Buda Hills

Posted on 2025-10-152025-10-15 by Blue-Wanderer

PRESENTATION OF SZŐNYI

HIKING DAY

MEME MUSEUM

MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Prologue: To be honest, I can’t even remember the last time I was in Budapest. My desire to travel has decreased lately. However, this time I was able to find many programs and I pulled the trigger.

Thursday (10-02-2025): I didn’t want to watch a 2-4 laned motorway for 6 hours while driving, so I bought a train ticket. I carried a couple of bike related items (fork, and some rubber for shifters). I was happy to sell them, because I could finance the trip with that money ($250). After business I went to the hotel and picked up the keys. I spend exactly 5 minutes in my room and I headed back to the city to watch the presentation of Ferenc Szőnyi, a crazy ultracyclist from Hungary who cycled through Canada (12500 KM) in 45 days. The price for the ticket wasn’t cheap ($60) , but it went into charity. And this guy is a living legend anyway. He mentioned some nice moments and experiences. Among the nice bits there were also less satisfying moments like cold/wet weather, heavy truck traffic, the ascents of Rocky Mountain, torn Achilles/muscles, logistical/resupply issues between small towns. After the presentation I consumed propably my fanciest hot dog from a shipshaped bowl.

Friday (03-10-2025): Yesterday I was in a pretty bad shape due to cold. I took my time in the morning. Thankfully I felt myself strong enough to start the hike as planned (maybe a bit late). I bought some food (layer cake/strudel, water, coffee), because the forest won’t offer much later on. I didn’t have a well contoured goal, I planned a sympathic route on a map and I tried to follow it. The first hour was really chilly. Due to cold I was wearing multiple layers of clothes. The hotel had two tea bags so I was able to bring some hot drink with me. I found a cosy bench where the sunrays were dancing. Sipping warm tea felt really good. After 20 KM of hiking my feet were telling me that I should find a comfy couch, put them in the air and let them enjoy the sweet idleness. The peak point of the tour was the Csergezán Pál lookout on Nagy-Kopasz. I was looking at the time, and I realised that the sun moves quicker on the sky than me on the ground. Down the hill I found a few photo themes, and if I didn’t pay attention I could have easily collided with some mtb riders. I was peacefully walking on a singletrack when I heard the noise of tires coming closer and closer. The half-hour delay in the morning and the breaks during the day meant that the sunset catched my in the forest. I reached a somewhat busy street in pitch dark, which made me shiver. Car drivers could barely notice an idiot walking beside the road without any lights. Fortunately I could countinue the hike on the other side of road. I galloped on the tourist trail with the light of my phone until I reached a park. I was pretty low on battery so I used the traditional way and asked a girl for directions. I couldn’t even see her face in the dark, so I am not sure if she felt herself comfortable during the speech with a completely stranger. Anyway I made a break at a bus station to hopefully shorten the distance to the tram, but the bus didn’t stop, so I continued the walking to Hűvösvölgy (Chilly valley). I find this name really practical because it was really chilly. I bought some food and ate some pizza and I went back to the hotel. In the end it felt like needles are pushing through my thigh with every step.

The curve of Children’s Railway in Budapest in black and white →

→ Tunnel effect

← View from the Csergezán Pál Lookout I.

←View from the Csergezán Pál Lookout II.

Serene scene just before sunset →

Conclusion: For the restart this hike was much longer than it should have been. However I was enjoying the sweet monotony of walking, the chance that I was able to take good photos again. Being in the nature is somuch more exciting than being in the office all day long. I just can’t feel myself well in corporate environment. I had this job so long and it completely drained my soul. People don’t need psychiatrist. People need fresh mountain air, wind and sunlight. Our modern world is simply so f.cked up.

Recommendation: I enjoyed this hiking route, but for tourists there are much better paths/goals available. I can certainly recommand the lookout on Nagy-Kopasz. It is easily within reach from Nagykovácsi. The ground was partly pretty rough and rocky. My shoes have a really soft sole. For better experience I recommand shoes with a stiffer sole. Feet massage is nice, but your feet will strike after a while

Saturday (10-04-2025): In the morning I was pleasantly surprised that my legs were still working. So, first of all, I walked over to a friend of mine who was renovating his apartment. He won’t be bored any time soon! Then I went to Csepel to get my rear wheel with internal gearing hub. I’ve never been to this island before. This particular area was quite industrial. The hub was so worn out after 10k KM that it was better/cheaper to find a donor than to replace the small parts one by one. So I get 6 kg of extra weight to walk with my sore legs.

