December 6, 2013
Three hours in Slovakia: The last place I've been before for a while
The first thing that I saw when I arrived in Slovakia was a man in full army uniform wielding a chainsaw. I cycled past him quite quickly. The second thing I saw in Slovakia was a military bunker. I also didn't stop here, but I was quite excited about this country.
I believe Vienna and Bratislava may be the closest capital cities in the world and the latter is just a couple of kilometres over the border from Austria. I had actually been to Bratislava once before and I therefore knew that the best things to see were the old castle and the rather more modern 'UFO' bridge. What I don't remember from last time, probably because I came in July, was the cute little Christmas market in the town centre. This was made considerably better by the fact that it was snowing. At the end of the market there was an ice skating rink, and the town tree, which was actually on the ice so people could skate around it. Magic.
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As I made me way back across the Danube on the UFO bridge it not only stopped snowing, but turned into a beautiful sunny day. Bratislava is very small but very nice. I liked it a lot the first time, and I liked it again now. By the way, if you are getting annoyed by me saying 'I've been here before' too much, this is the last time I'll be saying it for a while. If all goes according to plan the next place I get to that I've been to before will be New Zealand. I've never been to Asia before, from here on its all uncharted territory for me, something that sent shivers down my spine as I rode out of Bratislava and into the unknown.
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I had planned to stay in Slovakia for longer on the north bank of the Danube, but the Danube cycle path was on the south side and so, after not very long at all, I found myself crossing the border into Hungary.
SLOVAKIA SUMMARY:
Time: Three hours
Distance: 26 kilometres
Best bits: Snowy magical Christmas market, UFO bridges and castles
Worst bits: There are an awful lot of adverts on Slovakian radio
Top tip: Army men weilding chainsaws are usually just trimming the hedges
Today's ride: 26 km (16 miles)
Total: 10,194 km (6,330 miles)
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