Bratislava, Slovakia

After a short train ride I arrived in Bratislava. I was almost certain I had missed the main train station but something told me to wait one more stop. It appeared that the train was leaving the city entirely, but then at the last moment it looped around and arrived at the main train station. It was a different scene the the main stations in most of western Europe, but it was charming none the less. I had booked a hostel close by ahead of time which ended up being one of the coolest hostels of my trip so far. It was located only a 5 min walk from the station. It was a very modern and hip hostel and had a Dungeon themed bar in the basement. Apparently there is an American horror movie called Hostel, which took place in Bratislava and involved American tourists being held in a dungeon and tortured. So the hostel ran with this theme, and the bar had a bloody bath tub as a table, dummies stuffed in torture chambers, and very interesting pictures on the wall. It was already late in the evening, but I wandered down the road to find some food and stumbled across a fancy looking Italian place. I was too hungry to keep walking, so I sat down and hoped for the best. It ended up being the best meal since leaving Landshut. I got a huge plate of Pasta Carbonera, a salad, and a beer for a whopping 4.70 Euro. I remember that Bratislava was cheap, but I had no idea! After Ireland and Holland, it was a blessing being in a place where food was still cheap. I ended back in the Dungeon Bar and met a group of 10 Brits that were enjoying just having finishing high school. We all marveled at the cheapness of the bar and enjoyed 1 euro Pints and conversations ranging from music, to religion, to politics, to history....and the bar didn't close til 4 am....It was a really fun night! The next day I decided to take in the sites on my own. I wandered all around the old town, which was beautiful! The main castle was under going repairs but was still amazing based on the sheer size and location. It overlooked the whole town from the top of a huge hill, with breathtaking views of the Danube. This castle was once home to the Habsburgs when Bratislava was the capitol of the kingdom of Hungary. After enjoying yet another tasty and cheap meal, I ran into my British friends and we all decided to go to "the Beach." It was a man made beach on the opposite side of the Danube and it was beautiful! We immediately started a game of soccer on the beach pitch and pretty soon a whole mix of international player joined us. We continued doing touristy stuff afterwards and then went grocery shopping so we could cook dinner at the hostel. For the first time in my travels, it was more expensive to cook in the hostel than to eat a meal at a restaurant.