Danube - Slovakia Set 13

Gyor to Patince

Today was an 88k day that turned out to be quite hot.  We headed out of Gyor and got directionally impaired within the first ten meters.  But we found our way quickly to navigate through the industrial part of the city.  The directions and maps provided by the company leave a great deal to be desired.  Especially in this section of the trip.

We rode the morning through the Hungarian countryside.  The paved parts of the path were in disrepair and rough.  We went through a section of houses that were pretty poor.  There didn't seem to be any building code as each was a "shelter" made as best as possible with what was available.  

Then we hit sections of dirt road.  This is the first time the route has been on dirt.

We have traveled on gravel at times but not on unpacked dirt.  As we rode through you got the feeling that Hungary is of an economically challenged nature.  The roads, houses and even the people we see along the route are poorer than the other countries we have experienced.

For the last two days we have seen little of the Danube.  This has been more of a ride through back country of Hungary than a ride along the Danube.

Examples of rutted dirt roads we traversed...

We finally came upon the Danube in the afternoon.  We crossed it and entered back into Slovakia.  We are lunch in the square of a small village.  Things have gotten cheaper as we have gone into Slovakia and Hungary.

The heat of the day was climbing as we left the village and got back on the road.

    This is a building in the square of the village we ate lunch.  You can see the rich architectural detail but it is in need of repair and attention.

The afternoon ride into Patince was a hot one.  We rode along a paved trail on top of a levee.  You could feel the heat coming up off the pavement adding that little extra baking effect to the sun.  We rode into a head wind that did not add relief as a breeze might.  It just added to the effort needed to try to get us home.  At one point I did start to get dizzy so I knew the heat index had to be quite high.  

We made it to the hotel and got in the room.  It was air conditioned which has not been a regular thing on this trip.  Delusions of grandeur danced in my head.  The room was 78 degrees (25.5C) but I cranked the A/C down low to get the much needed relief.  Within an hour the temp had gone from a warm and uncomfortable 78 to a more relaxing 80 degrees (27C).  Wait a minute, that's the wrong direction! 😳   Then I realized that we were staying at the Wellness Hotel and Sauna.  It was just they were giving us the full sauna treatment.  Pretty cool that we didn't even have to leave our rooms to get a sauna.

But given I felt I had already had my sauna treatment while riding this afternoon, I called the desk for help.  They sent a "technician" to aid me.  The early 20's, late teens girl came and adjusted my thermostat from 15C (60 degrees) to 18C (68 degrees) and pronounced, "is good".  After a couple of more questions I realized she had just given me all of her vocabulary of English.

I decided to give the ailing A/C a fighting chance by closing the blackout drapes as the sun was blistering through the windows with the strength of a laser beam.  

With that I left for dinner thus removing my body heat from the equation that was lined against the A/C's success.  When we returned to the room after dinner we had a modicum of success.  It was down to 76 degrees (24.5C).  Certainly moving in the right direction.  Thinking that 75, then 74, then 73 were in the near future, I drifted off to sleep.  But I was awoken by a dream.  I was dreaming I was back out on the road sweating.  In the dream I kept thinking it's hot but at least I'm in the shade.  Then I woke up and realized I was actually sweating!  But at least I was in the shade... 😓   The room was back up to 80 degrees.  The A/C had lost its battle and given up the ghost.  I called the front desk and the lady said "is no one here".  I asked if she could send a fan to the room.  But I got, "is no one here".  Then I got some Hungarian that I think meant...  this is Tuesday, no air conditioning on Tuesday.  Only hot water on Tuesday.  I gave up. 😟  I opened the window and the door and let in cool air and the mosquitos and tried to drift back off to sleep.  😳

Danube - Hungary Sept 12

Bratislava to Gyor

Today was a 90 kilometer day.  It started out beautifully with temps in the low 70s (22C).  But it did get hot!

We set a new record.  We did not get lost until 19 kilometers.  Usually we have been directionally impaired within the first 5k.  And we weren't really lost, we just didn't know the right way.  😊

We rode most of the way a good distance from the river.  It is getting to be a very wide river.

