Day 29

15/09/2011 – Day 29

Vienna to Bratislava – 78km

This morning we set off to try and get M’s phone back. The email for the hostel was still valid as my message had not bounced back but we had no way of knowing if it was monitored. When we arrived it was all open and there were cleaners everywhere, we tried the room but it was locked so we tried to ask the cleaners. They directed us to the manager’s office on the top floor where they explained the building was now student accommodation for the next term. If anything had been found it would have been handed to the hostel staff that were all gone. They did give us a number to call but he was no help at all, so it is lost.

Leaving Vienna was easier than coming in, we knew where the cycle path was now and it was a lot easier to follow sweeping us through the traffic quickly and efficiently. Suddenly we were in the broad central avenue of a park called Prater, I think. This is an example where the map comes into its own; the signs for the Radweg are none existent in the city. It was only because we had looked at the map and knew where we were going that we didn’t get lost at this point, although we did miss the next turn because of the lack of signs.

We had to cross back to the north bank as we left the city and this was done on a narrow bridge suspended under the motorway. It took you to an island in the middle of the river where you came down a spiralling ramp only to ride under the motorway and climb another one back up to the bridge, or you can cycle along the island, which we did.

At last the green signs reappeared with the Radweg and the Eurovelo 6 on them, but there is a new sign now, a yellow ‘diversion’ sign which takes you to the places of interest just off the route (but you only realise that when you take one by accident) they are not real diversions at all.

The route is not very interesting for the first part of the day, apart from the stretch of river bank popular with nudists as you leave the city and even though it was not very sunny there were quite a few older men out there baring it all.

For most of the day you are on top of a protective dyke but the river is hidden from you by trees. The surface here is very old concrete that has lost its top coat so you are riding over rough stones. The vibration is a killer, one of M’s water bottle holders fell off due to this. The only highlight was a small café that was full of cyclists, there was none of the usual waiter service you had to go to the counter to order and collect your own food, (a bit like the old transport cafes of my youth) but the plus side is the food is cheap! Less than 10€ to feed both of us and the food was basic but good and filling.

Afterwards there is another 14km of the rough track shaking everything including your mind.

Eventually you come to the town of Hainburg where you have to cross a 2km bridge along a narrow path just wide enough for the bike with bags, and as the trucks fly past your ear the bridge bounces with the weight, oh joy! There follows a series of intricate turns and twists as you navigate your way round the edge of the town but plenty of places to turn into it if you want to explore. But once you come out of the town the route drops in a long gentle slope and with the wind behind us we whizzed along at an amazing 40km/h in places, although at times the track is very narrow and meeting bike coming the other way can make you breathe in as you pass.

At a dirty little village called Wolfsthal you are forced onto the main road between Vienna and Bratislava, which is very busy. There is no cycle path here, not even a cycle lane; you are on your own with the cars and trucks. This would be a great place for a café set back off the road in a small courtyard, just like the one that we passed which is closed.

For the last 5km in Austria the cycle path runs alongside the busy road all the way to the border, well, not really a border anymore due to that nice Schengen Treaty that everyone signed except the Brits. The old check point is still there but everything is closed and abandoned as the free flow of people between states carries on without them.

Way before the border you get your first look at Bratislava, and it is not the good side. A mass of slab sided tower blocks just like you have seen on the TV is every soviet built city. But don’t be put off, once you are passed them and turn into the centre of the city it is a pleasant surprise, there has been a lot of pedestrianization and the centre has a clean and open feel about it. There is a nice mixture of modern with old buildings. After a long day and the nights starting to draw in we had a quick look round but will see more in the morning on the way south for a change.