Day 11: Vysoká pri Morave to Bratislava

June 15, 2026

Day 11: Vysoká pri Morave to Bratislava

Yesterday after breakfast, I packed my things and got ready to leave Juraj’s house. Juraj actually cycled with me to guide me on the bike trail toward Castle Marchegg in Austria. I was very happy to have stayed with Juraj as he was my first Warmshowers host for this trip and I had great conversations with him about various topics.

I cycled on the bike path and arrived at Castle Marchegg in half an hour after going about five miles. I rested at one of the benches in front of the castle and admire the storks resting in their nests on top of the chimneys. I like birds for their flight and their freedom. If I were to be born again not as a human then I would choose to be a bird. They are one of my favorite animals for sure.

Around 10:30 AM, Henryk arrived. After over a year of communicating over WhatsApp I finally met the man. Henryk is 63 years old and rides a 28 years old steel bicycle, which he used around the world. I was very impressed.

We chatted on the bench for a while before starting our ride toward Henryk’s place that’s on the edge of Bratislava, Slovakia, about 14 miles away. On our way there we passed by the Schloss Hof palace. It sits on a big property and will take a few hours to visit it properly. Henryk and I decided to get going instead.

After crossing to the Slovakia border via a bridge, Henryk and I stopped at a restaurant on the side of the bike trail and had some Kofola soda, my favorite. I learned more about Henryk’s travels in the past. He had bicycled in Africa, which I consider to be the hardest continent to bicycle. Henryk also cycled in South America last year, which I had planned to join him but bailed out. In addition to many bike tours in Europe, Henryk has traveled to over 60 countries. His work as a HR consultant also led him to live in many parts of Europe and Indonesia. He’s truly a global citizen. You can find his bike tour journal on cycloadventure.wordpress.com.

After the soda break, we continued on. When passing by a Decathlon, we made a stop there so I can purchase a butane canister just in case I need to make some meals on the road to Athens. A few minutes later, we were so glad to have reached Henryk’s place around 1 PM and it was a perfect day for cycling.

Henryk lives in a very nice two bedroom condo with the view of the forest from his balcony. I felt very comfortable at his place. We had a huge lunch of risotto with vegetables and sausages. Soon after, I had a bit of a food coma.

In the afternoon, I was too tired to go into the city so Henryk and I took a walk around his neighborhood. We had a drink at Len tak, a pub near Henryk’s place. I got a sense that we could have been great cycling partners if I had chosen to go with him on his South American bike tour last year. Henryk reminded me so much of Crispin, my cycling partner in 2018 when I biked across America. Both Henryk and Crispin are very wise and have a lot of life experiences.

When we came back to Henryk’s place we had some salad for dinner, which was perfect for me since I needed to eat more vegetables.

This morning, I woke up at 7:20. My plan is to stay at Henryk’s place for one more night tonight then ride to Vienna, Austria, since I’ve never been there. Today, I will explore Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, and take my first rest day since I started cycling from Wrocław.

I will also change the oil on my bike’s internal gear hub. I’ve reached 4664 miles since I started in King of Prussia last year. Actually, I need to change the oil at 4867 miles, but since I’m at a good resting place, I decided I will change the oil about 200 miles ahead of schedule.