This is what we saw today...

This is the spring at the head waters of the Danube.  Just a little smaller than what we saw today.  😊

We crossed the border some time after we left Bratislava and entered Hungary.  Once again, there was no sign or mark or any indication that we had crossed into Hungary.  Our first hint was when we came into the town of Rajka.  We did a coffee/coke stop and the price of a coke was 300!  That is when we figured we were no longer in Slovakia and dealing with Euros.  We were now in the land of Forints.   The people seem different and the customs seem different.  For instance, all the people in the cafe and the little place next door were having a beer with their coffee.  And the beers are not like the 5 to 6% alcohol content we know of.  The beers here are 10 to 16% alcohol!  😳

Yesterday Mike and I had three beers each for lunch and it cost us a total of around eight US dollars.  And they were 10% and 16% alcohol and each beer was a half liter!  This is the land for beer drinkers...  😋

We found a little place for lunch along the route (it was on the "we didn't know where the real route was" route 😄).  The waiter did not speak a word of English.  But luckily the menu had some English on it.

I ordered the Gypsy Roast as it was supposed to be a local dish.  All I can say is...  I now know where the old shoe leather goes from worn out shoes.  That and the gravy that came with it could use an oil change.  It was awful!

We got the bill for the group and it was 17,460...  It makes your heart stop when you see numbers like that.  But that worked out to be 56 Euros.  So not so bad.

To give you a bit of perspective or shock value... there was a used car that had a sign on it.  It was listed for sale at the price of 4,140,000... florints.  😳

We rode into our destination city of Gyor around 4 with the heat index fairly high.  

Even the water tower had a militaristic appearance to it.  It had the same feel as a somewhat tired and dirty town.

The buildings had some of the architectural detail we have seen across Europe.  But they were in disrepair and dirty.

The plaster and brick work had seen many years if not decades of upkeep skipped.  It has continued my impression of iron curtain versus Western Europe.

Once we got to the main square for dinner, I saw some of the beauty that was evident in other European cities.

I think I had a bad culinary day with my Gypsy Roast choice for lunch and my pork tenderloin selection for dinner.  They both had an element in common.  I could have taken the meat slices and used them for soles of my shoes.  They were so tough and chewy... 

That and the waiter for lunch and the waiter for dinner must have been brothers, no personality and no service.

Sadly, we only have three riding days left.  Then this adventure is over.  😟

Danube - Slovakia Sept 11

Hainburg to Bratislava 

We had a short ride into Bratislava this morning.  We rode just 24k.

As we left Hainburg we could see the castle on the hill above the city.  We saw it as the approaching army of the Turks saw it in 1638.  It looks very impressive and quite formidable.  It would seem as if it were impenetrable.  Yet the Turks took it and burned the city.  They carried away or killed 8,000 townspeople.  

We rode off through the plains that lie next to the Danube.  We came to a small village just before the border.  It had several weathered buildings that you could see off in the woods.  They looked as if in their day they were very stately and probably home to great nobility.

But time has not been kind to them.

The neglect of the years has worn a tired image on their facade.

We came to the border of Austria and Slovakia.  There were no signs or markings denoting it.  There were just abandoned buildings where a check point used to be during the Communist rule of Slovakia.

This is the checkpoint or at least what used to be the checkpoint.

There are signs of the old totalitarian regime as we pedaled past the border.  This is a concrete pillbox which would stood watch over the fields leading to the border.  It would have posed a formidable field of fire to keep the border sealed.

There was also an example of tank traps should an invasion occur.

As we rode into Bratislava we saw the impressive castle sitting on the banks of the Danube.

This is a picture of after restoration.

Here is a picture of the castle before restoration when it was virtually a ruins.

Bratislava has many of the old ornate buildings with architectural details and design.  But as you can see, the care and restoration has not been kept up.

The city has a weather worn look to it in some of its buildings.  Whether that is due to its communist history or its lack of economic resources is a question.  It does feel like a poorer city than the other European cities we have traveled through.  This is our first exposure to the post iron curtain countries of Europe.

