Piešťany: Around the lake and around the island
Friday July 5, 2013
We weren't too sure if Piešťany would have enough of interest to warrant spending a day there but it did. We had beautiful weather and our campgrounds were located directly on the pleasant Sĺňava water reservoir. After seeing many people cycling past, I noticed that there was a bicycle path on the water's edge circling the little lake and it looked like it would make a nice ride.
We weren't too sure if Piešťany would have enough of interest to warrant spending a day there but it did. We had beautiful weather and our campgrounds were located directly on the pleasant Sĺňava water reservoir. After seeing many people cycling past, I noticed that there was a bicycle path on the water's edge circling the little lake and it looked like it would make a nice ride.
On our way into town after circling the reservoir, we passed by a farmers market. Here we saw more vegetables than we had seen the whole time since traveling in Slovenia, Croatia or Hungary. So far there was little more on the shelves than onions, green peppers and tomatoes (very good tomatoes, I must admit), but here we saw a variety of very fresh vegetables and fruit. Nothing fancy or exotic, but seasonal and from the region.
We found the center of Piešťany fairly quickly, the town isn't big. There are a a few remaining old buildings and much shabby patching up from the communist era, renovation wouldn't be the right word. The main drag was a pedestrian zone, the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed with lots of people sitting outdoors enjoying a morning coffee.
We then proceeded to have a look at Piešťany's claim to fame, its thermal baths located on an island in the Váh river. Here several hot springs emerge with temperatures of 67–69 °C (153–156 °F), originating in a tectonic break at 2,000 meters depth. The sulfate–carbonate water - very smelly - is used in pools and tubs and sulfurous mud is also used for treatment.
Although the spa at Piešťany has been famous for centuries, it wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that the baths (here and in Hungary) were expanded and made available to all. Previously it was only a select few, the famous and well to do, who could afford to come here.
Although the spa at Piešťany has been famous for centuries, it wasn't until the middle of the 20th century that the baths (here and in Hungary) were expanded and made available to all. Previously it was only a select few, the famous and well to do, who could afford to come here.
We rode our bikes around the little island, had a look at the architecture of the hotels and returned to our campsite. In the evening I cooked up a nice vegetable concoction from the products we had bought at the farmers market.