Andy and Eric: Trouble getting bikes home

By Staff
TAKING A BREAK Andy Armstrong, left, and his grandson, Eric, take a break Wednesday from biking on a bridge in Budapest. Andy and Eric have been biking across Europe during the month of June. submitted photo
By Penny Randall / staff writer
June 27, 2002
Andy and Eric Armstrong have reached the end of a nine-country European bicycle trip that began on May 31.
On Tuesday night, the two stayed at the Haus Bruckner Pension.
The couple who owned the pension spoke no English. But they had a daughter, Aniko, who did.
On Wednesday, Andy and Eric slept until 9 a.m. and had breakfast before they left.
The two then biked the last 8 kilometers to Budapest, Hungary, where Andy started making arrangements for the trip home.
It took all day to find a way to ship the bikes back to Paris. His first stop was the central train station downtown.
About that time a man on the street gave him some advice.
The next option was UPS, where Andy asked about shipping the bikes.
Someone else suggested they check on a boat.
After all the searching, Armstrong decided the train would be the best bet.
Eric said he was amazed at the large number of homeless people in the park.
The Armstrongs plan to leave Budapest within the next day or so and head back to Paris. They will return to the United States on July 3.