Accomodation: Patio Hostel, Spitalksa 35, 811 08 Bratislava, advertised on web for 6.90 but they added on 10% as we hadn't booked online and also city tax so came to under a tenner in the end.
Bratislava: If you focus on the compact historic centre, you’ll see cobblestoned roads, pedestrian plazas, pastel 18th-century rococo buildings and street cafés galore. Expand your gaze and you can’t miss the institutional housing blocks and bizarre communist construction beyond. An age-old castle shares the skyline with a 1970s UFO-like bridge. And that’s Bratislava: a mix of new, old and older. All of which is worth a look. As post-EU-membership investment pours in, the whir of construction equipment in all quarters signals that Slovakia’s capital is growing. The city has a buzz to it: beautiful people wearing black flock to the newest chichi eatery as soon as it opens. Weekend nights it’d be odd if you didn’t see a gang or two of non-Slovak-speaking blokes wandering around the streets of the old town. There’s something a bit reckless about the development, though. Zoning laws are largely ignored, and an odd mix of antireform-minded parties took control of the parliament in June 2006.
Who knows what the town will be like in a few years, but for now the old centre is supremely strollable. Amble around the mazelike pedestrian alleys, stopping for a coffee – or an adult beverage or two – in cafés along the way. Hike up to the city castle (or head out to the suburbs to see Devín castle). You may want to pop into a museum if it’s raining, but otherwise the best thing to do is just to take in the different views, even as it all changes before your eyes. - from Lonely Planet.
OK so we got on a bus from Vienna at 9.30 am it only took us half and hour to get to the tube station and the bus ride was only a little over an hour - after all Vienna and Bratislava are the two closest capital cities in the world.
Arriving at Novy Most (the sight of the UFO restaurant) near the castle, it was a bit overcast but we found our intended hostel without too much trouble, by far the cheapest in Slovakia. We dumped our bags in the luggage room as check in wasn't til 1pm and wandered around the city, with some retail therapy for Rozie (of course ha ha). She headed back after we had wandered the cute cobbled streets and I strolled up to the castle which I couldn't believe was shut for several months for renovation! I did however find this amazing free photography exhibition - Filip Kulisev 'Amazing Planet' which true to form, actually was amazing! He is a travel photographer and I was blown away with some already awesome landscapes or sights that he managed to capture in a very unusual way - with heightened colour or textures or contours which often made the photos look like paintings. It re-inspired me to visit South America as that is where many of the photos were taken, Bolivia especially looks incredible.
After being at the castle, I met up with Connor (aussie we met in Lake Bled) in the main square. He was just visiting for the day from Vienna, ironically to then go to Krakow which doesn't really geographically make sense but he's staying with a friend so guess he gets the free accom. We enjoyed wandering round some more, me popping into the state opera and philharmonic but there was no shows suitable for us this evening (normally there are really cheap opera seats but the cheapest left was 17 euros and sung in German..) ending up in a slovak pub on Obchonda where I was very disciplined and only had a cappo as I was due to eat there with my sister later, and he ate one of the traditional soup in a roll which is exactly as its name suggests. Its got a great atmosphere and we sat by a wood burning stove which was gorgeous and warm after the coldness outside. I was amazed I had managed to get through the day, my sis had gone back for a sleep which is all I really felt like but didn't want to waste the only day we are here in Bratislava. I imagine in the sun it would be lovely to while away some hours in cafe shops and hanging about in the main square, but in these temperatures you really have to keep moving or perish!
I grabbed a shower hack at the hostel, and then we and 3 guys we met chatting in the common room headed out for some food, again at the Slovak pub which we got a 10% discount at for being with Patio Hostel. I didnt realise but here there are actually free washing and drying facilities! But as we did our washing at Annas we didnt have cause to use them but what a cool idea! Rozie paid 10 euro the last time she did hers.
I ate some traditional meal - Slvak pastry with slovak cheese and something I wish I remembered the name but never mind! On the way to another bar, we went past these cool steps in the path that made musical notes when you stepped - or jumped as in the case of me and my sis - on them!
I really liked Bratislava, wandering the streets again with amazing architecture and a lot of character. I could happily have stayed another day but in reality I have seen what there is to see and need to press on. We're gonna get a train to Porad tomorrow and much of the day will be taken up with travel I wish I had a good book!
Money spent: Bus 6 euros, cappo 1.33 euros, dinner and beer 5 euros in Slovak pub, beer 70 cents, accom 9.80 euros.
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