BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA
We left Vienna this morning and are now cruising to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia and a city of 450,000 people. This afternoon we will have a visit to the Primates Palace and a walking tour through the historic centre of the city. We are also scheduled to stop at a traditional cafe for refreshment and typical specialty cakes. Just what we need. However, there is a 90% chance of rain but the high is still predicted to be 26C/79F. We'll wear our rain gear and Keen sandals so still plan on going.
Speaking of cakes, at a special coffee event held about one hour after breakfast, I couldn't resist picking up the last slice of marzipan cake that Norma and I plan to share when and if we ever get hungry. We seem to be spending our time going from one meal to another. Strawberries have been in season and are served in copious quantities at each breakfast. They are delicious with yoghurt and maple syrup and we are eating a lot of them. The almond croissants at breakfast are another treat that is hard to resist. I am not looking forward to getting on the scale back at home.
The Hotel Manager, Jan, has taken a bit of a shine to us and when he noticed how much we enjoyed the chocolate-covered marzipan candies, he offered to give us all the leftovers! We picked up the last four.
We learned today that only 15 of us are continuing on to Bucharest. The others are disembarking in Budapest. There are only 68 passengers on board this cruise and the ship can hold 118 - vastly underbooked. About 77 are embarking so the boat will be much more crowded than it has been. Apparently, many cancelled because of fear of terrorism strikes.
We also learned that we have passed through the most scenic areas on the Danube so should not expect the same on this leg of the journey. Most of the countries were behind the iron curtain and/or ruled by dictatorships so the architecture isn't as fine and the experience will be more like visiting countries in the third world.
We left Vienna this morning and are now cruising to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia and a city of 450,000 people. This afternoon we will have a visit to the Primates Palace and a walking tour through the historic centre of the city. We are also scheduled to stop at a traditional cafe for refreshment and typical specialty cakes. Just what we need. However, there is a 90% chance of rain but the high is still predicted to be 26C/79F. We'll wear our rain gear and Keen sandals so still plan on going.
Speaking of cakes, at a special coffee event held about one hour after breakfast, I couldn't resist picking up the last slice of marzipan cake that Norma and I plan to share when and if we ever get hungry. We seem to be spending our time going from one meal to another. Strawberries have been in season and are served in copious quantities at each breakfast. They are delicious with yoghurt and maple syrup and we are eating a lot of them. The almond croissants at breakfast are another treat that is hard to resist. I am not looking forward to getting on the scale back at home.
The Hotel Manager, Jan, has taken a bit of a shine to us and when he noticed how much we enjoyed the chocolate-covered marzipan candies, he offered to give us all the leftovers! We picked up the last four.
We learned today that only 15 of us are continuing on to Bucharest. The others are disembarking in Budapest. There are only 68 passengers on board this cruise and the ship can hold 118 - vastly underbooked. About 77 are embarking so the boat will be much more crowded than it has been. Apparently, many cancelled because of fear of terrorism strikes.
We also learned that we have passed through the most scenic areas on the Danube so should not expect the same on this leg of the journey. Most of the countries were behind the iron curtain and/or ruled by dictatorships so the architecture isn't as fine and the experience will be more like visiting countries in the third world.
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