Bratislava

Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, turned out to be an easy one day cycle from Vienna. We love the way cities in Europe don't tend to sprawl - in Melbourne we would probably still be dragging our wheels through the outer suburbs after a day's ride.

View of Bratislava from somewhere near the border of Austria, Hungary and Slovakia (yes I was tempted to find the tripoint and leap between countries).

On arriving in Bratislava, we had an interesting and adventurous time trying to get to our campsite. We hit a motorway junction where we wanted to go north but were more or less bounded in by motorways and highways. While considering turning back and trying a different tack, we saw a local elderly man carry his bicycle across the highway then across some train tracks and proceeded to push his bike along the grass verge next to the motorway. We quickly followed suit, figuring this must just be how they get from A to B by bicycle in this car-friendly city. Filled with trust-the-local and be-a-sheep mentality, soon we are following him along the hard shoulder on the side of the motorway. The shoulder is wide so we are not close to the traffic but I have a strong sense of being somewhere I am not allowed, wheeling a bike along a motorway. The man looks so casual about it and I try to imitate his slow steady calmness while the traffic hurtles by. No one beeps - I'm sure back home an incredulous police officer would not take long to inquire what you think you are doing. Next thing, another elderly man on a bicycle rides slowly past us along the shoulder. Things feel casual here and certainly the cars don't seem to give a hoot (ha...).

Local pushing his bike on the grass next to the motorway

We both loved being in Bratislava. It feels like a place which is going through a really positive period of independence and growth, keen to put the difficult times behind it. We found the people modern and busy yet relaxed and always friendly when they realised we were foreign. There is lots of construction, repair work and general improvements going on everywhere. We also liked the bohemian feel of certain alleys and squares where we found hole-in-the-wall cafes, shops and art exhibitions.

View looking back at Bratislava as we pedal off

Super Market Fun

One of our favourite things about this trip is discovering funny new food in supermarkets. We end up going most days because we cant carry much and things dont keep well in the heat. Some of our obsessions have been - French blueberry yogurt, peanut chips, cups of chocolate moose, johannasberry icecream, macarones, beetroot spread and bloodorange juice.
Its also really fun browsing the new packages- heres a taste..........

A tasty german cheese snack - Big Balls

Hungary = white cats with chocolate. Is the one on the right a chocolate for diabetic cats?

Finally a french restaurant where we could expect a decent bloody meal "restaurant la marmite", and a jar of shells found in a french super market - are these to store cooked snails for lunch boxes?

German ice cream and sinister French sugar daddy

Cute french biscuits

Not really supermarket related but an amusing town name in Bavaria.

Vienna

Now we head to the East. Bratislava then on to Budapest where we plan a bit of a break.

Austria

The misty Danube, and a view from the tent

Matthew swinging into the Danube, a camp in the woods

Riding along on my pushbike honey

Benedictine Abbey in Melk

Outside a milk machine in Aggsbach Markt. I was impressed to find out that this town was settled by mammoth hunters during the ice age!! These Viennese men were passing by and when they saw us looking curiously at the vending machine, they were very keen that we try the milk. You put in 30 cents and get a glass of milk, or you can put in more money and fill a bottle. After much fluffing about trying to get it to work while I idled in the background, the three men emerged with a glass of milk. Success! These two men were also cycle touring, and had done 100 km that day - considerably more than us! They looked about 70. It's surprising and impressive how many older people you see on bicycles in Europe. Sometimes decked in lycra and whizzing past us.

On the right is me with Matthew who turned into an actual Worzel-the-scarecrow when we entered this Austrian town one rainy day (covered in mud and searching for a cup of tea & a slice of cake as per)

Hundertwasser

Friedensreich Hundertwasser buildings were something we wanted to see when in Vienna. He is a painter and architect who is known for his bright individual style and is one of Austria's most popular artists. He has designed buildings across Austria and lots of them are in the capital. He also deigned a toilet block in New Zealand (he moved there as his home in later life (New Zealand not the toilet)).
The first image below is his gallery and has a cafe and restaurant. Inside it continues the organic curved lines that are his trademark with even the floor being wavy and curvy. It reminded us a lot of building design in a community near us in Scotland called Findhorn which focused on sustainable design and working the buildings to fit with their surrounds. Although they were more like hobbit houses and these were more for city Elves???
Its a nice place to spend time. There are lots of plants incorporated into the building and it's just a very comfortable but stimulating place to hang out. The opposite to a lot of modern architecture with its excess of glass and rigid line starkness.




Mullverbrennungsanlage Spittelau
Below is a energy plant with a facade designed by Hundertwasser. It's a district heating system burning garbage to create electricity and heat which contribute to the city supply. Apparently a Japanese politician visiting Vienna on a state visit was so impressed by the design, he built a 1:1 replica in Japan!?