incorporate these new personalities. My first impression of Slovakia was that we have left contemporary Europe and entered a land of post communist eastern block rule. It would appear that everything here is about 20 years behind the times. Sidewalks, roads, building all are slightly dishevelled, but that’s only the surface. If you venture into the old city its perhaps one of the more beautiful cities in Europe I’ve visited. All the buildings have been well kept or restored. For the most part it is closed to vehicle traffic and the cobbled pedestrian mall is filled with cafes, restaurants, bars and galleries. The castle on the hill over looking the city offers a panoramic view of the Bratislava and the greater Danube channel. I wish we had more time to spend here. Slovakia is country number four and we cross the border in Hungary tomorrow. I will write again from Budapest. Hope all is well

Those of you who are regular visitors to our web site are aware that for all our transcontinental trips we send updates from the trip. So here is the first official entry from the 2nd annual Orient Express Bicycle Tour. Myself, Miles our chef who hails from Canada, Gergo our official photographer (and a general all around support), who is from Hungary and Piotr, our mechanic from Poland are meeting here in Bratislava where we have just picked up our support vehicles. We are working hard to get the mini busses and the equipment ready for the start in Paris. Piotr, arrived to meet us yesterday morning after a long train journey from Gdansk, Poland. After a short recovery, he went right to work, helping us organize the purchase of much needed equipment. Gergo, arrives today from Budapest. Gergo is a Tour d'Afrique veteran with an eye for the special place and moments of life. Our final staff member Errol, who hails from South Africa, will meet us in Paris on July 28. Errol, is our driver, has also worked with us on our Tours through Africa. It is now just over a week before the start, for what looks to be a great adventure. We hope everyone will follow our progress from the website, and through our newsletters. Rider profiles are on line and photos and more diary entries are on there way.

Right now we’re in Bratislava, country number four. But Austria was an amazing country. Everything there was so refined and immaculate; the food, the music, the architecture. We found ourselves riding through fruit orchards only to end up in small villages tasting the brandies and schnapps produced from the local fruits. We saw many historical sights, not just castles and churches but famous archaeological sites like the Venus of Willendorf. The river valley once again became mountainous with lush forests. The temps have been cool but the weather has been wet. In fact the Danube is swelling beyond its capacity and is suffering from overbank flooding in several areas. Two days ago we had a major detour due to water over 1m deep covering the trail. Our last stop was Vienna, the Austrian capital, and the center of an empire that existed for centuries. It is the culture hearth for many famous music composers. Unfortunately the Viennese Philharmonic does not perform during July and August. Some cyclists did manage to catch a classical performance where the musicians were dressed in period costumes and the music was accompanied by ballet dancers and opera singers. I turned to a different style of music. My “Lying Planet Guide” described a place called Jazzland as a musical institution of Vienna. I didn’t believe it until I walked into this dingy dungeon of blues. A dank subterranean catacomb of weathered brick walls littered with musical legends of Motown, jazz and blues. But the night we were there we saw an entirely different show. Shkippel, a bluegrass jug band complete with 12 string acoustics, a harmonica, mandolins, a gazoo and a washboard as the only percussion. But what a show, it was incredible. When we left Vienna we gained 8 new cyclists. We are now a dominating force as we cruise along the Donauradweg. When we crossed into Slovakia, country number five, it was quite obvious that we had entered Eastern Europe. This country is far less gothic and much more industrial. But we won’t get to see much of it. Tomorrow we enter country number six, Hungary. And in three days we will reach Budapest which is where the tour ends for me. It will be tough to come this far and not be there to cross the finish line in Istanbul. On the bright side I’ll be back in the homeland for the Labour Day weekend celebrations. See you then.

Today is the last day of the first half (4 weeks) of the Tour. Hard to believe. Bratislava is a big change from Vienna and the other cities and towns we have been in. As a former communist country Slovakia is poorer and it shows in the condition of the buildings and the general maintenance of the infrastructure. There are surface electric trams that seem to run pretty well, but many need maintenance, cleaning and a paint job. The city center itself has been fixed up well and is attractive. We shopped and walked around awhile. There were several carts on the square with ostensibly local handmade crafts for sale. Some items looked pretty nice - embroidery, painted and carved Easter eggs, wood carvings and wood toys, corn husk dolls. We walked up the hill to check out the castle and the view - great view - even higher up from the castle. The weather still held out. Joy and I went back to try some more local delicacies. Maybe Henry will give a rebate to the persons who try the most local food. We had some bryndzove' halusky, consisting of small potato dumplings served with traditional Slovak soft ewe's milk cheese called bryndza with pieces of bacon. Joy said this tastes just like "mac and cheese". I guess so - it was good. We also had two desserts - crepes stuffed with cottage cheese and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce and a repeat of the torn up crepe with stewed plums Chuck, Brian and I had in Vienna - good stuff. Tomorrow we start three days in a row of riding again. We've all been getting soft. Then two days in BudaPest. We'll have to ask Henry about Slovak National Uprising Anniversary holiday on August 29. Apparently they were celebrating it a bit early over at the soccer or hockey stadium nearby tonight. At 9PM it sounded as though the uprising had begun again. However, looking out the window in the lobby it was verified that it was indeed just fireworks. Just as in Kelheim these guys over here don't mess with going out in the boonies to set them off. They just do it right next door.

Home country of Henry, our leader. Today turned out to be an interesting day after all. After the usual breakfast in the hotel we headed out to the campground along with the new members starting from Wien - Joe and Edwina who did Tour d'Afrique with Brian last year, Sandy who did TdA with Chuck, Brian #2, Jim, and Victor - all Canadians and I think all are from Montreal except Sandy who lives on Prince Edward Island. Now we were on the real Donauradweg and cruising along again with the old crew ahead and the new crew a short ways back testing their legs. That didn't last long because we came across another rider who told us to go back because the path was covered with water. We had heard of the flooding along the Donau but thought it was either behind us or way ahead of us - guess not. So we all turned around to the last intersection. Most of today's route in Austria was to be in the Donauradweg National Park and there are other biking and cycling trails intersecting along the way. We chose the first available route that would take us north and farther from the river. A few hundred meters along the dirt and gravel road we found more water. Randy and Brian in the lead both could see the end of it. Randy, the intrepid mountain biker forged ahead on Lizzie (his bike) and managed to ride through it. Brian tried and did it too with water coming up almost to their hubs. All of us with the skinny tired bikes chose to take off our shoes and walk it which wasn't too bad except for the mosquitoes. As we walked Henry sloshed past us riding through it also - must be the Africa experience showing through in those guys. We finally had to show our passports to cross a border but didn't get any stamps on them and crossed without incident. We soon entered Bratislava and managed to find the hotel with only having to stop once at a Holiday Inn for instructions. The cycle ways are nothing like cycle-friendly Viennna - not smooth and set away from vehicles but they do have them which is more than I can say about most of the US. At Sheila's urging, she, Chuck and I took a taxi out to the campground to dinner. Another great dinner - chicken in gravy, stir fried veggies and brown rice. We returned by taxi in a light rain. The taxi cost 200 koruny each way - question for the day - How much is that in US dollars? Hint: try www.xe.com/ucc/ Jenny's parents, who we thought had left to tour other countries to the south now may be joining the tour instead and were with us again at dinner. They will be a welcome addition.