After another good breakfast we left Banska Stiavnica and began the long push up out of the city. From the summit it was downhill almost all the way, our momentum carrying us up the few slight rises. A really enjoyable run that cooled us down. We reached Zarnovica an hour before our train was due, eventually boarding the 11:14. Three of the coaches had bike symbols, each with a capacity of five bikes. A train we passed at a station had two with five bikes and one coach with nine. Compare that with British trains. As for the fares, the full adult fare for the 170 km journey was 8.06 euro, but as we are over 70 our fare was 0.60 euro. Bikes cost a flat fare of 1.50 euro. The accommodation was in an open saloon with seats aligning with the windows, no panel seats, and powered by an electric locomotive.
The countryside was varied, initially along a wooded river, later through periods of undulations and flatness. We reached the capital a few minutes after the scheduled time of 13:58 and made our way to our apartment for the night. We visited the supermarket then went out again to tour the old town. It was still hot, and unpleasant walking along streets where the motor car is still untamed, the city could learn a lot from Berlin.
The old town is extensive and lively with people enjoying the street cafes, the area being pedestrianised apart from flash black diplomatic vehicles serving the embassi. We saw lots of Hells Angels with their countries emblazoned on their jackets, the US embassy were concerned about their presence. We returned to the apartment, cooked and ate, accompanied by the bottle of Slovakian Sauvignon Blanc left for us in the refrigerator.