29/08/2022 - Stage 18 from Budapest, Hungary to Bratislava, Slovakia (316 kilometers)

We left Budapest at 1 pm, always along the Danube and crossed another national border. Ben had seen somewhere that there is a castle before Bratislava, but he didn't know the exact details anymore. So I asked the internet and saw that there is a castle called Karlburg in Rusovce just before the city. We made a short stop there. The castle must have been beautiful in the past and can become royal again, but currently it cannot be entered and is allegedly being renovated. We didn't see any construction work, though. By the way, it wasn't the castle that Ben had seen somewhere. So we continued to the city center of Bratislava, parked our car, and walked with the most important things to the hostel, which was a 7-minute walk away. After a short break, we walked through the city. Today was a national holiday in Slovakia, so many places were closed and the streets were empty. The relatively small capital with only around 450,000 inhabitants is located on the southwestern border of Slovakia, at the tripoint with Austria and Hungary. The distance to the nearest state capital, Vienna, is only 55 kilometers. The first thing we visited was the St. Elizabeth Church, also known as the Blue Church. We could already see why it is called that from afar, because it is really painted blue. Unfortunately, we couldn't go inside because a church service was taking place, but it is said to be just as blue on the inside. Right behind it, we could see a high school. The architecture of both buildings once again shows the Hungarian Art Nouveau style. Then we walked through the old town. We strolled through pedestrian zones and across numerous large and small squares where people meet, and admired some fountains and interesting houses. At sunset, we took a look at the Danube and discovered the unique UFO observation deck. Behind us, we could see the city's landmark, Bratislava Castle. It is strategically located on an 85-meter-high hill above the city and was already inhabited during the Stone Age. In the past, the castle was the residence of Hungarian kings, and today it houses the Historical Museum. We had dinner in a restaurant today that served Asian delicacies and had a view of the city wall. On foot, we walked back to the hostel through the now beautifully illuminated old town.