Friday 11 March 2011

ufo.

Aside from an extraterrestrial object some claim to have observed, it turns out that some UFO's have not only been sighted but have actually settled on earth. One of these unidentified flying objects that have forever left their outer-space origin and nested on earth is that found in Bratislava on top of the bridge (Novy Most - New Bridge) connecting the two sides of  the city, which are separated by the Danube river. Far from carrying little green men or extraterrestrial life, the UFO is one of the most "chique" spots the city of Bratislava has to offer. In it, one can find a restaurant, a bar and a night club amongst other things. It is also one of the tallest points (i.e. buildings) of the city. World on the street, though, is that it is extremely overpriced and definitely out of budget for an ex investment banker turned backpacker / student. I thus decided to pass on the opportunity of checking the inside of the UFO but did manage to take some cool pics.

I arrived in Bratislava at c. 6pm on Monday after a fantastic weekend in Budapest in what can only be described as a knackered state, both mentally and physically. The libertine festivities of the weekend coupled with the build-up of physical activity provoked by my 8+hour walking days for the past 3 weeks meant lead to my feeling like "crap" (sometimes, I believe, it is better to be purely blunt and honest!) for the entire day. I spent the 3-hour train ride between Budapest and Bratislava sleeping in the hope of recovering slightly and already dreaming of the good night sleep I would be getting upon my arrival in Bratislava. But, as has tended to be the case more often than not over the past few weeks, these expectations very rarely materialise... particularly when one spends the night at hostels and in shared dorm rooms. Upon arriving at the hostel and once I got to my dorm room, I met my fellow dorm mates, who happened to be from Spain. It is always funny how these introductions happen... First, one says hello. Then, one asks where the other is from and typically upon receiving a response one can adapt his or her language of communication. Nevertheless, when one is presented with a Spaniard, this 3-step introduction process tends to be shortened as from the accent displayed in a foreign tongue (here, it doesn't really matter if it is English, French or what have you) one can directly guess the nationality. "Introduction" anecdotes aside, turns out these guys (3 in total) were from Castilla La Mancha (all studying Business Administration at the University of Castilla La Mancha) and were currently studying abroad (with an Erasmus scholarship) in Targu Mures (which is in the central part of Romania). They were currently enjoying from school to travel around Eastern Europe. What was intended to be a quit night, and although starting off as such after I declined to join them for dinner, later turned out to be another 3am+ night... yet another one! We also met two other Spanish girls in the hostel who, like them, were travelling around the region from their base in Krakow, where they were also studying abroad (Did manage to get some insights from them as Krakow was meant to be one of the final stages of my trip). We left the hostel and hit an old city pub, where we enjoyed some czech beer - staropramen (which is, quite possibly, my favourite beer! http://www.staropramen.com/age_verify.php?redirect=/) and engaged in very entertaining banter. After the ice-breaker at the pub, we continued our "soiree" at the hostel bar, where I also met a Ukrainian-born American undergrad student who happened to be travelling around Eastern Europe as well. We had a most interesting conversation... It turned out that she transferred from Harvard to her current state school in North Carolina. She mentioned she most thoroughly detested the atmosphere around the school and the flair of "grandeur" that everyone seemed pleased to breathe in and out. We exchanged some very interesting thoughts and I gave her my two cents on the situation. The morning after, and post - yet gain - a very early wake-up, I set out to discover the city. Being a city of c. 400,000, I was hoping to visit the entire city in about half a day, which would also let me post at ease before catching the train to Vienna, where I was due to spend the night. Overall, the city reminded me a bit of Ljubljana - very modern, very small, a big castle overlooking the city centre and limited "activity" on the streets. A totally different vibe compared to Budapest... that's for sure. One fun fact is that from the city castle, which is one of the highest points in the city, with a minimal 180 degree perspective, one can actually see three different countries - Slovakia, Austria and Hungary - as Bratislava is a city very much on the crossroad of all these countries, both geographically and socially. One can also feel that Bratislava is a relatively "young" capital... It has only been 18 years since it became the capital of the newly-formed and independent Slovak state as until then it was part of the greater Czechoslovakia. I did manage to get to see the city in just under 4 hours, had an amazing tomato/mozzarella/pesto bagel for lunch and after hitting the hostel for a few minutes to book my hostel in Vienna, I got ready to go. I would describe my visit more as a transition between Budapest and Vienna. As with Ljubljana, the city might not be worthy of a weekend visit (rather because it is small and most can be done and seen in half a day) but I am still glad to have visited the city. As with many of these countries, it is great to finally put a "face on a name" - particularly after all the contemporary History (20th century) I have studied on Central and Eastern Europe, from the passing of the two World Wars to the Soviet "liberation" and  the wave of independence movements across the region in the 1990s, propelled by the fall of the USSR and its "empire" as a viable political construct.

Right now I am posting from Warsaw. Arrived this afternoon from Krakow where I spent just under 48 hours, visiting amongst other things the former concentration / extermination camps of Auschwitz / Birkenau... thrilling posts to come... really!

In the meantime, and as I approach the end of trip (only two days left!!!), will leave you with some pics of Bratislava. Check you later.

pv