Going to Bratislava, from Budapest, was a last minute call. I went to the train station, only to find out that the ticket to Slovakia was half the price then going directly to Austria. So, as usual, I decided Bratislava was worth seeing, even if just for a day. Little did I know I would get back to it not just a second time, but a third.
The thing about booking just one night in a new city (and new country) is that you do it not predicting that things sometimes get a little out of your control, as traveling, specially alone, and for the first time, can have a lot of unpredictable moments and things will not go as you planned them. You can see where this is getting, because obviously deciding to stay just one night was not the brightest idea I ever had.
I was suppose to get an early train to Bratislava, but my hostel in Budapest turned out to be a lot of fun, with really nice people and a great free breakfast! I’ll just say that I ended up eating until my stomach couldn't take any more food, and I met a guy from Canada whom I talked for too long, and can you guess what happened? Yes, I lost my train!
No big deal, I didn’t lose any money because of it, as the train ticket was valid for any train from Budapest to Bratislava for a month. I said goodbye to the Canadian guy, who happened to have told me a lot of motivating things, like the fact that it was obvious that backpacking solo was not being easy for me, but that I should give myself more credit because I was still there, I still wanted to go all the way until my money ran out, and I didn’t give up with all the shit happening.
Then he asked me something that I had no answer to it and I found it funny. He asked me “Why are you going to Vienna?”, I don’t know was my answer, “And why are you going to Bratislava?”, I don’t know was my answer again. Once I wrote about traveling with high expectations of a place. The beauty of Bratislava and Vienna was that I didn’t have any expectations. I had no reason to go there, I had no idea what was there to see, but I was close, so I wanted to check it out.
I got out of my hostel feeling all confident and ready for Bratislava, that by the way, scared the hell out of me! I hop on my train, having an entire compartment to myself, which made me feel like a princess, living the dream and all that, and I enjoyed the view (which wasn't anything spectacular, but I still love looking outside the window on a moving train as I go to a new country, future unknown as I have no possible idea of what’s going to happen and the challenges I’m going to face there.
The moment the train announces the next stop is always terrifying to me. I always have a mix of excitement and extreme fear. I remember looking at the window as they announced Bratislava, and it was this awful looking place, and I was saying to myself “please, please, don’t let it be here!” luckily for me, it wasn’t!
I had a moment of pure relief, and by the time I got out of the train into the station and saw in huge letters “Welcome to Slovakia” I smiled for being there. I had seen this sign before in blogs from other travelers and now I was actually there, in front of it, being welcomed to Slovakia. This makes me so, so proud! Never thought, not for a second, that I would make it there!
I had a moment of pure relief, and by the time I got out of the train into the station and saw in huge letters “Welcome to Slovakia” I smiled for being there. I had seen this sign before in blogs from other travelers and now I was actually there, in front of it, being welcomed to Slovakia. This makes me so, so proud! Never thought, not for a second, that I would make it there!
I had language barriers from the very start. I couldn’t buy a freaking Kebab because the lady didn’t speak English and gestures didn’t work for me this time. But I ended up eating a hot dog, just outside the train station, for 0,70€! Yes, you read it right, seventy cents for a hot dog! I looked so confused when the lady told me the price, that for a moment I thought Slovakia was not euros after all. I made the happiest face ever when I realized the hot dog was really that price, and I though “I think I’m gonna like this place”
Bratislava’s train station is not a very attractive one. You get out and the view is not that appealing and I confess it scared me a bit, but I guess it’s the thing about fear of the unknown, and there really isn’t anything to be scared about. I never felt in danger in Bratislava and I ended up falling in love with it.
Now another stupid newbie mistake. I decided to get the directions to the hostel on my notebook. Of course, because something always goes wrong, and I lost the page, so I ended up lost in Bratislava for almost two hours, in the rain, carrying 20kg and having no idea where the hostel was, or even the name of it. So if anybody ever comes to ask me for travel advice, keep in mind I might suck at this.
Now another stupid newbie mistake. I decided to get the directions to the hostel on my notebook. Of course, because something always goes wrong, and I lost the page, so I ended up lost in Bratislava for almost two hours, in the rain, carrying 20kg and having no idea where the hostel was, or even the name of it. So if anybody ever comes to ask me for travel advice, keep in mind I might suck at this.
