Stopover in Bratislava

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On our way between Budapest and Vienna, we stopped for a night in Bratislava, Slovakia. Bratislava was not necessarily at the top of our list of must-see destinations, but we figured since it was so convenient (on the way from Budapest and only an hour from Vienna), we’d stop and take a look around. We had read in the guidebook that outside of the small old town area the city was kind of grim, and we were kind of bracing ourselves for an unpleasant trip from the train station to the hostel. It wasn't really at all like we were led to believe, and some of the neighborhoods we walked around in were very pleasant and nice.

We got on the bus at the train station to go to our hostel, but hadn't realized that you needed to buy the tickets at a newsstand in the station. We figured this out with the help of some other passengers on the bus, and as we were getting back off to go buy the tickets, the bus driver chased after us and told us to get on and ride for free. Our hostel, the Downtown Backpackers Hostel, was kind of gross, but the location was good, only a few minutes from the old town. We dropped off our stuff and went for lunch at a pub recommended by our hostel, where we got hearty meals for just a few dollars and pints of Zlaty Bazant beer for about a dollar (yay). After lunch we wandered around the city for awhile, and then headed to the old town area. We visited a few sights in town and then headed up to the castle on the hill. Our timing was kind of unfortunate as it closed at 5 (not 8 like our guidebook said), and as we got there it started to rain and thunder and lightning. We quickly looked at the view over the Danube to the rows of Soviet-style apartment blocks on the other side (maybe this is what the guidebook was talking about?) and then ran back to the hostel in the rain.

We had dinner in the old town - more hearty Slovak food for Jason, but I wimped out and had a salad. Eastern European food is good, but at some point you need to eat some vegetables. But I stayed true to local culture by washing it down with a big mug of Zlaty Bazant... mmm...

This morning we got up and took a one hour train ride to Vienna. We’re hanging out at the hostel right now doing laundry and taking advantage of the fast internet to update the blog, check email, and make some travel plans. More from Vienna soon!

- Lindsay

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Photos

Beef goulash
Lindsay's lame salad is in the background