Here’s a classic example of a story that sold off the back of a major news peg.

The news is four years old now but, at the time, it was pitch-commission-trip arranged in the space of 15 minutes.

That’s freelance life for you.

So, if it’s Wednesday, then it’s Slovakia. Here’s an extract:

Timea Tothoua [pictured above] looks thoughtful.

“All I know about the Queen is that her face is on every coin in Britain and she sits in Buckingham Palace,” says the 22-year-old student, working part time at a souvenir stall outside Bratislava’s National Theatre.

“But,” she adds, “I hope her visit will help to put Slovakia on the map. People think we don’t have cars here, we don’t have hotels. Worse still, they think we’re Slovenia.”

Read the full story, A Royal Welcome.

Did you also find Bratislava a bit dull? Should I head back to the High Tatras in search of a new angle?

Post your comments below.