We left out Hungarian tree house to a chorus of goodbyes and waves from the very sweet lady who runs the campsite. We headed for Bratislava and were treated to lots of thumbs up, waves and horn tooting on route which we haven’t had before. Although we don’t think the Hungarian lorry drivers were as keen as we were subject to a number of angry horns while they overtook us – one went as far as to pull back into the lane while still only half way past us forcing us into the hard shoulder to avoid collision – he definitely wasn’t a classic car fan! Dave calmly got us our of danger and we were across the border to Slovakia in no time.

The camper is running wonderfully…but the little niggle of nothing happening when turning the ignition key is back. Dave has been investigating – spending a lot of time underneath – and he thinks he has found the crux of the problem – after a number of tests. We only seem to have trouble when the engine has been running for a while – ie when hot. So while we don’t have a quick fix at the moment we can plan ahead. As we try and stop around every 50 miles we have now know we won’t be able to restart immediately – this usually means me having to push the camper along while Dave restarts (an arrangement I am not entirely sure is the right way round!) but it’s not a big deal and once started we are flying along.

So Bratislava…..what a brilliant surprise! To be honest we were not expecting a lot as the 8th thing on a list of what to do in the city was to go and have a look at Europe’s narrowest house! The guide admits that the city is a mecca of high rises surrounding a small old town – and this was really the only place you should go site seeing. Having wondered the old town I think you could really see all the tourist sites in a morning and be done. But this is, I think, a positive. Bratislava old town is full to the rafters of an enormous range of bars, caves and restaurants – really this is what it is all about. We fell in love with it – so much so that we think we preferred it to Budapest! We did the tourist bits for a short while – including a church with a crypt which I didn’t enjoy – seeing where concrete has been filled onto holes containing bodies with the date pressed in a not my idea of fun! Then we got sociable with the old town. Firstly we stopped at a bar/antique shop which was my heaven and then we were a bit uncultured and headed for a sports bar to watch the Andy Murray game (finally we got to see some Olympics)! After this we went in search of dinner but ended up in a great Cuban bar where you can sign your name on the walls and they have a private cigar room – Dave bought me my first Tom Collins cocktail! We then wondered a little more off the tourist track and found a restaurant down a little alley which looked less commercial. The waiter suggested a local wine and we ate some local cuisine – more meat and dumplings for Dave!

There is something so delightfully laid back about the old town you certainly wouldn’t book a weeks holiday there but for a weekend getaway I couldn’t recommend it enough. We were instantly relaxed and everyone was extremely welcoming – our 24 hours Slovakian experience is up there as one of our best days of the trip…..although the my second big hangover of the trip was slightly less appreciated today as we made the short journey to Vienna!