Bratislava

We woke to find another river cruiser docked right against us which came as a bit of a shock. At first, I thought we were docked against a wall, but soon realised it wasn't a wall I was looking at, it was a cabin in the next boat. I'm glad I was fully dressed when I opened the curtains (and I bet they were too). Once we could see some sky, it was clear that we had a lovely sunny morning, but a trip to the top deck revealed that it was a bit deceptive as it was a little chilly and there was a fierce wind.

We met up with Jane and Trevor for breakfast and then pottered off to get ready for this morning's excursion. We left the boat and boarded a "land train" (this was like the little trains that ply back and forth along the esplanade at Bognor Regis. As we set off for an initial tour around the city we became aware that these land trains are not designed for cobbled streets or streets with tramlines. It made a brave attempt to shake the fillings loose from our teeth.

After about 10 minutes we arrived at the castle overlooking the city. The castle commands an impressive site overlooking the current city but artefacts have been found dating from the Neolithic period some 5,000 years ago. 

I was surprised to learn that in the late Iron Age, Celts established an important fortified settlement, known as an oppidum, on the castle hill which is where Bratislava Castle stands today. This era is significant because it marked the first time Bratislava functioned as a true town. The Celtic influence seems to have declined at the end of the 1st century and Roman influence grew and Germanic tribes moved into the area. 

The castle has been through a number of renovations and is now a major tourist attraction. The guide pointed out that 3kms to the west was Austria and 7kms to the east was Hungary.

We hopped back on the land train and deposited near the gate to the old town. Our guide then took us on a walking tour through the charming little streets and squares, pointing out locations of interest and providing a historical context. It was a bit like walking through a film set... other than the fact it was teeming with people and tours.

When our tour was finished, we met up with Trevor and Jane and stopped off to get a gelato before retracing through some of the more charming parts of the old town.

We left Jane and Trevor to explore further while we returned to the boat for a sandwich and cold drink with the idea of having a quiet afternoon with our books.

After a cold drink we headed up on deck and settled down in the sun for several hours. Across the river, an outdoor concert was just kicking off so we had background music and the delicious smell of street food wafting across.

We left Bratislava and sailed down river towards Esztergrom - our destination for tomorrow.

Over dinner and found ourselves chatting with a couple from Letchworth; he, bizarrely, was a Wolves supporter. It just goes to show that you can never be too careful. 

Before settling in for the evening's entertainment, I took a walk on deck and watched as the day faded to night. I returned to the lounge in time to see our approach to a huge lock. One boat was already in the lock but there was room for us to pull alongside. The gates closed and we started to descend. I would estimate that the drop in level was about 20 metres. It was most impressive.

We went back to our cabin at about 22:30 and had an early night.