My next program was the closing Meme Museum. I was browsing on Facebook then this ad came into my view. I have no idea how this museum survived for 2-3 years in recession, but I have to see it with my own eyes. In its last days it felt somewhat empty. I wonder how it looked like earlier. I found a couple of interesting memes (Pedro, Bunchie, Nyan cat which has been sold for $600.000)

Reduced rent or not, I don’t see how a similar „business” could be profitable. Filling the museum with rarities requires a bottomless wallet. Especially if you’re going for more interesting, collectible specimens. I could imagine a kind of craft/dummy-like museum. If you’re not lazy, you can invest countless hours of work, and money into recreating certain memes. Hats off to the guy for trying something like this in Budapest in the middle of an economic crisis.

After the memes my stomach alerted me to get some proper food. Museums rarely fill out your stomach on their own. So I visited my favorite mexican restaurant. I ordered beef quesadillas with chilly powder and salat. Jesus Christ! The struggle was real. Burning tears were running down on my cheeks. This was a proper treatment for my cold. I like those type of restaurants, because you can’t recreate this food at home and they bring you out of your comfort zone. This was my last of the trip so when I headed towards the trainstation I was thinking about making some fried cheese. The stores are closed in Austria so I was traveling with a 2L sunflower oil. I wanted to buy a bottle of alcohol. But for pracitcal reasons I went for the oil. Quite the change it was!

Running Experiences

Posted on 2025-07-04 by Blue-Wanderer

Running is most ancient and accessible sweetener of human wellbeing.

Csaba Németh

The benefits of running:

Prologue

As a school kid, I didn’t particularly like running or any other form of exercising. This can be attributed to two things. First, it was mandatory, and second, I had overweight. I had to wait many years for my first „voluntary” run. When I went to university in Veszprém between 2013 and 2019, I had to collect sport signatures. Although I was an active mountain biker, I didn’t belong to any club that could have provided me signatures. Most of them came from gym workouts and badminton. I also tried running, but as a beginner, running in the city center of Veszprém wasn’t a very well-considered decision. Although my circulatory system was used to aerobic exercise, running – especially running on hills – uses completely different muscles. I was happy to be alive in my first group run.

However, during university, I was not scheduled from early morning to late night, so I could easily fit in hobby like running. Hence I was a mtb rider, I prefered natural environment and running on asphalt wasn’t that interesting for me. So I chose the local forest for running. The vast majority of my runs were between 40 minutes and 1 hour. Fat burning starts after 30 minutes of excercising, so 40 minutes were necessarry. Runs above 90 minutes left bigger strains on the body, which I didn’t like. I already had a main sport, and I was not able to concentrate on multiple sports. I have never wanted to become a succesful runner. I only run for fun and for its benefits. For me every run is succesful, if I was able to get out of the bed early and I could end it without getting injured.

At first I used to run 5K then after a while I discovered better training places and this required me to run longer. Now I usually run 10K, which is around one hour moving time. Unfortunately, above 20 °C, my biggest struggle is the hot weather. The vast majority of races fall in the warm season, it can be very bad until my body gets somewhat used to it. For me there is no offseason. I enjoy running in colder weather more than in summer. In my first year in the Winter I got up in the darkness and run with a light on my head. It was super bad. Now I rather arrive late at work, but run when the sun is already up. I usually run on Tuesday and Thursday so I can manage my body battery better. I have 3x weight training on each week and I spend the rest days with cycling. Time management is not ideal, but I can’t make a better training plan with a dayjob. Upper body is important for riding offroad. Most cyclists only have one sport, so they can spend 3x more time in the saddle than me.

trainings

31:15:45

time spent with running

303 km

annual distance

2337 m

elevation gain

Electrical devices: After you start running sooner or later you most likely end up purchasing some kind of watch/gps. Phones got fairly big and carying them while running is challanging. Moreover they usually have worse signal and can’t really track you well. For a lot of excercises heart rate monitoring is needed. When I studied abroad in 2017, I made a running break. My „comeback” run happened in January 2023. I have a sentimental personality. After spending a few years in a given place, my motivation can drop. The change of environment has a positive effect on me at first, but then as the daily routine in my life develops, my field of vision starts to get narrower narrower. The positive things simply disappear and negativity starts to gain control over me. So far, I have been able to deal with this by moving to another place. The reason for the change was mainly work-related, where I am still not that lucky. I managed to find of a work related to my study field, but the rather low/under average salary leads to constant stress both physically and mentally. It does not matter if I work in my home country or abroad, I always felt like I put a lot of work in the job but it has been never paid out.