We shall see what lies ahead of us as we travel our last leg through the former iron curtain Eastern Europe villages and cities.

Our evening in Bratislava was great in that we were treated to a concert by wager appeared to be the Slovakian National Orchestra.  First they played in the market square.  They were playing Roll Out The Barrels and a little old lady dressed in pink was dancing up a storm all by herself off to the side.  It looked like she was solo polka dancing.  It was adorable.  Then later the orchestra was playing on a band stand in the town square.  It was one of those times when you thought... how nice of them to do this for us.  

The town square with the band stand at the foot of the church building.

The fountain that centered the town square. 

Danube - Austria Sept 10

Vienna to Hainburg

We had a short day today with just 58 kilometers.  It was another glorious day with clear skies and great temps.

We left Vienna and cycled along the canal way.  It was beautiful with numerous crew boats gliding across the water.  There were many people out jogging and swimming.

The view looking back up the canal way towards Vienna.

We rode along the levee above the Danube and as we left town we came upon the "clothing optional" section of the river.  The people who were choosing to go clothing optional were certainly not part of the "Beautify Vienna" initiative.  Many fell into the category of once you saw it you can't unsee it column.  There was one gentleman laying on his chaise lounge in his altogether just casually reading his newspaper.  😳

We came into the town of Orth and decided to do a coffee/coke/pastry break.  The town was small but quaint.  It had a beautifully decorated church for a village of its size.

The ceiling mural...

The ceiling and wall paintings were very impressive. It was hard to imagine a small village having works of art that magnificent in it.  The church had been started there in Orth back in 1100.

With it being such a short mileage day we got to our destination of Hainburg before noon.  Hainburg is the easternmost city of Austria.  It was a walled city back in the Middle Ages.  The wall and the gates are mostly intact.

These are the western or Vienna side gates.  There is another set of gates to the east that is to keep out the Hungarians and the eastern riffraff.  High upon the hill, Castle Hill, is a fortress.  It was started in the 12th century.  A major part of its funding came from the ransom that Emperor Leoplod was paid for releasing Richard the Lionheart.  It stood watch over the Danube and the city for over 350 years until it was captured by the Turks in 1638.  After that it was left to ruins as its usefulness had seen its day.

We had to climb quite a bit to reach the castle.  When we were up there we were treated to a great surprise.  

In the small chapel on the castle grounds they were having an event with local singers and dancers.  Above is a picture of women in local dress who sang and danced in the show.  It was really great!  Even though we are still in German speaking Austria, they sang in Slovak language.  The eastern influence seems to be more prevalent here than the German.

This is the simple stone church where they performed.

And to end the day...

A beautiful sunset over the Danube.

Tomorrow we leave Austria and enter Slovakia and the city of Bratislava.  We could see the city from the heights of the castle as we stood on the walls.

Danube - Austria Sept 8 & 9

To Vienna & rest day in Vienna

We had a short ride into Vienna of only 25k.  We were in town by 10:30 so we had almost two days in the city.

This was the morning sun shimmering off of the Danube as we rode the levees.

It was a beautiful ride into town.  As you can see in the picture above the ride was along the river on top of the levee a portion of the time.  At other times we would ride through the woods just next to the river.  It was mystical riding through the forest.  The morning sun was penetrating the dense leaves with beams of light touching the forest floor.  As the sun rose higher the number of beams grew to an almost saintly appearance. It truly was awe inspiring.

As we reached Vienna we saw skyscrapers for the first time on our journey.  Up to now the only skyscrapers we saw were the spires of the cathedrals.  

The unique UN building.

After reaching the city we changed and embarked upon our exploration. Mike and I started with a hop on hop off bus tour to get acclimated to Vienna. It is a very big city.  The biggest we have encountered on our Danube quest.

It is a mixture of the old and the new.  WWII certainly had an impact on this.  Over 1,178 buildings were totally destroyed by allied bombings and Russian artillery shelling during the war.  You can see this impact with newer steel and glass buildings interspersed with the old and classic.

We took a night tour of the city to see what Vienna looked like all lit up.

