Bratislava: “It was solid.”
Hello friends, family, and readers.
We finally made it back to Budapest. Now would be a good time to grab a cup of coffee and a fresh baked pastry and settle down to read the phantasmagorical tale of our adventure to Bratislava, Slovakia.
It all began Friday morning after we completed the dreaded midterm (it wasn’t so bad, at least according to some). After a short trip back to the hotel where we indulged in some divine avocado toast, we boarded the metro line 3 to Nyugati pályaudvar.
At this point plans deviated from expected. Our train, which was scheduled to depart at 1:30 pm, was not assigned a departure gate and was followed by a red message--in Hungarian, of course. After attempting some Google Translate, we made our way over to the information desk. This involved going downstairs and then down a hallway and then upstairs and outside around a building with only one door that would actually open. Here the kind lady told us to hand over our tickets and she would fix it. We were rebooked for a train leaving two hours later. We never learned what the problem was. Perhaps it was connected to another red message which when translated informed travelers that safety equipment had failed.
Now what do we do?
Go to the mall! Here we killed some time shopping in a stationery and gift wrapping supplies store. We found some very nice pens and ribbon. Next we delighted in finding a dessert shop to eat away our woes. We tried a blueberry yogurt mousse and a chocolate and sour cherry one. Both were quite good. Finally we journeyed back into the station where we climbed aboard the train and departed Budapest.
We ended up with a car to ourselves (after a couple other people decided to move cars--not our fault as we were quiet and unobtrusive). Making use of the dwindling light, we played The Game (AKA a card game for those who don’t know it). Finally we arrived in Slovakia. Our phones did not want to connect to internet at first. Sydney’s did not for the entirety of that first night. Undaunted we continued on--we had a dinner reservation to make. We decided to invest in a ticket for the tram/bus system for the weekend. So we tried to buy a ticket at the kiosk. It did not approve of our trying to use a credit card. So we found an ATM and withdrew euros. Finally the machine was happy, or so we thought. It did not have enough change for us but we decided to pay for convenience. After some searching we discovered the tram stop and clambered aboard to validate our hard earned tickets. Three stops later we got off to walk to our hostel. Following Sonja’s map we marched down a dark alleyway and onto our hostel's uneven parking lot. Checking in was fairly painless, except we did need 10 euros in cash. (There was no warning anywhere online.) In the end they accepted US dollars. After depositing our backpacks in the spacious and cutely painted room, we ventured forth to dinner. Dinner was uneventful. We tried fried cheese, potato pancakes, and pork. In the overheard words of an another American tourist “Everything we’ve had so far has been solid.”
Although exhausted, we chose to embrace one more adventure. It resulted in us being abducted by aliens. The U.F.O. descended from the sky in a cloud of white and green light. We were whisked up into the sky, helpless to escape. We were deposited on the top of the freezing U.F.O tower but were able to admire a very nice panoramic view of Bratislava at night. After desperate pleading, the aliens let us go, and we returned to the Patio Hostel. Sydney figured out how to fix her phone (thank you Mom) and we both slept soundly.
Day one complete. Day two begins.
We started out with a very nice cinnamon roll at Blue Mondays (sound familiar Northfielders?) Then we headed off to catch a bus to Devín Castle. Turns out our map lied and we shivered in the cold for 20+ minutes waiting at the bus stop. Little did we know how much colder we were about to get. Devin castle is located at the top of a hill 10 kilometers outside of Bratislava. While the view over the Danube into Austria is breathtaking, the breath taken was quite visible due to the cold. The many stairs and a brief recess in an indoor exhibition helped keep us going.
When we left the castle we headed back to Bratislava to find lunch. We ended up at a cute place called Oli’s. The deep fried adventure continued with unexpected deep fried scrambled egg and cheese. We did not know this was the case when we ordered. It was unique, consisting of an English muffin, the fried egg and cheese patty, pickles, dill, and mayonnaise. We also drank warm coffee and tea to defrost from the chilly morning activities. Not wanting to spend more time outdoors we ventured to a quaint French dessert shop. Luckily the cashier warned us which desserts had chestnuts so Sydney did not die. The pistachio and raspberry choux and a chocolate mousse slice were delectable. Finally, we decided to engage in more educational and touristic ventures at the Primate’s Palace. Inside we went through beautifully decorated rooms filled with paintings and rich tapestries. The six tapestries depicting the Greek myth of Hero and Lysander were worth far more than the palace itself.
With a few more hours before dinner, we went to the nearby St. Martin’s cathedral. On the way over we saw a familiar face exiting a souvenir shop. It was the face of our beloved Queen Kathy. (And King Adam too.) A surprise attack was warranted. Sprinting forth we shouted, "BOO!" from behind. Kathy almost gave Sydney a hug, while Adam almost slugged Sonja. Never fear, everyone escaped intact with no black eyes. While Adam and Kathy were headed to dinner before their train, we continued on towards the cathedral. The inside was gorgeous, including a spiral staircase to nowhere in particular.