I was lucky enough to have chosen a hostel that was really well located, just behind the main street of the city and right outside the Old Town of Bratislava. But funny, or weird enough, the street I stayed at, had a lot of sex shops and a huge sort of sex casino, or whatever that was. Not the best impression you can have by getting to your hostel, but first impressions can be misleading, and I was very happy with my choice in the end.
I arrived exhausted at the hostel, but proud of myself for making it there. I was in Slovakia! And I couldn't really control myself because of this! I chose my bed in the dorm, I dropped my stuff, feeling incredibly tired, but ready to explore the city I had always heard about as being boring. How can anyone say this place is boring? I just don't get it.
Maybe my tastes are different then others when I'm traveling, but give me tiny roads, with old and colorful buildings full of untold stories and possibilities, and I'll be a happy girl with my camera and my notebook!
Maybe my tastes are different then others when I'm traveling, but give me tiny roads, with old and colorful buildings full of untold stories and possibilities, and I'll be a happy girl with my camera and my notebook!
By the time I hit the Old Town, I knew a few hours in Bratislava wouldn't be enough for me. I called myself so many names for just booking one night here, for listening to others telling me "Oh it's really small, you can see it in an afternoon", because I could agree that it's possible to see it in one afternoon, but not really possible to really enjoy it! I loved the fact that it's a small city, that it wasn't crowded at all because most people automatically exclude Slovakia of their itineraries out of fear, or maybe they just like to stay in the beaten path. But boy am I happy I decided to go there, that I decided to see with my own eyes if this city was as boring as I'd been hearing. And because I like to disagree, I loved Bratislava and I didn't find it boring. People love Paris, I hate it; people hate Bratislava, I love it, that's just how it works with me!
Bratislava is worth the visit, and I will tell that to anyone who asks me. It may not be a city for all tastes, but if you go without expecting a thing, and you can just enjoy the beauty of it and the small things it can offer you, it will most definitely surprise you, like it did to me. The best thing about it? It really is as cheap as they say! Even cheaper than Budapest or Prague (two cities that have their named followed by the cheap word!), with an adorable Old Town to explore, a Castle to climb for a view, good food and nice people and perfectly safe, why would you miss the chance to visit Slovakia? I just know I would have regret it, if I had chosen not to go, so I did! My only regret was booking just one night, which I later found the solution by returning to Bratislava for two more nights a week later.
My not so great moment in Bratislava will for sure be when I decided to hit the supermarket, and cook something for a change, which was for sure a terrible idea! First, I'm the worst cook you could ever meet, and second, Bratislava is so cheap, it's cheaper to eat out at a restaurant or get some street food, than to cook something at the hostel. Let's just say there were some language barriers, things I couldn't find at the supermarket, workers who didn't speak English, and my poor cooking abilities ended up with me cooking something really weird, that I also burned, and tasted disgusting, so I didn't eat at all!
Now, the amazing thing about being a girl traveling alone, is that every once in a while, you'll meet some really nice guys that will be adorable to you and almost make you feel like you're their little sister. Let's just say that me burning my food in the hostel, got some cuties to feel sorry for me, being so nice they said "It's smells really good", which is perfectly understandable as they were all pretty drunk and partying in the dorm. And they kept coming back and making fun of my disgusting looking plate with a food I can't even describe, as I have no idea what I bought at that supermarket! Still, pretty great feeling when guys come up to you and make you feel it's ok suck in the kitchen.
Now, the amazing thing about being a girl traveling alone, is that every once in a while, you'll meet some really nice guys that will be adorable to you and almost make you feel like you're their little sister. Let's just say that me burning my food in the hostel, got some cuties to feel sorry for me, being so nice they said "It's smells really good", which is perfectly understandable as they were all pretty drunk and partying in the dorm. And they kept coming back and making fun of my disgusting looking plate with a food I can't even describe, as I have no idea what I bought at that supermarket! Still, pretty great feeling when guys come up to you and make you feel it's ok suck in the kitchen.
Bratislava is more accessible than most people think, if you happen to be in Eastern Europe. People tend to do the itinerary from Budapest directly to either Vienna or Prague. The train from Budapest to Bratislava will cost you 17€ (from Budapest to Vienna is 29€), and from there you can either get the train to Vienna that's 12€ or you can get the bus that will cost you 8€, which means, doing Budapest-Bratislava-Vienna is actually cheaper than Budapest-Vienna! And in Bratislava, you can get hostels for 7€ a night, which is more than a good reason to put it on your list of places to visit in Eastern Europe, even if for just one night!