050 - mon 19 jun - bratislava

the train trip out of the mountains and down to slovakia's capital, bratislava, was exceptionally hot, sweaty and stuffy. we ended up sharing a carriage with some slovakians who made it pretty clear that opening the window in our poorly ventilated, stuffy compartment, was not an option. luckily they got off the train half way through the journey, but the damage was done. by the time we arrived in bratislava past noon, we were almost all of us completely buggered.

and it was for that reason that we didn't make too much of our one evening in bratislava. a few people went in search of a very impressive sounding swimming complex, and instead found some depressing wading pools and a shopping mall. suz could tell you more about that. i had a nap. that night, we found our way to a japanese restaurant of all things, because we were craving some asian food. it was not bad, although there was heavy use of garlic in everything we ordered. but it hit the spot. after dinner we just wandered around town, and as it got dark we realised how pretty it was. heaps of alfresco diners, cafes and bars, and a lot of good-looking young slovakians, mostly uni students we guessed, out on a monday night. bratislava definitely seems like 'a place to be'.

that night we slept on a boat hotel - a 'botel' - yes they actually call it a botel. and it was not nearly as fun as it sounds.

click here for photo