As we left, we dallied among the shops. We also saw several musicians playing the clarinet, the violin, and a unique round instrument that made a variety of noises when hit like a drum. Everyone should be serenaded (with Elvis’ “Can’t help falling in love”) while souvenir shopping. Six jars of honey later, it was time for dinner at the Koliba Kamzik. We feasted upon traditional Slovakian fare: potato gnocchi with sheep’s cheese, bacon, and chives; spelt banana lemon curd pancakes; and plum poppy seed pierogis. Sydney also tried a hot cranberry lemonade with mint. It was AMAZING!
Next we ventured to our favorite chain supermarket--Lidl. Here went a tad bit crazy in our search for Slovakian snacks. After collecting a few candy bars, we decided we had best go get a cart. Cart obtained, the shopping continued. After gathering what seemed like one of everything - and four of some things - we proceeded to checkout. Wishing to avoid the stares accompanied by buying a basket full of junk food we went to a self checkout (no problems had been had in Budapest). Alas, for Bratislava, we were just too slow and the attendant was called over numerous times. When we finished speed-scanning our goods, Sydney tried to pay. It seemed to work until the machine again summoned our attendant friend (who was probably very annoyed by us) to help. Sydney had to sign a receipt but when we tried to leave he made us repay and then threw away the signed receipt. We don’t know what we did wrong but we tried to escape as fast as possible, to no avail. Nobody’s receipts would scan to open the gate that allows one out of the Lidl. After ten attempts by ten different people we were freed. We returned to the hostel with our spoils to take stock and regroup for our final day in the city.
Day two complete. Day three begins.
It began quite early with a stop at the Blue Church before their morning mass. Afterward, we made a pit stop at another supermarket for a few more snacks we could not find previously--a bottle of Slovakian brand Coca-Cola called Kofola and some snacks for our dear Professor and classmates. They might appear at office hours sometime this week….
Next we checked out of the hostel and, carrying our stuffed backpacks and a dedicated snack bag, headed toward Bratislava castle. First, though, we had to stop for breakfast. We chose a place called Mondieu because it was supposed to have good thick hot chocolate and options mixed with coffee but all they had was white chocolate (Yuck!). Breakfast was still good though. And Sydney realized just how small the world is after all when a beautiful dog who reminded her of her beloved dog Max entered the cafe. Succumbing to the urge, she inquired of the owner what breed he was (supposedly border collie but he was double the size of one and very very mellow. He was named Hobbes while the family cat (not present) was named Calvin.) And you will never guess where the woman grew up…MISSISSIPPI!!!! (Just like Sydney.) We had a nice conversation and Sydney happily pet Hobbes.
Then we trekked through a light snow flurry up some slippery stairs to the castle. Leaving all our heavy bags with the very kind cloakroom attendant, we spent the next three hours exploring all the exhibits. We learned lots about the history of the castle, its many reconstructions, and famous owners. We saw Roman coins, learned about the fraught history of the double cross, climbed to the top of the tower, and witnessed beautiful art including the Slovak coat of arms that was reminiscent of our own Ole the lion.
The last exhibition we saw was extraordinary and truly stole the show. We entered into a room full of glass sculptures. Light deflected throughout each piece. No two angles of observation were the same. It was easily one of the most astounding works of craftsmanship we have ever seen.
Then came lunch. First, we were ecstatic to discover that the Pressburg Bajgel was open. Bajgels are very different from our American bagels. Shaped like a crescent and filled with nut paste or poppy seeds, they are a centuries-old Slovakian food. We ended up grabbing a quick slice of pizza too, for a bit more sustenance before choosing to have dessert at a bubble waffle shop. They were soooo good and filled with Nutella and fresh fruit (something both of us greatly crave). Sydney was thrilled to meet yet another dog who happily greeted us as soon as we opened the door.
When we finished eating, we headed to a tram stop to return to the train station for the return journey to Budapest. Once we arrived at the train platform we heard an announcement that our carriage was not coupled to the train. After a brief moment of panicked laughter and thought of what the heck, we decided to try to get on board anyway. We sent a few quick texts to inform Adam and Kathy of these events and they provided some reassuring guidance. Once on board, travel proceeded smoothly. In Budapest we cooked up some quick salads and more avocado toast (we need some health food after a weekend of decadent desserts) and rested up for the upcoming double math day. What a grand adventure!!!
Congratulations! You have reached the end of our tale, but our Budapest adventures continue. Check back in for updates,
Sydney and Sonja
P. S. We wanted to share our favorite quote of the trip. It was overheard at dinner with no context. Enjoy. “There’s always a woman, there’s always a chicken, and there’s always a horse playing the violin.”
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