Drive to Lignano. Part 1: Road to the sea.
The desire to go to the sea coast in Europe is long overdue, but a lot of time has passed from the idea to the realization of the dream. It was not wasted, and thanks to numerous forums and reviews, a plan was made to travel to Italy in Lignano Sabbiadoro by car. The path to the destination was laid through Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. The return journey is faster along the autobahns of Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland.
In May, accommodation was booked in Lignano and en route, and at the same time, visas were independently obtained through the Italian visa center.
August 11 at 7.00 we set off on our journey. Today we have to overcome about 950 km before the first overnight stay in Brest. I’ll say in advance that this is the largest stage both in terms of distance and time.
Landscapes already familiar from previous trips to Belarus flicker outside the window. Well-groomed settlements, harvesting season in the fields is in full swing. The border between Russia and Belarus is formal. No one stops, there is no inspection of documents.
The road goes through Gomel and Kobrin. As shown by the way back, which ran through Minsk, the original way is more tiring because of the frequent settlements and not the best road surface. A few stops to eat and stretch your legs. In total, after 12 hours we drove into Brest, phoned the owners of the house, which we booked for 1 night. A very neat and cozy village house on the outskirts of Brest at an affordable price. A warm shower allows you to recuperate after the road. The house has everything you need for living. Parking under the windows in the courtyard of the house.
The next morning starts with a late rise and breakfast. Before leaving, we agree with the owners of the house on the possibility of settling on the way back home in 2-3 weeks.
Next, we continue on our way to the Brest Fortress. Everyone who has been to this place will agree with the sense of tragedy of this place.
A couple of hours fly by like a blink of an eye while visiting the expositions and monuments. The territory is very huge, so there is no feeling of hustle and bustle, despite the large number of independent and organized tourists.
Let's go to the border with Poland. The Varshavsky Bridge border crossing is usually busier than Domachevo. In addition, we have to go in transit to the south of Poland. Without hesitation, we turn to Domachevo, at the last gas station we fill the fuel tank to full, and after 20-30 minutes we are standing at the entrance to the border control.
13.00. There are 4 cars in front of us, but it took an hour and a half to cross the entire border. Standard questions about the purpose of the trip, the amount of fuel and the presence of goods prohibited for import into the European Union. And finally, we are in Poland.
Today we need to pass through Poland and arrive in Slovakia, in the city of Kosice, where we have booked hotel accommodation. In the meantime, we have a way to go along the "slow" Polish roads that run through endless settlements. As a result, a decrease in speed and a lot of traffic. Especially striking is the huge number of trucks. We were mentally prepared for such a scenario, we made several stops for a snack along the way, bought food in Bedronka. Children entertain themselves with electronic gadgets, while we enjoy the view of neat houses and courtyards. Closer to Slovakia, road repairs begin, as a result of which the speed is still falling.
Like Poland, Slovakia is a Schengen country, so border crossing is smooth and fast. The section of the road in Slovakia D1 is a paid autobahn (about 10 euros) from Presov to Kosice. However, after monitoring the Internet in advance, we found out that repairs were being carried out on it. After Preš ov, along the ring we get to route 68, and we drive these 20-30 km to Kosice on free roads.
We drove into Kosice already in the dark, crossed the city and finally our Penzion Grand hotel in the old part of the city.
Today, everyone is really tired from the road, the forces remain only for a shower and sleep. Tomorrow there will be a short sightseeing of the city and transfer to Budapest.
The third day of our trip began with a hearty breakfast at the hotel restaurant. After that, armed with photo and video equipment, we set off to explore the old city. The main attraction of Kosice is the Cathedral of St. Elizabeth - the patroness of the city, built in the 11th century.
Kosice. Cathedral of St. Elizabeth
That's where we're heading. The old town is a continuous pedestrian zone, consists of a network of beautiful streets.
Kosice. Streets of the old town
In the park near the Opera House, locals escape from the heat in the shade of trees in front of the singing fountain. It is a pity that last night there was no strength for a walk, we could enjoy its beauty to the fullest. A 14-meter-high plague column was erected on the main square as a token of gratitude from local residents for getting rid of the plague, which devastated entire cities in the Middle Ages.
Streets of Kosice
Well, it's time for us to say goodbye to this cozy city, the capital of Hungary is waiting for us. We pay the hotel, load things and go. To the border with Hungary 20 km, the road flies by unnoticed. You also need to buy a matrix for driving on toll roads in Hungary, which we do at the gas station closest to the border. Its cost is 14 euros.
We are entering another EU country without hindrance. But, as it turned out, the autobahn does not start immediately, so I had to "cut" a little on local roads. On the way, continuous fields with corn, turn to HELL.
The roadside villages of Hungary outwardly lose significantly to the villages in previous countries.
When the autobahn began with a limit of 130 km / h, the speed of movement in space increased significantly. Every 10-15 km there are places for rest with gas stations and shops, toilets and showers. The road surface is excellent. It remains only to enjoy the passing kilometers. At the same time, fuel consumption also increases, and the price tag for gasoline is already about 1.2 euros / liter. The navigator unmistakably leads to a new place of lodging for the night - the Palota City boutique hotel in the old district of the 15th century. A small cozy hotel with its own free parking, which is rare for Budapest, and an indoor pool. Tourists from the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Poland are in the parking lot.
Hotel courtyard
Pool in Palota City
The end of the day was spent relaxing, sharing impressions and communicating with friends and relatives on the Internet.
We stayed in Budapest for two nights. First, to take a break from the road. Secondly, to get acquainted with one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. As it turned out, two days is about nothing!
After breakfast, we drove by car to the Varosliget park, on the territory of which the Vajdahunyad castle, the Szé chenyi baths and a very impressive zoo nearby.
At the zoo with kangaroos
Szechenyi Baths
It took all day to visit all this splendor. Only in the evening we returned to the hotel, tired, but satisfied. At the end of the day, we went to the mall, where we had dinner, had a little fun and went shopping.
The next day we leave the city with regret that we wanted to see a lot, and there was so little time. But the main purpose of the trip is to rest on the sea. We drive through the center of Budapest, across the bridge across the Danube we get from the flat part of Pest to the mountainous Buda. We are opening panoramas of the city in all its glory - Mount Gelerta, Fisherman's Bastion
Mount Gelert
As you know, there are a large number of beautiful lakes in Europe. One of them - Lake Balaton in Hungary lies just on our way. Already at the entrance to it you can see its popularity among locals and not only residents. Today is Saturday and people rushed to the water. The flow of cars on the autobahn is dense, there are huge traffic jams at the exits to the towns on the Balaton. The prospect of being in one of them suggests the idea of abandoning the desire to swim. But closer to the southern part of the lake, we have the opportunity to drive up to the water some 2-3 km from the highway without "fellow travelers". What we used.
Lake Balaton
We quickly change clothes and go to the water. The temperature outside is over 30. There are a lot of vacationers around. We take our portion of solar and water treatments and hit the road again.
The border with Slovenia flashed by unnoticed. At the gas station we stop to buy a vignette to pay the roads and fill up with fuel. The navigator leads to a detour of Ljubljana, which allows you not to waste time on the road, but the landscapes outside the window are depressingly monotonous. But soon the mountains appear, the road becomes more picturesque, passes through many tunnels.
At one of the junctions we go to the right in the direction of Trieste. And now, Italy. Not far from Lignano. During these days we covered about 2400 km.
Continued here Part 2
