Hungary 


This is a project board. See the number with FT?
This is not a measurement in feet, but money in forints.
26 thousand million. Aud 1 = about 230ft.

Budapest 


The Danube again, but not 1km wide as at Galati.

The Old Town on Castle Hill in Buda and the Parliament in Pest. Most of Pest was redeveloped from 1859, when the Austro-Hungarians settled their politics. This coincided with the railway age. The history is convoluted.

These are the seven original Fathers of the nation.

This is the President who fell foul of the Russians after the 1956 Revolution.

This memorial of shoes remembers the Jews who were disposed of by the Nazis quite suddenly towards the end of the War. Three-quarters of the Jewish population. I am Talking to two Americans about to board their Danube cruise boat, like the one below.

Our little river cruise.












And the serenade at the restaurant.

In the centre of the river is Margaret Island, and in the centre of the Island Park are these Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

Alternative transport, an amphibious bus, bigger than the one in London.

Alternative music. The violin and spoon are wooden, the music made with the mouth, very amusing.

Talking to Ferenc (Frank) at the medieval Jewish Prayer House. And the Memorial Tree at the Synagogue. This building, like most of Pest, was built in 1859. It is the biggest in Europe. Only New York has a bigger one, but our guide said it had less seating capacity. (So there). But the stories of all these things are amazing.

Playground, in a courtyard in the Jewish quarter, with the familiar pattern of a road layout.

The girls' mother taking them home.

Sighisoara. 


The distressed look, quite normal when the town gate is so old. This is only the centre of it and the road is steep.














Another of the 12 towers around the walls.

A friendly redstart along the cobbled street.














On to Cluj Napoca for the night, via Blaj. Just passing through at the Hotel Pax opposite the station.
But the town has a very long park, pleasant for an evening stroll. Otmar, of the Danube boating incident, was at university here.

On the train a fellow passenger, who spoke only Romanian and Russian, pointed out some interesting new houses to us in one village. Gypsy Palaces. The young people who work overseas send home money. The families invest in new family mansions all in this distinctive style, but different bright colours.

Waiting at the level-crossing to go and get on with the hay-making. New looking traditional wooden pitchforks.

The surprise in Cluj Napoca!
This young man partners a Sydney company in arranging for students to go to Australia.

The Second Transylvanian Crossing was via the more famous Trans- fag-ara-san route, more famous than World Heritage status because it has been on TOP GEAR !!!

Great for Touring on Motor Cycles,

we got a big wave from these guys...

with the horse pulling out logs from the forest

beyond them...

Our Toby in Tasmania had stacked 300 pieces of wood with our Andrew, his Dad, the day before this.  We got their email telling us of his exploits in the early morning, and later that same day, saw another lad, obviously a bit older, using the same skills to supply firewood for the local chalet, right opposite our coffee shop.

Well done, Toby (and Andrew) !

Getting up towards the mist, passing the cascade waterfall...







Rock falls start to be a factor in blocking the road...

Some rocks are so good at blocking the way
that they get names painted on them (before they are pushed off the edge into the abyss below) !

The mist comes down, obscuring the hairpins above..








But not when you get up, and look back...

But then we got to the snow drifts...


& the touring bikes stop

to discuss their plans...

It's all very slow, gentle,

& enjoy it while it is visible...

Because, soon it is going to get...

VERY DARK !

Sandra drove into the 1 km tunnel in thick fog...

inside the tunnel  !

It was 90 % obscured, & I had to call out her distance from the side wall, in order for her to drive at a snails pace...    it was quite unnerving !
(This pic is on the way back, when we could at least see the other end of the tunnel)

Suddenly...  at tunnel's end....

There was bright sunshine,

clear mountainsides

& sensational views...

And a very Happy & Relieved, Sandra

We went for a stroll up the glen,

passed a beautiful blue pool...

But after enjoying the sunshine of the southern valleys, it was time to return to the other side...

....though the snow drift blocks most of the entrance/exit from the tunnel...



To see the bends in all their glory...

The evening light was sensational as we descended from the mountain...

The song of a little Black Cap, whistling from the top of a fir tree was wonderful to hear...

...and the Hay-making continued apace

in all the local villages...


on the way home...

Transalpina - the first of our two Transylvanian Alps Mountain Passes : Our route is through High Country villages already stocking up firewood for Winter ! It must be hard up there then.

Getting up the valleys & seeing the really open, above the tree-line scenery is very refreshing.


And a picnic at a classic picnic place, warm sunshine, mountain stream, fresh air, good food...


Ah.... holidays....






Then comes the good bits....

& the best bit of all :

Wow, they had just completely re-sealed the road for us - with a good 15cms of fresh Tarmac,

It was unlined, either in the centre or at the edges.

There are no side barriers.

It feels completely ODD to have none of those "safety nets", but adds to our thrills.