Around 2020 there was a big change. This was a really dark year for me. I have lost my appetite for traveling and I still haven’t regained it fully. That’s why I started running again, so I could get out of my comfort zone again. Initially, I bought a first (or second?) edition Garmin smartwatch (Garmin Vivofit) to see if I could fit running workouts into my everyday life. It measured steps, distance, and of course heart rate using a chest strap. I later replaced the smartwatch with a more accurate GPS watch (Garmin Forerunner 15) because I missed the map in Strava workouts and it would have been nice to be able to look back at my heart rate. After a couple of hundres of KM I bought a biceps hrm, which uses only Bluetooth connection and the watch doesn’t have it. So an upgrade is needed. I still haven’t decided which watch should I choose.

Basic pillar 1: weight training

As a beginner, I was surprised by how much stress running puts on certain muscles in the upper body. Training these muscles is essential for becoming a better runner.

Basic pillar 2: stretching/yoga

It is recommanded for everyone and essential for older people (over 30). You can find a lot of yoga exercises on the internet that are useful after sports. I alternate stretching/rolling.

Basic pillar 3: foam roller

For rich people, there is the opportunity to use the help of a masseur 1-2 times a week. Other people, like me, have to use some kind of foam roll make do with rolling. It is easy to learn how to use it. My first roller was very hard and did more harm than good. It is worth choosing a softer design. On the evening of running days, I usually massage my legs with ointment/ice gel.

Running experiences: At the beginning I was incredibly happy when Garmin recognised my excercise as a run. If you are new to running or you had a longer break, you usally walk more than run. You need time to improve your running form. After two years of running I am still surprised about how these up and down emotions follow themselves during a run. Sometimes you feel yourself really strong, and after 5 minutes you have to take a break or walk. During running you have to manage your energy level more. If you spend all of your energies running up the hill, your legs get tired and in the downhills you can’t freewheeling. If course you can still get yourself into the state of flow.

Running clothes: I was absolutely surprised by how expensive running related clothes are. Let’s take a closer look. It’s worth wearing a headband against sweat or a cap in the winter. As a running top, I use synthetic T-shirts or cycling clothes I got from previous races. Running pants are a bit more complex. As a whole year runner, you need at least three pairs of pants: summer shorts, long pants for colder weather, and a thermal pants for cold weather. Personally, I don’t like wearing lycra and other close-to-the-skin pants. They are uncomfortable, so I only wear loose-fitting pants. Running socks should be thicker to provide better cushioning and to wick away sweat. And finally, the most important and expensive accessory: a pair of good running shoes. I used to run with a Nike. When I started running again, I took them out again, but after 6 years they were not comfortable anymore. A replacement insole helped until I decided to buy a more expensive/branded running shoe. These were the Mizuno Wave Rebellion shoes. I didn’t have any foot pain right after the first run. I thought about trying another brand, but if they work well why should I invest time and money. Anyway, after two years of usage I ended up stocking up some older Mizuno shoes. So even a runaway model costs you around 100$ (on sale!).

I ran ~400k with my first pair of Mizuno shoes. The sole looks like brand new, but the textil parts have already a lot of tears and other signs of wear. And I had to go to a shoemaker. The internet tells that you can expect 500-800k from a running shoes. I this is rather an optimistic estimation.

Fueling: For me this is as simple as it gets. I usually run two times a week before work. I wake up, take my shoes on and go outside. I have to admit that running on empty stomach right after waking up is not the best for the body. If I run longer than 5k I take a foldable silicine cup with me to drink some water from a fountain. After a succesful running I often buy some fancy food like: donuts, salmon or avocado.

