Saturday 27th Budapest - Bratislava

I can't quite describe the sadness of knowing that good coffee is just around the corner and we plan our pre train travel around the early morning brew only to find (as we wait outside with anticipation) that Expresso Embassy does not open on Saturday !!!!!

With heavy hearts we board the metro and head off to Keleti station, way too early.

Train travel, I think is wonderful at the best of times. Sitting back and enjoying the scenery that passes by is something really special. Trying to get back to your seat with hot coffee as we cross the Hungarian - Slovakian border just after stopping at a staion and picking up an enormous gaggle of Slovakian women is also pretty special too......

Arriving in Bratislavia,( capital of Slovakia, population of approx 480,000 and part of the EU)

 packs on and we make away towards our accommodation for the next two nights, Botel Pressberg. That is not a typo by the way! It is a Botel, a hotel on a boat. Very novel.

The railway station is on the opposite side of town from the river Danube so we wandered through the old town including through st Michaels gate.

First impression of this old town is it is just that, very old ( artefacts have been found dating back to late stone age) and full of history and culture. It is beautiful, but as we pass bar after bar full of loud European bucks and hens,  It feels an awful lot of that beauty has been diluted and forgotten.

After lunch in the very busy old town we crossed the"New Bridge" to have a look at the UFO tower.

98 m above the river and obviously stupendous views across Bratislavia. Apart from the expected great views of the castle and the city, it was also fascinating to see how flat the landscape is and the hundreds of wind turbines that head off into the distance.

 

Back into the old town and we continued to explore. Being a Saturday the place was packed with people. One favourite thing, were the random bronze statues around. Including the very cute guy coming out of the drain whose name escapes me as I write.

Dinner, beverages and some fabulous people watching before heading back to our Botel.

The Hungarians and slovakians have been so much fun. Their sense of humour is very similar to ours so they get our bad jokes!! But they have been incredibly warm an accommodating to we tourists as well