Yesterday was my first day in Bratislava, Slovakia. I thought I first heard of this country way back when I was in Brussels-a woman I met at the beer tasting recommended I come here, as a beautiful city that isn't too touristy. Actually, she recommended Ljublana , Slovenia come to think of it.
Anyway, back when i was in Vienna-the young tourist map I was reading mentioned the distance to other cities, and Bratislava was only an hour away by train-so I figured that might be the next place to check out.
When I arrived the other nights-I got on a bus to the hostel. The bus was scary. It was only three passengers: myself, a relatively normal-looking lady, and a 60-70ish bald man who was evidentally very tired-he kept yawning very loudly (without covering his mouth). I quickly learned this place was different-old communist-style buildings and a weird-language that is somewhat like Russian.
Yesterday I went on a free walking tour at 11:00 am. There we're 64 of us in the group, so we we're split in two groups. Didn't seem like there we're too many Americans, which is good. If you remember, the day before I met a woman who lived in Davie, about 20 minutes away from me. I also mentioned I don't like to meet people from nearby-I prefer to meet people who live across the globe. For today, it turned out there we're a few other Americans in the group-one of them was from Parkland, about 20 minutes from me in another direction.
Slovakia, it turns out, actually has a pretty interesting history. It was part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire, combined with the Czech Republic, and it's own country in different eras. Up until 1989, it was a communist country under the Soviet Umbrella, hence all the communist-era block buildings. Since then, the country has been trying to propel itself economically, extending tax-free incentives to Volkswagen, Hyundai, and other car manufactures who have facilities here. There are also special customs, and foods and wines unique to Slovakia-such as honey wine (which i haven't tried), and a food dish of potatoes and sheep cheese (which is pretty good).
Bratislava, the capital is a smallish city-In Vienna, there are so many museums and sights that the choices are overwhelming. Not much chance of being overwhelmed here. A few museums and churches, a small old town, and lots of communist-style buildings. Actually, it is a perfect place to take a break from big cities. Accommodations are inexpensive (The hostel was about 16 Euros per night), dining is inexpensive (for about 10.20 Euros, I had a garlic soup-in-a-bread bowl (which was a meal in itself), the aforementioned plate of potatoes and sheep cheese, and 2 glasses of wine).
After the walking tour, I went back to the hotel, relaxed, and went for dinner I just mentioned, and took a walk to a castle overlooking the city.
