Black Forest to the Black Sea - and people getting away with it!

I have no knowledge of, or interest in ,Modern Art but when I read about the apparently well respected  Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum i found the description of its setting was too tempting to miss and fortunately it was only 8 miles from my Europop infested pension and smack bang on the Danube.

On a man made peninsular facing back up river to Bratislava the building itself is dazzling and surrounded by a sculpture garden. On a glorious sunny morning it was wonderful strolling round looking at those sculptures ... I tried walking round inside too ... but philistine that I am I could not but think that "Art is anything you can get away with!" (Said by Marshall McLuhan apparently not Andy Worhol) is so, so true. And yes there was Worhol's masterpiece.

I was thrilled though to find that even a rusty plough can be awork of art ... I have one so that's my winter project sorted,

There was an excellent café too and I must admit I did while away most of Saturday morning there...

                                                                                                        A hard day at the office!

 A strange find on the way in to the museum. Apparently there is a Pilgrim  Route from Bratislava to Santiago de Compostela that joins up with the route I took in Spain a few years ago.

The water surrounding the Museum didn't look so much like a river as a lake... and a few miles further down stream you find out why ...  the  Gabcikovo Dam and hydroelectric power plant.

As with pictures of the river ... and churches ...and castles ,,, I'll limit photos of Dams but this was the first I'd come across  ... and if I make it to the Iron Gates Dam I must show that. 

The Dam was proposed in 1953, begun in 1977 and didn't start producing power til 1990's.  That was partially because as dams on the Danube ( and elsewhere I guess)  must significantly harm wildlife there has always been strong opposition to them and partially because the project was initially a joint effort between Hungary and Czechoslovakia but Hungary eventually pulled out.

Inside the Dam's visitor centre there is a 17 minute film of why it was all worth it ...  The Cycle Route Book I'm basing my trip on is fairly neutral in most things but must have had input from the same PR guys when it acknowledges  " ... the destruction of the floodplain landscape and the destruction of a sensitive ecosystem .." but goes on to say "instead a huge reservoir has been created that amazes visitors with its masses of water" Yeah right, Dam One, Sturgeons Nil!

Sorry, I'm going on a bit aren't I.

It is though an amazing construction with several generating stations and 2 massive Locks.

From the video.

Oh and mentioning churches, well I was, I've been showing you the really big ones. This one must get the "Smallest" prize it was in Sap or Szap.

Well nearly at my day's destination.....that's it across the river Esztergom in Hungary 

 taken from Slovakia.

and the Basilica ...

                                       ... and one happy traveller ...

 Talk tomorrow...