Bratislava, Slovakia

On my way from Budapest to Krakow, I decided to take a stopover in Bratislava. Firstly because it breaks up the ten hour train ride and secondly because I read once that "you should aim to visit as many countries as years you have lived", and the stopover gets me one country closer to my goal.

By my count, today is the 17th day in a row that it has rained and today it was heavy. I was soaked through despite my rain jacket and umbrella and all-in-all it was a miserable day.

Bratislava seems quite pretty but it's really hard to tell when you are cold and wet and sightseeing is dropping quickly on your priority list.

The view from the tourist office (my map was too wet to
know what that building was)


The main square

I am staying at Hotel Possonium, which in no way resembles at hotel. It's a hostel, and a pretty uncomfortable one at that.

The hostel does not have any maps of Bratislava available for guests; they simple suggest you walk and you will "hit the old town" in about 10 minutes (or about one and a half hours if you end up completely lost like I did).

After I had checked in, I walked into my room to find wet towels hanging over my bed and on my pillow. The aroma in the room can best be described as "teenage boy who just finished playing sport" mixed with "wet dog" and a hint of "mould". It's not quite gag-inducing but very very close. I seem to be having a battle of wills with the man in the bunk above me as I keep returning to my room to find his wet towels or socks on my bed, I throw them back on his bed, and then low-and-behold, they end up back on mine. Thankfully, I leave for Krakow early in the morning as I can't wait to get out of here.

My room - by far the worst on this trip so far