(Petronell-Carnuntum, Austria to Bratislava, Slovakia)
View 2008-05-20 Petronell-Carnuntum, Austria to Bratislava, Slovakia in a larger map
Highlights: steady rain, light rain, somewhat cold, wearing five layers on top, more Roman ruins, entering Slovakia for the first time, more rain
Roman amphitheater (near Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Austria)
First view of Slovakia, looking quite dreadful (from the green Austrian side of the River Danube)
Just what I was expecting: dreary weather & lots of concrete (at the Slovakian border, west of Petrzalka)
Ugly UFO bridge tower (entering Bratislava)
Much nicer old town (Bratislava)
Journal: We camped out last night when it looked like the weather might be clearing up, but awoke to a steady rain that lasted thru the entire morning. Since it is not fun to get soaking wet on a bike, and since we are in no particular rush, we briefly considered scrapping the day & staying put until the rain finally let up around noon. Packing everything up took another hour, so we didn't start pedaling until about 1:30. This particular area of Austria is known for its Roman ruins, so we made sure to check out a few along the way (Heidentor & amphitheater). Given the late start & iffy weather today our goal was not terribly ambitious...to just ride the 15 or so miles from our camping site to the large Slovakian city of Bratislava (pop. 470,000) before the rains returned. Even without the rain it was quite cold throughout the day (only 50 degrees) so I wore five layers of clothes (two shirts, a fleece, rain jacket & wind breaker) to keep warm.
Crossed into Slovakia around 4 pm and took the obligatory photo at the border. Some of the nearby scenery looked quite Communistic, including the "UFO lookout" on top of the main bridge into Bratislava. Slovakia is a relatively new member to the European Union and evidently the borders have only been open (no passport control) for about two months. They still use the Slovakian Krone for currency but will be switching to the Euro in January next year. Many of the locals do not want to switch since they are concerned about higher prices, but the decision has already been made.
Notwithstanding some of the awful Cold War era architecture on the outskirts of town, the old city area of Bratislava is quite nice, and also surprisingly expensive (about $90 US for a double room at a so-called "hostel"). The beer is cheaper (about $1.50 US per half liter vs. $4 to 4.50 in Austria & Germany) so things many even out. We are certainly expecting prices to drop as we leave the big city/touristy locations behind. From Bratislava we will be leaving the Danube river & heading north towards the Czech Republic & southern Poland (Krakow). While we don't know our exact route, we do have bicycle maps to navigate around each region, so we should be able to avoid busy roads and find food & accommodations without too much difficulty.
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