We move on: Enough spas?
Thursday July 4, 2013
Our Austrian neighbors at the campgrounds spend all summer there and have been coming for more than ten years. It's not hard to understand why: the grounds are well kept, the restaurant has decent food and is cheap and the hot pools, are - well - hot, and they're good for you. They are also a little stinky from all those healthy minerals. As in old Rome, though, bathing is not just for the body. It is also a social occasion. By 9 in the morning, almost all the places along the sides of the pool are taken, everyone chatting away. Aside from the hot pools, there was a gorgeous 35 meter pool with normal water for swimming. The best part was that no one used it. Where can you find a perfect outdoor pool for swimming laps and have it all to yourself?
But we knew that we didn't want to spend all summer there, we wanted to see something new. We packed up, said good-bye and headed for Slovakia via Austria. We made just one more stop in the next town to see the nearby church that we hadn't gotten around to visiting. Next to the baroque church was the now derelict Széchenyi castle that didn't survive the communist era.
Our Austrian neighbors at the campgrounds spend all summer there and have been coming for more than ten years. It's not hard to understand why: the grounds are well kept, the restaurant has decent food and is cheap and the hot pools, are - well - hot, and they're good for you. They are also a little stinky from all those healthy minerals. As in old Rome, though, bathing is not just for the body. It is also a social occasion. By 9 in the morning, almost all the places along the sides of the pool are taken, everyone chatting away. Aside from the hot pools, there was a gorgeous 35 meter pool with normal water for swimming. The best part was that no one used it. Where can you find a perfect outdoor pool for swimming laps and have it all to yourself?
But we knew that we didn't want to spend all summer there, we wanted to see something new. We packed up, said good-bye and headed for Slovakia via Austria. We made just one more stop in the next town to see the nearby church that we hadn't gotten around to visiting. Next to the baroque church was the now derelict Széchenyi castle that didn't survive the communist era.
The castle at Fertőszéplak
In fact it had been used as a warehouse, a common fate of many historic buildings in Hungary and other East Bloc countries. We were soon joined by a villager who was working on the grounds. There was nothing to see of the castle, but this fellow's account of its history was well worth hearing. I got it second-hand in translation, of course.
An interesting encounter
Our route took us on to Bratislava which we knew from a former bicycle trip. We skirted as much of the city as possible and then drove along the foot of the Little Carpathians to the town of Modra. The hills are covered with vineyards and Modra was described somewhere as being a quaint wine village. We didn't find it quaint at all, more run-down than anything else, and not an attractive place to stay. We headed for the campgrounds at Piešťany, about another hour's drive. And guess what, Piešťany is the biggest and best known spa town in Slovakia. But we weren't here for the waters this time, just a look around. The scenery wasn't impressive until we got past Modra, but then it was stunning. The narrow road wouldn't have been ideal for cycling, I'm glad we never took that trip, but the views were fabulous.
It was again a very hot day and we finished the day with a rest in the shade and a meal in the neighboring pizzeria. Pizzerias are all over the place, by the way. We were also impressed by the two young guys running it. They served the tables, made the pizzas and also ran a delivery service at the same time!
It was again a very hot day and we finished the day with a rest in the shade and a meal in the neighboring pizzeria. Pizzerias are all over the place, by the way. We were also impressed by the two young guys running it. They served the tables, made the pizzas and also ran a delivery service at the same time!