Without bikes and in the heat of a summers morning, we left the penthouse and walked out for breakfast. We had plenty of time afterward to enjoy another stroll around the main square and took coffee and orange juice outside so we could soak up the views.
Then, back at the 'Ivory Apartment', we packed up the bikes for one last time...
Biking in Budapest is a completely different experience and even riding in the few cycle lanes was no guarantee of a traffic-free experience. With Clare navigating up front, we wove through the traffic and pedestrians at high speeds, arriving before too long at another landmark - Hero's Square.
We had a train booked from the main station in the afternoon, so just had time for a quick ride to a few other sights, including an impressive castle. There are thermal baths here too, but temping as they were on a hot morning, we decided that we didn't quite have time. A sunny sofa in the castle park did us just fine for half an hour though.
One final dash through the streets, got us to the train station, where our train was waiting on the platform.
It was a bit of a heave to get the bikes up into the carriage, but we were soon settled in and dozing, while seven days of riding was reversed in a mere few hours!
Back in Vienna, it was a short ride back to where it all began. Within ten minutes, we had our panniers emptied and the bikes returned. We walked back to the station feeling a little bit strange to be traveling on foot...
However, the tour wasn't over yet! We had tickets booked to see the Philharmonic Orchestra in Vienna's main Konzert Haus. There was just time to shower and change on the way, but we only just made it with one minute to spare!
The place was as incredible as the music. I counted 33 violin players. With over 60 musicians in all, and a very enthusiastic conductor, we were hit by a wall of sound when they started up. Really good indeed. At the interval, we enjoyed a cooling glass of 'weiss wein' and cheersed our glasses to an incredible adventure!
