Good Bye Bratislava

Beautiful Altenberg

We have been here just a few days and we already like Altenburg. The European countryside is so beautiful that you almost fall in love with some places. We have now renamed the Stockle lady who runs the hotel we are at, “Sathe kaku”.

As we sit down for breakfast, she comes and greets us. We take this opportunity to ask her if she could make an omelet for us. I have never cooked an omelet before, but with the confidence of a celebrity chef, I request her to mix onions and tomatoes’ in the batter. I also ask that she add some chilly to the mix, but as people from outside the subcontinent go, she was rather scared of the chilly and refused to add it. In the end we are treated to a perfectly roasted golden brown omelet and a delightful breakfast.

Altenburg: Sunday Market

We now assemble for a photo in the yard where we also invite the daughter in law to pose with us. She asks that I should request her mother in law first. Oh My! Sathe Kaku is an authoritative mother in law indeed! And this Austrian daughter in law seems to be as obedient as any Indian “Bahu”.

We begin our journey and are now carving our way out of town, Milind seems to have jumped off his bicycle suddenly, looking at the sight in front of us! We are witnessing a European flea market. There are hawkers hawking almost everything under the sun on a large empty field.  Electronic devices, clothing, shoes, cosmetics, home decor, various artifacts, just name anything and it is available here. Of course, it is the “जुना बाजार” (Old Bazaar). As I stroll down the market with Chandan, I see some artifacts which look almost Indian. I am confused. And suddenly the seller asks me if I am from Kerala. I say, “We are from Mumbai.” He narrates that he is from India and has been living here in Altenburg from past 30 years. This is mind blowing. A countryman living in this small town of Austria for almost half his life. Indians no doubt are everywhere. 

Narendra and Sharvari

Making for lost time, we hurry to get back on our route. We are going to Bratislava today. The capital of Slovakia. We are excited because we would be crossing international borders on our route. The route is excellent and the weather moderately cool. We now want to reach Bratislava as early as possible, so we could do some sightseeing before the day ends.

With Altenburg behind us, we now enter lush green fields.

Picture Perfect

Everyone is tempted to click pictures in the green fields under vast blue skies. Sangita is as ever, ready to pose and Shekhar is always there to click. The duo makes most of the picturesque surroundings.

As we progress on our route, we meet people from different nations. Many of them have loaded up all their luggage and are cycling cross country. Some of the cyclists are in groups on weekend picnics. It is amazing to witness firsthand, the flourishing cycling culture in Europe.

A border less world

We are now close to the border of Austria. We simply see a small board at the border, mentioning we are now entering Slovakia. There is no check post. No one to verify our documents. It is a borderless world.

The route is great. It is amazing to see the diversity of route. We pass through the green fields, sometimes on the dikes and sometimes besides the Danube. Sachin does not trust the maps and consistently asks the other cyclists if it is the correct route. As we tell him  that he does not have to take the trouble of asking, he says, ‘this is my way of making friends. I am  getting to interact with so  many  people for another continent and it is in fact a pleasure.’ We realize, it is a great thought after all.   

Amazing Route

As we get closer to Bratislava, we see many more local cyclists. Groups of friends and family cycling together on a weekend. We have now entered the city, there are several bridges on the Danube, and we wonder, which one of them is blue. We debate the shades of blue of the different bridges. Finally, we find the blue bridge that leads us to Hotel Apollo. It is already past mid-day and we are fighting for time. We dump our bicycles at the hotel to find a bus stop for a bus that would take us to the castle. With some difficulty, we manage to get bus tickets from a machine.  As we try to absorb the persona of this young city, we are slightly disappointed. 

The confluence The city is still developing, the bus system reminiscent of the PMT (Pune Municipal Transport). A total waste of time. We change several buses to reach our destination. The castle is huge, the view is beautiful. However, we have seen gigantic castles in Vienna and hence, the Slovakian castles pale in comparison. We decide to visit Davin’s Castle next. This castle overlooks the confluence of the mighty Danube and the Morava a tributary of the Danube. This time we completely mess up our bus routes. Changing multiple buses and walking for miles to finally make it to Davin’s castle. We are relieved, but at the same time not sure if we made it to the castle in time.  Some of the group decide not to climb up the castle, but Chandan, Sachin, Sharvari, Narendra and I decide to risk it. We quickly rush to the entrance and as we climb up, we witness a spectacular view. The expanse of two rivers and the confluence of blue and grey waters is amazing. We try to absorb everything with our two eyes and capture the rest with our camera lenses. It was certainly worth the effort. This fort is very similar to the ancient forts of the Sahyadri. Tough and raw.

Good Bye Bratislava

We climb down and finally begin our journey back to the hotel. A co passenger is able to anticipate our dilemma of finding the right stop to get down. Although he cannot understand our language he helps us with the stop we are supposed to get down, our expressions surely convey our gratitude.

It is already 7.45PM by the time we get back and we are hungry. We decide to have a quick bite at the restaurant and get back to our rooms.

The next day begins with an elaborate breakfast. Delicious pancakes, fruit and an assortment of juices to fill our stomachs.

We begin our journey to Gyor and Mosonmagyaróvár crossing the same blue bridge. Bratislava is not as welcoming as other European cities. It was like wandering in a maze to me. I am not sure I’d like to come back here. I would rather spend more time exploring Altenburg. However there is something nice about this journey on two wheels. You leave the bitterness behind as you push the peddles hard and fill your mind with the joys of the trip as the wheels rotate. 

 Hence for now, Good Bye Bratislava and Good Day Gyor !

Altenberg : The Tale of A Tiny Town

Sharvari, Sachin, Smita, Shekhar, Ashwini, Narendra, Sangita, Chandan

The road ahead looks marvelous and welcoming. We are now all by ourselves on the cycle path. We cross small streams, bridges, farms and barns. Some of the very small villages exhibit neatly decorated houses and churches. There is no sign of human beings however the well-maintained roads and meticulously cut grass speak volumes of their existence. 

Milind

We have now reached a small village called Orth. As per the guide there is a church and a fort, worth visiting. However There is a ceremony today at the church and hence the visitors are prohibited. We now while away some time in the town center and decide to proceed further. As we are discussing the route for our onward journey, Sachin reads out loud, 'Graveyard road'! All of us are wondering now as to where on earth did he read this. Finally after deep research and long debate we realize we need to look for the gravel road. Come on Sachin you were not all that wrong. We search for the gravel road. To our astonishment we have now entered the forest area. Lush green trees, chirping of birds and cool wind accompany us through the journey. This road in fact leads us to the park of Schloss Eckartsau ( Fortress). As we proceed further, each one of us is already looking for a photo opportunity. The scenic beauty of country side Europe is enchanting. We keep peddling and fighting with our photo obsession at the same time. The speed is good since our stomachs crackle for food. Some of us are  already thinking about  lunch. However we see no cafes or restaurants on our way. It is already 12.30 pm.

We have now reached the Schloss Eckartsau. Milind and I proceed to check if it is worth visiting. They tell us that the guided tour will be only after an hour or so. And one cannot enter it without the guide. We do not want to wait anymore hence we decide to proceed further. The road leads us via another small village and along the farms. We are engrossed in observing the surroundings. 

As we proceed further, we are now on the motorable road. Cars are really fast. They drive past us by keeping a safe distance. However their mere speed threatens us and we become extra cautious. We see a cyclist picking up something under the tree. As Shekhar observes keenly, he beams with absolute delight, “the cherries are ripe. We must eat those cherries!” all of us alight from our bicycles and here it starts. Cherry picking. Each one of us finds a tree loaded with ripe cherries. The grass underneath is covered with red cherries freshly fallen down. We simply pick up the nature’s treasure and satisfy our taste buds. We no more want any food. Our hunger is taken care of by the mother nature. We take many halts and eat the fruit to our full satisfaction. As we proceed towards Altenburg we see many Vintage cars passing by. We suddenly realize we are going be part of one historic event of the town. The Vintage car rally. As we enter the town of Altenburg, there are people everywhere. The main square of the town is occupied by the villagers. Each one of us is now eager to see the rally. Cars are coming in one after the other. We see hundreds of vintage models and are short of words in admiration. The entire atmosphere is scintillating. There is enthusiasm and excitement in the air. None of us want to leave this place though we know that our hotel is just a minute away. After much observation and discussion on the vintage car rally we finally proceed to our hotel.

Hotel Stokle is a family run descent hotel with excellently decorated rooms and warm owners. The

Hotel Stockle and the Lady Stokle 😃

owner is a middle aged  lady at the counter. She hands over the keys and asks us with much concern if we are Vegans. I tell her that we are Vegetarians and not Vegans. She is relieved and looks more welcoming.

We unpack our bags and come together for a cup of coffee. Some of us resign to the swimming pool and the others to the lawn. It is an awesome weather.

Cherry Picking

As we assemble back for the dinner, the Stokle  lady comes back with her refreshing smile and warm gesture. Delicious Austrian food is served on our platters. As we relish the food, our noise levels also catch attention of other guests. We meet Rolf and   Marion from Germany. They are also cycling on the same route. They tell us about their cycling expedition in other parts of Europe. Our limited knowledge of Deutsch and their mere knowledge of a few English words does not come in the way of our conversation. We talk for several minutes and also get over with  a round of introduction.

 Graveyard Road? No Gravel Road

A short walk after dinner is quite enriching. Same town which hosted a vintage car rally looks very peaceful and accomplished. We roam around the place for some time however most of us do not want to talk now. We are afraid, our mere sound might disturb the quietude in the air. 

With dreams in our eyes we finally surrender  to our rooms. Every day is going to be a fresh new day now. New day of new aspirations, new people, new route and new experiences. Life is so captivating, surreal, yet real. 

To be continued ............ 

Nine Wheelmates along the Danube

Nav Grah At Belvedere Palace

It began in May 2017 when we were trekking in Himalaya. That rainy day when we were trapped in tent and when everything under the Sun had been spoken about, our experience of cycling in Europe emerged in the discussion.  Chandan and I had cycled in Europe the previous year and knew how enriching the experience was and were more than eager to do it again. So what was started as a talk to kill time, took the shape of wonderful journey of nine of us on wheels in Europe.

Sunset at Shonbrunn Vienna

The route was finalized, tickets were booked, visa was stamped and on 9^th May 2018 we finally landed in Vienna. Two and a half days in Vienna were like any other site seeing plan in the famous cities of Europe. The glorious palaces, displayed enormous wealth and unfolded the history of Austria. We learnt how the Emperors lived, bathed slept and got entertained. But more importantly we got the flavor of the city by roaming around the city in a metro or a tram. We learnt how to cross road on Zebra crossing and how to talk softly in public places. As we saw others cycling in the city, our cycling aspirations kept rising. Finally after meeting Sisi ( A beautiful queen of 19^th Century) in her museum and admiring her well maintained beauty and lavish lifestyle we began our tour on wheels. Cycling tour from Vienna to Budapest.

Luggage at the lobby

We were handed over our bicycles on the previous day along with the cycling plan. Josef, our local tour assistant was very elaborate in describing our route. None of us really absorbed everything he said, however were sure we were more confident about the entire journey. Josef took us to the parking and showed us our bicycles. We were quite excited and started comparing the bicycles as if there was any difference. After much debate and keen observation, we finally left for our dinner and retired to our rooms.

The next day began with much excitement. We left our bags behind in the lobby to be picked up by the transport van and took charge of our bicycles. Chandan and Narendra quickly directed us to the cycle path along the Danube River. It was Saturday morning in Vienna. Like any other busy city in the world Vienna was waking up to the laziness of weekend. Some people had just begun their weekend run or cycling. There were a few families setting up their tents and there were a few groups already cooking on wood fire. It was a very different seen  

Bike Path Sign Board

altogether. Now on, river Danube was going to be our mate and Euro Velo 6 (Cycle Route 6) was going to be our guide.

Yes, the journey had begun, journey of nine lives from a far away continent. The journey of green fields and blue skies, the journey of delightful Danube, the journey of fulfillment and the journey of tranquility.  The journey of thoughts and journey of relationships. All at once. On two wheels.

        

    The Wheel Mates 

Smita and Milind Sandhane               Ashwini and Chandan Sovani      

                             Sangita and Shekhar Rege     

Sharvari Brahme                                Narendra Brahme                        


                                 Sachin Pantaviadya                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                To be continued………