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Leaving for Bratislava- Bicycle Journey Day 11

Leaving for Bratislava- Bicycle Journey Day 11 I am getting ready to roll out of Hodonin and on towards Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. I have been told that it is between 70 and 120 km from where I am on the border, so I am hoping to make it in one long, hard day.————–Wade [...]

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Leaving for Bratislava- Bicycle Journey Day 11

I am getting ready to roll out of Hodonin and on towards Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. I have been told that it is between 70 and 120 km from where I am on the border, so I am hoping to make it in one long, hard day.
————–
Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Hodonin, Moravia, Czech Republic- July 7, 2008
Travelogue Travel Photos
————–

I replaced the chain on my bike, so I no longer worry about snapping it going over hills. I am now ready to fly. The bike sounds a lot nicer now and rides much smoother. My old $50 bone shaker bicycle is slowing turning into a brand new smooth rolling machine.

Near Bratislava the River Morava that I have been following since Olomouc feeds into the Danube. The Danube is a river of my dreams, and I look forward to riding her the way down to Bulgaria.

An anonymous commenter playfully taunted me, questioning if I have the focus necessary to keep going on this long Road to the Middle East. He even called me “Wrongway Wade.” I think this person knows me well: I blow with the winds of intuition and care very little for travel plans or planning for travel.

Everything in nature and life moves in wavy, overlapping, and harmonus patterns. Should not my Path be equally organic? Nothing in nature is perfectly straight, and everything blows with the wind. I look out upon the world and see endless Roads to everywhere and anywhere criss-crossing beautifully over the plane of a gently curving spheroid, directed by nothing other than intuition, impulse, and gaity.

As does this anoymous commenter, or so it seems by the words they left:
“But as you know its all a big joke (life that is), follow your muse wherever it leads you. The road goes on forever and the party never ends (ride slow).”

Good words, whoever you are.

The taunt was purely playful, and I appreciate the good kick that it gave me. But a taunt is a taunt, and now that I have been formally taunted, I have little option other than to really ride my bicycle to Turkey.

The clever commenter also mention something about me being caught up in Hodonin, and that was also very true. I was caught up in Hondonin, but it was one of the greatest stops that I have ever made in all of my travels. The people here are amazing and I made some truly heartfelt friendships that will shine bright in my memory over mountain, river, and beat of sea.

I leave Hodonin with a very, very heavy heart, a mild case of pink eye, clean laundry, and a bag full of food courtesy of my friends here. I also leave this town with good stories and plenty of beautiful memories. I will write of them, surely, as soon as I land in Bratislava.

Going back out on the Road. The sky is dark and heavy, as is my heart at the prospect of leaving these good friends on the Slovak borderlands of the Czech Republic.

Links to previous travelogue entries:
Rest for a Weary Traveler- Bike Journey Day 4
Asus Eee PC Popular with Travelers
Tarp Tent Search Ends with a Smile

Leaving for Bratislava- Bicycle Journey Day 11
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Filed under: Bicycle Travel, Czech Republic, Eastern Europe, Europe, Slovakia

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3723 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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VBJ is currently in: New York City

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