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Published: March 15th 2007
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Bratislava
Bratislava Castle from the Bridge of Slovak National Uprising. (June 29 through July 1, 2006)
June 29
The morning was rainy, and the ride was slow towards Bratislava. Not much could be seen through the windows of the train and the haziness of the rain. Green fields and not much else. The stops the train made were sporadic and seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Only one person would get off, and another would get on. We arrived late morning, to the Bratislava-Petrzalka train station on the south part of the city. Though the rain had let up, some fog had been left over, and not much could be seen beyond some distance. Only a handful of people got off the train, and going through customs was desolate, as even the two cops monitoring the flow of people were bored and seemed out of place with the lights over head being out.
We added another stamp to our passport, and headed into the main area of the station. People quietly talking over a coffee or a snack, and an old lady waving us in to exchange our Euros for Korunas. We later find out she gave us a hell of a deal. We meander around, trying to see
Bratislava
View of the Danube what to do next, and which part of town we were in. We didn't see any taxis, and a bus was leaving as we stepped out. Looking at the stop we didn't know which bus to take, and asking someone in our state of exhaustion and being hungover was out of the question. We decided to sweat everything out of our system and walk to the center of town.
The walk took us through playgrounds, make-shift soccer fields, and communist era apartment buildings--though some were beginning to be painted and get some life, most were still either grey or white and looked exactly like each other. We passed by coffee shops, small markets, and hair shops. Families taking walks and kids plotting their adventures. The day wasn't hot, but it was extremely humid. The walk led us to the south bank of the Danube, and we crossed the Bridge of Slovak National Uprising, below the traffic, and gave us glimpses of the castle and the city. The Danube was wide and calm, as we made our way into central Bratislava.
As we descended from the bridge, the city began to come alive, and we made a rest stop at a
Bratislava
Strolling through the old town. small restaurant next to the bridge in front of the Hotel Danube in a street reserved for pedestrians. The goat cheese dumplings with yogurt I had were delicious, and the fresh bottled water I chased them was refreshing. Over an hour later, looking at the city and the beautiful waitress whom we try to get some information about the city, we head out to find our hostel--Patio--which we had reserved in Vienna. Unfortunately the waitress doesn't know where the place is, but knows the street, so we headed out on the direction she pointed us on.
We walked east, a block north of the river, and headed to anywhere a hostel might be. We pass a Tesco, a supermarket that would be very helpful later, on Spitalska road. A few meters after walking past the Tesco, I finally spotted a small green side of a building with Patio Hostel on it. The place was under construction, and luckily we got there before the crowds because later the front desk was inundated with travelers.
The room was quaint, not small but not big. The beds on the other side weren't that comfortable. Overall I enjoyed the place, and it is in
Bratislava
Strolling through the old town. a great location. As well, when we arrived the front desk, the basement, and various floors were under construction. Pictures I have seen of the place seem to be great.
Once we got into our room we rested. Took short naps, and got refreshed. Late afternoon we headed out and walked through the old town. A nice stroll, we left the rest of the sight seeing for the next day, as we wanted to get to the Tesco before it closed. We got food for the night, and headed back to the hostel to get a restful night of sleep, and walk all day.
June 30
We left early, and headed to the Primate's Palace, free entry with student I.D. Not much to see, but worth the tour. From there we stroll around town on our way to Bratislava Castle. Though nothing spectacular, this castle always seems to appear in images I have of Europe as they flash through my memory when I think of the continent. The trek up to the castle is fun, and not long. Many cool museums up there, but we didn't go into any of them. The views that the location provide are exciting, as
Bratislava
View of the Bridge of Slovak National Uprising from Bratislava Castle you can see the old town, and then the communist era buildings. After roaming through the grounds, we head out of the castle, on the opposite side where we enter, and for the next couple of hours we walked the city. Through it's residential streets, commercial places, and everything in between. The walk was relaxing. My brother and I made it north of the train station, and decide to head in to look at the train schedule in order to leave for Budapest. We sat ourselves on a kiosk, and munched on a hot dog and some beer, while kids circle us to figure out what language we are speaking. We leave after a little bit and head towards the hostel.
On the way down, we walk through the back streets of the north bank of the river, and we run into the American guy we shared a beer with in Salzburg at the beer garden. A bit lost, trying to find his way to the Bratislava Castle, we point him in the right direction. He was there for a day adventure, and was currently on a four day stop in Vienna. After a few minutes sitting in a park
Bratislava
On the trek up to Bratislava Castle and watching teenagers mess around, we walk back to the hostel watch the Germany v. Argentina game. Great game, and Germany escaped with the win. We reserve our next hostel in Budapest, and head to see the night life of Bratislava.
We first search for a restaurant, and it takes us while to find one. We settle on one in the old town, and have a wonderful meal while we watched the Ukraine v. Italy game. After a loss from Ukraine, we search for pubs and clubs. We didn't see any, and the few places we walked into weren't happening. As well, we were still feeling tired, so we decided to call it a night, and go to bed early, and party in Budapest.
July 1
The walk to the main station was nothing compared to the one we had made from the other one. The slight uphill streets weren't that bad. The train was late, and we enjoyed the atmosphere that the station provided. It is a bit run down, and people take their time in doing everything. I finished my book I had brought with me, and sat there enjoying the place.
Bratislava was much like that--calm, beautiful,
Bratislava
Bratislava Castle enjoyable and a bit run down. We didn't get to see many of the museums or sights, but we did see lots of the city. It is small but very beautiful. Had we had more time, spending it people watching a bit more in the coffee shops with a nice tall glass of beer would have been great.
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