The temperature was 100 fahrenheit and half our group dropped out. Unfazed, our guide Oliver fit us to our Dutch commuter bikes, hand brakes and coaster brakes and seven gears, watched familiarize ourselves with the bikes, adjusted our helmets and took us on a backroad tour of Budapest. He took us down shady side streets, pointing our art deco and art nouveau architecture, the Great Synagogue, a bookstore with a hidden cafe with amazing mosaic walls and ceilings. The city has good bike lanes and Oliver was very attentive to traffic. After a water stop for Budapest's signature, and smelly, mineral water, we headed to Margaret Island which was cool, with lovely gardens and more interesting architectural features. All along the tour, Oliver found unique, quirky sights, the memorial to Bela Lugosi, Ronald Reagan, and, of all things, a bronze of Peter Falk. All along, Oliver introduced us to his city, telling about growing up there, the changes since the end of soviet occupation, and clubs and cafe districts he liked. By the end, I felt i had begun to know a little about Budapest. This is an excellent and informal way to learn about a city.