Running events: I think they start around 15$. Personally I don’t see any reason why should I pay for a 5-10k run. Fortunately I don’t run longer distances. If I were living in Hungary, where the are a lot of hiking events, I might take apart on them as a runner. But when I am at home (in county Zala), it is one of the worst regions for hiking.

Redeem coins

Posted on 2025-06-03 by Blue-Wanderer

5 years

725 coins

2,4 kg weight

Redeem coins

I have been collecting small coins for the fifth year now. To be honest, I have never understood why do 1 and 2 euro coins exist and I think the inflation of the past 5 years has „put/taken away” the purpose of 5 cents as well. I think Austrians keep them just out of respect for tradition. One of the tasks of tidying up my home was to redeem my small collection. So I collected all coins from every corner. They weighed around 2.4 kilos in total. Of course, I sorted out the larger coines before I headed to the bank.

The redeemed coins:

Number of pieces (pcs)	Value of coin (€)	Total value (€)
210	0,01	2,1
326	0,02	6,52
111	0,05	5,55
51	0,10	5,1
20	0,20	4,0
7	0,50	3,5

It was nice to finally get rid of these „paper weights”. Although the vending machine didn’t recognize some of them I was able to „get back the value” most of the coins. In the end I have got €26.77, which is enough for two small grocery store visit. Unfortunately, Austrian food prices are absolutely outrageous. I don’t even go shopping by car anymore, because I easily end up buying all sorts of stupid things. A medium-sized backpack is more than enough for the job. I made a table of food prices of the past 1-1.5-2 years. I should make a good statistics out of it, but it is such a boring job, I always end up postponing it. So, an article about this is expected in the near future, which will show you that life in Austria isn’t easy-peasy.

QuickBite! bikepacking tour

Posted on 2023-06-222023-09-20 by Blue-Wanderer

Prologue:

I wanted to attend a bikepacking tour, where you can experience the whole spectrum of emotions, and it looks like a holiday. The Quick Bite! is the shorter route of the famous Seven Serpents. The worst hiking paths are missing, but don’t worry, you will encounter with some really steep roads, where hiking is almost mandatory. You still get some mountain passages above 1000 m.

Place and date:

Ljubljana

06.05.2023 Saturday

Preparations:

They weren’t perfect. They never are! I bought bigger backpack just before the day of arrival. I simply needed more place. I tried my inflatable matte on the first night. The rear tire’s valve was clogged and I couldn’t really adjust the pressure. I was hoping that I won’t have to adjust it during the tour. I barely analysed the route. My plan was simple. I am riding till sunset, find a camping place, take out the tent and rest so long my body needs. The route had some really remote sections. On the first two days there were barely any stores/restaurants available. Cres/Istria were the same.

I took a direct train from Vienna to Ljubljana. There is a direct connection between Vienna and Trieste (the train also goes through Ljubljana). This was one of the reasons why I choosed this bikepacking event. Easy travel means less stress and more joy.

First day: Thru’ Slovenian Villages

Unfortunately I left my chest strap at home. I was not able to make videos on the rough stuff. We get a really nice looking helmet mount in the start packet, but there were no mounting bolt. A running race was held in Ljubljana and we were crossing the course. It was a little bit hectic, but it was mostly uphill. We went through uncountable small Slovenian villages. I was really comfy on my mtb. 2,3″ tire at front gave me a lot of confidence in turns. The weather was kinda mixed. Sometimes the temperatures were above 30 °C, sometimes it was cloudy and we also had rain.

The only man-made attraction was the castle built into the cliff in Predjama. I washed my body at the cemetery (best place, if you want to refresh yourself) and I was looking for some food, because I ate müsli bars all day long and I wanted to have some other type of food. Thankfully the bakery was open in the nearby town. I barely remembered how I should set up my tent. This was my first trip in 2023.

Second Day: In the Shadow of Mountains

The night was pretty bad. I was drinking a lot through the day, but it was not enough. I almost drank all of my water in the night. I had a couple of sips of water remaining in my bottles. I had to be careful, because the next town was miles away. After some hiking and riding down on steep fire roads, I was approaching the town. Suddenly one liter ice tea and some coffee disappeared into my stomach. I was trying to get better food at the gas station, but there were only junk available. I was missing my stove for sure! I am not going to left it home next time.

