Blogs from Bratislava Region, Slovakia, Europe - page 2

After the night on the bus; leaving wet Krakow at midnight we arrived in Bratislava to sun at 7 am. Our airbnb was a short walk from the bus station and we were invited to check in before our host went out at 8.30 am, eventhough her official checkin time was 4pm. This allowed us to recover from the overnight before going out to explore. She was 60 and lived in a huge, very stylish apartment with high ceilings. We later found that she had many stories to tell and we learnt how it was for her to live here under Soviet occupation. Her brother had escaped 2 years before independence and it resulted in her father getting a demotion and losing his and the rest of the family's travel privelages that had come with his ... read more

We hunted for a bike shop to fix the wheel and found a shop not far from the old town on Odchodna but since the wheel could not be repaired here, we thought it better to buy a new wheel for €25! It can be fixed at home and our hotel agreed to hold it for us until our return in 2 weeks. It was a good warm dry day in spite of the forecasts, so we went off exploring on the bikes, to Bratislava Castle towering above the town. Beautiful building and landscaped gardens, and spectacular views of the Danube. We used Most SNP to cross the river. An exclusive pedestrian and cycling lane hung below the main bridge, means that you don’t have to compete with traffic, and can enjoy a quiet crossing, well ... read more

Neither Susan or I slept well. My legs didn’t like yesterday and cramped bad all night. Susan had back and shoulder issues. We did not want to get up but we knew we had to take the train this morning and we had to catch it. We got ready then headed down to eat breakfast in the hotel and checked out and they called us a taxi. It was only slightly more than the subway and got us there directly with no more damage to the knees. Also, on the way we got the added benefit of going thru the park and seeing the Victory Column. We arrived early, but not knowing what the traffic would be like, that was ok. We found our coke light and settled in for the wait. About 30 minutes before ... read more

Pentru un rasfat binemeritat am decis asupra acestui minunat botel, hotel pe apa sau mai exact nava/slep/vas pe apa, sa fim in comuniune cu natura, sa o simtim in adevaratul sens al cuvantului, sa ne rasfete pe valurile Dunarii alaturi de un cidru sau o bere de coacaze negre-o delicatesa nou descoperita aici la bar. Numele - Botel Dunajsky Pivovar- o noapte- pret 99 euro cu mic dejun bufet suedez. Camerele aveau numele oraselor de pe Dunare, ca doar trece prin 9 capitale, asa ca ai de unde alege, dar nu am ales noi de data aceasta. Am primit camera Bratislava, camera spatioasa, curata. Am profitat de cele doua baruri existente, cel de jos era pentru clientii din afara, cel de la etaj pentru clientii botelului.... read more

Bratislava is a jumble of elegance, style, history dating back thousands of years, and happiness, all wrapped up with welcoming friendliness that is too often missing. I came to Bratislava on a suggestion from Tim and was prepared for an interesting stopover on the way to a desired destination. After two and a half days of turning up tiny laneways, visiting majestic churches, traipsing over castle grounds that date back thousands of years, I’ve come to realise that this should be a quiet priority on any Eastern European itinerary. It may not have the high reputation bestowed upon Vienna, Prague or Budapest, but it sits proudly on the Danube and compares favourably with these cities. As you pass by stately, sometimes neglected, buildings, plaques stop you in your tracks to announce that Napoleon signed the Treaty ... read more