From Bratislava to Wien

Got up at 8.30am today. Bread that bought from Brno yesterday taste cold and yucky. Did not even finish even half of it. Sky is completely overcast and looks like it is just a matter of time before the rain falls. The taste of the free coffee from the hostel taste equally bad and decided it is best to head into the Old Town to get some proper breakfast.

I read about the blue church which is very popular with couples who are getting married and will hold their weddings there. It looks fairy-like and you can understand why they want to hold their biggest day in their lives in such a special place. Walked to the National museum and paid €7 to view the exhibits - was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Slovakia has actually adopted the Euros, saves me the trouble of exchanging another country currency although the rates are really bad at the moment! I was attracted to the photography exhibition which was very similar to the John Novis one that was happening in Prague, but this was more focused on Pavel Bem who reached the summit of Mount Everest, and also the cultures and people of Tibet, India and Nepal along the way. This is the 2nd photography exhibition that I have attended for the trip but both of them are so inspiring and just makes me want to start climbing as well.

Headed to a local eating place called U Jabuku off NAM SP 24 for lunch, recommended by LP. It turned out to be just perfect for people like me who doesn't understand a single word of Slovakian words as you can just choose what you want from the food display in front of you, much like a self-service cafeteria concept. I pointed to some rice that seems to be fried with some meat and vegetables. Gesticulated at nicely fried eggs on a separate plate to add to my mixture before the lady behind the counter added gherkins and asked if I wanted the soup as well, which I just couldn't refuse. You can see why there are so many working class folks coming here when I ended up paying only €3.90 at the counter. Turned out that it was rather nice too, would definitely recommend to anyone who needs a cheap and cheerful meal.

Strolled my way back into the Old Town again (this is probably my 3rd time going round some of the sights) and popped in a few galleries along the way before stopping by the chain Coffee & Co for a kava. Convenient to find out that it has free Wifi too which I used it to confirm the timings for the train to Wien. Headed back to the hostel to collect my bags shortly after and made my way for the 4.33pm train. Gave €2 to a little gal who came up the bus with 2 other older girls playing some musical instruments even though I know that she will probably not get to have the money for herself, or worse, they might be using it to buy alcohol or drugs...

As Wien and Bratislava are only 60km apart (they are the world's closest capitals), there is a train leaving every half an hour, but alternating between 2 train stations. Was advised to head to the Petrzalka station instead of Hlava Stanica as the trains in the former are newer and they cost the same anyway. Paid €0.50 (the price is based on how long your journey is, minimum is €0.25 for 5min ride) for a bus across to the south side of Danube River. At the counter, the lady quoted me €9.20 for a single ticket to Wien and €10 for a return! They really take advantage of travellers like me with such pricing although you could try to get a return and sell it for half price to someone on arrival for the return leg!

The train seems to stop at every place where there happen to be a house standing beside the track as it slowly rolled along the flat plains. Wind farms can be seen as far out to the horizon but nothing much else. The only indication that I have passed the borders was when 2 guards strolled down the train alley, took a look at me, and continued their conversation in German as if I wasn't there. After 6 countries, I have only got a stamp on my passport, on arrival in Riga 2 weeks back to show, which is a personal disappointment. I wonder how do they manage the flow of humans with such open border policies. Anyone can just come in and stay for years and not be noticed at all.

The train was new and comfy as described and only had a few souls taking the journey to the Austrian capital at that time. After 1 hour, we rolled into Sudbahnhof station in Vienna. Got onto tram 18 and headed in the direction of Westbahnhof station to Hostel Ruthensteiner. Single trip tickets for all public transport costs €1.70 and you will be better off with a one/two/three days passes for much better value. Checked into the hostel in no time and first impressions were quite positive as the whole place seem to have just been renovated recently and it is still working on a new garden in time for the spring/summer crowd, probably to have big barbecues! The staff over the counter is especially friendly too and directed me to some places to visit in the night. Only downside - price. So far, it is still the most expensive hostel that I have stayed in so far in my trip - cost €14/night and there are additionals like €1 for the bedsheet, internet terminals, etc. Found out in the end that the whole city is expensive, so this is no difference. Was however told by the staff that the tap water was probably better than evian as it comes directly from the mountains, hmmm...I wonder if I should believe him about the quality but drinkable is all that I need to know.

Spent couple of hours taking in the night sights of the Parliament building, Rathaus (City Hall) and the Votiv Church through my camera before my stomach to 'complain' by 10pm. Stopped by Steirische Jagastub'n behind the city hall as It looked like a really nice and cosy restaurant, and was eager to try out some Austrian food. The elderly woman who was taking my orders was really nice and I ended up ordering a Gulaschsuppe as starter and Reindlfleisch as main, plus half a litre of Gossen beer, whom she said will go well with the food. Meal was really nice but I think I had too much and was struggling to walk back to the hostel in the cold night. Paid €20 for all, which is fairly expensive in my opinion.

