After departing the Greek island of Chios, we had our next Workaway lined up in southern Austria. We had to first rent a car in my hometown Brno in Czech Republic and the cheapest flight we found to get there from Athens was a flight to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, a short train ride from Brno.
I was excited to finally have a chance to at least spend a few hours exploring Bratislava. It definitely didn't disappoint!
We landed at the small airport in Bratislava in the evening hours. As we made our way to our hotel for the night, we found out that there also happened to be some festivities going on in town that night. Perfect opportunity to explore the center of Bratislava and join in on the fun! It was the weekend of St. Martin's day, a time when people traditional gather in villages or town squares and feast on a roasted goose and sauerkraut along with a glass of young fermented "St. Martin's wine."
It was also the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution - the non-violent revolution that was a key event in the downfall of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia. One of the town squares had displayed photographs from the events leading up to and around that November in 1989.
We had to leave early in the afternoon the next day so I went for a run around the Bratislava castle and then we had a quick lunch in a cozy traditional Slovakian pub. That wouldn't be complete with some garlic soup and freshly-baked bread!
The weather was a bit hazy and rainy that morning but nevertheless, we found Bratislava to be very charming. Its town center is relatively small and thus easy to see within a few hours. The Bratislava castle is only about a 10 minute walk from the town center and offers lovely views of the river Danube below.
The Slovakian people are always very welcoming and hospitable which is just another benefit of visiting this lovely country. In addition to Bratislava, I highly recommend checking out the Tatra Mountains on the north side of Slovakia. Here is the link to our other posts from the beautiful Slovakia.
country which is often a hidden treasure.