Bratislava

The train to Bratislava is in the afternoon and I arrive around 8.30pm. First thoughts, is this Manchester? There are bars everywhere and student-types and teenagers spilling out onto the streets wearing hoodies and baseball caps or sporting piercings and with shaved heads, but its Friday night so what can expect!

Mikalus doodles

The next morning I visit Bratislava castle and have a look round the exhibitions. There is a good collection of coins, an Art Noveau display of furniture, and a very interesting exhibition of Chinese costumes as a significant minority culture in Slovakia. I most enjoy the room with memorabilia relating to the Slovakian composer Mikalus Schneider Trnavsky. There are various books, photographs and clothes from his performing days but it is the cartoon drawings he made for his children of people playing instruments in the shape of letters of the alphabet and carved figurines.

Back at the hostel I meet an Australian guy, Colin, who has been to Bratislava a few times and takes me to the Slovak Pub which despite being the only place serving traditional food is also one of the least expensive. We order a dumpling dish made with goats cheese and bacon which in all fairness looks like vomit but is very tasty!

Freezin Devin!

Sunday morning I plan to visit Devin Castle which is a short 20minute bus-ride from Bratislava. I get a phone-call from Dave (dad) for a quick chat find out what I am up to and let me know he is going to Marrakesh for a few days. (Later on I wish I could swap for somewhere warmer!) Devin has the remains of a hillside castle and other fortifications which are situated at the junction of two rivers, the Danube and Morava (I think?). There are plenty of interesting spots to wander around but the wind is in the minus degrees and I have not packed an extra top so its very cold! Im thankful that I bought a hat in Prague which covers my ears, even if I do look like a raggie-doll wearing it!

In the evening I go again to the Slovak pub with Sam from Michegan who is staying in the same room and some other people he met at the hostel. Colin is there too with some friends and they play this drinking game involving tossing a cigarette packet over your drink and trying to land it on a thin edge. Anyone who fails has to take one gulp of their drink for every person before who managed to land it. Poor old Sam got stung for 11 and finished his beer and a shot glass a fierce Slovakian spirit and was a bit dazed!