Another very peaceful and great night's sleep at the Storkencamp Rust. I awoke rather later today, and took it easy getting up and having breakfast. My plan was to make it over the border and to Bratislava, where I'd booked in the centre for a night. If I could again take advantage of the bike ferry across the Neusiedlersee to cut off significant distance, this would only be 50km or so and so it should be a leisurely day (less than my rest day).
The ferry was scheduled to leave at 11.15, so I had plenty of time to take it easy packing up. I bought more croissants from the bakery stand, and slowly took the tent down. During my breakfast I got chatting with some fellow campers, who were also off on their bikes, and had some problems with a somewhat deflated tyre. Unfortunately neither they, nor me, nor another guy in a camper had a presta adaptor on our pumps. We had a good chat though - when they asked me where I was from and I said the UK, they were genuinely surprised I would be travelling. Assuming they were referring to the virus restrictions I let them know about the complex set of different rules, and that it (just about) worked out. But no - they assumed that Brexit had blown up the ability to travel on the continent! It's not (quite) as bad as that, I assured them - but thought it was another interesting view into how our country's actions are being perceived by the average person on the continent.
This is actually my neighbours on the *other* side, who arrived pretty late (and set off pretty early) - I'm afraid I was so exhausted I didn't get a chance to talk to them. But I do like their way of transporting the dog!
Around 10 I decided to head to the ferry jetty, which was right around the corner from the Storkencamp at the marina. It was handy I turned up early - as there were already people waiting, and more and more kept arriving. At least I knew that the ferry was running - but I became slightly disconcerted when almost 100 people and bikes started to congregate.
It was actually a bit of a bumfight, and virus etiquette was not being observed - not a mask to be seen, and people really were packing tightly together as they (slightly pushily) queued for the ferry. I was relieved to see it arrive, a rather sizeable vessel that clearly had room for everybody. It was packed though, and a similar number of cyclists got off and wheeled past us. Only when boarding did masks go on (and they immediately came off again).
Turning up early for the ferry. Not many people here initially...
Boarding the ferry - that's about a third of the people coming on visible in the queue. The bikes stack pretty compactly, so there was no problem with room there, but I didn't much like the idea of being packed in. Fortunately I was near the head of the queue and could nab a place on the upper deck, in the open air (which was both more pleasant and probably a bit safer).
I grabbed a coke from the shop below, and wondered how ticketing worked. There hadn't been anywhere to buy a ticket at the marina, so I was quite relieved to see a lady coming round taking cash for the trip. I paid my €9.50, sipped my coke, applied sun-tan lotion (it was another sunny one) and took it easy for the hour or so it took to cross to Podersdorf.
Nearing Podersdorf, and the wind has clearly picked back up. Fortunately the wind was from the west - so I would have a tailwind once I got going!
I disembarked and wheeled out through the rather familiar outskirts of Podersdorf, picking back up the cycleway I'd followed all yesterday. The first 7km would in fact be an exact repeat to take me to Weiden - after which I'd peel off to the north-east and head towards the border. I'd used Komoot to find an attractive route - lots of minor roads and cycleways - as there was quite a tangle of highways near the border. I'd just transcribed this onto my paper map - and found it pretty easy to follow.
This was not a particularly early start - it was almost midday - but I was in no massive hurry, and eager to avoid getting a blood-sugar crash like yesterday so when I saw a nice shady bench free I stopped for lunch, with only a few kilometres on the clock. I still had loads of supplies from my 3 visits to a supermarket in the last 2 days, and made short work of them.
Back in Podersdorf, a lovely day, and a tailwind. Off we go!
I didn't linger too long and was soon heading north again, reaching Weiden very quickly. In the little town, I soon found that my route was actually very well signed as the Donau-Neusiedlersee route towards Zerndorf. No cycleway, but the minor road was so empty there was no real need.
After a stiff 70m climb out the town - I was already forgetting the mountains - I pulled up onto the highground that seems to surround the lake all along the north and west sides, and nominally describes with Slovakia. I still had a few kilometres on the Austrian side, but the landscape was curiously empty and depopulated.
The plateau is clearly something of a gap for the winds between the Alps and the Carpathians, and as such has been pretty comprehensively covered in wind turbines. I actually remember these from years ago, approaching Vienna from Bratislava by train - so it was evocative to be cycling between them now.
Leaving the lake at Weiden. Goodbye Neusiedlersee, you've been good to me!
Up on the high plateau above the lake - vines and hundreds of wind turbines. Fortunately the wind was behind me, and I shot along the great, straight road to Zurndorf
At Zurndorf, a tiny village, my route became a bit more complicated. The plan was to follow back roads, not shown on my map, to Gattendorf, Pama and finally Kittsee, the last village in Austria ibn a strange kind of salient that would take me almost all the way to the Danube. From there, a backroad would cross the border - which according to all my intelligence was open, but which I had some virus-based trepidation in crossing - and immediately enter the suburbs of Bratislava.
I was happy to see this whole area is officially criss-crossed by cycleways (none of which officially cross the border, however). This made navigation through the pleasant little lanes pretty straightforward.
A really detailed map of the cycleways around this odd corner of Austria in Zerndorf
After a little confusion crossing the highway, I left Kittsee behind and took the minor road towards the border. There was in fact one soldier posted in front, but there were plenty of people crossing and he didn't bat an eyelid at me and my bike as I whistlingly crossed over.
What followed was an almost comical change in road conditions. The tarmac disappeared, and I found myself in the middle of a dusty and frantic construction site. The road seemed to be open, and cars and bikes dodged around JCBs and steam rollers. Still, I wasn't stopped at any point and managed to push my way into the suburbs.
It was there I encountered significant traffic, as well as the continuation of the mad roadworks. Alternating between the uneven pavement, and some slightly hairy experiences on the rough road (and being honked at a few times) I managed to make it through. Phew, not in Austria any more!
Relieved, I picked up an actual dedicated cycle lane through the high-rise suburb of Bratislava V. The southern bank of the Danube is lined by the infamous endless row of Soviet-era tower blocks (panelák) in the district of Petržalka - I wove my way through this not particularly attractive, but characterful distinct, heading for the river.
Before I could reach the Danube, I had to cross this big urban motorway. Fortunately, there was a footbridge, with lifts that could take the length of the Shift!
The other side of the SNP ("UFO") bridge drops immediately down into the old town centre (there's a story behind this - see next page). And after my experiences getting through the suburbs - I was just blown away by how charming and attractive it was.
This was a district of embassies - dozens of them are packed into a few streets - and my hotel (the Bluebell B&B) was in the middle of it, right next to Kuwaiti embassy. After a little casting about I found it, and was let into the cool and rather plush interior in my sweaty gear. The charming lady of reception checked me in, and guided me in putting the bike in the private courtyard where it would certainly be safe.
View from my hotel window. That's the Kuwaiti embassy.
