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Published: August 18th 2015
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It’s still raining! The temperatures have plummeted and we set off today in steady rain with raincoats and hoods on which is such a change from last week.
We headed out early to see the Heidentor monument which is a large ruin of a triumphal arch in honour of the Emperor Constantius the 2
nd. Only two columns are now standing and the central column which had a statue on the top. After leaving Petronell we called in at a small amphitheature at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg but didn’t spend time there as we had seen these structures before in bigger and better form. Work is still going on to reconstruct the site. We were very impressed with what these two towns have done to bring the Roman history alive in the area and it is well worth the visit. In fact it’s a ‘must do’ as the reconstruction work is superb.
From Bad Deutsch-Altenburg we biked to Hainburg which took us back to the Danube then up a hill and out into the country passing many cropping farms. We flew along with a tail wind giving us an average of 22km/hr. It was like an e-bike with wind assistance instead of
The Heidentor monument
The monument originally had four pillars with a statue on the top. Only two pillars remain (see the small model in the picture). It was built as a triumphal gate to the city. a battery. We crossed the border with Slovakia just before Bratislava. It wasn’t much of a border, just an old car lot now covered in weeds where cars used to line up to cross the border. It is now quite derelict.
At 30kms we arrived in Bratislava after biking over the Most Bridge which has a tower that looks like a UFO. We fought our way with our bikes through the hoards of tourists from the river boats up through the Old Town while we tried to find our hotel. Of course we were early because it was a shorter ride and we couldn’t book in until 2pm. We went into the bag room, got some dry clothes and shoes on and headed off down town for a look around and some lunch. The town has some lovely buildings but the main one is the Bratislava Castle (Hrad) which sits up on the hill overlooking the town. It is a typical castle in shape so looks very impressive. Other than that, there are the usual places to visit like the churches, galleries and shops etc but we didn’t have time on our hands as we only have a half
day here. After getting settled into the hotel we walked up the hill to visit the castle. It was originally built in 1430 in gothic style but in 1811 it was almost destroyed by fire so was left for 150 years before being restored in 1968. It is now a lovely building but lacks something because of the newness of parts of it. Reconstruction is still going on on the walls surrounding the castle and the gardens. In a few years it will be magnificent. Back in the town we walked along the river, to a large shopping complex and eventually back into the Old Town for a drink and a spot of people watching. They are so entertaining particularly watching tour groups and thinking “Please God, make it a long time before we have to be herded around like cows”. No doubt our turn will come, but maybe it’s time to stay home then.
We’ve found if you want some good local food, go down a side street, which we did and found a nice old restaurant serving Austrian/Slav food. I had a very good stroganoff and the others various types of white meat dinners with salads.
Finally, we went back to our very comfortable hotel in a very good location within walking distance of everything. They had overbooked the hotel so our standard rooms weren't available so we were upgraded to executive rooms. What a shame...........
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