Day 8: Vienna to Budapest (via Bratislava- Slovakia)

 one of my favourite places so far has been Bratislava. This amazing little city knocked me off my feet. I expected nothing and was so astonished to by the 2 hours i had spent there that i felt truly revived after a little dissapointing visit to Vienna. The city is well known for its statues, but it was the other things that really surprised me.

 There are many stories surrounding these two staues but the ones im choosing to believe are this: The man with the top hat was a very poor and presumed mentaly ill. However, every day he would walk the streets bowing to women and saying hello to everyone he met. It said that he was so loved by all the towns people that his death was devestating and after missing him everyday, a statue was erected in his honour :)


 The statue of the man in the manhole is said to a) bring good luck and grant a wish should you rub his head and b) to be constantly watching up womens skirts and causing mischeif... i like the latter. Lets leave the feel good stuff to my gentlemen friend with the top hat!


 I had no plan whilst here in Bratislava and found myself wandering amongst all the statues and alley ways with the boys. We were all starving and took a chance with a random eatery that was house in an old war bunker beneath the cobblestone streets.

 Art on the walls of the alleyway that lead to the resturaunt

Chances like this can make or break a few days on a trip. Be it food poisioning of the greatest food you had ever had in your life. luckily for us. It was the latter. I was so refreshed by the waiters fluent english and pleasent manner (having come straight from the grouches in vienna) and the rustic old style of the bunker was like being in a brick lodge complete with a comforting wet dog smell haha.

 The interior of the bunker, rustic, dim and full of charm!

We laughed and enjoyed ourselves and shared the food all round. The portion sizes were as big as the food was delicious. I left wanting to hug the owner, the chef, the waiter and the landlord i was that impressed by everything.

 CHECK OUT THE PORTION SIZE AND FOR 13 EURO!

It was after lunch that i separated from the boys and went my own way, wandering thr cobblestone streets and smiling to myself when i came across a painted window shutter that absolutely drew my attention.

 Cobblestone streets of bratislava

Upon further inspection i found the window belonged to an artsy shop....AND WHAT A SHOP. it was like Bratislava had known i would one day be born and took all its effort to place a good feed and all my favourite things in one shop so i should find them. i bought so much and had the shopkeeper translate to the owner how fantastic i thought her shop and her home made products. I left with a pet rock, a new wallet, a new beret and another handmade flying elephant. i dawdled my whole way to the bus (except for the last part where i ran like a scared school kid not wanting to be left behind).

 The windows that drew me in. And the products that screamed my name and forced my hand into my wallet haha. what a truly fantastic place this was. and all homemade. no support for the sweatshops this time!

When on our way to Budapest i regained all my enthusiastic tales to the other people on the bus. Some were just as enthusiastic as i was and we swapped tales about different shops and resturaunts and others had sat in mcdonalds wishing the time away... if only they could have seen my Bratislava haha.

day 7: Vienna

im going to write about my experiences here a little differently because of all the places i visited on this trip, Vienna was unfortunately the one that dissapointed me the most. through no fault of the city's own but more on my own part of being travel weary and very, very cold.
The thing i liked most about Vienna was the not so touristy attractions. Such as the beautiful iceskating rink infront of the Rathaus, getting lost in the tumble of bookshops searching for a book about travelling the world for free, the dissapointing Motzart museum which led to the discovery of a fantastic fancy dress shop and ofcourse the ridiculous costumes in the opera/concerto/ballet in the Schonbruun palace.

 Skating infront of the Rathuas; The view from Motzart's old drawing room; Motzarts Death Mask and me at the opera in the Schobruun Palace.

I loved the gothic architecture and the strangely juxtposed greek eqscue temples that housed works of arts and parlimentary buildings.
 

Austrian Parliment house with Athena the goddess of wisdom decked out in war armous representing wisdom and peace before war and St. Stephens cathedral in the city centre. a very macarbe sight amongst the modern district but truly beautiful!

I was fascinated by the roman ruins found just outside the spanish riding school building on the Michaelerplatz and the knowledge that once upon a time. The vienese monarchy ruled most of what we know europe to be today.

 Roman ruins :)

I had a giant problem with the hospitality staff here. And on many occasion was so astonished at their rudeness that after a scathing gaze and cheeky word i left in a bewildered state of rage. I remember the kindness of a taxi driver who tried to practise his english and was so greatful for his ten euro tip. he looked like he needed it. even if it was only to rot himself with cigarrettes. I remember going off into one of my melancholoy periods of doubt and going my own way about the town wondering what the hell i was doing in europe anyway and how was i going to live through the winter and have money to travel etc etc. fortunately i didnt have any paper on me at that point. so my silly overthinking was not recorded for the waste of a tree.

i enjoyed going out on our last night as a group and saying goodbye to some of my most cherished new friends. I was so sad the my canadian buddy Tim was leaving for London that i didnt know what i would do without his brilliant wit and startlingly deep intellegence.

We ran around looking for a decent dance floor but could only find scary Russians and smoke infested pubs which closed to early. It was also on this night that stacey and i found ourselves with an extra roomie because one of the boys was finally cashing in on their aussie charms and needing their room to celebrate. I disliked the lack of atm's in Vienna and my lack of attention to look hard enough for them and I was so dissapointed that I did not get to see the fantastic Schoburun palace gardens and zoo. But it was winter and im defintely going to put Vienna on my return to list, only this time in the spring!

 The Schonbruun Palace at night...