Hot Jazz on the banks on the Danube in Budapest
Budapest is a funky city the banks of the Danube flanked by the opulance from the years of the Austro Hungarian Empire
So many battles
Conquered, restored conquered and restored again
But there is a funky feel in the narrow streets
And there is hot
Jazz by the Danube at night
New companions on the Transalpina
For the touring motor enthusiasts the Transalpina rates highly
Its a long pass that’s what makes it so special.
148km of curves over the Carpathian Mountains
With beautiful lakes
The top of the road is more like a long ridge across the top of the Carpathian Mountains than a pass
From the southern end of the Transalpina it’s not too far to the Danube and the Bulgarian border
And encounters with well pravelled riders
Follow the river west and there is a gem
The Iron Gates of the Danube road which is cut into the cliffs along the Danube
The start of the Iron Gates are marked by this ancient Statue
The road then runs for about 100km mostly cliff face with some beaches
Until the you reach the point where the strict girdle of the mounts stop and the mighty river opens out again.
Two very special rides!
Hot Jazz on the banks of the Danube in Budapest
The Danube is one of the halmarks of this beautiful city.
This is the urban Danube winding through many of Europe’s great cities.
A working river transporting people and good across the continent.
The Iron Gates of the Danube forms the border between Romania and Bulgaria
A gorge around 100km long with small villages dotted along the way.
And finally the Delta
The great Danube starts in nature in Germany’s black forest and is a protected nature park when it reaches the Black Sea.
Im so glad the nature aspects still remain.
Those are the places that really fill me with awe
Maybe because it complements the wild flow of riding a motorbike.
Bran Castle
Battling the crowds on the narrow road to Bran
Past Dracula signs
One thinks how did Irishman Bram Stoker imagine this place and create the legend Dracula
The narrow roads are thick with tourists inspired by the legend
The citadel at Sighisoara also claiming it’s part of the legend
Any where that Vlad the Impaler, (who Dracula is based on) stayed dines out on the legend
But the legend disguises the the true beauty of Transylvania
View from Bran Castle
The amazing country side of open pasture
And the old forests around Brasov
And some wonderful biking roads
And memorials that tell the tale of the fight for Romanian independendance. Achieved in 1918
Though the Habsburg empire still had influence in Romania till the Soviets exiled the remaining Duke in 1947.
Romania is a beautiful and varied country and I’ve still a week here
It was a long haul across Europe.Many mountain passes and next to no motorways.Crossing borders and venturing into Eastern Europe for the first time.
The sun rise over the Danube Delta made it all worth while.
A small boat tour of the Delta just breathtaking
Moving across the lakes and through the chanels. Wild life abound
And in the morning sun water lillies emerge
Small traditional fish traps reflecting a sustainable approach to fishing.