My Garmin watch indicated that I have walked 15 km for the entire day and my body was really feeling the strain of carrying 10kg bag all the while by the time I got back to the hostel. After a nice hot power shower (it was really powerful, another plus point), had a brief chat with the Kiwi dude sleeping beneath me who was complaining about the most expensive Burger King meal he ever had in his life, €8 for a meal!!! It happened that he used to be working in London too before and is also doing some last minute travelling in Europe before heading back down under. At least his trip is nicely covered off by his redundancy package. Seems like the exodus from the capital is not only limited to the Polish...

Link to all pictures of Slovakia and Austria.

Finish with Brno, crossing into Slovakia

Woke up at 7am and made it to catch the 8am bus to Brno. Paid 200 Kc (ouch!) for the two and half hour bus journey through small villages and stretches of beech and spruce forest. The bus stopped into front of Grand Hotel, a mini bus interchange secondary to the main bus station just south of another huge Tesco (that's how the locals recognise it by). I stopped by the train station looking to drop off my 15 kg backpack but decided to carry it around instead to avoid withdrawing more Crowns.

Brno is the 2nd most populated town after Prague, just under 400,000 in total and the town center clearly reflects it. Centered around the old town, it is a mix of cobbled walkways with brand new shops catering to the more affluent crowd. Wanted to visit the Capuchin Monastery only to find out the it is again closed for Mondays! The Pamassus Fountain has interesting figurines of Hercules restraining the 3-headed Cerberus, watchdog of the underworld, as well as 3 female figures representing the ancient Persia, Babylon and Greece with a lady standing proudly at the top representing Europe. There is a nice local fruit and veg market which I duly refilled my 5-fruits a day recommendation :) Apparently, live carps used to be sold from the fountain during the good old times!

The Cathedral of St Peter and Paul stands menacingly from the top of the nearby elevation and is worth strolling up for a view of the interior. Head towards the main square, Nam Svobody, and try to find the stone figure of a man bearing his buttocks in the direction of the Church of St James. I gave up after 10 minutes, see if you do better than me. After lunch (a McChicken meal this time round, and NO, I am not proud of it), decided to burn some extra calories by climbing up to highest point in the city center, where Spilberk Castle stands, around 150m high. After much panting and first sight of sweat beads, I was rewarded with a good view of the city, not great, but still a good workout.

Heading back into Nam Svobody, I found a sporting shop that was having a sales and got a pair of Merrell trekking shoes to replace my aging running shoes that I was doubling up for my travels. It is almost a must to get one that has Gore-Tex label on it regardless of the brand, or other equivalent technologies to keep the feel dry. A pair of merino wool socks will complement it nicely to draw the sweat away and keep the feet fresh from everyday walking. The shoes cost 1900 Kc, about £65 or thereabouts, which is reasonable since the original price was 2300 Kc. Tried to recycle my old shoes in a clothes bank but could not find anyone to understand what I was babbling about.

After another short caffeine refuel at the modern gallerie shopping complex in front of the main bus station, I again had to run to catch the bus with almost 30kg of load. Paid 150 Kc (about £6) for a local bus to Bratislava - it is worth again to check with the various bus providers for the best quotes; Student Agency is based in Brno and offers a much newer coach for an equivalent price if you are a student or under 26. The driver asked for additional 20 Kr when he saw my massive backpack and had to resort to paying him EUR1 instead as I have used up most of my Czech crowns. Reluctantly handed him the coin so that I can continue my journey.

Within 30min of leaving the station, the bus had crossed an empty border station and I am officially in Slovakia. The landscape remained pretty much the same and was generally flat and cultivated lands along the way before the capital came within sight. After an hour and half, the bus rolled into the main bus station beside a massive and unique looking glass tower that seems house BMW offices.

As night fell, I arrived at Hostel Possonium after 20 min walk which I had booked a night for €9.90 in a 8 bed dorm. "As the hostel is not full, would you mind if we upgrade you to a 6 bed dorm instead", the lady at the reception asked as she recorded the details from my passport. "I'm definitely not complaining", I replied with a smile. Dropped my bag and headed out straight to the old Town, which was just 10 minutes walk from the hostel.

If Brno was small, Bratislava is TINY! I literally covered the entire old town in an hour and half, stopping to take some pictures along the way. But I like it this way, the cobbled streets are really nice, with the dim yellow lamps covering the stone walls and the hardly any tourists! Made my way to the restaurant recommended by the receptionist, but instead of having bryndzove halusky, which was potato wrapped with sheep cheese, i went for a more traditional broccoli pasta/lasagna instead. I did order the recommended drink 'Silvovica' which turned out to be some brandy which was REALLLLLY strong and I was almost knocked out after! But you have to try what the locals do right? :) Found out later on the internet that it was actually some plum brandy.

Headed back to the hostel after and it is the first time that the hostel is so empty since I started my travel. Met my dorm mates who were from Italy studying in Berlin and chatted with them briefly. Found out that they were also going to Wien tomorrow but leaving in the morning. Maybe we might bump into each other!

Link to all photos taken in Slovakia.