The Mighty Danube
Krakow to Budapest Stage 8 – Malacky to Bratiskava 48 Km (Wed 26 Sep 2018)
Weather: 2⁰C min – 14⁰C max, sunny
“As we grow older, our bodies get shorter and our anecdotes longer” ~ Robert Quillen
After a less than memorable night in Malacky I was happy to be on my bike heading for Bratislava at 9:00 am. Don’t even think about a holiday there, one night is more than enough!
The early morning frosty air was envigorating, encouraging me to pedal a little harder to get warm. Even my fingered cycling gloves were not enough to prevent my fingers from losing circulation, and it would have been good to be wearing a beanie or headband around my ears. But at least the sun was shining brightly, so that made my spirits soar.
Unlike yesterday the roads were deserted, but it wasn’t difficult to work out why … the road was so patched up and full of potholes that a car could break an axle. Concentration was required for me to steer a course to avoid the craters and loose gravel where the asphalt had disintegrated entirely.
In spite of the rough surface, I made steady progress and was enjoying being in the country with peace and quiet instead of the traffic noise I had to contend with yesterday. Scenically the ride could not be described as enthralling, mostly bare earth lying fallow waiting for the next crop to be planted.
At one little town called Zohor there was a produce market in the street, which prompted me to stop to take a couple of photos. What I enjoyed was watching the locals arriving on their tricycles to buy their supplies and chat to their friends who were gathered their. Obviously this is the social highlight of the week in Zohor.
My next bit of excitement was at the 30 Km point, the confluence of the Morava and Danube rivers, where the Danube runs into Slovakia. Riding on the lovely bike path running beside the majestic Danube brought back memories of my ride from Passau to Vienna in 2012.
Riding into Bratislava along the riverside path, you can’t help but be impressed by the magnificent Bratislava Castle high up on the hill and, just below it, St Martin’s Cathedral.
Too early to check in to my AirBNB apartment that I am staying at for two nights, so I enjoyed a coffee and baguette at a delightful cafe called Moods.
Bratislava became the capital of newly independent Slovakia only in 1993. Sitting along the Danube by the border with Austria and Hungary, it has a population of about 420,000 and is an intriguing town with lots of character. I can’t wait to check out the pedestrian-only, 18th-century, old town and its many other attractions on my rest day tomorrow.
