Moravska Nova Ves, Czech wine country

I meander my way out of Bratislava without Rodrigo following the Moreva river north. It is beautiful following the cycle paths and disused railway lines. I take my time as I have no host for the evening.
On checking my emails, Michal (Warm Showers) tells me that his parents would gladly host me if I go to their house in a wine region in the Czech Republic. As it all last minute, I arrive at the address not knowing if they know of my arrival. I ring the bell and as soon as Maria (Michal's mother) sees the bike, she welcomes me into her family home. It turns out that she has had no warning of my coming, but she and her husband are always taking in weary travellers.
A former English teacher, she tells me of her family and its history and gives me a tour of the huge garden. She makes sure that I am never hungry and keeps filling my plate, bowl or cup until I surrender.
Having only planned to stay one night, I succumb to the warmth of the hospitality and stay two nights, spending the next day cycling around the Moravian towns and vineyards, before returning 'home' to be promptly fed once again.
It truly is remarkable that such people with a meagre pension take time and effort to make strangers welcome. They trust implicitly in the goodness of their visitors and allow that breath of fresh air into their lives. They become enriched by the adventures and cultures from far away lands and have even accommodated five Canadians at the same time. To give and to expect nothing in return - actually living their Catholic beliefs.

Bratislava, Slovakia

We break camp early and head to the Slovakian border, not knowing where we will sleep tonight. In spite of numerous requests sent on warm showers and Couchsurfing, we haven't even got a nibble. That's the thing. Finding hosts for two people with bikes is difficult, no matter how interesting your story is.
We reach the outskirts of Bratislava before midday, not even realising that we have crossed the border. We laze around, have lunch and swim for a bit.
Eating preferences differ between Rodrigo and I. As he is traveling a whole year, he is somewhat constrained by his budget and eats cheap white bread, tomatoes, cheese and cucumbers as his staple. I am not habituated to eating so much bread and today, as we once again can use Euro, I buy many salad ingredients, museli, bananas and joghurt. Although not lavish by any means, it feels like a banquet.
We look about the city, which feels more bicycle-friendly this time. The castle overlooking the city is definitely worth the climb. Later that evening we check out Bratislava's "bicycle kitchen". This was established six years ago with the aim to allow the public to repair their bikes on a pay-what-you-can basis. As it is volunteer run, it is only open on Wednesday evenings. We're in luck, especially as there is a concert planned later. Such be kitchens bring a wide assortment of people together, from artists to come activists, novice to experienced bikers. There are few community spaces that traverse social classes and backgrounds the way that bike kitchens do.
As the evening draws to a close, we get tips on where to camp nearby on the banks of the Danube.

Gyor, wild camping

After an indulgent breakfast of French toast, bananas and yogurt (which actually turns out to be sour cream), we hit the road in the early afternoon. Again, no rush, as we have no one to meet at our next destination, Gyor.
The good food and sleeping on a bed, means that we cover the 90km in record time. Unfortunately, we arrive too late to enjoy Langos from Langos Manufactura. After a quick tour of the city, we find a camping spot outside the town by a river and call it a day.

Esztergom, animal sanctuary

Leaving Budapest in the late afternoon, we find the Danube Way cycling route and follow the Danube along forest trails and through parks. We are in no rush as we presumed to have no Couchsurfer respond to our last minute plea for accommodation.
However, Gabriella answers our call and she prepares a delicious, Middle Eastern, vegetarian meal. She lives alone with two large boxer dogs and seven cats. She generously gives us her bed and it's pointless to try and refuse this hospitality. We have a quick tour and dog walk of the city at midnight, just as the lights of the basilica are turned off.

Budapest, better second time around

 The weather is finally cooling down, to a reasonable 32C or so, which makes cycling the 130km possible without having to get up at dawn.

Arriving in Budapest, we head for our last minute Couchsurfer, Sara, who lives with her family in the heart of the city. One of his daughters gives up her bed for us to a in and we are wined and dined the whole night through.
The next day we frantically search for another "couch" or "warm shower" (a similar peer-to-peer accommodation site, aimed at bicycle tourers) for the night, to no avail. We do some sightseeing in the Pest side of Budapest and later camp approx 15km north of the city in a disused meadow.
Again the search begins the next day for a "couch" for the night. Happily we find Balazs, who suggests that we can stay in a community centre in the city centre. Finally, I can see what all the hype of Budapest-at-night is ask about. We go to bar Simpla, in the former Jewish District, and the most popular bar in Budapest. Afterwards we roll around on our bikes taking photos of the spectacular buildings and the wonderful lighting.

Baja, 30km north of

It's with heavy hearts that we make our leave from the happy yoga camp in the late morning.

