Vienna: cake and culture

As we were leaving Budapest, we discovered that our front tire was losing air very quickly. The repair job we did in Khiva ten days ago had finally given way, quite remarkably it held for some 3,800km! Luckily our tire repair foam spray worked its magic and we were soon on our way to Vienna.

Tire repair foam to the rescue!

About 80km from Vienna, we spotted a sign for Bratislava and spontaneously decided to change our route to go via Bratislava. We sped through the border, riding past buildings which once upon a time, housed border officials, but now lie empty thanks to the European Union policy of free borders. In no time, we were in Bratislava, Slovakia!

No more need for border control - Hallelujah the European Union!

Driving into Austria was similarly uncomplicated until we entered the city boundaries of Vienna. The bike started vibrating more than usual and we realized the foam had given way too (after 300km) . We had no option but to keep going. Luckily, we made it to our hotel just as the last bit of air came out of the tire. 1 more km and we would have to start pushing the AT!

That's how flat our front tire was when we rolled in front of our hotel

The next day, we set about being tourists in earnest. Vienna was one of the two capitals of the Habsburg-ruled Austro-Hungarian Empire and where the Habsburgs made their home. Vienna was also a cultural centre and home to famous composers and artists. Not to mention that Vienna boasts of a café tradition including some very yummy desserts. There was much for us to see and do in Vienna and we managed to fit in quite a bit.