Day 23 - Down the Danube to Budapest

After breakfast we quickly checked out of our hotel and rushed down to to International Passanger Terminal on the river. We needed to get there early because we had being having trouble booking with the company running the hydrofoil service between Bratislava and Budapest.

Another hydrofoil in a lock on the Danube.

The Basilica in Esztergom, the largest church in Hungary. Hungary's first king, St Stephen, was born in this town on the Danube bend. It was the capital from the 10th to the 13th Centuries.

Fortunately, we managed to check in ok, and we chatted to a very pleasant American woman also waiting for the hydrofoil - which arrived late. Once onboard the craft the journey was comfortable enough. There were some interesting sights along the way in both Slovakia and Hungary.

The hydrofoil dropped us off at the passanger terminal on the Pest side of the river, in the middle of the city. We walked along Váci utca, probably the most touristy street in Budapest, to the metro station at Vörösmarty tér. Unfortunately one of the wheels on David's bag had decided to give up, making it very painful to drag along.

The ticket officer at the metro station didn't understand any English, but with a few Hungarian words and lots of pointing we were able to buy two Budapest cards, which gives discounts to museums and other attractions, and also free travel on public transport.

The M1 line, also known as the Milleniumi Földalatti (Millennium Underground) is interesting. Dating from 1896, it's the second oldest underground train in the world, after the London Underground. Most of the stations have been restored to their appearance at the turn of the century. One of the most remarkable things about it is that it runs just under the surface. We got off at Bajza utca (you can hear the poker-machine-sounding announcement) and our hotel, the Radio Inn, was just around the corner.

A train pulls into a historic station on the metro.

It was a pleasant surprise after all the other European hotels we'd stayed in to have not just a bar fridge but a small kitchen! Finally, we could make our own breakfast and even a cup of tea. In fact the room, really an apartment, was quite spacious. Unfortunately the beds were uncomfortable, but the location was great. Just off leafy Andrássy út and in the diplomatic district.

After resting, we went to dinner at the irresistibly named Marquis de Salade. The restaurant specialises in Azerbaijani dishes and the food was delicious, fresh and suited the warm weather perfectly (the cool cellar the restaurant was in also helped). The waiter was exceptionally polite.

Afterwards took the metro back up to Hősök tere (Heroes' Square) and wandered down Andrássy út to the apartment building where David's family once lived.

The Millennium Monument (to mark Hungary's thousandth anniversary in 1896), in Heroes' Square at the end of Andrássy út.

Day 22 - Bratislava's Old Town Hall and Castle

We visited the Old Town Hall this morning. The building now houses a museum with an unusual collection of exhibits: A room with artwork by local school children is next to items from early tribes in the area. Some collections and rooms were better displayed than others, some pieces were no doubt significant but didn't have English descriptions.

Undoubtably the eeriest part of the museum was the old jail/dungeons. The pictures and descriptions were too good: We would have been happy not to know what most of the torture instruments were intended for! It was also unpleasantly cold and damp. It was an awful place.

From the town hall's tower there is a good view of the old town.

The tower of the Old Town Hall.

Next we visited Bratislavský hrad (Bratislava Castle) up on the hill. The castle has a long and complicated history, so we were disappointed when we arrived to find that seemingly nothing on the inside had been preserved - it felt like an office space from the 50s. Perhaps we shouldn't have been so surprised.

Bratislava Castle.

The castle also now houses a museum. There was a temporary exhibition about Leonardo da Vinci which seemed to be popular with the locals. Every second display in this exhibition seemed to be advertising for one of the sponsors. Other parts of the museum were quieter, but also less well financed. Again, some interesting pieces including some local Art Nouveau furniture. In the Crown Tower is a replica of St Stephen's Crown of Hungary (Bratislava was at one stage the capital of Hungary) and again good views of the city, especially the river.

A view of the old town from the Castle. On the left is St. Martin's Cathedral, where many Hungarian kings were crowned. At the very top of the spire there is a gilt sculpture of St Stephen's crown.

The Danube and Nový Most from the Crown Tower.

After looking unsucessfully for a laundromat (they seem to be very rare in this part of Europe) we headed back to the hotel to rest.

The food at most places looked unappetising; It looks like most places aim to please the British backpackers that are everywhere here. We bit the bullet and had dinner at an interesting, but expensive restaurant, Tempus Fugit. The food was good with an a mix of international flavours.

Day 21 - Bratislava

After breakfast we checked out of our hotel and headed for the train station to catch a train to Bratislava.

Bratislava is only about 50km from Vienna, so while the train wasn't very fast, it was a short ride. Arriving in Slovakia we had our first (quick) passport check since arriving at Vienna airport three weeks ago. The woman at the information desk didn't speak much English (and we couldn't speak any Slovak) but we were able to understand her instructions to get to the bus stop and which bus to catch. A few stops later we were dropped off under Nový Most ('New Bridge' formerly the 'Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising'). It was a short walk to our hotel.

Looking back at Nový Most (with its strange UFO-shaped restaurant and nightclub up top) as we drag our bags over to the hotel.

After checking in we had salad for lunch at Café Mayer in Hlavne Namestie, the main square in the old town. We wandered over to the supermarket to buy some bottled water and also two locally produced soft-drinks: Vinea (a grape-based drink which tasted nice) and Kofola (a cola drink which didn't taste so good).

Trying Kofola down by the Danube.

That evening we ventured out of the old town, past the presidential palace to a cheap vegetarian restaurant ('Elixir 14') offering good homestyle Slovakian food.

The main square of the old town, Hlavne Namestie, at night.