Austria to Serbia

I found the Hungarian equivalent of Blackpool. About 100 miles south of Budapest I saw signs for a campsite (rare in Hungary). Following these led me to a semi derelict campsite, the gates were open but the recption was closed. Pitching my tent I could hear the music of a beach party happening on the banks of the Danube. I tried to guess the tunes just from the bass, but they all sounded like La Macarena. A big family camping nearby were playing loud folk punk. The shower block was derelict (see picture) but there was an old, unused, empty motel on the site. The rooms were locked but the showers weren't. It was a bit spooky.

Shower block in  the run down campsite

My route to Hungary had taken me down the Danube through Austria. This was very beautiful and the people were friendly too.

A typical picnic place by the Danube

Slovakia was a culture shock. Or rather, a lack of culture shock. I will gloss over the place.
By contrast Hungary was great (except that dodgy campsite). Budapest was magnificent. A huge music festival was about to start so there was no accomadation left in the centre. My hotel was in the suburbs, next to the old communist low rise blocks of flats, where colourful old trams rattled and hissed along the broad dusty boulevards. Very atmospheric.

Riding into Budapest

Yesterday I crossed into Sebia and stepped back in time 40 years. There are lots of old, soviet era cars on the street, very few supermarkets, and you can't drink the tap water -its green. Today is a rest day for me, I am staying in a big air conditioned room in the centre of the small city of Zrenjanin. Actually riding in the heat (there is a heatwave in central europe at the moment) is okay as long as the road is flat - so you are moving quickly with not too much effort. I will try and avoid hills and mountains. I am off to Romania tomorrow where I will try and follow the Danube because it should be flat and scenic.