Friday 21 July 2017

Bratislava, Slovakia

We break camp early and head to the Slovakian border, not knowing where we will sleep tonight. In spite of numerous requests sent on warm showers and Couchsurfing, we haven't even got a nibble. That's the thing. Finding hosts for two people with bikes is difficult, no matter how interesting your story is.
We reach the outskirts of Bratislava before midday, not even realising that we have crossed the border. We laze around, have lunch and swim for a bit.
Eating preferences differ between Rodrigo and I. As he is traveling a whole year, he is somewhat constrained by his budget and eats cheap white bread, tomatoes, cheese and cucumbers as his staple. I am not habituated to eating so much bread and today, as we once again can use Euro, I buy many salad ingredients, museli, bananas and joghurt. Although not lavish by any means, it feels like a banquet.
We look about the city, which feels more bicycle-friendly this time. The castle overlooking the city is definitely worth the climb. Later that evening we check out Bratislava's "bicycle kitchen". This was established six years ago with the aim to allow the public to repair their bikes on a pay-what-you-can basis. As it is volunteer run, it is only open on Wednesday evenings. We're in luck, especially as there is a concert planned later. Such be kitchens bring a wide assortment of people together, from artists to come activists, novice to experienced bikers. There are few community spaces that traverse social classes and backgrounds the way that bike kitchens do.
As the evening draws to a close, we get tips on where to camp nearby on the banks of the Danube.

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