A rainy day in Bratislava

The Slovakian capital was merely an hour by road from Vienna. So I thought, why not spill out into the East European territory with Dad under my sovereignty! A bus ride put us in Bratislava by 9.30 AM. A grey, rainy morning awaited us. Bratislava is a small city that can be explored in a day, and here is the list of things we did there.

1) Strolled through the historic city center

(With a slight drizzle accompanying us.)

Bratislava has a rich city center, an Altstadt in German sense. It occupies a good fraction of the city and hosts baroque buildings along cobblestone paths. Unique architecture pops out at you around every corner. The tour guide told us stories of the buildings, from the period of the Austro-Hungarian empire to the socialist regime. That is what sets these countries apart — you see signatures of all the upheaval in governance that they underwent. Slovakia also had an interesting relationship with the Czech. Know of couples who are twice divorced? From each other? Slovakia and Czech are those. They have tried hard to make it work, you see, but some relationships are just not meant to be!

2) Took in the Bratislava castle

(Which as it turns out was built in the 9th century)

The castle sits balanced on a hill and watches the affairs of the city from high above. It’s hard to miss – we see it the moment we step into the city and it beckons you with the promise of at least a great view from the elevation. I spoke with our guide and he told me that the interiors of the castle currently hosts a national museum and some transient exhibitions. I suck at coming out of any museum in less than two hours, and so we decided to not go inside the castle and rather spend the few hours we have in our hands exploring the city.

3) Tasted the traditional Slovakian Bryndzové halušky

(That one must eat when in Slovakia)

Nowadays I find myself in serious research about what to eat, especially when I go to a new place. Come to think of it I spend a lot of time in this activity even at home. It feels comforting for some reason. So when our tour guide independently corroborated my internet-findings on traditional Slovakian cuisine, there was no need for a second thought on the Halušky. The website recommended a restaurant named ‘Koliba Kamzík Zelená’ and so that’s where we headed. The tour guide warned that the dish might not be for everyone’s palate so Dad and I ordered one dish to satisfy out curiosity. As we waited for the for meal, I scoured through the menu and pondered about their language. It is completely beyond me and I felt a sense of defeat combined with awe at an imagined alternate reality where I’d have to learn this language from scratch. It is utterly different from any of the languages I already have any level of familiarity with. I am also intrigued by the relationship between and the evolution of world languages but always get overwhelmed by the topic whenever I attempt to understand it.

When an exceptionally handsome waiter brought us the dish, we realised that our worries were unnecessary – there was nothing in it that annoyed our tastebuds. The dish is basically potato gnocchi soaked in sheep cheese and burdened by bacon on top. We washed it down with Kofola, a local version of Cola but flavoured with herbs.

4) Checked out the Blue Church

(Not your typical blue but a very cute baby blue.)

All tour blogs on Bratislava mentioned this special church and as we arrived there we immediately knew what all the hype was about. There sits a baby blue church, amidst a generally dull neighbourhood. There was going to be a wedding that day and joy and laughter of a a group of friends and family enlivened the mood.

5) Strolled even more in the city

(Because, why not!)

Here is a city which you can indulge on foot. And that is exactly what we did. I particularly love doing this wherever I go. I walk with abandon, devouring sights and sounds of the ordinary and the unusual. To put it mildly, it is entertaining.

I came across a bookstore where I bought two English books – Oblamov and part II of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan quartet. In My Brilliant Friend, the first of of the series, the narrator Elena mentioned how she was reading Oblamov at her vacation, and that is how I came to know of the Russian classic. So, to me the two books are interconnected in a way. Also, I bought the two English books for a sum of 20 euros. I explained to Dad how there cannot be a bigger proof that Bratislava is cheap.

At a boho-shop, I fell in love with a pair of earrings and bought them. At an elite French cafe called Mondieu, Dad savoured his first real hot chocolate while I had a double-espresso and a bit of Oblamov.

6) Spotted the three quirky statues

(And stroked my quirky side with two of them. )

The man peeking out of the sewage is the first you’d spot. He has Bulgarian features because he was put in front of the Bulgarian cultural center. Later comes the French soldier in front of (you guessed that right) the French cultural center. See how he is really good-looking even for a statue — I couldn’t stop myself from flirting with him. Dad blessed the idea, he clicked the photograph below.

We met this sassy lady in front of the castle and I had to express solidarity with her.

6) Sailed on the Twin City Liner to Vienna.

(On the gorgeous Danube)

Our return trip on the river lasted simply an hour and half on this super-fast boat. It was already a part of the day-trip I’d booked. I found it a really interesting way to travel between two capital cities that were perched on the banks of the same giant river.

Back in Wien a little after eight, I was really glad I took a day in Slovakia. Nothing super important there, but I like going to new places not concerned about what they have to offer. And I am forecasting — perhaps this marks the beginning of my expeditions to the countries beyond Hungary.