That Time When Bratislava was the Game-Changer.

I arrive in Bratislava on a Monday afternoon, absolutely wrecked from 3 nights and a whopping total of 8 hours of sleep spread between them, taking an early flight from Dublin. My eyes felt like two hot coals burning in my sockets, my feet were sore (not to mention torn up from some cute new heels), and I was essentially comin' in blind, having done no research on B-lava before rollin' up. In all honesty, I was going off the recommendation of an Aussie I met in a hostel on an earlier vacation: "Bratislava is beautiful, and so cheap." Done deal.

From the moment I stepped off the plane and felt the embrace of warm, humid air--never in my life have I been so thankful for heat and humidity of any kind--Bratislava was a winner. Only good things. I found my hostel, Hostel Blues, (seriously among the best hostels I have ever stayed in, and this year, that number has sky-rocketed) without any trouble. The original plan had been to arrive and then sleep for a solid stretch, but I finished check-in circa 14:00 and saw that a free walking tour began just an hour later, and I couldn't help myself!

I made the right call, and was rewarded with the company of the adorable guide, Sonja, and a Canadian couple I befriended along the way, Sam and Mat. We took in a lot of the main sites (and funny info about the culture and the country in general, like for the Christmas meal many families buy a fresh carp, but have to keep it in the bathtub until the big night!), but these were a couple of my favorites: 

This guy is "cumil" (missing an accent on the C but I donno how to do it), which translates to "the watcher." Apparently, he's supposed to represent the typical Communist-era worker...who isn't too concerned about doing any real work. Sonja is holding a sign that says "Man at Work," if I remember correctly, which they put up after some drunk guy ran over the statue!

SMURF CHURCH!

 Unfortunately, as with most of these walking tour do-jobbies, you don't cover much ground at all. Anything I didn't get to see up-close, especially the cathedral and the castle, I explored on my own time the next day. After the walking tour that first day, the only thing accomplished was a rather robust meal of traditional Slovak fair, enjoyed with the Canadians! On the menu: a Slovak spirit made from pear that absolutely burned our insides, a couple beers, a creamy garlic soup served in bread bowls, and plates of bryndzové halušky, essentially gnocchi with sour cream and sheep's cheese, topped with bacon. 

The castle!

The river Danube, with this UFO thingy that apparently is a restaurant with a 360-degree view of the city. I didn't go up, but I did run underneath it on my final morning. Plus I just think it looks cool. 

 Bratislava certainly proved to be beautiful, and cheap, but it's so much more than that. There's really a buzzy vibe in the air; I think that everyone knows that B-lava is really in the middle of a transformation, with the inevitable end result being that it's going to explode on the international scene. Lots of international companies have already established offices there, and lots of attention is being put on encouraging business and tourism. This is all great for the Slovakian capital, but I think that for tourists, it means go NOW, before things become too discovered, too expensive.

One thing I really enjoyed in the city was how relaxed and just generally manageable it was. Much of it is still composed of the Communist-era cement block buildings, so what little remains of the charming old town is SUPER compact, but packed to the brim with pretty buildings and cute cafés and restaurants. It is so nice to stroll there. Plus, with food and drinks so cheap and so good, you can indulge yourself stopping wherever you feel like. I was lucky enough to go off the beaten path a bit to a huge outdoor beer garden, which was utterly fantastic (paid 8,80 for dinner, with a half-liter beer, and that's on the more expensive side of things over there).

The beer garden, after the sun set

My dinner: a big golden beer and a Slovakian specialty, sheep's cheese perogi with sour cream, frizzled onions, and bacon. Not exactly healthy, but certainly delish. 

I also got back on the workout wagon in B-lava, thanks to the arrival of the ever-active Heather, a Californian and fellow solo female traveller (actually, my whole 6-bed dorm was, so we called ourselves the "Independent Woman Dorm"). She let me come along on an approx. 7 mile run along the Danube to Devin Castle, just outside the city. As this blog demonstrates, I have spent the vast majority of my time this year either traveling or partying, neither of which are conducive to tip-top physical form...so the run was tough, but infinitely worth it. Below are views of the castle, the up close one being from the run, and the one from the river....taken from the river! Ready for perhaps the most exciting thing about my trip from B-lava to Wien (Vienna)? I TOOK A BOAT.

IT WAS SO DOPE. 20 euro for a 90 minute, wind-whipped journey on a high-speed hydrofoil, smiling giddily all the while. A real live boat!