Gizie & John's Summer in Europe?
Road Trip to Budapest, Hungary to compete in the Meridian Challange
July, 2006

After the Coaches Clinic in Albaron, France, it was planned that we go to Budapest for the Meridian Challenge by road. Travelling with talented skiers Zane deVilliers, Lukas Heiss, Geoffroy Dupuis, Svenja Hempelmann and head coach Hilmar Wehner, Gizie and I looked forward to our scenic drive to Hungary. We had a 1500km road trip ahead of us in two vehicles, one being a campervan with the tournament boat in tow.

We also had some drop-offs on the way. Lucy, the young Hungarian skier who attended the clinic, needed to get to Marseille airport for her flight home. Marcele, Arthur and Elliott needed to get to Cannes and there was the jump that had to be towed back to its owner, in Le Mede, this side of Marseille.

Our 6am start turned into a 7.30am departure. With so many people to pack belongings and equipment, plus the need to clean our rooms and kitchen it was always going to be a later start than expected. Then only 15 minutes into the trip a flat tyre on the jump trailer put us back just that little bit more. Nevertheless, we finally got to the airport and sent Lucy on her way. Next stop Cannes.

Hilmar’s daughter Dominique and her husband Willie, were on holiday in Cannes awaiting the return of their boys, Arthur and Elliott. Marcele, Hilmar’s wife, also left us in Cannes to make her way home by train. We had a wonderful lunch together overlooking Cannes from their holiday apartment. Cannes is famous for its film festival and its attraction for celebrities who holiday there. Next we pass Nice and Monaco then across the Italian boarder. It’s now 4.30pm and I get my chance to drive the big rig, total length of the camper and boat was about 13-14 metres (42ft). I had driven on the other side of the road before (right hand side) so it didn’t take long to adjust and settle into the 130kph speed limit along the motorway.

We left the coast and headed across Italy toward Milan, then Verona and Venice. This took 4 hours and when we reached our first Italian toll gates it cost EUR46 (equivalent AUD$82) for 500km of driving. Meanwhile the other van driven by Svenja, catches up to us. They took a detour into Monaco for some sightseeing.

Another two hours further down the motorway we arrive at the Slovenia / Italian boarder. Passports are out, the camper and boat get through without a fuss but as expected the van with two Germans, a Frenchman and one South African takes a little longer to get through. We waited 15 to 20 minutes whilst the officers read every page of Zane’s passport. It’s interesting how much attraction a passport holder of unusual nationality creates at a boarder. Not to worry we’re back on the road in no time.

We drive for a little while longer before finding a place to camp for the night. The boys were too tired to pitch their tent so they set themselves up on the ground. The rest of us made good use of the camper and Svenja in her van. I drove five and a  half hours across Italy and Svenja drove for even longer. We had come to the end of a very enjoyable, but long day.  

Day two of the road trip started with cereal and fruit for breakfast at our road side campsite. At 8am we hit the road again. We head toward the Slovenian / Austrian boarder via Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital. On the way we stopped at a memorial for 13 Concentration Camps which existed in the area. We read the historic plaques describing the camps and other information before climbing up the hill to the boarder station.

Unfortunately, we were unable to continue into Austria with the camper and boat. The Austrian officials deemed the length and weight of the camper and boat could not go down the steep incline safely. So the two vehicles split up. The van continued onto Klagenfurt, Austria. Hilmar and I turned back with the camper and headed straight for Hungary, still 8 hours away, bypassing Austria completely.

We decided to drive along the scenic route (side roads) to the Hungarian boarder, as Hilmar had not driven along this route before. After we stopped for lunch I once again got the chance to drive the big rig. A little more care was needed this time driving on the narrow country roads, passing through villages built in the 1800’s. Not quite the same as the Italian motorway.

We finally crossed into Hungary at a Slovenia / Hungarian boarder station. The boarder to Croatia was close by and we got back onto the motorway which ran alongside the boarder for a short time before cutting across to Lake Balaton. The Lake Balaton area is a major holiday destination for many Hungarians and other European nationals. It is Hungary’s largest waterway and is extremely popular given that Hungary has no coastline.

It was time to ring the others and touch base. They had already driven across the boarder and were on their way to Budapest. We arranged to meet them on the outskirts of Budapest just off the motorway, together with Gizie’s uncle, who kindly offered to lead the convoy through Budapest to the tournament site. We eventually met up after a few wrong turns. We also lost one of the pushbikes off the back of the camper. This was our final little drama for the trip. I hope Marcele will forgive it was her bike we lost.

The time was 7pm, and the peak hour traffic seems to have eased through Budapest. We make our way along the Danube River, past the famous city bridges which include Szabadság Hid, Erzsébet Hid (Elizabeth Bridge), Lánc Hid (Chain Bridge) and Margaret Bridge, which provides access to Margaret Island.  The magnificent Parliament House looked grand on the other side of the river under the sunset light. We finally arrive at the tournament site. Diana (Dio) and Imme, the tournament organisers, and Peter, who had been at the clinic in the South of France, were there to greet us.

It was a great road trip and I recommend a visit to this part of Europe and the cities which have such great history and scenery. Once again thanks to Hilmar Wehner for making the trip and holiday possible. Next is the final chapter of our 2006 European experience, the Meridian Challenge 2006, Budapest’s very first barefoot tournament.

Gizie and John are sponsored by Wing Wetsuits and www.BarefootCentral.com.au.  We appreciate his support and efforts to bring us these interesting articles.

If you're someone who has a passion for the sport and would like to get involved writing articles about events in your area, be sure to check out our Get Involved and Get Rewarded Sponsorship Program.