We've decided to make Budapest in two days, which means we take a quick look at Baja, refilling water bottles and snacking, before heading north. This means only 130km more to do tomorrow to reach Budapest.
We find a quiet spot beside the cycle way at dusk and promptly get swarmed by mosquitos, keen to feast on some Irish/ Argentinian blood for
We set our alarms for an early start to avoid the afternoon sun.

supper.

Sombor, crashing the party

I meet Rodrigo on the road to Sombor the next day. Baking midday heat impedes our progress somewhat, so we arrive in Sombor in the late afternoon.
I decide to drop into the yoga centre unannounced, where I stayed last month. I enter the large garden to find a large group of people practicing capoeira and lots of tents set up on the lawn. It turns out that there is an eighteen day yoga/ mediation camp in progress, with participants from eight countries. I ask Fabian of it is ok for us to camp there for one night. Although he has his hands very full, we are introduced to the group and encouraged even to participate in yoga and meditation, in Serbian. The atmosphere is fun and everyone is curious about us and our travels.

Novi Sad, reuniting of the fellowship

Waking too near dawn for my taste, I am able to avoid the early rush hour in Belgrade and find myself in Novi Sad at midday. This is a relief as the sun, once again, is 40C and there is little protection from its intensity when you are on the road.
Contacting Rodrigo, I find he has not yet reached Novi Sad, so I find a pleasant park to while away the afternoon. We meet later on a beach on the banks of the Danube and go for a refreshing swim. We meet some locals who tell us that the Exit festival is just over and chat for a while, mostly about politics, before I am pulled away by my having to meet my Couchsurfer, Miloš. Over a beer, I tell him about my Couchsurfing experience and he tells me about the murky world of Google rankings.
And where is Rodrigo, you may ask? He is wild camping on a beach by the Danube.

A hill just east of Belgrade

It's another scorcher, 38C, unusual to have such prolonged high temperatures in Serbia. I must wait until 18:00 to set off and even then the wind feels like when you open the oven door.
Struggling through the heat, I find a quiet field which overlooks the twinkling lights of Belgrade and set my camp.

Pozarevec once again

Rising just after dawn, I set off for Pozarevec. The roads are great for cyclists in this party of Serbia. There are newly constructed toll roads running parallel to the old national roads, which means that these older roads have little traffic. The countryside here is more interesting and unspoilt, with gentle climbs over undulating hills. Avoiding the afternoon sun is a priority and I take only a 10 minute break, arriving in Pozarevec just after midday.
I am welcomed by my previous CS hosts, Alexandra, Daniel and their dog, Lilly. Since my last visit the weeks ago, Lilly has given birth to six puppies, five of which squirm about, with newly opened eyes. That evening we head into the grooviest bar in town and have some drinks in the beer garden. There is an alternative scene here, albeit small.
Next day we visit Daniel's parents house and then go to a nearby river to cool off during the day. It is a sultry 38C and bathing in the water and enjoying food prepared over a open fire is a real treat.
We have beers into the evening in Alexandra's friend's house. I learn that kiwis grow in Serbia and where watermelons come from - kind of like a zucini plant. They grow easily here and cost 25c/kg.

Near Paracin

Due to the monastery visit, I set off only in the evening at 18:00, when the temperature had mercifully dipped below 30C. I ride until nightfall and wish to ride longer in the blissfully cool air, but the road surface is filled with potholes and the drivers a little less attentive at nighttime.
Finding a peaceful spot on the side of a wheat field, I resolve to arise with the sun for a longer day's ride.

Niš

 Rodrigo travels similarly to me, but instead of finding hosts on CouchSurfing, he usually uses WarmShowers. This site is specifically for bicycle tourers and has the advantage of being able to see the surrogate location of all the members using its integrated map. Unfortunately, the are far fewer members than on CouchSurfing.
Today's destination is Niš, where I have found a host. Rodrigo finds another host that is located out of town. Even agree to meet up in the coming week somewhere in Serbia or Hungary.
Sandra lives in a modestly sized ground floor (yippee, no need to carry my stuff up stairs) apartment near the city centre, with her boyfriend and one year old son. She had been hosting since March, a fact that in find remarkable, as becoming a mother involves is own stresses. She is religious (orthodox, naturally) and has strong opinions on veganism and "poisonous coffee".
I get to visit Sandra's local church and shown about the city. The "Family's" restaurant is a notable highlight, mixing romantic Italian music with traditional Serbian cuisine.
During my stay, I am invited to attend a feast day celebration at a local orthodox monastery in neighbouring hills. An early start means that we don't sweat on the taxi ride there. The ceremony is held outside and lasts more than two hours. Women are separated from the men, while the four priests chant for the most part on the alter.
The lunch is memorable and delicious, when we finally get down to eat. The ingredients are mostly sourced locally or on site and I am informed that the food tastes especially good as it is prepared with prayer.