The lights gave it a whole different look and feel.  The lights brought out more of the architectural details of these beautiful structures.

The city still uses the old electric trolley system to move people about.

The first district is where all the happening things occur.

There are cobblestone streets that are lined with shops and restaurants. Also, beautiful parks that let you rest your weary feet from all the exploring.

We have pedaled our way across Germany and almost all of Austria.  We are a day away from reaching Slovakia.  It has been amazing...  😊

 

Danube - Austria Sept 7

Melk to Stockerau

What a beautiful ride today.  It started out cool and overcast but warmed up and brightened up as the day went on.

It was our longest day of the trip at 107k.  

We started the day with our normal breakfast.  But today there was two twists to it.  First, there was honey fresh from the farm.  So fresh that you can see it still had the bees on it!  Second, they had a fresh orange juice machine.  You drop whole oranges in it and out comes fresh orange juice.  It was fantastic!

We set out on the road with clouds still present but the sun trying desperately to burn them off.  It was not successful until about noon.  That is when the skies were clear and the sun was bright.

As we left town we saw the flood high water marker for the town of Melk.  The flood of 1501 had to be a massive one.  This marker is high above and far from  the river.  We saw the same when we were in Passau.  The high water mark for 1501 was far greater than any other flood.

We rode through the countryside rich with beauty.  We came upon several castles perched above the river.  Some as the one above in great shape.  And some like the one below, in ruins but of an age greater in years.

We rode through the wine region of Austria with vineyards clinging to the hillsides.

Villages dotted the hills as the wineries shoes their economic strength.  So many of the towns and villages were so quaint with their winding cobblestone streets.

We got into Stockerau about 5 after a great day of sightseeing.  We are very close to Vienna and the end of the second leg of our journey.. 

Danube - Austria Sept 6

Grein to Melk

This was the view from the room this morning.  There was mist rising up from the valleys.  It was surreally beautiful.

 

Yesterday was supposed to be the rainier of the two days but we stayed dry.  When we were riding there was no rain.  When we stopped the rain started up and poured. That happened when we toured the concentration camp, when we stopped for lunch and when we ended the day and waited for the shuttle to take us to the hotel.  We had great luck staying dry yesterday.

The town center of Grein where we ended the day yesterday.  Look on the building and see when it was built... 1468.

The fountain in the town center of Grein.

Another beautiful old building on the plaza of Grein.

Today the forecast said zero percent chance of rain until noon.  After that it went to fifty percent and escalated to eighty through the afternoon.  So our best bet was to get on the bikes and knock off the 50k ride as quickly as possible.  

The Danube as seen when we started the day.  You can see the clouds gathering.  We tried to get ahead of the rain.  But that didn't work out.  Our luck ran out today.  Less than an hour into the ride it started drizzling.  Then raining and finally all out wet...  Soaked is what we became. ☔️

We powered on rather than stopping for coffee.  We figured that if we stopped we would get cold.  That and the fact it wasn't going to get any better, probably much worse, motivated us quite successfully.  We rode the 56 kilometers in great time and ended up getting fairly wet.  

We got into Melk, our destination, a bit before noon. We went to the hotel (or at least what we thought was the hotel) to change out of the wet clothes.  We couldn't check in until after two, so quite a bit of time to kill.

After getting dry we went into town to get lunch.  Found a warm (optimal word in this case) little cafe right off the square.  Had a great lunch and then walked the town in a drizzle.

This is the Benedictine Abbey perched high above the town.

This is a statue in the town square.  

As the drizzle picked up we headed for the dry safety of the hotel.  That is when we discovered we were at the Wauchau Hof and we were supposed to be at the Wauchau Hotel!  So back on the bikes we went; in our dry clothes...  We had to ride the additional 2k in the rain to get to our home for the night.  

It was a good evening celebrating a particular milestone with friends.  It was Debra and Scott's 20th anniversary.  A great achievement one that I look upon with great envy.  Also, Barry and Wendy celebrated their 41st anniversary as well. The same day for two great relationship achievements.  As I said,  I look upon both of these with great envy and awe...

Congratulations!