Sept. 22, Bratislava, Slovakia. Also, a request for help in Budapest.

Hi Folks! I thought I’d try something different. Do any of you know anyone in Budapest well enough to ask a big favor? This is what I need:

1. I should arrive in Budapest the afternoon of Sept. 28th. My flight out is the morning of October 1st. I am looking for a place to stay for 3 nights. I  could camp one of those nights, but I need to disassemble my bike, which is hard to do without a place to stay.
2. I need some help in getting to a bike store where I can pick up a box for packing up my bike.
3. I need to get to the airport early morning on Oct. 1st. A ride or just help in getting a cab would be great.

Getting the bike boxed up and to the airport is difficult. The problem is that I most likely cannot get a bike box at the airport–otherwise I would just cycle there the night before. I have to find a bike shop that will give or sell me one, pick up the box and then box up the bike. Once I do that, I can’t move without help. I also can’t carry the box on my bike.

Please contact me if you know of anyone in Budapest that could help me out. Thanks!

…

I had an easy ride out of Vienna today, as I said goodbye to Austria. I am a bit nervous now because I have got quite used to being able to talk to people in the local language and am going to miss it.

I am currently in Bratislava, a beautiful city. The Slovak Academy of Sciences is putting me up for the evening at a “Botel” on the Danube:

My digs for the night

The ride today took me through the countryside for quite a while, along a perfect paved path. I had a bit of a head wind, which surprised me, since it was coming out of the east.

65 clicks of this today!

I entered into Slovakia without any clear marker, but my GPS told me when I happened. To my right as I rode into the country, I could see the remnants of what was clearly an old border control facility; it looked like it had not been used for a long time.

This region is known for its many castles. Here is one that I passed on the way.

Castle

The Botel has its own brewery! Vladamir Buzek–my host–selected this place specifically for me, after reading my blog. I wonder where he got the idea that I like beer?

Cheers,

Scott