Thursday 7 June - Bratislava

The boat to Bratislava goes from Swedenplatz, which is at the edge of the Old City of Vienna. A 'platz' in Germany is a distinct open space with a specific boundary; in Austria it seems to be just a point where two or more streets meet. I got there early -- it's just five stops away on the U-Banhn -- and went looking for an ATM to restock with cash. They were surprisingly hard to find. Google Maps sent me first to one that wasn't there, and subsequently up into the old city to locate one that was there and actually worked. So I am cashed up for my final two days.

I got here using yesterday's ticket, by the way, because that was a tram ticket and so remained unvalidated. Most of the stations are unmanned, and I haven't seen a ticket inspector in all the time I have been here, so I suspect that for most Viennese public transport is effectively free. Maybe that's why they have to charge tourists so much for museums.

The boat was expensive -- #30 each way plus #5 on the trip there for a front-row seat--and I had the option of coming back at 2.30 or 6.30. I thought I might be worn out by 6.30 so I chose the earlier option; and I don't think that was a bad decision. But if I'd thought it through I might have opted to come back by bus and had more choice of times. The rail connection was torn up in the Soviet era and hasn't yet been rebuilt.

The boat is a catamaran, rather like a double-sized version of the Manly Fast Ferry. It starts off on the Danube Canal, which is the navigable part that runs by the city, then enters the Danube itself. The river is fairly fast-flowing, and the same greenish-grey colour as the Iser in Munich.

The boat shows a big map on a display screen, so we could track our progress. Most of the riverside is forested, but a voice-over drew our attention to the big oil refinery and other sights which were all -- coincidentally -- owned by the holding company that runs the boat. The trip takes about 75 minutes and -- unlike the Sydney ferries -- the boats don't seem to have holding tanks, so you're not allowed to use the toilets at either end of the trip.

Alongside the river in both countries are over a hundred little fishing shacks. These range from one-bedroom huts, some of which seem to be made out of a kit, to sizeable holiday homes. Nearly all of them have a crane arrangement out the front with a net which can be lowered into the river. Just what they catch with them I have no idea; possibly bottom-feeding crayfish or something of that kind.

Slovakia announces itself with a big ruined castle overlooking the river, and then Bratislava itself is only a few minutes away, There's a busy riverside, with many cruises operating, and the odd coal barge making its way down to Vienna and beyond. 

Bratislava is a little more run-down than Vienna, but not dramatically so. The big attraction is the old castle, up on a hill, which has great views and a Baroque garden. There is a museum inside, but I didn't bother with that. Instead I wandered around the city for a bit, found the main shopping street (for locals) and had a milk coffee for about half the price it would be in Vienna. Beer here is also cheap, and meals about 75% of Vienna prices. 

Coming back I found the main tourist area -- quite historic, with a tower and old passageways -- and explored that for a while. This is where the souvenir shops are, but most of the stuff is obviously made in China, and the local glasses and porcelain looked a bit fragile -- and a bit tacky. 

Walked back along the river, then found a restaurant at the edge of the tourist area which brewed its own beer. So I had a half-litre of the local dark brew, which was very malty and almost a stout, followed by a third-litre of the 'Classic', which was basically a Weissbier; cloudy and aromatic but not too special. And I had a plate of the local delicacy -- sheep's cheese noodles with port and sauerkraut. The 'noodles' are little gnocchi-like chunks, and the serving was massive; I couldn't eat it all. But very nice.

Back to the boat and back to Vienna. Rain threatening but I managed to evade it. Walked back to the  apartment through the older part of town for my last night here. 

I fly out at 22:45, so the plan for today is to leave my luggage at the station until after dinner. If I was in Vienna I would be worrying about it, so I'll take the train to Melk instead and have a look at the famous Abbey. I should get back in plenty of time -- I hope.

Love to all,

Jon.