One hundred cyclists started the day before yesterday from the Coronation Church in Bratislava to reach the National Museum in Budapest on August 20 and celebrate our King St. Stephen together. The aim of the bicycle tour called "Home to Home" is to strengthen the cross-border unity of the Hungarians living in the Carpathian Basin, to actively connect the Hungarians of the Carpathian Basin by riding a bicycle. This year, the series of events will take place through three countries, on two routes, with one nation.
The 265-kilometer highland tour started from Bratislava on Wednesday, with the following stops: Somorja, Dunaszerdahely, Nagymeyer, Komárom, Karva, Párkány and Helemba. Crossing at Szob, they approach the Hungarian capital via the Danube bend - said the coordinator of the program in the highlands, László Gubík, president of the Association for Common Goals, who, together with the Via Nova ICS organization, provides the cultural programs for the hikers at the individual stops.
On Thursday, the cyclists were joined by Béla Keszegh, mayor of Komárom, Tibor Csenger, vice-president of Nyitra county, and Iván Tamás, vice-president of Via Nova, who also greeted hikers refreshing themselves on Klapka square.
Béla Keszegh said about the city of Komárom that it has a special aura, which the locals are quite proud of and would like visitors to share this feeling with. As he said, they work to ensure that cycling tourists are appreciated, so they also prepared a cycling map, which includes the entire southern zone from Somorja to Esztergom with the latest data, in a convenient, pageable format for cyclists. Incidentally, the construction of the bicycle section of Rákóczi utca started recently in the city, which will be built with 233,000 euros of EU funding on both sides of the street, from the Vág bridge to the Komenský utca turnoff.
Tibor Csenger (Szövetség), vice president of Nyitra county, greeted the bicycle hikers and said that the county is making serious efforts to build bicycle paths, which will gradually be built and connect to EuroVelo6, i.e. the bike path that crosses the whole of Europe.
Iván Tamás, Vice President of Via Nova and also the President of the local organization of the Association, welcomed the participants of the Home to Home bicycle tour and emphasized that it is a serious national self-awareness program that brings together Hungarians abroad and in Hungary, who are both physically and mentally recharged and enriched with defining experiences they can strengthen their national consciousness thanks to this tour. "They can tear you apart, but they can't separate you," concluded Tamás Iván, wishing the hikers a good trip, who then went on an organized city tour, and were able to see the fortress organized by KOMISZ, who awaited the bikers with refreshments and sandwiches on the spot.
On the cross-border bicycle tours launched in 2019, it is not necessary to undertake all stages from start to finish, you can also join the group of hikers on the way.
Depending on your condition and busyness, you can choose from the Hungarian, Upland and Transylvanian sections. The 4- to 11-day cross-border hiking tours in August start from different cities and all cycling teams arrive in Budapest on August 20, the holiday of the founding of the state, according to the website of the event series.
Source: Hungarian Forum/Felvidek.ma
Author and photo: Erika Szalai
