Day 50. Wednesday 20 May.

Major activity today is to visit the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum. But first the walk back to the Mliynske Nivy bus station to recon tomorrow’s departure. From there, a long Uber ride took us to the Danubiana, to use its short name, located 20 kilometres south of Bratislava ready to face an extended stay. It was founded by Gerard Meulensteen, a Dutch collector and art patron, and Vincent Polakovič, a Slovak gallerist.

The museum opened in 2000, with an extension completed in 2014. Its location on the Danube River offers unique views of artwork and sculptures. The museum roof offers more sculptures plus a wide view of Bratislava, and of course the Danube River. The combination of the natural & man-made environments is stunning; the expansive exhibition spaces, the window views to the sky & of the surrounding river, the parkland…it is a fantastic cultural monument. Cruise boats slide by, swans abound, white wagtails flirt, kite surfers glide…

A couple of hours passed, after a great coffee/pistachio tart start. It was room upon room of mostly abstract and challenging, sometimes whimsical artworks.

On the advice of the reception staff took the local Route 90 bus back to the city which was an easy 30-minute ride. Did some more exploring, including a visit to the Old Town Hall and museum, in search of a short history of Slovakia. The museum had a current, temporary display focussing on family connections to the city, as well as a permanent exhibition which was curated into themes (administration of the city, coronations and nobility, crafts and guilds, trade, industry and businesses, associations, Danube, private life, education, theatre and social life) rather than a chronology. Although interesting in itself, it didn’t provide that overview that we were seeking. Over to Google and Wikipedia.

The Old Town Hall Tower provided a great panoramic view.

We’d reached saturation point again, so it was time to choose a restaurant for that traditional Slovakian dish: roasted smoked pork knuckle (with pickled vegetables). One serving was more than enough for two hungry people of the ‘right age’, and was very tasty. First impression was a bit startling – heavy roasted dark outer echoed like a drum, but once inside it was smokey, moist and flavoursome.

Tomorrow on to the last leg of our European journey: Budapest.