..and we are out of Hungary and into Slovakia.
Then it's a leisurely morning, breakfast with the crazy and hilarious couple from New Zealand, Carol and Les, we laughed a lot and reminisced on old children's TV shows - very random conversation!
Now for a bit of a tour of the ship... Reception, dining room and the lounge...
The coffee bar and top deck and our room...
Today's stop is Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. This used to be part of Czechoslovakia until the Velvet Revolution in 1989, called velvet because there was no bloodshed, both sides wanted to separate and return to being their own country.
As we arrive, we can see Hrad Castle. It is said that there is a giant who lives under the castle and every night, he turns the castle over to serve as his dinner table and then he turns back again in the morning.
There is a statue they kept as a remembrance of the old Czechoslovakia...
Where we are is a triangle of capitals - there is Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna all very close to each other. There is a hill in Bratislava where the Iron Curtain came down and people on the hill were on the communist side and could look down the hill to freedom but couldn't get there. They said times were good in the communist years, there was no crime and no high cost of living, but everyone said there also was no freedom so it wasn't a good thing.
In our cabins, we have been given lanyards and earpieces so when we exit the ship for our city tour, we simply take - headset. There are a number of different colours and we simply go to the guide who has our colour. There is even a group for those who can't walk too far. We are the blue group and our guide is Luba. Here she is on the left, with Nancy, our tour guide, on the right.
We set off and to the first section where Luba explains a lot of the history - it used to be a walled city, there was communist rule, etc.
This statue is a black statute, to celebrate the end of the Black Plague. There was a large Jewish settlement here but that was destroyed during the war. They have this commemoration - the Star of David over a crushed house and a picture of the old synagogue that was destroyed.
Next is the Coronation Church, or Cathedral of St Martin, where they crowned over 20 kings of the Austrian-Hapsburg area, and one queen, Marie Therese. The top of the church doesn't have a cross but the Hungarian crown. By the by, the Hungarian crown disappeared for a while many years ago and was found in a museum in America. Nixon gave it back to the Hungarian people. There was a nun tending to the candles in one of the side rooms.
We went upstairs where they had some royal artefacts, which were old and ornate and couldn't take photos. Outside you could see where the old walls of the city were, and one of the original buildings. (The narrow yellow one in the middle)
We wander around to the central town square. Inlaid in the cobblestones are gold markers, marking the way of the coronation.
This is Michael's Gate, in the centre. There is a circle in the ground that points to lots of cities with the distance from that point. Sydney is 15,914 kilometres from here!
A lot of musicians and artists spent time in Bratislava, including Liszt, who stayed in this house as a child, the people of the house appreciated his talent and introduced him to people of note.
Next we went into a fabulous shop and were given blackcurrent wine and two small Slovakian pastries, one with hazelnut filling and one with currants and poppy seeds - delicious! There was a section out the back full of old cash registers, like a cash register museum...
And outside the shop, Alison and Carol were still freezing and Les was laughing...
Past the old town hall and town square...
There are three statues in this little town that are very popular. The first is meant to be from Napoleon's army and is in front of the French embassy. The second is Naci, who was a well-dressed homeless guy, who did exist, who always wore a mourning suit and doffed his hat to the ladies. The third is Čumil, who is hidden in a drain and is said to grant your wish if you rub his head.
It was a bit tricky trying to photograph them - had to be quick between the people wanting to stand next to them and have their photo taken!
We ended up in front of the opera house and in a large, pretty square, which also had a statue of Hans Christian Andersen, who spent time here too.
We came back to the ship for lunch, I tried the local dish bryndzové halušky, or potato dumplings with sheep's milk - sort of a cross between gnocchi and potato salad, with pickled beetroot - I think I liked it...
We only have another hour in Bratislava so I went for another quick wander through, quite a cute little town.
Once back on board, we set off, down the Danube and it's lovely and relaxing. We sit with Sue and Laura, from the States, and chat and look at the world go by.
We pass an old ruined castle with an old maiden's tower where girls would throw themselves off rather than marry... Bit of folklore stuff.
Then we have the Pressburg Duo to perform. These guys are hilarious and brilliant musicians - the guy on violin, pan pipes and three different Slovakian pipes is the lead violin of the Bratislava orchestra and the guy on piano is the conductor! They play some well-known tunes, have hilarious banter, sing and are just generally fantastic.
Just fabulous!
Then it's dinner and an introduction and thank you to the crew and retire to our room, where our room has been turned down and our room attendant has left our TV on a lovely blazing fire...
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