So I’m writing to you from the Slovakian capital of Bratislava. And since my last update in Linz the tour itself has changed almost as much as the worlds we’re traveling through. The two stages leaving Linz are believed by many to be the most beautiful days on the tour so far. Austria is quite scenic. Although the Danube is no longer sided by huge cliffs, the rolling lush landscape provides for a natural wonderland. The small towns have hosted some amazing sites for the cyclists to visit. About halfway through the first stage there was an optional side trip that added a few km’s to the day, but gave an opportunity to see a concentration camp from the WWII, just outside of Mauthausen. Although it is important that we learn from the mistakes of our past I didn’t visit it. Its too depressing and in some sort of twisted way, I feel that making a place like that into a tourist attraction almost glorifies it. The following day the trail led us through several agricultural villages. Every hill slope was terraced to host a myriad fruit orchards and vineyards. In the villages there were small shops that use the local fruits to make juice, wine, brandy and schnapps. The best part is that you can taste any of them before you decide what to purchase. We also took a side tour that day to visit the Monastry in Melk, a UNESCO heritage site. Not only is the architecture amazing but the library there has books dating back over a thousand years. That night we camped just outside of Krems in a small family run vineyard. Being the last night of camping with our sectional riders, we had a bit of a celebration, enjoying our hosts’ homebrew and the flavours of the orchards we rode through in the last two stages. Riding into Vienna is a bit of a convoluted route and not so scenic, but I love Vienna. It's one of my favorite European cities and it just happens to be Jazzfest here right now. Most people spent their days visiting the numerous museums, churches, art galleries and enjoyed the sounds of Mozart and Strauss in the evenings. Whereas I find myself seeking out the seediest subterranean blues bars. My favorite is Jazzland, a dank dungeon of soul that I stumbled upon two years ago. Its located beneath the city streets, a brick cellar that has been converted into a bar which has become the Viennese institution of jazz for the past forty years. It has hosted all the greats from Miles Davis and Dizzy Gilespie to James Brown ad Wilson Pickett. I saw a performance from the Hot Jazz Ambassadors. A fantastic show of dueling clarinets, banjo, baritone, trumpet, and alto sax. Their lead singer was this crazy red head with matching leather boots stomping out a metronome to her lungfuls of raspy lyrics. We had two rest days in Vienna and each night I tried to explore a different venue. I saw a Sri Lankan reggae band at the Casablanca club and I ended my time there with an acoustic guitar and tenor sax duet in a coffee shop. Vienna is where the tour ended for seven of our clients who have been with us since Paris. Group dynamics and chemistry is something that cannot be forecasted and the first half of this tour has been incredible. These riders have become part of our family and their individual eccentricities will be missed. We had a farewell dinner on the night we arrived to say our good-byes. But during the course of our time off in Vienna we were joined by six new sectional riders. They had an interesting first day as we had two convoy rides one leaving the Austrian capital and one entering the Slovakian. Not to mention that with the border crossing they have already had to deal with two currencies and two languages while they try to adapt to their new lifestyle of cycle touring. They still don’t really know what a permanent bag is! I look forward to seeing how the dynamic will morph to incorporate these new personalities. My first impression of Slovakia was that we have left contemporary Europe and entered a land of post communist eastern block rule. It would appear that everything here is about 20 years behind the times. Sidewalks, roads, building all are slightly dishevelled, but that’s only the surface. If you venture into the old city its perhaps one of the more beautiful cities in Europe I’ve visited. All the buildings have been well kept or restored. For the most part it is closed to vehicle traffic and the cobbled pedestrian mall is filled with cafes, restaurants, bars and galleries. The castle on the hill over looking the city offers a panoramic view of the Bratislava and the greater Danube channel. I wish we had more time to spend here. Slovakia is country number four and we cross the border in Hungary tomorrow. I will write again from Budapest. Hope all is well