Border towns fascinate me, places where the political ravages of wars and time have meant that a once united town now spreads over two countries, so when I heard about Komarno in south-western Slovakia I immediately planned a day trip from Bratislava to check it out.

Komarno, along with its sister-town Komarom across the border in Hungary, is an important port along the Danube River, and it’s also not surprisingly one of the centres of ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia. That mix makes it an interesting place and definitely worth a visit, I think.

All the main sites are within a short walk of the train station and include well-preserved historical buildings like St Andrew’s Church and Klapka Square. There is also something of a surprise with Europe Square – a collection of shops and restaurants in the centre built to represent different kinds of buildings from all over Europe, with the end result that it looks a bit like a fun park!

I have particularly special memories of Komarno because I ended up there on a sunny but cold day in early winter, after a night of good snowfall, and I was able to build my first snowman (ever!) there.