Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum ..... It may be just 15 kilometers from the center of downtown Bratislava, but it felt a whole lot farther on the bus ride. That journey passed the "burbs" of Bratislava and continued on to farmland. The eventual destination was the museum located on a peninsula that jutted into the mighty Danube River, and the river was huge at this point!

One of my favorite moments of this experience was communicating with someone who spoke no English. The bus driver who dropped us off at the museum didn't speak one word that I understood. However, he was so incredibly helpful. He wrote down the times of the return bus schedule so getting back would not be a problem. Then, he got out of the bus to show where the bus stop for the return trip was located. Without one word of English, he could not have been any more helpful. It was a highlight of my day.

My traveling companion was happy to come to the modern art gallery with me instead of her husband. She knew he'd say much of the work looked like a ten year old did it. She expected more from me.

She didn't get it.

I was horrified to see that a Belgian "artist" whose exhibition I visited (and hated) in Brussels also had a piece at this museum. Okay, if you want to look at his work, I hope you have the same opinion of Pierre Alechinsky as I do.

My friend was so disappointed in me. She said I didn't deserve caffeine at the café. But, the rest of the day was so bitter cold. The museum had a park as well as the interior exhibition. That park would have to be reserved for a beautiful summer day. It could not be faced on this trip. Instead, we watched the sun go down from the warm interior of a glass-lined café, Yes, I found yet one more cappuccino.

The return to the old town gave us quite a sense of accomplishment. With our trusty little maps in hand, as well as the help from a few Slovakians along the way, we managed to successfully find our way out of town and back. In two days, we'd mastered our way around Bratislava. It was such a better feeling than arriving at the airport and really having no clue how to get anywhere.