Discovering Bratislava
So I arrived…on a train from Brno…and was instantly welcomed by a hostel rep on the train platform. Dominic from Poland asked m if maybe I might want to stay in the Orange Hostel Bratislava…and after looking at the brochure and the price I agreed…
They transported me for free from point A (train Station) to point B (hostel.) -Bonus! I rode in a taxi with a guy named Greg from France and saw the city rushing by as we chatted.
The hostel is…well…a bit industrial quality. It’s a student dorm during the year, hostel in the summer…and VERY communist era housing block year round. But hey…I gotta go in for this sort of thing when I’m in Eastern Europe, right?
Besides…there are only 5 beds to a dorm at most (as opposed to 12-14 most places I’ve been), they have a little kitchen and lounge with tons of movies (including some in the theatres now) and free internet. For about $10 a night…I’m down.
So…off to explore Bratislava…
It’s much, much prettier then I expected. The old town is full of pastel painted houses and formidable churches, plazas and cafes. It’s not exactly cheap…but still about half the price of NYC.
Speaking of NYC -they’re having their very own cow parade here. Some cute stuff, but not up to the quality of the NYC one, which it’s amazingly talented artists…especially the ones we know and love! (Hi Billy!)
Cute
…But this one was my favorite
I spent my first afternoon walking around. I saw most of the city within an hour…or most of the notable sights anyway…and called it an early night to get some sleep. (My hostel in Brno was quite loud…free lockers…from the 70’s…quite squeaky!)
Today I formed a game plan…go get some food from the supermarket, Tesco, and hit the National Gallery and a couple little museums.
It didn’t work out exactly as planned.
I got myself to Tesco…no problem. What I didn’t realize was that Tesco is 3 buildings. I walked into the Dept. store…but just to confuse me, they had some food…not much, but still. I bought a fresh roll and a bottle of diet Coke thinking…huh?
I walk out and realize almost immediately there’s another building…in I go. I see people buying cleaning supplies and spend a few minutes canvasing the first floor…and then I find a food section. They’ve got bakery goods, cheese and ready-made sandwhiches…and I’m still thinking something is wrong here.
Finally I notice that the supermarket is downstairs. At least I have the right building now. I head downstairs for some provisions.
Let me just say that shopping in Slovak with not a clue to the language is my kind of fun. Dorky but true.
Here I am looking at cheeses trying guess what the heck they are when the words mean nothing. I’m trying to smell them through airtight packaging. Then think ‘are they squishy?’….I squeeze. I still have no idea of what I have in my hand. Oh well…I got suckered by some braided cheese strings. I’ve never seen anything like it. A little package of six-string braids of cheese. I don’t care what they are because they’re so unique. (turns out to be a VERY salty type of gouda…okay.)
A cheesy photo, and a admittedly bad pun, but, well…weird cheese
I spent an hour roaming the supermarket…but it’s something I would do in the states too, so I don’t feel so bad.
Next I’m off to the Slovak National Gallery…the most confusing museum I’ve ever been to!
First, as I enter, I’m thrust into ultra modern paintings…including one of the Twin Towers blowing up, which wasn’t exactly what I wanted to see. I walk the gallery and I’m directed up the stairs and suddenly I’m in 16th Century iconographic sculptures and paintings. Huh? What just happened?
The juxtaposition goes on like this…medievil next to modern, baroque next to things little kid visitors to the museum painted…I kid you not.
I finally decide I’m done…and then I can’t get out. I’m on the ground floor and exit into a courtyard…only to realize I can’t get back to the front this way. I have to go back in, up 2 flights of stairs, through a U shaped interior hallway from one end to the other, down the stairs into the modern wing, then down 2 flights of stairs….so I can get back to the front desk where I left my bag! Huh? What?!? So strange!
Then I go to the clock museum. hahahahaha….I’m, still laughing.
I enter but I’m told I have to go across the street to the museum…despite the sign saying “CLOCK MUSEUM”. Okay…whatever.
The Good Sheppard Building which houses the Clock Museum
I cross the street and buy a ticket and see the gallery…and there’s NO clocks. Oh, and they have to turn on the lights for me! (It seems like maybe they haven’t had visitors in a week!) I look around at furniture and silver work and pottery and leave completely laughing. But at the last second the lady points cross the street, “Nother mooseum,” she says.
Back where I tried to enter the first time, I see my clocks. Mantle piece clocks, wristwatches, pocket watches, grandfather clocks, even picture clocks where the clock is just the bell tower of a painting. They’re quiet pretty…but again they have to turn on the lights so I can see them…and I’m still giggling. I can’t help it!
I finally decide I need a beer…and head to the Irish pub in town. I quickly fall into conversation with an American and a guy from Holland. The guy from Holland invites me to a football game but I decline. All day Bratislava has been full of the CRAZY rowdy fans from Serbia, who is playing Slovakia tonight. There have been a few arrests…I opt out….because it’s raining too.
I’m supposed to meet back up with these guys after the game…we’ll see though. Checkout from my hostel is 9am! Eek!
Off to find some dinner…
The crazy international crew I hung out with that night, staying up way too late! From Spain, England and other, forgotten, places.
Tags: Slovakia
LizG