A taste of Northern Hungary

Eger

Eger

It is as exciting as it looks.

Delving into the depths of our rather scant Hungarian knowledge we find the vocabulary required to obtain tickets for use and bikes from the rather overweight and entirely uninterested women sitting on the other side of the inch thick glass panel at the station. This is the start to any good Hungarian adventure.

The train pulls into the station and we promptly remove our bikes and their payload. We are met by throngs of happy school leavers filling the streets in celebration of their achievements. Window shoppers would be disappointed to find no more than class photos filling every shop front with smiling faces of this years finest.

It does not take long to leave the picturesque town of Eger and to enter the surrounding foothills. Climbing steadily we pass many small villages and lush green forests. It is hard to miss the dozens of derelict houses and especially factories along the way. The changes that have occurred over the last century are evident everywhere. The way of life, however remains simple and more or less as it has been for hundreds of years. Most houses support themselves with a large garden. The fields are bountiful with fresh spring crops just sprouting from the ground. The brilliant yellow of the rape seed crops make it impossible to forget that it is springtime. We cruise by a small shaded lake, the shores surrounded by lazy looking fishermen with a glint of hope in their eyes that the next bite will be theirs. Meanwhile the wife sits in silence and pretends she is having the time of her life.

The rolling hills grow into Bükk mountains as we near the Slovakian border and the predominantly lime stone foundations have led to immense caves which house some spectacular underground formations.

Heading east the mountains level out into meandering river valleys and the vineyards begin to appear in the Tokaj region. Rolling past the endless selection of wineries we arrive in Tokaj 240 km from where we began feeling somewhat tired and hungry and wondering where and when the next adventure will begin...probably soon!