BRATISLAVA - CHARMING CAPITAL CITY OF SLOVAKIA

Day 2 of my first solo European trip, which could be called as a city/country hoping experience, put me in the capital city of Slovakia, Bratislava. After an exciting day 1 in Olomouc, I took a České dráhy train from Olomouc to Bratislava. This was my first cross-country train experience in Europe. The trains, contrary to what I'd read on internet, were in great shape. The journey was 3 hours long, with a change of train at Břeclav.

Hostel Brickyard

Since it was a Memorial Day in Slovakia on November 1st, just like in Poland and many other European countries, there was just one host confirmation in Bratislava, who had to unfortunately cancel as well, due to some family emergency. So, I had to find a Hostel or hotel when I reached Bratislava at around 11 PM. Thankfully, I found a bed at Hostel Brickyard, which is just few meters away from the Bratislava Main Train Station (Bratislava Hl. St.). I stayed at a 8-sharing room, where 6 out of 8 were Chinese people. So, no conversation at all.

The Grassalkovich Palace

The next morning, I started early from the Hostel, to explore the city. My first stop was Grassalkovich Palace, or the White House of Slovakia, if I may. It is, after all, the official seat of the President of Slovakia. Behind the palace is the most popular park of Bratislava with old trees and lawns. Originally created as a French garden, this park offers a quite space, away from all the bustle of the city that I was going to experience after.

Michael's Gate

After this, I proceeded towards the city center, where most of the city's sightseeing options are scattered. It all starts from the Michael’s Gate. The last standing Gate in Bratislava, this is the entry to the Old Town. So, you'll surely pass it, even if you don't want to. The street in front of you is always busy with people. It is charming – with colorful buildings, small shops and cafes.

Old Town Center

As I crossed the initial set of cafes, I reached the main square of the Old Town. The square has a Holy Column, with the Town Hall, as in most historical cities of Europe. The space was bustling with tourists from around the world. Some even enjoying the Segway tour. The Old Town Hall houses the oldest museum of the city.

St. George's Fountain Statue

Next up was the Primate’s Palace, one of the most beautiful buildings in Bratislava with pale pink exterior. Built in the 18th century, the Palace offers large oil portraits of Habsburg royalty, sparkling crystal chandeliers and tapestries. There is also the house of mirrors and the fountain statue of St. George in the courtyard. The palace serves as the seat of the Mayor of Bratislava.

Man at Work

As, I was making my way towards the St Martin’s Cathedral, I saw a crowd surrounding something. Turns out, it was Čumil. It is a bronze statue of a sewer worker peeping out of the manhole. This is a unique sculptor that I have ever come across. It was installed in 1997 as part of an effort to spice up the look and feel of the area which was traditionally marked with drab Communist-era architecture and decoration.

St. Martin's Cathedral

To reach the magnificent St Martin’s Cathedral, I took the narrowest street of Bratislava – Baštová Street – which is next to Michael’s Tower, and went through the Kapitulská Street which turned out to be a wonderful walk along the colorful old buildings. Passing through a small winery, I arrived at the back of the Church. Its 85 m high spire dominates Old Town’s skyline. It has the traditional crucifix shape. The windows under the church’s tower were adjusted to make the impression of original Gothic windows.

Leaving the old town, I started towards the Bratislava Castle, for which, we have to cross under the Most SNP (Bridge of Slovak National Uprising). The bridge over the Danube river has an open-air observation deck on top of its UFO-shaped cupola. This bridge is also the seventh largest hanging bridge in the world.

Most SNP as viewed on the way to Bratislava Castle

Bratislava Castle

Bratislava Castle sits on the hill above the Old Town and Danube river. Since I prefer to walk, rather than use public transport, as I can see a lot more that way, I walked through the narrow old streets, rather than the main street. After climbing up for a few minutes, I finally reached the Castle, which is surrounded by lush green lawns. The area in front of the Castle carries a name “Yard of Honor”. It is bordered by two triumphal gates and guard houses of the imperial guard. The panoramic views you get from here are just amazing. A Museum of history is located inside the castle with many paintings, arts, sculptors and crafts on show.

At the castle, I met two fellow couchsurfers from Belgium, whom I had contacted through the app before coming to Bratislava. We decided to go out for lunch. And so we made our way back to the Old Town and had a great lunch at one of the restaurants near Michael's Gate. While having lunch, we three discussed about our travelling experiences and the culture difference between Europe and India in general.

Hostle Blues

After lunch, we just strolled around the old town for some time and then lazed out at the Hostel where the Belgians were staying - Hostel Blues. There we played a round of "man don't worry" (equivalent of Ludo in Europe) and "Uno", just relaxing before we head to the Bus terminal for our respective buses to Budapest. The Belgians made a wrong calculation of time in hand, and had to book a cab to reach the bus terminal. And they asked me to join as well, as I too had a bus, but couple hours later than theirs. All the rush seemed useless as we learnt that both our buses were late by an hour, each. And so we spent some more time at the bus terminal, just discussing about various experiences, having a Brazilian, who is residing in Portugal now a days, joining us. Finally, as the bus, on which the Belgians and the Brazilian were to board, arrived and so we parted our ways, and decided to meet in Budapest.

Slovak National Theater

As they were gone, and I had couple hours to kill, I decided to visit the Slovak National Theater. Not too far, yet at the city center, this beautiful building of a Neo-Renaissance design is a great spot for walking around or just sitting and reading a book, while acknowledging the charm of it.

After this short visit, I decided to go back to the bus terminal, where I found out that the bus was late by another 30 minutes. After, a total delay of one and half hour, the bus finally arrived and my day in the charming city of Bratislava came to an end. Two days of unforgettable experience and two more days remaining. I was feeling highly enthusiastic, as there were more, like-minded couchsurfers, awaiting me in Budapest. And this is why I enjoy couchsurfing. You always meet some really interesting individuals through it.