When I was a kid, Eastern Europe was a very different place on the map. I grew up hearing names such as U.S.S.R., Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. After the Cold War ended, much of Eastern Europe dove into transition, and in 1993, after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, out popped the independent country of Slovakia. I had heard its capital, Bratislava, was a great city enriched with plenty of history, so of course it went on my list of places to see.
Getting tickets for the train from Krakow to Bratislava was a bit trickier than I had anticipated. First, surprising though it is in the digital age, even when ordering tickets online, Rail Europe requires sending a paper ticket. This was a problem because I didn’t have enough lead time to wait for snail mail or even a place to send it to. Secondly, I couldn’t purchase the tickets at a kiosk at the Krakow train station. I wanted daytime tickets with two connections, but the only option that appeared on the kiosk was an overnight train. So I had to stand in a ticket line instead, which wouldn’t have been an issue, except that most of the ticket sellers only spoke Polish, and my Polish is subpar at best. After a few attempts, I found someone who spoke enough English and could look at a screenshot on my phone to see what I wanted. It took about 35 minutes to book the ticket because it incorporated three different train lines, but I walked away with the tickets I needed to get me to Bratislava, about a six-hour journey in total. It’s always good to have a screenshot handy of exactly what you need, especially when there may be language barriers! If you are wondering why I just didn’t go for the night train, well … I wasn’t in a rush, and I actually relished the time it would give me to do some writing.
While traveling, all the transfers went smoothly, and I would do it again. My friend, Klaudius, from my Vietnam travels, lives in Bratislava but was away for the few days I was in town, so he sent me lots of recommendations to help me tackle Bratislava.
He had mentioned the UFO restaurant by the bridge, and at the time, I thought, “Huh, I highly doubt that means ‘Unidentified Flying Object.’ It must be another strange acronym.” But when I started exploring the city, I immediately knew exactly what building he was referring to, and it was definitely using the “Unidentified Flying Object” acronym. At the end of one of the bridges is a Seattle Space Needle-type tower, except the top looks exactly like a giant flying saucer/spaceship. Standing on the banks of the Danube and looking at the old Bratislava Castle in the distance, the Old Town on one side and this giant UFO on the other side, it’s a very strange divide to say the least. I tried to go to the top of the UFO building, but it must have been closed as the doors to the elevator bank were all locked up.
Continuing down the banks of the Danube, I saw plenty of cruise ships with sun decks barely in use as most ship passengers were inevitably being led around the city by giant orange umbrellas and mic’d up tour guides. I wondered, if I were to just walk on board, would anyone stop me from using the pool for a quick cool-off? I didn’t make the attempt and instead got an ice cream cone to cool down before continuing down the banks. As you keep going, you’ll see your fair share of statues. Bratislava is known as a city of statues, and one of the most famous is “Cumil,” the sewer worker emerging from a man hole, located in the Old Town. I think the actual meaning behind the statue is a little debated, and honestly, I can kind of see the peeping Tom version … but maybe that’s me just being skeptical of anyone with eyes at ground level, looking up, looking so happy - a tick on the could-be-creepy scale but otherwise a cute statue.
Speaking of cute, my Airbnb was located on the outskirts of the Old Town but right next to the “Blue Church,” another iconic piece of Bratislava. Honestly, unless a church has a great view from the top, I tend to skip over them now. Considering it feels like there is a church every quarter mile in Europe, looking at them all makes you numb. This church, however, has its own spice of life and sucks you in. It looks like a giant, pastel blue, gingerbread church. It definitely has an Antoni Gaudi of Barcelona feel to it, but it was actually designed by a Hungarian. If you can peek inside the church, which is generally not open to visitors outside of mass, you’ll see the interior is just as … blue! Even the wooden pews are light blue. It is absolutely consistent inside and out and spews out cuteness. If the color blue makes you sick, stay away or you’ll be spewing your lunch out, but don’t desecrate the church!
While exploring, I needed a cheap and quickie dinner. And since the Blue Church isn’t actually made of gingerbread and frosting, I had to make my way back toward the main square. I had eaten a couple nice dinners in Bratislava, but from a budgetary standpoint, I had to even things out a bit. So when I saw slices of pizza moving past me, I whipped my head around to figure out where they came from and followed the smell into a pizza shop. As I chowed down on the slice at a table outside, I ended up in a conversation with a couple locals, and all of us ended up moving to a wine bar for the rest of the night. The two locals had such different walks of life and a 20-year age difference. The 28-year-old was born and bred in Slovakia and was in the midst of an office love-life debacle at work. Isn’t it funny how romantic trials and tribulations truly know no bounds? Well, funny as long as it’s not you in the middle, so I was entertained. The other gentleman was born in Ireland but had lived in Bratislava for the last 10+ years and was running his own digital news source. Having some of my own background in media and news coverage, it was intriguing to hear about his political coverage, especially as an expat.
The different walks of life you meet and learn about over pizza and wine can many times be so much more rewarding than even seeing the sites … they are the icing on the cake … the blue cake!
