Down the Danube to Devin, Slovakia

Zagan the motorhome is in Slovakia (just – we’re a tiddlywink’s flip from Austria). And is wet. It’s raining, so we’re holed up in the car park of Devin Castle, about 15 mins from Bratislava (N48.17595, E16.97962). The castle’s open, but it’s hoofing it down and the views will be muted up there. In a rain-aborted attempt to walk the town instead, we ended up in a bar. Ahem. The weather forecast predicts at least a week’s heavy rain. I predict a week’s heavy drinking.

Zagan in the car park at Devin Castle – first knocked up by the Romans, finally knocked down by Napoleon. Thanks to europebycamper.com for the location. The bar tender confirmed there’s no problem with us kipping here, handy, as I’d just supped a pint

Ju had a local wine, which was about 18% vol! Slovakian bar snacks also procured. Note of warning: Slovakian bar snacks are half pickled, and best eaten when you’re in a similar state…

Cheapish ale in Slovakia. 5% lager in Lidl is 65p a litre

Today we geared up in our plush Vienna stellplatz for a wander into the wilds of the east. Loo emptied, grey water dumped, fresh water tank filled. Yeah, OK, we’re only driving over the border into Slovakia, but despite the fall of the iron curtain, there remains a kind of hazy line. To the west of it, motorhomes are a relatively common sight. To the east, far less so. As a consequence, motorhome facilities are also far fewer, less well documented and further between. On the plus side, parking up overnight for free is normally tolerated, as there haven’t been enough of us yet to either annoy the locals, or make us worth chasing for parking money. Or perhaps the ‘share and share alike’ socialist mindset’s not yet been completely eroded?

Fortifications on the road to Slovakia, thankful that bus went through and proved we’d fit!

As the rain grew steadily heavier, we motored out of Vienna, through fields and past slow-spinning huddles of wind turbines. After a turn on the autobahn, the satnav spat us off and onto an A road, running alongside the Danube, although it remained elusively out of sight of the road. As we were led through a few towns, I pondered how it must have been here during the Cold War. After the end of WW2, Russia decided that Austria had been invaded by Germany, rather than a willing partner in war, and as a result opted to treat Austria differently to Germany, sparing it the agony of being split in two. The West found it unbelievable that Russia would ‘hand back’ all of Austria, but the Russians made good on the promise. What Vienna would have looked like after decades of Russian rule is anyone’s guess!

This way to Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary

The border crossing buildings remain, spread either side of a wide roadway as we rolled through, not a guard nor gun to be seen. Our nerves were still a little on edge, as we’d failed to buy a motorway vignette for Slovakia. “Over the border”, a chap in an Austrian petrol station had used sign language of sorts to tell Ju we couldn’t get one there. The map showed we’d end up directly on a motorway in Slovakia, but a small image of a crossed out vignette as we joined it relaxed us.

Crossing the iron curtain between Austria and Slovakia

Another country, another set of rules. I just keep dipped headlights on everywhere as some countries want ’em on, others don’t

Eight years ago a Ryan Air flight dropped us and our mates Claire and Mark into Bratislava, where we proceeded to have it large. Eating in style at the UFO restaurant (pronounced ooo-fo as I recall), followed by copious volumes of lager from thick-glass jars and shots of face-squinting liquor, we enjoyed ourselves, and for not much money! Having already seen the city, back before the Euro came in (we’ve read prices have since risen in the city, to match Vienna), the decision to bypass it was an easy one.

Crossing the Danube, this is the closest we’ll get to Bratislava on this trip. That’s the UFO on the bridge

Although a small deviation was made as we passed the metropolis to take the temperature of the nation: Lidl Bratislava! Ooooh, yeah. Although it wasn’t the usual chilled-out prodding, sniffing and turning over of newfound foodstuffs it usually is: they’d put barriers on the car park! What!!! Yeah, any longer than an hour in there and it was €2 an hour on your grub bill! Ju sped round at F1 qualifying speed, emerging to rescue me from the vignette-buying mire I’d gotten myself into in the garage next door. The lady only spoke German, and I just couldn’t quite grasp it’s all done electronically – no stickers. Ju sorted it, although Slovakia’s computers refuse to accept Zagan’s registration as being from the UK, so for €10, we’re Irish for the next 10 days.

Lidl Slovakia, not cheap, we’re hoping ones away from the city will be cheaper

I did manage to buy a map though, so we now have an idea where all the places are we’ve nabbed from fellow bloggers’ sites over the past few days: europebycamper.com, woollywanderers.wordpress.com and kiriandsteve.co.uk. This map, which is HUGE!!!, is now adorned with stickers showing us where Slovakia’s main sights are. In the main, the attraction seems to be the Tatras mountain ranges to the north-east of us, along with some pleasant-sounding towns. Give us a few days, and we’ll go have a look and report back!

Slovakia map, 1:1 scale

Most of Slovakia’s ‘big sites’ seem to be in the north of the country

Cheers, Jay