After yesterday’s marathon effort at Schloss Schonbrunn, we’re taking a much slower pace today, driving out of Austria into Slovakia. It’s been lovely, but it’s time to move on. When we were planning this trip, I envisaged Austria as a “drive through” hence the lack of a guide book. I’m glad we stayed longer though, it’s a very pretty country.
Our drive out of Vienna becomes rural surprisingly quickly.
Corn plantings that were mere seedlings at the start of our trip are now shoulder high, sunflower fields hold their heads to the skies and farmers are still at the never ending toil of harvesting summer hay. Further afield, vineyards make a comeback.
It’s not long before we’re in Slovakia. I’ll need to adapt to this split of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In my formative years, they were Czechoslovakia, and it’s hard to break the habit of using that name.
We enter Slovakia through the western Bratislava region, also home to its capital city of the same name. Formed as an independent country in 1992, Slovakia is one of the EU’s youngest nations.
It’s clear why tourism is on the rise here. With four distinct geographical regions, well preserved history and central Europe’s best ski fields, Slovakia is on the ascent.
The city of Bratislava lays just beyond the border, its beautiful white castle visible for miles.
We’ve decided to give ourselves a rare day off from sightseeing and spending a quiet afternoon having a well deserved rest. There’s plenty of time explore the old city, tomorrow.
Miss Baci Travels 