Spraining my Ankle in Partyslava

So for most people who come to Bratislava, it's a great town to hang out in bar/cafes, smoke and act cool. Yesterday on my way back from visiting the castle I fell on a cobblestone walkway. A couple of people immediately stopped to see if I was okay. In that I was able to get up on my own and continue walking, I figured it was no big deal--a slightly scraped knee and a slightly painful ankle.

I managed to walk back to my hotel, have a vegetarian dinner at Govindas (yes the Hare Krishnas are here, too), buy a new purse since mine was starting to hit the dust and hang out in a cafe. When I was about to leave the cafe, I found I could barely walk. My ankle had swollen considerably and I began to feel worried. I told the receptionist at the hotel where I'm staying and she called an ambulance. A cool young couple picked me up. They spoke English, wrapped my ankle in an ace bangage and announced they would take me to the hospital to get an x-ray. Therein weirdness began.

No one at the hospital spoke a word of English...and it was a very communist/old world looking place. Interestingly no one was in the waiting room. After shuffling loads of papers and entering data onto computers they wheeled me into an x-ray room. X-rays were taken from several positions and then read by the doctor who announced that nothing was broken. He spoke to me in German believing that being a foreigner I would be able to understand that in that he spoke no English:) Then the med-tech began applying a very stiff cast that goes up to my knee. The doctor then told me I would have to rest it for 10 days. He then produced a vial of scary looking purple stuff and made it look like he was going to inject me with it. I pushed it away. Then I was told to sign my name on many papers and they wheeled me to the cashier who demanded immediate payment in Euros. Not having the requisite 86.44 euros, they wheeled me out to a cash machine wherein I withdrew their request. Then they called a cab driver who balked at how close my hotel was but nonetheless gave me a lift for 7 euros. Then I hobbled in, placed cans of cold beer on my leg to reduce swelling and took several ibuprofen.

This morning I feel largely pain free other than my casted leg is longer than my tennis-shoed leg. I'm off to Budapest...cast and all. Hopefully I'll remove the cast in a couple of days and replace it with an ace-bandage...and salvage the trip!