from a little internet cafe, in downtown Vienna...
On Friday, Sarah and I made our train journey from our cozy hostel in Budapest to Bratislava, Slovakia. After a bit of a panic in the somewhat sketchy Slovakian station (I had no idea that one needed to use a "+" sign when texting in Europe, and so my messages were not working) we got in touch with our couch surfing host, Tyna, and were off to navigate another public transportation system...
A couple of months ago, while chatting with a colleague about my upcoming travel plans, I was warned, "Just don't watch the movie Hostel before you go." My enjoyment of horror films ceased somewhere around my 18th birthday, and so this wasn't too hard to avoid, however; in researching potential hostels in Bratislava, I learned that this 2005 horror film had actually been filmed there. My decision to Couch Surf (www.couchsurfing.org) in Bratislava was confirmed when I learned that the most appealing hostel I had found online actually had a room decorated based on the set from this movie. So ended my hostel search. And, in hindsight, I´m thrilled that this was the case, as Sarah and I had the pleasure of spending two nights with Tyna, our incredibly generous couch surfing host. I had couch surfed in Scandinavia in April 2009, and as soon as Tyna met us at our tram stop, I was reminded as to why this form of travelling resonates with me on such a deep level. Tyna was such a gracious and warm host, spoiling us, buying us Slovakian treats, and opening up her apartment with such trust and generosity. There are few better ways to meet fabulous people and learn about the world, truly.
The three of us cooked dinner together on Friday night, and on Saturday morning, Sarah and I headed into the City Centre to wander a bit before Tyna met us for lunch. The streets were quiet on Saturday morning (Tyna explained that everyone would still be in bed from partying the night before), and the main downtown core of the city is quite small, making it easy to see a large amount of this historical area in very little time. Bratislava is an interesting study in architecture, with old cobblestone streets and churches dating back centuries, juxtaposed with apartment buildings and government buildings built during the communist regime - stark, with many tributes to modernist ideals (for example, a restaurant that looks like a UFO, high up and overlooking the Danube, built in 1972).
Lunch was at a traditional Slovakian pub, where I ate bryndza (sheep cheese) dumplings with bacon, to the sounds of the Tragically Hip playing in the background. Traditional Slovakian food contains large amounts of meat fat; Tyna explained that in the past, foods that were inexpensive but that would be heavy and filling were essential. She also noted that vegetarian meals often come with ham or bacon, "because we don´t really see those as real meat". :) It was incredible to hear Tyna's stories of growing up under the communist regime. The Austrian border is only a few kms away from Bratislava, and she described the barbed wire fences that ran along the entire border. She also described the very first time her family made a trip to Austria after communism had fell - I got goosebumps as she described being able to cross the border for the first time, without the threat of being shot. We spent Saturday afternoon at a castle in nearby Devin, at a castle founded in the 8th century: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devín_Castle, and also saw the Bratislava castle (a sight with much history, but that has also seen much destruction over the years - the most recent version of the castle was rebuilt in 1953).
After a lazy morning yesterday hanging out with Tyna's, we had a quick train ride to Vienna (something I certainly didn't know about European geography prior to this trip, is that Vienna and Bratislava are 65km apart), and were met at the train station by our couch surfing host, Michaela. Also lovely, warm and generous, I imagine that Michaela will be a kindred-spirit and I am excited to be able to get to know her over these next few days. She has a beautiful and artsy apartment filled with books, plants, and a great energy. We enjoyed coffee and cake last night on the town together, as is the Viennese custom, and then Sarah and I went to the Haus der Musik: http://www.hausdermusik.com/en/2.htm - the perfect museum to wander for two music geeks like us.
This morning, a trip to the gorgeous main cemetery in the pouring rain led us to the gravestones of Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, Wolf, and Brahms, as well as an honourary grave for Mozart (who lies in a mass grave). We imagined that broody Beethoven would have been pleased with the stormy and cold weather that chilled us as we stood in silence at his grave. My favourite tombstone was that of Hugo Wolf, appearing to be a tribute to the pleasures of life rather than the suffering in death, it featured a man and a woman, wrapped in one another's embrace.
Sarah leaves bright and early tomorrow morning (in fact, too early for it to even be bright yet) and I will be in Vienna for a few more days still. Nervous to set out on my own, but also excited, I plan to see lots of art while I'm here (specifically the permanent Klimpt collection), and soak in all of the history on these streets...
With love
xo
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