The Adventure

I’ll keep this short and compact because, like so many other destinations in this trip, I spent less time than I would have liked there. In Bratislava, especially, I spent less than enough time. After spending the morning in Budapest and needing to be back in Wien for the night, my time in the Slovakian capital was limited. I had originally planned to meet a friend, but because of seasonal illnesses, it worked out that I explored the city alone. Funnily enough, many of the places that he recommended (which I didn’t see until afterwards) ended up being places I saw in my short visit.

Luckily, I stumbled across the old city, which was where I knew I would find things I would like to see. There was also a Christmas market, which was probably the highlight for me. I really felt like I experienced the culture there: hearing people laughing and talking or singing along to music. I smelled the delicious food being prepared there as well and eventually gave in and tasted some too. Very good. I couldn’t tell you what I ate though because I don’t speak Slovak. Another thing that I saw that stood out to me was a church building that I came across with a cool tile pattern around the windows. It wasn’t as ornate as many of the gothic churches I explored, but it was different, so that was cool for me to see. I also visited the inside of another church, which was nice. Something I noted was that though I wasn’t the only tourist in there, most of the people inside the church when I visited it were using the space to pray. In the more eastern countries I visited, they seemed to have more of a tie to religion, which I found cool. Though I really enjoy the large, impressive churches everywhere, many of them seem like commercialized tourist attractions and just aren’t as authentic as this random small church in Bratislava. I guess both have an appeal for different reasons. After that, I took the train back to Wien.

Cost

In Bratislava, I spent a total of €9.50 ($14.44 CAD). This covered my Slovakian souvenir flag and the dinner in the Christmas market.

Concluding Thoughts

Slovakia is a country that I need to spend more time in. I barely feel like I can consciously say I’ve been. Bratislava is definitely a place I plan on revisiting so I can get a better grasp of the city and what it has to offer. I have also been recommended Slovakian nature as something that stands out in the country. So if I get the chance, hopefully I will be able to venture outside the European cities I have been mass-visiting and see what lies beyond the city borders.