Slovakia

We have taken our time traveling through Slovakia from Bratislava. It was about a 250km ride and we had a week before we had reserved our flat in Budapest so we could do short riding days and amble. It was a great place to do this in. As Jenny mentioned in the Bratislava post the locals here have been very welcoming and relaxed. We have had lots of wild camps on the river with no one seeming to mind.
We were given a very different impression of the feel of Slovakia by the guide book we have with us (the Danube Cycle Way published by Cicerone) but had long ago become used to taking their recommendations with a grain of salt. If anyone else uses this guide (there is not many/any other choices for the Danube trail if you want it in English) be aware that the information may be dated and although it can be good for finding out interesting things about towns you pass through it's really catering for the conservative comfort seeking cyclist or more specifically "fuddy duddys". Great if your interests lie in church architecture but it seems to be offended by anywhere with any rough elements.
The guide warns you off taking the trail on the Slovakian side of the Danube and sends you straight to Hungary after Bratislava. I hope other travelers get to experinace the sleepy bohemian charm of this part of Slovakia and not be put off by such advice because it was one of the highlights of the Danube route for us.

Wild camp on the Danube. Lots of people fishing nearby and huge barges groaning and creaking up the river through the night.

Crane's nest?

Does anyone know what these cylinders would be for? There is at least one in even the smallest town.

One thing these pictures can't capture is the soundtrack we experienced in Slovakia. It felt like everywhere we went no matter how quaint, rural or sleepy or what time of day it was we were blessed with loud, high energy dance music often embarrassingly sleazy with thinly-veiled double entendres. It was sort of surreal sitting having ice cream with kids and oldies with music blaring that's usually reserved for the sleaziest of clubs. I'm sure no one really follows what the English lyrics are crudely hinting at.
The strangest moment occured when we rode into a small rural town in the middle of a hot day to the throbbing of hardcore gangster rap blaring from public address loudspeakers on the telegraph poles. We thought there must be a festival but the streets were deserted. We only noticed a few old guys riding bikes as we left.


Th above few are from a town with thermal baths called Komarno. It had a wonderful pedestrianised centre with restored traditional architecture and good cafes and restraunts. It seemed a great place for a relaxing holiday.

A bit of a bleak picnic spot here as the Danube is concreted in to control it for the huge hydroelectric plant down river. Notice the beetroot spread - delicous!