Hooray I have started.

Tuesday 27th August 2024. Just Because Day.

I arrived at Manchester Airport around 10pm last night with my bike box and three bags. I couldn’t check any baggage in till around 4am so I tried to snuggle down on some seats in the Terminal 3 ‘arrival’ area….not comfy. No, I didn’t get any sleep. Despite the lack of sleep everything went smoothly. At 4am I checked-in and went through Security. The boarding and flight was on time and I arrived in sunny and hot Bratislava at 9.30am local time.

I cycled around 8km into the city centre and found the Patio Hostel without a problem. The route wasn’t too scenic. It felt a bit Eastern Bloc because of some of the functional buildings and I had to stick to major roads.

The hostel is pretty standard. I couldn’t get my room till after 2pm but I locked the bike and bags in a store.

It was time to do some sightseeing and get food. I had been to the city in 2013 so it felt familiar but still there seemed to be more.

It didn’t take me long to eat a savoury ham and cheese baguette followed by….the first of many….ice creams. It was only 2 euros, great value.

Bratislava has a long and illustrious history. It was once called Pressburg and it was the capital city of the Hapsburg Empire for 400 years. Eleven Kings and eight Queens were crowned in St Martin’s. It has always been a cosmopolitan city of ethnic Hungarians, Germans, Slavs and Jews.

I told you it was hot. It was 34 degrees C. The ice cream wasn’t enough….I needed beer. This was 3 euros and it was 12 percent alcohol….wow, a great price and a great effect.

I returned to the hostel to check-in. I got the top bunk on a third floor mixed dorm. I needed a cool shower and a nap. Back out in the evening for more food and beer.

I wanted some food that was Slovakian and a hostel staff member had no hesitation but to suggest one in particular.

I had an evening stroll as the temperatures dropped to 27! Of course I needed another ice cream….

A little waltz by the Danube and then back for some kip.

If anyone asks me why I am cycling this ridiculous long route I can just tell them… ‘just because’ I can. A good answer for today, don’t you think.

Time for some much needed sleep. I have some cycling to do tomorrow.