Slovakia
The country officially came into existence on New Year’s Day 1993 after the amicable split of Czechoslovakia.
In July 1992, Slovakia had declared itself a sovereign state and began negotiations with the Czech Republic to disband the country. Independence Day is celebrated on 17th July, the date of the earlier declaration.
Vienna is actually the closest major city to its capital Bratislava and in 2019 Mrs Wilbur and I visited on a day trip from the Austrian capital.
We took a fast train in, and left by a slower route by boat along the Danube.
Ukraine
I visited the sadly war torn country in 2011. I undertook my longest ever train journey from Sevastopol to Lvov – a trip of 23 hours.
Lvov is close to the Polish border and many Ukrainians who have fled the conflict have passed through the beautiful city.
