B is for Bratislava

The beautiful Old Town of Bratislava, Slovakia.

One often overlooked Eastern European city is Bratislava, which sits just over the Austria border in western Slovakia.  It is a mere 57 kilometers from Vienna, which makes it an easy destination for a day-trip from visitors to Vienna, as a short 50 minute train ride (only 9 euro) will whisk you right to the city center.  We visited Bratislava last week on our way home from Budapest, and had an absolutely delightful five hours in the city! 

"We are going where?  On what train?"  Not the easiest board to understand as we departed from Budapest, trying to connect to Bratislava.

Our day began in Budapest, as we checked out of our hotel and raced to the train station in order to catch the 9:30 am train out of the city.  It is a little nerve-racking making a connection from an Eastern European city, as the wrong train may take you deep into the old Soviet block.  I had never imagined some of the names we saw on the board, most of which consisted of 14 consecutive consonants for a possible scrabble triple word score of 5,498 points.  Luckily, we found our train (final destination Berlin) and hopped on with ten minutes to spare. 

Christie was happy we made the train on time.

And for once I was happy not to be drenched in sweat, lugging 15 extra bags onto a moving vehicle.

The Hungarian countryside near the Danube river, consisting of rolling hills, a few small towns, and the occasional ruins.  

We really had no idea about Bratislava, other than it was a big city on our way back to Vienna.  Luckily, on the train there we happened to sit near a Greek student who was studying in Bratislava.  His name was Dimitris Mylonakis, which you can guess by his name means he is 100%  Greek.  He had been living in Bratislava for the past six months, taking his pre-med courses.  Dimitris was very friendly, gave us many hints about the city, and offered to show us to the Old Town upon arrival.  That is one of the things I love about traveling - meeting great new people!  

Hanging with Dimitris outside the train station.

Upon arrival, we walked off the train and into one of the oldest, most plain train stations I had ever encountered.  The signs were old and dark, and the entire place just reeked of communism.  It just makes me sad to see a place with absolutely no creativity.  I was hoping that the rest of the city would not be like this!  Luckily, Dimitris helped us find information on our connecting train to Vienna (it only took 4 different windows and six questions), drop off our luggage, and called a cab.  It was quite the process, and we were glad we had a new friend to help.  I am seriously considering hiring a personal assistant in the future!

Heading to the Old Town in a cab, we whizzed by the President's palace.  There was a ceremony going on, complete with Vatican City style guards.

The "UFO" as it is known is one of the city's main tourist attractions.  It is a revolving restaurant that sits about 200 feet above the Danube.

Our trusty guide, happy to have helped.  Thanks Dimitris!

Our ten minute cab ride took us directly into the Old Town.  The city itself has just less than half a million people, and it is for sure the political, economic, and social center of Slovakia.  However, the most interesting parts of the city are centered around a baroque-filled Old Town that sits just off the Danube river.  (Does the Danube run through every city in this part of the world?)   

Christie in front of the grand Opera house.  Our first impression of Bratislava was that it is very clean, with an old town that almost looks like a Vegas-themed hotel.

Bratislava as a capital is home to many embassies... although the US Embassy was surprisingly (or not) the only one with a large fence around it and security.

The Austrian embassy.  Bratislava and Vienna are Europe's two closest national capitals, at less than 60 km apart, and actually parts of Bratislava border with Austria.

We quickly found our bearings and headed deeper into the old town.  I was amazed at how different it was from Budapest.  The city was a capital of the Hapsburg's Kingdom of Hungary from 1536 to 1783, and you can see this legacy everywhere.  The communist influence here was far less, and the area was very clean and modern while celebrating the brilliant architecture of its past.  I instantly equated the city to Prague (on a lesser scale), which should not surprise me as it was, like Prague, a part of Czechoslovakia.  For those of you who haven't dusted off your history books in a while, the area was captured at the end of World War II by the Soviet Red Army, and in 1948 it became part of the Eastern Bloc.  With the fall of communism, the city became the capital of the new Slovak republic and has flourished in the last 15 years with lots of foreign investment and re-development.  This means that the #1 sport in the country is now PATIO-SITTING!

Christie at one of the great patios in Old Town.

Very typical cafe scene.

A large, patio filled square in Old Town.

Interesting architecture...

... and interesting busses!  You can whiz around the Old Town in these tourist contraptions!

I have no idea what is going on here...

Don't get too far off the beaten path... the movie HOSTEL was filmed in Bratislava.

We had an amazing afternoon, eating a long lunch on a sunny patio, then walking through the historic Old Town.  I highly recommend this place as a day-trip from Vienna, or as a quick two day stop on a longer trip!

At the top of the Old Town.

Yes, we're not in Kansas anymore... 6,856 

Finally a statue I can relate to!

For more information on visiting Bratislava, you can visit the official website HERE. 

~ J. Twice