After the wonderful lakes, a pretty big mountain was coming. The fire road was kinda nerve wrecking. 3 meter wide gravel road was going up all the way. It had a steady grade. I almost got gravel sickness in the evening. I don’t have problem with gravel, but as a mtb rider I prefer dirt roads. I had to take some breaks, because my mind/body didn’t like the monotony. The downhill was kinda cool. I got pretty tired and I didn’t want to ride at night. I made camp on a large field somewhere on the border between Slovenia and Croatia. It wasn’t the best idea. The night was bitterly cold in a summer sleeping bag. I was wearing almost everything in 7 °C.

Harmadik nap: Finally Sea!

Wow, it is only the third day and I can’t count the days properly. I felt myself like Tom in Cast Away. There is a significant difference between office life and bikepacking life.

After the cold night I was able to inspect the sea. It was still far away, but at least I got a glimpse of it. I am not lying, on the onroad section I felt myself really bad. Finally fine offroad sections came up. Have I wrote fine? It was rather rough! But I was enjoying them on my mtb. My companion, a Croatian couple weren’t enjoying themselves that much. I am almost sure that they sold those gravel bikes after this tour. Everything was nice until the front wheel picked up a pretty big stone and it met with my tibia. The pain was really big, I felt it even after a couple of weeks.

Before the bridge of Krk I have seen a gas station. Fresh Corner! This is what I needed! After refueling, I crossed the bridge. It was a little bit too narrow for my taste so I rode on the sidewalk and I took some pictures. After the bridge I forgot to start the next section on my Garmin. So I cut down the course a little bit. When I get back to the seaside, I found a cosy restaurant and in the end of 3rd day I was finally able to eat something normal. After the meal I was enjoying the hills and nice views. I was barely able to find a good camping place. Everything was full of stones. And I don’t like places where you can meet with people.

Fourth Day: Adventures on the Island

Finding a good camping place at the seaside wasn’t simple. Finally I found an old path, where the grass was pretty big and comfy for sleeping. Unfortunately I wasn’t the only one here. Mosquitos were also there. They were waiting for their prey and I had to donate some blood. Krk isn’t a friendly place to ride a bike. Short, steep uphills made my forenoon difficoult. The view was often astonishing and I had to take a bunch of mandatory photo-breaks, eating-breaks, and buying-music-chests-breaks. I was not lucky with the ferries. I was alwast late and I had to wait an hour for them. It wasn’t bad tough, at least I had time for dotwatching and I followed the what’s app group, where people wrote what they have left behind. There were bottles, sunglasses and other items. Thankfully I slept enough and this time I didn’t lose any important thing.

The first big ascent on Cres… 28 °C, sunshine without any shadows, constant 7-10%. It was marvelous. I felt myself like an ice cream. Apart from the landscape there were nothing to see on the island. The the northern part of the island is a wander paradise. With a MTB it was OK, but sometimes walking was better for the legs. Before the arrival of the second ferry I bought my first Lasko beer on the tour. Unfortunately the trip was fairly dangerous to eat/drink any alcohol. I have lost counting after a while how many ways could you die in the race. I would recommand this race only for advanced riders. After the beer I got chills.

I will initialise that the ferry docks should not be built at sea level. The uphill after the ferry ride felt not quite right. In a small town I have found a house under consruction. Because the weather will be very bad next day, I wanted to start as early as possible. A lot stuff was there, so I expected that the workers will be there after the sunrise. I didn’t want any confrontation.

Fifth Day: Surviving

To be honest the bicycle trip was over on the ferry. Everything after that was a pure nightmare. The rain arrived just before noon. After I reached the top I was wearing almost every clothes I had. Scarf, long trousers, rain jacket etc. My legs were frozen, and I had to hike every steep uphill, because riding was not possible. I hiked at least 20-30 Km’s that day. The rain was pouring down for almost 10 hours.

I found a nice small town named Hum. It was some kind of tourist’s attraction. The restaurant saved my life there. I recharhed my empty stomach and my hungry Garmin. After the lunch I didn’t want to continue, but the weather will be the same. The sooner I can get to the seaside the better is for me. Once again, the route went through remote areas. Somehow I was always found water taps, but food was out of question. The long downhill to Triest was propably the worst downhill ride of my life. A soft and flooded gravel double track gravel.

