I woke up at 7:30 am, so I don’t think Budapest is gonna happen. I decided to explore Komárom and Komárno instead of pushing hard to make it to Hungary’s capital.
Komárom and Komárno are on either side of the Danube, one in Slovakia and the other in Hungary. Komárno is the bigger city and sits on the Slovakian side. Both towns have interesting histories as shifting borders for various empires, kingdoms, and countries. Komárom was the last stand in Hungary’s 1848 uprising.
I visited Fort Monostor, a sort of Hungarian Alamo, where the last stand…stood. Fort Monostor has a dark history too. It was taken by the Nazis and used as a concentration camp for the Roma.
From Fort Monostor it was off to the other side of the river back into Slovakia. I spent a good 40 minutes tooling around in Komárno where I found a redeveloped old-town. Someone must have put some serious dough into this square. There are restored buildings, statues of local historical figures like Maria Theresa, hotels, and restaurants.
Just outside the square, I met two American bike tourers from DC on my way out of Komarno. It is nice to stop and talk with other cyclists as I get lonely after a few days of not crossing paths with another English speaker.
Soon after Komarno, there is this really cool viewpoint. It’s a wood-paneled stand-alone spiral staircase with a fitness park at its base. You have to go up to the top of this tower where you’ll get panoramic views of the Danube.
Today’s ride was a mix of great paths, more sand, a scary highway called The 11, and a delightful ferry ride. I got a beer, peanuts, and some cookies while I waited for the ferry. The cookies were good as hell and the Czech IPA hit the spot.
There was a split second here where I thought I’d have to swim across 
Ferry snacks 
After the ferry, there was still 15km to the campsite. This was some of the best riding so far on the trip. All downhill, a bike-only path, along the water, a fitness park, deep greens and blues, good looking people everywhere, and a clear line of sight up to the imposing Visegrád Castle (the former summer residence of King Matthias). I’ve taken to calling Hungary, Hungary the Beautiful. The country has amazing natural beauty.
Some of my family members are Hungarian, so it has been a little weird seeing people who look vaguely like my relatives. I saw one kid today who I swore was a carbon copy of my little sister at 10 years old. I’ve seen about five or six versions of my grandpa too, despite him being Transylvanian.
One last note from today: there is a group of German ladies I’ve been trading places with since yesterday. I caught up to them today while they were picking fruit and veg along the side of the trail. They kindly picked me some baby corn, a fruit I don’t remember the name of, and some apples. Delicious!
After I set up camp, I ventured back along the path to find some dinner. I ordered a veg burger from a kiosk and to my surprise “veg burger” meant a huge slab of grilled cheese in place of a patty. I must admit, it was tasty.
Today’s Miscellany
Pullup challenge #1 
Pullup challenge #2