There were a few quiet people at breakfast as the vodka had made the dinner the previous night (that we skipped to see Andy and Justine) very successful. We Skyped with Irene for the first time after breakfast and then boarded the bus for an 8am departure.

The road to the border was good and we moved into more rolling countryside . As we got closer to the Tatra Mountains we saw the former family homes (for a number of generations) that are now guesthouses for the ski area. Roofs here were steeper for the snow and often had rows of curved cups well above the spouting that we think were to redirect water. There were a number of lovely old wooden buildings, especially churches. The churches had people overflowing outside for mass. The devout nature of the Polish people is always evident. The views were scenic but hard to photograph from the bus as the glare from the sun, though welcome, made it difficult.

We spent our last 15 zloty at the border and then had to stop for Giovanni to get the motorway pass for Slovakia, a country of 5 million mainly Roman Catholics but less devout than the Polish (i.e. 40% are non believers). Slovakia became independent in 1983 and the economy is improving fast. They joined the EU in 2004 and have used Euro since 2009. The history of the area dates to the 5th century. After WW2 it was part of Czechoslovakia before independence, but the 2 parts had different heritages so split again.

The countryside is similar to south Poland with old wooden houses and also the communist apartment blocks, now mainly repainted, and abandoned factories. It is a popular trout fishing area, but rivers are too high and dirty at present. We had a photo stop in a pretty village with 300 year old wooden houses . Many had wooden carvings in front and even the bus stop had been built in keeping. There is much more colour here. There were a few storks about. They are useful to the farmers as they eat the frogs and various pests in summer before commuting to the Middle East.

The next photo opportunity was taken from the bus. Giovanni first slowed but then actually stopped so we could take photos of the Orasky (sp) Castle which was the one used in the first Dracula movie. It sat on a cliff top that must have given it a very strategic view. We also saw a river raft and even more picturesque villages.

We also drove through a major ski resort. It was odd to see ski lifts on the green grass. It was another attractive spot with a number of new hotels and guesthouses. We also drove past a very, very ramshackle gypsy settlement. Many of the towns had the inimitable 'Soviet' apartment blocks we first saw in Poland. They were no more attractive in the sunshine here, but at least a splash of colour helped .

Lunch was at what is known here as ‘the American Embassy’ - McDonalds. The British Embassy’s are the numerous Tesco stores We gather finding a good spot with clean toilets and quickly available food near here was not easy for Cosmos (our tour company) hence the stop. The other choice was the service station from which a number of us purchased ice creams.

Just before the border the floods meant a quick detour but luckily the roads were not too narrow. The final stop was near the old border with again no immigration check, just the rusting gates that characterized the old Iron Curtain. We changed money here at a reasonable rate. We exchanged 20 euro for 5340 forints. We had just got used to 2 zloty being about $1 and now we have to remember 1000 forint is about $8. It is easy to be a millionaire in Hungary.

Anita, the guide, is from Budapest so we were given a good overview of the city and its’ history . I lost track of the various invasions – they covered the Swedes, Turks Austrians and of course the Russians. Roman ruins go back to the 5th century and the Turkish invasion had introduced paprika, coffee and thermal baths. Buda is the posh part, on the hilly side of the Danube. Pest is flat and appears to be the more commercial side. The city is pronounced ‘Budapesh’ and we were encouraged to try the local wine, goulash, paprika dishes and strudel. No problems there.

The hotel is older and a ‘bit tired’ but seems fine. The porter was very welcoming and the reception and shop people helpful. We have internet for 6 euro for eight 15 minutes sessions and I could post cards that were written in Poland. The guidebook strongly advised not using the postal service there unless you could spare a lot of time, and our hotel in Krakow did not sell stamps.

After a provided dinner most of us went on a Danube cruise. The recent rain meant the roads by the river were flooded and some of the bridges had only recently reopened . To get to our boat we had to walk on a temporary bridge-way to one boat and then cross to another. Many boats were tied up with their gangways floating.

The illuminations on the cruise were stunning. The sort of photos our camera can take do not do them justice. It is lucky we have the new camera as the old one was basically useless. In the end we just sat and admired. There was about 5 minutes when you could see the castle, the parliament and the chain bridge in the one view. We had had a local guide but unfortunately the commentary didn’t carry outside where many of us were at. However the atmosphere was great and the excursion is one of the highlights to date. The boat could not go around Margaret Island because we could not go under the nearby bridge but it didn’t matter as we still saw so much. Many large river boats that cruise the length of the Danube were trapped because they couldn’t fit under the bridges, because of the severely swollen river.

On the way back to the hotel we had more features pointed out. Every time we got a question wrong Giovanni would do another lap of the main roundabout. In the end we did 6 laps!! We then retired to publish one blog and complete another while the air con tried to cool the room down. We can’t complain about the cold here so will have to complain about the heat!!