Utózöngék:

Pár finisher összeszedett a főtéren aztán lezuhanyozhattam náluk. Utánam még egy ázott kutyaszagú olasz fiú-lány páros ért be. Brutál erősek voltak, le a sisakkal előttük. Utoljára Belgrádban (2018?) aludtam hostelben. Érdekes élmény koedukált hostelben megszállni. Egészen nagy a különbség a szóló sátrazáshoz képest. Nem voltak zajok (csak horkolás), s szél sem. A reggeli is benne foglaltatott az árban és a kelleténél kicsit több időt töltöttem a kávé-tea saroknál. Még a Zucker-méz készletet is megdézsmáltam.
Aztán szereztem cipellőt a Geox boltban, még a mini cipőkanalikat is lenyúltam. Na jó, ők adtak „önként” oda. Utána véletlenszerűen megtaláltam a város legdrágább farmerboltját. De nem baj, úgy is akartam még egy nadrágot venni. Száraz cuccokban azért jelentősen nő az ember komfortérzete.
Délután vonatút követlezik. Megpróbálok minéll több kcal-t magamba tolni és holnap bemegyek egy fél munkanapra. Kell a pínz és a szabadnapok, hogy ősszel is tudjak bikepackingolni.

Természetesen egy ilyen verseny nem ér véget a célbaérkezéssel. Vonatút előtt kicsit optikailag rendbe tettem a bringát és kifosztottam a vasútnál lévő boltot. Nem feltétlen olcsó, de remek kész ételeket árulnak. Leves, rizs, pizza, 3-4 liter víz. Még az elhagyott fogkrémem utódját is megtaláltam extra cuki mini kefével. Minden adott volt tehát egy kényelmes hazaúthoz. Ljubljana környékén viszont vonatváltásra került sor. A vonatváltást egy buszos intermezzo követte, ami alapból nem probléma. Mit csinalsz viszont a bringával:
A) Berakod a raktérbe
B) eltekersz a következő állomásig.
50-50 arányban éltünk a fenti lehetőségek egyikével. Én kivettem az első kereket és gond nélkül befért alulra a bicó. A leányzó pici bringája simán bement bármiféle hókuszpókusz nélkül. Két srác meg tekert egyet. Őszintén nekem esőben es 12 fokban nem sok kedvem lett volna hozzá.

A túra után term. átnéztem a bringa forgó alkatrészeit. A jobb pedálból kimosódott a kenőanyag. Ezt leszámítva nem volt más gond.

Konklúzió:

A bringa és szerény testem remekül bírta a megpróbáltatásokat. Gyakoraltilag ez volt a Di2 elektromos váltóm első komoly tesztje. Az erőkifejtés nélküli váltás szerintem nagyon jó dolog. A hátizsákos túrázás szintén bevált. A táska hátsó részén egy vas található, ami elemeli a háttól az anyagot, így remekül szellőzik. Mivel mindig volt elég tárolókapacitásom, így nem hagytam el semmi fontos dolgot. Ehhez mondjuk az is hozzájárult, hogy gyakorlatilag többet aludtam a túra alatt mint a hétköznapokban. Az útvonal meglehetősen remote. Az egyedüli dolog, amit hiányoltam az a gázfőzőm volt. Inkább cipeltem volna plusz fél kilót, de mindig rendelkezésemre állt volna meleg ital/étel. Az út vonalvezetése szép, néhol unalmas a sok gravel, meg néhol a meredekségi szög nem emberbarát, de remekül jutalmaznak a táj és a szép kilátások.

A Hungarian Divide-al nem összehasonlítható, hiszen itt azért már nem árt, ha az embernek van magashegyi tapasztalta és a tenger/szigetvilág sem hozható párhuzamba a magyar táj szépségével. Meg idegen nyelv ismerete is szükséges, bár a voda-val remekül el lehet boldogolni.

Ajánlás:

A QuickBite! pont azon a keskeny részen helyezkedik el a bikepacking túrák palettáján, ami kellő kihívást nyújt, ugyanakkor minden elszánt, felkészült bringás számára teljesíthető.

A hosszabb változat sok gyalogtúra részt is tartalmaz, aminek én speciel nem látom értelmét.

Video: