Biking Vienna, Austria to Bratislava, Slovakia -- 2013-09-07

 
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  Bob Starting to see windmills. Looking back to Vienna. Sculling on the river.

 
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  Mix of 1, 2, and 4-person boats Mid-morning stop for tea and munchies. Much drinking of hot tea the last week since Bob and I both caught a cold :-( Fun cafe along the bike path.

 
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  ???? Away from the river a few km into the countryside. We could smell the onions from the bike path.

 
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  Fun to watch the tractors getting everything into the containers. Kayakers! We were waiting for a ferry.

 
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  Barbara, Bill, Karen, Bob Ferry pulls up. Robert Bob and Sue

 
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  Ferry boat driver, smoking away. Red bouy on the river marking a line of rocks and hazards to boats. Nearly on the other side of the river now about to dock. Hops on this tree (as in making beer).

 
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  One of the few paths we bikes that was sand / gravel, not paved. This was an OMG uphill climb. Sue Bill, Karen, Barbara

 
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  Bill Karen Barbara Next, countryside with tons of windmills.

 
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  Bob Sign means leaving the town of Scharndorf. Couple miles of smooth gravel next with bajillions of windmills. Windmills in the haze on the horizon as far as can be seen. Warning sign. ATTENTION Potential ice shedding! Risk of ice shedding within 200m of the wind turbine, even when switched off. Notice snowflakes on the sign :-)

 
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  Sunflowers left to die in the field and not harvested. Not good enough to be worth the cost of harvesting? Interesting ruins. Rendering of what it originally was.

 
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  Bob Huge place!

 
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  Model of what the original would have looked like.

 
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  We were happy to see this - riding on gravel had actually been fine, the gravel was smooth, but the headwind had been killer. End of gravel meant likely town next and getting out of the wind! And food :-) Isn't it cute! Plane! Dana ordered apple strudel.

 
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  Karen and Dana Sue with hot tea, ahhh... cold and cough still no fun for Bob and Sue. The "english" version of the menu. Most cafe's in touristy areas have a translated menu. Good cafe here at the Hotel Marc Aurel Restaurant Vinothek

 
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  Veggie soup was awesome - large portion and chock full of yummy veggies. Big hole in the ground underneath an interesting looking building. zoomed in. Bob Sign on railroad. Not sure what it means.

 
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  Bike path along the railroad tracks coming into Bratislava. Bratislava on the horizon.

 
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  Just before entering Slovakia, bike path narrows as this cafe' has taken over most of the bike path. From this cafe' looking towards Bratislava. Auto window tinting place below. Right after entering Slovakia, a small sign on the bike path points to a WWII bunker off to our left. Bunker B-S 4. We decide to get off the bikes and walk closer. Bob

 
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  Remnants of a super-charger off a B-17? Back side of the bunker. Gun turrets point out to the left and to the right. Top of this has been freshly water sealed.

 
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  Bob looks at what could have been a moat in front of the firing slots. Main door into the bunker. Lunch for the workers. There are a bunch of volunteers here today painting and restoring this bunker into a museum.

 
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  One of the volunteers asks us which language we speak, and gives us a guided tour of the inside!! "I swear" on the bunker. Our guide is a big guy, quite tall (compare his height to doorway height). Inside, pictures of the original equipment. Holes on the floor for the shell casings.

 
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  Overlap of the bunkers, trying desperately to keep the Nazi's from overrunning Slovakia.

 
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  "Perisope" for looking out each end of the bunker. Generator for power. Notice ladder going downstairs. Looking up where the periscope looks out.

 
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  Up in the periscope area, where the spotter would sit. Layout of the bunker. Bottom floor was for sleeping. Straight down to the bottom floor.

 
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  Cots and bunks downstairs.

 
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  Air purification canisters against gas attack. Our guide comes back up to the main floor with Bob. Awesome tour! Back on the bike path, only another km to Bratislava. Famous "UFO" bridge is in sight.

 
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  Base jumpers up there about to leap. Crossing the UFO bridge.

 
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  Almost at our hotel, looking back at the bridge. View from our "boat hotel" room, looking right at the bridge. Sun-warmed room (ok hot is more accurate) but the breeze off the river was perfect.

 
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  Small but perfectly adequate room and shower. Hydrofoil goes by, slowing down already. Our boat hotel is pretty much permanently attached to the bank. View of our boat hotel from across the river.

 
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  UFO parking! The locals both loved and hated this thing. Lit up at night, from our hotel window.

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