Bratislava

The beginning of Rachael's and my blitz through Europe got off to a rough start including a night in the Bergamo airport and a bit of traveling through the eastern bloc suburbs surrounding Bratislava. Any unease we felt disappeared as soon as we got to the Bratislava Castle. The castle sits on a hill which overlooks the beautiful old town and is skirted by the Danube River. The castle grounds have many gardens with outlooks where we could admire the sights like St. Martin's Cathedral and the New Bridge. The bridge was built by the soviets and with its kind of sci-fi styling it looks like an alien crawling across the water. We began our descent into old town by winding our way through the gardens and down the steep slopes of the castle hill.







As we walked we passed by many beautiful old buildings with Slavic flags hanging proudly but also by many dilapidated structures which were barely standing. It was an interesting feeling walking through this part of town but it was actually more upbeat than it sounds. It did not seem like a town failing but more that things were on the mend. There were nice little restaurants and brand new banks on almost every street and I just felt like it was taking some time for them to get over the economic woes left by the soviet union. What added to the sense that Slovakia was doing "A OK" was that they were recently allowed to switch over to the euro which shows the strength of their economy. And did I mention that old town is absolutely amazing!





Winding through the tiny streets full of little cafes and shops it became apparent why Bratislava is seen as a travel destination. The center was absolutely beautiful with amazing buildings stacked right next to each other. In the main square there were little stands selling all kinds of Slavic crafts and folk art. We wound our way through the narrow streets and underneath St. Michael's tower. The tower marks the edge of old town and was once the only gate over the moat that surrounded the city. From here it was just another short walk past the presidential palace and through the gardens to the train station.











While one morning was plenty of time to see all of the sites in this town I could have stayed for much longer. This is definitely a place to go for a relaxing time because there is no pressure to move on and see the next big thing. In Bratislava I would be content to just sit in the square and watch the world go by. Unfortunately time for relaxing was not on our itinerary so Rachael and I hopped on a train and headed just one hour west to our next stop, Vienna.