During my time living in Bratislava, I tried to make as many day trips into other parts of Slovakia as I could. One of the most memorable day trips was with a friend on a train south to the Hungarian border, to the town of Komarno. It was here that I made a real snowman for the very first time in my life.

Komarno lies directly on the Hungarian border, separated from Hungary only by the Danube River. We visited before these countries joined the European Union, so border control was still strict, and as Australians needed a visa to enter Hungary at the time, I stayed on the Komarno side of the border. Which was just as well, because an important experience awaited me there.

We began the day by wandering through Komarno's main sightseeing spots. I had a look in the Danube Museum and took photos of several pretty churches, especially St Rozalie which we found on the way from the train station into the town center. Europe Place surprised me: it's a new development with buildings using very different styles of architecture, intended to showcase the differing styles from across Europe.

During the afternoon, I wandered with my friend out into a park. It was still mid-winter and although the day was very sunny, it was still cold, and most locals were obviously inside. There was quite a thick layer of fresh snow on the ground, and that gave us an idea. A friend of ours had been trying for several days to teach us how to make a snowman: remember, I'm from Western Australia, where it never snows. She'd explained that when the snow was "right", it was possible to start with a small snowball and roll it around, collecting the snow to make the ball bigger and bigger. Unfortunately, back in Bratislava, the snow hadn't been "right" and we were still waiting for the big snowman epiphany.

In Komarno, it came. We started with just a handful of snow and started rolling it across the park. As if by magic, the ball got bigger and bigger until it began to resemble a snowman's body. We did it again and got his torso, and again for his head. Then we scrambled around in the park trying to find objects to use for his arms and facial features, until finally our snowman, dubbed "Kommy", was ready. I was so proud of my first snowman, and because of this have especially fond memories of Komarno to this day.