Things can only get better!

Arriving in Bratislava, I was full of hope and enthusiasm. Surely things could only get better. Let's face it - it couldn't get much worse. My first vision of Bratislava did not really fill me with much confidence. Apart from being gray and bleak because the weather was not the best, the view of the city from the station was far from a photographers playground. I could have at that point turned around got back on a train and just disappeared. However the best was yet to come. We took a bus in to town and then found a place to stay - our home for the next few days would be the Downtown Hostel Backpackers. I was a little concerned about staying here as we had until now had a room to just the three of us (except for Ari & Gato who we never saw) and I knew Zoe wasn't fond of sharing a room with a lot of people.
As we were getting settled in to the hostel we met this great girl from Zurich named Eve. Over the next few days she was to prove herself a great travel companion. Anyway we went for dinner that night and all got to know each other a little better. Nothing brings people together like good food and cheap beer. Something which we consumed a lot more of over the next few days.
All seemed to be going well. Bratislava was proving to be very scenic and the people so very friendly. It was looking like a diamond in the rough. Was the curse of this trip finally lifted?
We spent time walking around the old town. We visited the palace, some museums and we even found a couple of piles of unmelted snow. Everything was looking up until Greg said "My throat is really sore." In true style for this holiday the situation went from bad to worse. Greg's tonsils were now completely blocking his throat. Drinking was painful and well eating was pretty much out of the question. It wasn't long before a fever took hold and it was time for Greg to make a visit to the hospital. It's ironic really. Until this point we had not had any problems finding people who could speak English to help us out. I know that sounds like an arrogant attitude, especially since I am travelling in another country. Normally I do my best to learn the basics of the language when I travel, but sometimes you just need more. Of course the night Greg needed to go to hospital was a night I could have done with knowing more - it was also the night I had the least amount of luck in finding someone who could speak English. Fortunately our newly acquired friend Eve could speak Russian, which was a saving grace. What more could we have asked for. Here we were facing a bit of a medical 'situation' and we had our own personal translator. Thanks to Eve it made Greg's time in Bratislava hospital a lot more easy for everyone. It also made sure that Greg didn't put the thermometer he was given somewhere it shouldn't have gone.
Eve proved to be a great travel asset. She has extensively travelled on her own and is rather independent when it comes to getting about in foreign countries. She is brazen in her approach to seeking help from complete strangers and having travelled extensively through Eastern Europe was able to make our time in Slovakia much more enjoyable. In fact we recommended that she start her own website called "Ask Eves" - for all your travel and translation queries.
With Greg on pain killers and strong antibiotics, we attempted to enjoy the rest of the time we had left in Bratislava. It was one city I had no expectation about, but was pleasantly surprised with. The thing I will take away with me most, apart from the images of a picturesque, cosy little city yet to be over run with tourists is the overwhelming sense of feeling safe. Walking about Bratislava regardless of the time of day or night, I never once felt threatened. Anyway it was time to say farewell to our new found friend, swap emails and organise a catch up for some time in the near future whether that be Rotterdam or Zurich and then take the train to Budapest in Hungary.

Read about the journey so far:
New Years Nightmare - Prague, Czech republic
"Arbeit Macht Frei." - Auschwitz, Poland
Warsaw to Krakow - Warsaw & Krakow, Poland
Perogie Galore! - Warsaw, Poland

Want to see more? Check out: Photo's - Bratislava.