Bratislava was just a quick pit stop for Em and I on our way from Budapest to Vienna. We had heard good things of Bratislava and although our timeline was tight we ventured to see the capital of Slovakia for two days and one night.

It was worth that one night and more. It was an interesting city with a matrixed history involving Ancient Kingdoms, Communist Russia, Nazi Germany and the former Repulbic of Czechslovakia. As a result the city has a distinct look. There is a mass of communist concrete apartment blocks our to the east of the city centre that can be seen from the Bratislava Castle (an excellent point to get an overall view of the city) which are juxtaposed against new modern architecture mixed in amoungst with medieval castles and the like. A strange city but a worthwhile stop off point I thought.

We stayed in dorms in Bratislava to save some travel cash, wasn't worth it. We had pissed-stinky idiots in our dorm and Em didn't really love it. We also tried some traditional Slovakian cuisine which consisted mostly of a massive plate full of Sourkraut (not great either) but on the brightside they do have excellent, truly excellent, beer. Cheap too.

On the day of our departure we had some time to wander Bratislava city some more before boarding a bus to Vienna, Austria in the afternoon. We spent the day at the Bratislava Castle, unfortunately like many historical monuments in Europe, it was under heavy restorative work. However to offset this disappointment there was a Slovakian folk festival in the castles grounds which entertained Em and I for the best part of a day as we wandered amoungst the stalls selling wooden hand-crafted toys, gingerbread biscuits, classical Slovakian cuisine and nic nacs of all sorts. The Slovakian folk music was interesting but wasn't really my cup of tea.

Em and I had an enjoyable albeit brief taste of Slovakia. Now we head to Vienna for another stop over (three days, two nights) before we arrive at Em's much anticipated destination of Prague.