"The Many (Mis) Adventures of DR N": LAKE BALATON, BUDAPEST, JASZKISER.

My first gas stop in Hungary brought the whole 2 season adventure into a crisp, clear light. With barely 400 km to cover, mere hours now... I looked back on this whole thing. Where it had come from, rooted in my mind for so long, how it came to be, and what a feeling of accomplishment and joy and enlightenment I'd felt.

I detoured off the auto route along the shore of Lake Balaton, Europe's second largest fresh water lake. Well 'along the shoreline' is really a misnomer. You can't really ride the shoreline, not like you can in the Okanagan for example.

Here it's completely blocked by Condo's, "kemping parks" urban sprawl and numerous other developments. There are few places around this lake that give you a glimpse of the water. I wanted to stop in and take some pictures at a military park just outside Siofok. Last year, we had whizzed past it at the VW Polo version of warp speed, and this time, being in control of my own destiny, so to speak... I was determined to find it again.

Thinking I may have already passed the park, I pulled into a service station to ask. Here I found that my Hungarian, well... was a bit rusty! Surprise. "Sure" the young attendant says to me, "about 400 meters north!" Figures.

The park is actually an enticement to the restaurant. Interestingly enough, the name of which is "Red's!"

As the early evening shadows grew longer, I wandered around, in no particular hurry and took many pictures of the well kept/restored but outdated Russian Military equipment. Armored personnel carriers, some series of

T something or other tank, a SAM* transport and another with reloads. And this really strange duck, a boat with training wheels...?! Go figure, those crafty Russians.

And you wonder why Communism didn't work???

As twilight crept across the rich blue sky, I packed away the camera gear and headed to BP.

Ran most of the way in the dark along the M-7/M-0 auto routes, no sticker of course. That hadn't stopped me from traversing the continent... I arrived at Albert and Agi's around 9 pm hoping they were home, I wasn't able to get thru on Albert's spare cell phone I had carried all over Europe. Having parked my bike inside the fortress gates, I trudged upstairs, rang the doorbell and after a few minutes Agi comes to the door... in her lingerie! **

Well, I don't know which one of us was more surprised, her or I, but I can tell you, before I had a chance to move a muscle, the door was slammed shut in my face. Seems, her mother was just up a couple of minutes prior and Agi thought it was her returning. Wrong!

She was on her way out, and headed to of all places, Lake Balaton the next morning... where Alby was at a conference. Of course, I could have stayed somewhere there had I known that.

With Agi on her way early the next morning, I had breakfast with her Mom (Agi 1) and her teenage sister, Tundi. Her and her sleepover friend of course were doing what all 15 yr olds are apt to do... play loud music, chew gum, giggle a lot and have their photos taken on my Divvie. Sure no problem.