Slovakia

Slovakia

We biked along the Morava river

and very cool Austrian lakes below

and along the iron curtain and along barbwire fences the remains of the Iron curtain to Devin Castle.

We had great lunches below along the way

 

Devin Castle below from the tower

Devín Castle (above) is a castle in Devín, which is a borough of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

Owing to its strategic position, the cliff (altitude of 212 meters) at the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers was an ideal place for a fort. Its owner could control the important trade route along the Danube as well as one branch of the Amber Road.

That is why the site has been settled since the Neolithic and fortified since the Bronze and Iron Age. Later, both the Celts and the Romans built strong fortresses there. In the Roman ruins, the first Christian church located North of the Danube has been identified.

The castle stands just inside Slovak territory on the frontier between Slovakia and Austria This day we had started out in Austria biking!!!!. The border runs from west to east along the Morava River and subsequently the Danube. Prior to 1989, the Iron Curtain between the Eastern Bloc and the West ran just in front of the castle. Although the castle was open to the public, the area surrounding it constituted a restricted military zone, and was heavily fortified with watchtowers and barbed wire. After the Velvet Revolution the area was demilitarised.

The most photogenic part of the castle is the tiny watchtower, seemingly not much bigger than a chess piece, known now as the Maiden Tower. Separated from the main castle, it balances perilously on a lone rock and has spawned countless legends concerning imprisoned lovelorn daughters leaping to their deaths.

Inside, the castle is a sprawling landscape of walls, staircases, open courtyards and gardens in various states of repair. They are all, however, made readily accessible by a continuing restoration and archaeological project conducted since the borough of Devín was reclaimed from Nazi Germany which had annexed it shortly before World War II.

We had a great time visiting the castle and surrounding area.  On the way to our next town of Sopron we had a great photo of Pat

before ending in the town of Sopraon below

The town of Sopron was very cool with many cool little streets and churches.

Dinner was over the top, on the river below

and a lot of wine was consumed and people switched clothes below

It got better as the night wore on see below

yes over the top

a good time was had by all