Bratislava Review
Travelling is amazing, but you can get sick of constantly being on the move and seeing attractions every day, which is why Bratislava was the perfect city for four days of downtime and relaxation. I visited all of the main sites within three hours on my first day in Slovakia, but it was nice not having to rush around to see everything, and then pack up and leave.
View over Bratislava’s Old Town
When people asked how long I was going to Bratislava for and then proceeded to scoff when I told them four nights, I knew it was going to be a great city to chill out in. It is a typical Eastern European city in that it is extremely cheap, but also pretty tourist-free in winter. At one stage, I had a six-bed dorm to myself!
Bratislava Castle by day
Besides walking to and around the castle during both day and night time, I visited the old town daily and just explored the city on foot, which is relatively easy given its small size. Most of my time was spent in cafes drinking coffee and at the hostel, where I watched a few movies (The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Captain Phillips and Match Point), read the first two books in the Hunger Games trilogy, and wrote a couple of blogs, whilst also squeezing in a haircut! Tough life.
Bratislava Castle by night
The Five Senses of Bratislava
Bratislava looks like slow motion. Everyone in Bratislava seemed to be on cruise control. It was the complete opposite to other capital cities around the world where everyone is rushing around. The Slovaks were never in a hurry and seemed to be so relaxed.
Bratislava smells like bleach. I stayed at Patio Hostel and it was pretty good. Even with it being less than 50% full, the cleaners were constantly keeping the place tidy and using a fair amount of bleach!
Bratislava feels like ghost town. Yes, it is the middle of winter in Eastern Europe, but the city felt like a ghost town with only a handful of locals on the streets. Tourists were few and far between. A nice change!
Bratislava tastes like kebabs. Or Kebaps, as they spell it. A kebab was only 2.60 Euro ($4 AUD) and I made sure I had a few of them, because at those prices, it would be rude not to!
Bratislava sounds like trams. Screeching brakes, accelerating or coming to a stop, the trams that traverse Bratislava make quite a racket!
Bratislava was nice vacation from my trip, but now it’s off to Poland for me!
Country number 37 – Slovakia… Check!
