Bratislava

Luckily, the other guy in the train car turned out to be really friendly. From Greece, he moved to Bratislava for work as his country currently has 40% unemployment. Thank goodness I befriended him, because after we chatted for a bit, I fell asleep; had he not told me, I would have stayed on the train (which I believe was headed to Prague), rather than get off at the right stop. My host picked me up at the stop and we headed to 'Goblins' an Irish bar promoting smoking. I wasn't really comfortable there as there was no open window; that may have been the most smoky environment I've ever been in. After a while, I had to tell my host that I would wait for him outside. I love couch surfing, but at this moment (and my overall experience with my Bratislava host in general), I was really thinking the opposite. Luckily, we walked back to his place shortly after.

Because I had thought I left my camera battery in Budapest and was planning how and where I would get a replacement, I didn't leave the house until late. Luckily I ended up finding the battery at the bottom of my purse, so despite the late departure, I happily left the house on my way to a Bratislava Free Tour. With three amazing free tours in Budapest, I was hoping to get an equally awesome experience. Unfortunately, the experience was not nearly as good as the first three, but I still stayed with the group for about two hours.

We met in front of the Slovak National Theatre; hosting opera, ballet, and drama performance, it is the oldest Slovak professional theatre. We began the tour with a group photo.

Shortly after, we headed to the most photographed statue in Bratislava, Cumil. Wiki writes, "This guy, residing in the Old Town, dates back only to 1997, but Bratislavians and tourists love him. Children like to abuse him by sitting on his head. More than once has he been damaged car drivers. Heated discussions have taken place as to what actually the man is up to - you have to decide whether he is simply resting, looking up women's skirts, just cleaned the sewer..." We also passed by Grassalkovich Palace, the current residence of the President, as well as various famous churches and buildings. Unfortunately, I felt like the tour guide's explanations were lacking, and we never got close enough to the structures to take pictures.

I decided to leave and headed to the Slavin war memorial and cemetery for the fallen soviet army who fell in WWII when liberating  the city in April 1945. Although the city is not large, Slavin is situated a bit of a walk from the city center on the top of a large hill. Unable to find the exact location about half the way up, I asked two locals, who spoke absolutely no English. With some good gestures, they pointed me in the right direction; however, I overlooked the correct point that I should have turned and retreated back to the locals. Again, not understanding what they said, they directed me to their car. A bit hesitant, I was reminded of the time I was in Nagasaki trying to hike up a hill and ended up hitch hiking. They seemed harmless enough, though, and fortunately, guided me to the right path where I was able to finish the climb to the statue. Slavin was undoubtedly a sullen sight; so much death occurred during WWII. I enjoyed the overlook from the top of the mountain, then headed back to the city center.

For such a small city, Bratislava surprisingly has the seventh largest hanging bridge in the world; a distinct 'UFO' tower frames the side opposite of the center. When I was finally able to find it, I boarded a bus headed to Devin Castle. Atop a cliff at the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers, the castle gave a stunning view of the landscape; although out of the way and a bit of an inconvenience to get to, I was very glad that I decided to head this way. The castle grounds include a sprawling area of walls, gardens, courtyards, and staircases. Unfortunately the bus back to the city only runs twice an hour, so it was a bit late before I was finally able to make it to the city center around 6 PM.

The key landmark of the city, overlooking the majority of the land with views of Bratislava, Austria, and supposedly at good times Hungary, Bratislava Castle dominates the main hill in the city. Concerned that I was going to get a poor view since it was late, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a glowing castle in the light of the sunset. The view of the UFO Tower from the top of mountain was great, as well. The largest and one of the oldest churches in the city, St. Martin's Cathedral, is difficult to see from ground level as the buildings are rather short and the church was situated close to the highway. From Bratislava Castle, though, one is able to obtain a great view.

Having seen all of the main sites in one day, I headed back to my host's flat. I was frustrated as my host played a board game while I unsuccessfully searched for a train or bus to Vienna. Rather unhelpful, my host's roommates were actually the ones who aided me more. Nevertheless, I ended up finding a solution. Unfortunately, I had to stop at the same 'Goblins' bar for a mere 20 minutes with my bags before I headed to the bus. Although I really enjoyed the city and am thankful that my couch surfing host let me stay at his flat, I was not disappointed to leave his company.