Down By the Riverside
Krakow to Budapest Stage 9 – Bratiskava to Dunajská Streda 57 Km (Fri 28 Sep 2018)
Weather: 9⁰C min – 22⁰C max, clear and sunny
“You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old” ~ George Burns
Perfect riding conditions prevailed on a glorious sunny autumn day in Slovakia. After bidding farewell to Bratislava I soon found myself rolling along smoothly and effortlessly on an incredibly good bicycle path that followed the north bank of the Danube for the next 40 Km.
The Blue Danube looked bluer than I have ever seen it before, reflecting the clear blue sky above. You might think it would get monotonous after a while, cruising along on a long straight path on top of a levy bank with nothing to look at but the river on my right and green trees on my left. On the contrary I was enjoying perfect peace and tranquility, mesmerised by the majestic Danube. Nothing mattered but the present moment as I settled into a rhythm and soaked in the serenity and calmness of my surroundings. Any worries about the past or concerns about the future are blown away.
At Horný Bar I turned left away from the Danube, to head for my destination of Dunajská Streda further north. But not before stopping at the Piano Bar, an attractive cafe in the centre of the little town. The coffee was awful, but bad coffee is better than none when you are a caffeine addict like me!
From Horný Bar to Dunajská Streda my route went through lovely countryside, including fields of sunflowers, and autumn trees starting to show their colours. Riding on the quiet country roads was almost as good as on the Danube path, with virtually no traffic.
On days like today bike touring is sheer joy. There is nothing else in the world I would rather be doing!
One is as old as they feel. Ride on and reveese the old look abd feeling.