Bratislava in two hours - and hot honey liquor

It is not a circle - it is the city from different angles

I was warned it would take about two hours to see Bratislava's old town and surroundings. And it is true. Well, only if you walk, take pics and head back to the bus. Three days were good to get a feeling, and to see what can happen there.

We got to the central square, looked around, then took a side street just to end up in another corner of the same square in a few minutes - several times :) Good thing about this is that we saw almost everything, at least from the outside. During the day it was good, at night it was epic!

Next time thought it would be nice to actually get to know more places from the inside, and... here is prediction... maybe write a book about it.


Christmas Market

In Bratislava as in Prague, Budapest, Viena, Krakow, you name it, these are a must see during the season. There is the decorations, the small hand crafts, the stage with traditional music and dances, the hot drinks.

On the day we went, there was an activity with traditional music, costumes and dances. The stands around the square were selling small hand made decorations, like the dolls above, made of corn husk. There were also ceramics with hand painted motives and in many colors. The food was good too, with different types of breads, soups, sausages, pastries and sweets.


And then there were the hot drinks, in the freezing night, breathing white through purple fingers. 

We had hot wine, but first we had hot honey liquor, Medovina. The best medicine for cold days. Depending on where in Europe, hot wine is called differently. In Czech Republic it is Svařák, in Norwegian Glogg (which most New Yorkers might recognize). Want to try some? Click in the link to enjoy hot wine.

I am deviating a bit in here from Bratislava. But thing is, hot drinks in these parts of Europe are awesome and creatvie! They don't stop at coffee, chocolate, tea and now wine. There are also other mixes with beer and wine in different ways.

Some examples of European mixes when money is not enough for fancy cocktails.

Here in Czech Republic, and as I learned in a recent trip to Spain that apparentely that is where the idea comes from, some people mix red wine and coke - Calimacha!

In Bratislava I first had rezane, a mix of 10 grade light beer with 11 degree dark beer, which looked like a capuccino to some extent. And here is the funny thing, it was a mix of Czech and Slovak beer, which I could almost say it was a Czechoslovakian beer!

And then there is hot beer which I could not believe, but had it in Krakow. Some Polish dare to heat up beer like tea, and mix it with some sweet syrup and cinnamon. The one I had was with 70% raspberry vodka, 100% Polish, and I survived three of those :)

When it comes to alcohol, creativity is enhanced by drinking it, some might say.

So, back to the Christmas Market in Bratislava. It was a nice round around the world, and I really recommend it for a stop when you come visit Slovakia.


Things to see on the streets

Then there were the street performers. I liked this one the most. He gives the illusion he is actually on the air. The man passed the umbrella under his body, and rocked back-and-forth several times to show there was nothing under him. It is not such a big secret how he does it, just take a closer look and you will see it is easy to figure out. I also saw a woman in Krakow trying this, but he was better.

There are also a few statues around the corners that are very popular. This one is the working man. Everyone who passes by takes a picture or touch his head for good luck. There are a few other ones not far from this one, the paparazzi, the happy guy greeting by passers with his silver hut, and the small baby angel looking down the street.

We didn't visit museums or other buildings inside this time, but went to lots of cafes and small stores. For dinner, Verne on Hviezdoslavovo námestie was very good. This place, Verne, not only has good and affordable food, the ambient and design are also very interesting.  The entire place has only antique furniture and the decorations are inspired by themes from books of the French writer Jules Verne.

As for night life, there are quite a few good places. Primi and Casa Havana, both on Michalska, next to Michael's gate. Music is good, and believe me, it gets active. Then there is Rio closer to the river - go figure...

Along Ventrúska there are also quite a few good pubs. Some of the smallest ones can have good music and cool atmosphere, and depending on the night the bartenders are very good at doing tricks. Some other clubs that are worth a visit are more difficult to find. One I really liked is very close to Casa Havana. You first go inside the bar, then you open the door to the restrooms and voilà! The clubs is downstairs, live music, old like the town itself, and rezane beer.

Ah, and here is also where the taxi driver took us from the bus station to the train station, 3-minute ride for 30 euros, told us he would take us 10km outside Bratislava, take our money, and we had to open the doors in the middle of the highway to get him to stop the car. Yup, fun to the end in different forms and shapes. All good.


Photo album

• Bratislava

Buda & Pest

Budapest was good. I was told I would not understand the language at all, and yes, I didn't. Apparentely they are related to the Finish, thus the similarities in the languages.

I found the city to be similar in some ways to Prague. The architecture is similar in style, and if one was to compare both, Prague's buildings make the city seem more multicolored. The streets in Budapest are wider, and much longer, or at least that is the feeling. Prague is older too, so that explains the straight streets and wide avenues. At night, the area around the Danube river is beautiful, with its illuminated bridges and large buildings.

St. Stephen Cathedral is very nice inside and outside. In every corner there are lots of details and it would take more than a day just to see the basics, I think. Outside there are lots of statues and the cupulas are large and round, with pointy towers on the sides. The main entrance has a huge wooden door, and stepping outside the view of the Christmass market was a nice feeling.

This pic above is not the Christmass market by St. Stephen, but it is a nice one. It was very cold, but we fixed it with hot wine and goulash. The stuff they were selling was very nice. There were lots of ceramics and clay pots that can cook the best meals I have had in Central and Eastern Europe. The sausages are very tasty too. During the winter time it looks very nice. Next time I am going during the summer, and bike along the river and up the hill for a view of the city.

This place rocks! Zsimpla is on Kazinczy utca (street, pronounced Kazintszy utsa, close enough). From the outside it looks like an abandon building, but on the inside, there is a huge space, two floors with multiple rooms to hang out, and it feels as if you are in somebody's large patio. On the night we went, there was belly dancing show, and then we moved to the outside area. It has a very good athmosphere and is very local. During the summer, the open space is arranged with benches and long tables like a beer garden.

Then we moved to this other place. Not sure of the name, but is on the same street, same block. Outside at street level it looks like a quite bar, but then downstairs the party is awesome. Here I really had a different experience. This is the first place in all the Eastern European countries where I have seen Gypsys mixing, drinking and dancing with the others. Situation in this part of Europe is quite complex with this group, but I can tell you, this is not normal for me to see in a big city. It was a lot of fun and perhaps the best I had at night in Budapest.

This one is from Gallérthegy hill. The view of Buda and Pest from up there was worth the effort going up, with hot wine to keep our hands warm, sometimes also our feet :) We got there about 30 minutes before it got dark, and the wait paid off. The colors of the city changed dramatically at every minute. All day was cloudy and everything looked gray. Then, as it started getting darker, the different tones of blue and yellow became more and more impressive. I liked this one a lot, and would want to do it again. We then went down the hill towards the Chain Bridge, and found a French Cafe overlooking the river and the bridge. Capuccino was rewarding!

Need to go again to visit one of the Turkish baths. I dare to say I was in Budapest, and yet didn't do this, in the winter! Still, good place to be and lots of things to do and see.


Photo album

• Budapest