http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Slovakia en-us Tue, 01 Dec 09 17:09:10 +0000 Tue, 01 Dec 09 17:09:10 +0000 I have created a page about Slovakia how do you like it Slovakia2u.com many thanks for your feedback http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/blog-454689.html Instead of stopping in Vienna again we decided to go to Bratislava and see the capital of Slovakia which is just 60km north of Vienna. Once again we didn't have much time but we did take a few pictures and walked around the Old Town. Even though it's quite close to Austria and Hungary you can see and feel the difference in architecture culture food and people. The Old Town is beautiful fu http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/Bratislava/Old-Town/blog-452734.html we got in bratislava and we were trying to figure out which ticket to buy from the airport till the train station. they have tickets that are valid for 15min 30min and so on. so if youre in a traffic jam and you have a 15min ticket and an officer appear basically youre in trouble. but the good thing is they are very cheap..like 050euros. we met our hosts dominika and brano at the train station http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/Bratislava/blog-452068.html All Saints Day in Slovakia as well as many other Slavic countries is a highly celebrated holy day. Throughout the entire weekend Slovak families travel across the country to visit cemeteries where their deceased family members are located. Cemeteries overflow with flowers and thousands and thousands of candles are lit and placed on the graves. Families take time to meet together and take car http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Kosice-Region/blog-450253.html I didn have much to write about yesterday. Spent the day in Vienna but not really doing anything worth writing about. It was so cold so grey so gloomy so crowded so everything. Humbug.Today was much better. I had to be at the boat dock on the Danube Canal by 8 so was up early. Luckily it is just a few blocks from my hotel. I have to say that I really did a great job picking the hotels http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/Bratislava/blog-446147.html So after just a few weeks I'm heading back to Bratislava. It will probably only be for a few days and because I don't know exactly what to expect I've decided to travel early so I can be raedy bright and early on Monday morning. Plus it gives me a chance to get there by a slightly different route and take a quick look at Vienna along the way. I noticed last time that there are three ways to get http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/blog-441834.html For the first 8000 kilometers of our journey we had few choices of routes in that over most of the Eurasian Steppe there are few roads connecting any two places. We would pick our next destination and ride there on the only route we could find. Sometimes this meant small remote tracks where we were excited to see another car horse anything that could confirm our choice at the last intersecti http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/blog-441482.html Sunday August 23rdOne night in Slovakia after a border incidentWe have slept well despite our afternoon in the most horrendous place in history.It rained overnight and the air is clear and feels quite cool after days in the 30rsquos.Our destination today provides us with a stop before we get to Vienna and means we donrsquot have to travel too far in one day giving time to take in the countrysi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/blog-431398.html After finishing my class in Poland I headed back to Slovakia. Sylvia and her family came to Lublin to pick me up. After one day back in Roznava Sylvia and I headed to Presov Slovakia so I could attend a research conference on religious geography in Europe. The conference went well and on the third day we had a small group tour of some of the most important religious architecture in Northea http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Presov-Region/Presov/blog-430031.html MondayToday we met at half 8 to catch the train to Bratislava Slovakia. We caught the tram to the station and then got on the train. The journey took about an hour and was fairly scenic. When we got there George showed us where to go in the old town before he had to head back to Vienna. We headed up to the castle first. It was under rennovation but we walked around the outside and it gave us grea http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/Bratislava/Old-Town/blog-429789.html Talk to Frank. It's easy If you take a break from your refreshments in the Old Town of Bratislava I won the World Cup Frank was found aimlessly wandering the streets as part of his prematch warm up routine. Chelsea were in town to play Slovan in the old European Cup Winners Cup and as accommodation of a 5 star nature was a bit tricky to locate back in 1997 the team were based right in the he http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/Bratislava/blog-428118.html Squeezing my backpack through the aisle. I noticed these Irish girls from the previous night. ldquoOh nordquo I thought but it was too late I was spotted and invited to sit down. Luckily the train ride was only from Bratislava to Vienna a little under an hour. This train ride was just one reason why seeing Europe through drunken eyes is the only way.I arrived in the Slovakian capital after a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/Bratislava/blog-426404.html I know that some of you are waiting the entry of my first meeting with Ma'ri's family. You'll have to be a little more patient as this will be my next entry for the blog. Our base for these few days is in Hejce in the NorthEast part of Hungary where Ma'ri's parents live. The village is only 30 km from Kosice. I've already been to Prague but never set a foot in Slovakia. So we decided to spend a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Kosice-Region/Kosice/blog-426326.html A long day trip from Vienna to Ljubljana in Slovenia was the next step with a side trip to Bratislava which is situated below the Carpathian Mountains and is the capital of Slovakia. Highlights of the old town tour were the Mirbach Palace where I happened upon an interesting art show as I was looking for a bathroom. From the castle which is being renovated 9as is most of this part of the countr http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/blog-426219.html DAY112Today we are traveling by train to Bratislava Slovakia. The ride was about 3 hours. Not a long ride and we arrive by midday. In the train station we talk with the information women but not any real help with accommodations and then there are some young women at a hostel information booth and we talk with them about the several hostel here in town. The one that we preferred did not have http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/Bratislava/Old-Town/blog-425565.html Today we woke up rather late considering the times we had been up in the post couple days... got done and showered etc and left the hostel to go to the station to find out if we could upgrade our train to Athens in a few days... unfortunately for us they only have 2nd class on the train 61516 So after some back on forth we decided to go back to the hostel chill a little and then go and see the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/blog-423815.html Bratislava really doesn't seem to like me much.I write this from an internet caf on the way back from Budapest. I had a really cool time went there last night for a club night at a boat on the danube which a friend of mine was putting on with some other guys. While it lasted it was good however we were caught by an absolutely ferocious windstorm which proved having the club on the boat too dang http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/Bratislava/blog-421706.html Slept in a bit this morning all the way until 8am The noise from the street was a little much so I got up showered hogged the double shower bathroom and got ready. I took my time eating breakfast surfing the net and then around 1030 I decided to check out and leave my packed bags at the hostel so I could go to the Jewish Synagogue and do some souvenir shopping. Walked to the Jewish http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/Bratislava/blog-421198.html I traveled by train to Zakopane from Krakow a mere 3 12 hours to go 120 km. Let me know if you cannot read this blog entry because I am using a Slovak keyboard and I have to use some letters in the wrong locations. I arrived in Zakopane in the Tatras region of the Polish side of the Tatra Mountains. Lonely Planet says that no one stays in hotels because there are some many private rooms avail http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Presov-Region/High-Tatras/blog-421063.html This entry may seem somewhat less like travel writing than my usual and and will have no pictures as I'm not sure whether writing about this should be considered travel blogging or just generally raising awareness of a certain experience which I've had more than once in my life and had again on our last night in Slovakia which we spent in the capital city Bratislava. Short and to the point we http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Bratislava-Region/Bratislava/blog-420061.html