Vienna, Austria: Linking Cities on the Danube

The EuroVelo is a network of 15 bike routes that criss-cross the European continent.  By far the most popular is Route 6, which starts in France and ends 4,400 kilometers later at the Black Sea.  The section we followed out of Budapest was marked by signs that directed cyclists to off-road bike trails or low-traffic roads.  It becomes kind of a game to look for the signs, usually posted at key intersections, and we get a little worried when we have not seen a sign in a while.  But we were traveling upstream, against the tide of the majority of cyclists that go from the north to the south, so we just needed to look ahead for a cyclist with packs heading our direction.  The cyclists are of every shape, size, age, some on electric bikes (cheating in our book, but talk to us about that in a few years).  Most have only small panniers, enough for a change of clothes, and stay in boarding houses along the way.  Very few have full panniers like ours, and when we see a someone burdened like us, we give them a more enthusiastic hello.

The route is flat and only periodically gets out of view of the river.  It is easy traveling, not much room for adventure.  What challenged us the most was again the weather.  It was hot -- mid 80's with plenty of humidity.  Then the clouds would build and there would be thunderstorms. But this section of our trip is more about connecting to the big cities, and following this route was the best way to get there.

One day of cycling north of Budapest there is a big bend in the river where the Danube goes for a north-south alignment to generally east-west.  The village of Esztergom is a bit west of this bend, and on top of a hill is a big and noble church that offers expansive views.  Here is the view looking to the west, where we are heading.

We were hoping to get into the Esztergom Basilica, but even though it was a Saturday morning, the parking lot was packed.  We were pedaling up the front steps, and an Audi with tinted windows drove by us and pulled up to the front.  Out of the car came men in dark robes followed by one in the red costume of a high-ranking Catholic.  We parked the bikes and clearly we were underdressed for what we were told was a private ceremony.  So could only hover in the entrance with the other uninvited souls.  We could hear the full choir singing and the organ playing and scripture read in Hungarian, and we had just this glimpse of the painting at the altar, which we read is the largest canvas painting in the world.

We veered off the EuroVelo 6 to visit the Pannonhalma Archabbey.  It is still an active Benedictine order.  They grow herbs and lavendar and make wine, all sold in the abbey gift shop.

Our timing was not good, again.  It was a Sunday and the main church was closed to visitors.  We could hear them singing on the other side of the door.  But we could see the library, full of old books dating back to the 15th century in a beautiful twin-domed space.

The Danube is the border between Slovakia and Hungary, and we crossed over to the left bank into Slovakia for a day of biking.

The Gabčíkovo–Nagymaros Dam is one of several along the Danube, for both flood control and hydroelectric electricity production.  This facility produces 8 percent of Slovenia's electricity.  As we were parked on top of the dam a river cruise ship traveling approached the locks.

Upstream of the dam was a wide reservoir that we followed for a couple of very hot and humid hours.  Not a tree in sight on the berm the bike path was built on between the reservoir and the side channel.

Our next city on the Danube -- Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.  We stayed for two nights in an AirBnB, right in the old town in a renovated building from the 18th century.  The square building with four towers on the hill is the Parliament building.

Bratislava is clean and modern, but with a wonderful old town mixed in.

A fixer-upper.

There are really old buildings, but also massive Baroque buildings that look like they could stay standing forever.

The Church of St Elizabeth of Hungary is also known as the Blue Church.  It was built in the early 20th century in the sumptuous art nouveau style.

And across the street is an equally delicious art nouveau high school.

Bratislava is very bike friendly, and all the bridges crossing the Danube have dedicated access lanes for pedestrians and bicycles.  This is Most SNP, or the "UFO Bridge", because of the Communist-era tower with revolving restaurant on the west terminus. We crossed over here on our way out of town.

Two nights in Slovakia, then into Austria.  At least now I can read the signs and talk to people in German.

A foggy morning on the Danube.

It took us one day of cycling to get to our Air BnB just outside of Vienna.  This one came with a piano, to John's delight.  We were here for four nights.  We took both the subway and tram into the city each day, always an interesting people-watching experience.

Our first day was spent in the Kunst Historisches Muesem. It was glorious and exhausting and visually overwhelming.  The building was as beautiful as any of the objects inside. 

Half the museum was art collected by the Hapsburgs, who ruled the region for over 600 years.

Another significant portion of the museum is the decorative objects collection of the Hapsburgs.  This fine piece of porcelain is really a decanter -- the guy's head is a cork that pops off to pour out the contents.

We were astounded by the museum's Egyptian collection.  Entire columns were transported and erected in the display hall. 

Papyrus scrolls...really old, really delicate.

On the morning of the second day of our visit in Vienna was spent at the Urgeschichte und Historische Archäologie at Universität Wien.  It was an intense morning of talking German and looking at their collection of artifacts.  It was a personal tour for just us, conducted by a professor and his assistant.  My great-great-great-grandfather, Matthäus Much, discovered a Bronze Age settlement under the water on the shore of an Austrian lake called Mondsee.  He spent a few years excavating and cataloging the find, and gained some notoriety as he published his results.  There are quite a few discoveries of these settlements in lakes in the region.  The residents lived on stilts over the water on the shore.  What made this collection important was some of the first use of copper in the bronze production and helped define the Copper Age (3200-2800 BC) in Austria.  After he died he left the collection to his son, who then sold it to the Austrian state.  The 20,000 objects in the collection was the basis for forming the Institute and attracting other important finds into their holdings.  I have a cousin in Germany that has done quite a bit of research on this notable relative of mine, and he helped arrange this fortunate meeting.

In the collection are multiple vials of organic material.  They are the original vials from Much, sealed with wax,  This one contains twisted fiber.  It blows my mind -- 5,000 year-old rope.

The Institute has many display cases with Mondsee objects.  Here are are a few stone molds used for metalworking.  The dark piles on the bottom left are charred remnants of grains and little tiny apples. 

Vienna is music, and we were able to take in a free organ concert in St Peter's church.

Gothic meets modern in central Vienna.

On our last day we visited the Hofsburg palace, the home of the Hapsburgs until their rule ended in the early 20th century.  Part of the tour included the Silver Collection Museum, with glass case after glass case of porcelain, silver, and gold tableware -- plates, bowls, flatware, table decorations.  So beautifully crafted, but hard to comprehend how they would have needed all those objects. 

We walked the streets around the palace on a picture-perfect Saturday afternoon. We took a tour of the Opera House later, and came out just as the Gay Pride parade passed by, all techno-pumping at maximum volume.  What a contrast.

In the park near the Opera House is the statue of Mozart, with this detail of babies having fun.