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As we fell asleep at the end of the day, we could definitely turn round and say, "Well, we didn't see THAT coming!" It proved to be one of those days where nothing turned out as we expected/planned - but in a good way.
Today was the day of our train trip to Budapest (Hungary).Now, bear in mind that up to this point, we'd had the 'greatest fun' trying to get hold of any literature about Budapest and only the previous Thursday had actually got any (thanks to our friend Masha).So it had been a very quick read-up and plan where we would go and what we would do.
We got up early and took a taxi to Sudbahnhof, Vienna's southern station, from whence the trains departed.With our e-receipt in our hand - the wonders of modern technology - we approached the counter.The main behind the desk looked at it and said, "Well, you're fine as far as the border, but you won't be going into Hungary - they started a rail strike at midnight and there are no trains going in or out at the moment.Good job that you booked a day return!"
We counted our lucky stars.But what now?After organising for the ticket funds to be re-transferred, we didn't want to lose the opportunity of going somewhere.So we asked, "Where could we go for a day trip, not too far away?" His colleague told us that it was only 1.5 hours to Bratislava.We bought two tickets on the spot!
Bratislava is the capital of the Slovak Republic (Slovakia).For Nataly, there was a certain symbolism as it was the first place that her mum and grandmother travelled outside the Soviet Union.The trains travelled through beautiful Austrian countryside, passing through much greenery and a lot of windfarms.We stopped at the border for the usual checks, and all announcements switched to Slovak/English/German.The English really do get an easy life, in many ways.It's no wonder there's no impetus to learn any foreign languages!
Shortly afterwards, we pulled into Bratislava's 'hlavna staniča'.For both of us (Nataly especially) it was like reading Russian, but written in Latin characters).Walking into the main body of the station, though, was more of a blast from the past for her.The railway stations in Moscow/St. Petersburg have changed a lot, even just in the time that I've been here.This one looked as though it had falled straight out of the Soviet Bloc.Neither of us could quite believe it!For anyone seeking Soviet nostalgia, it would be perfect; for anyone arriving in Bratislava for the first time, however, it could give them quite the wrong impression!Fortunately we found a map of the city and quickly made our way out of the station.
It was a brisk day and we were glad that we'd wrapped up well.A short walk later, we were in the city centre - which was nothing like the train station had led us to believe!Like most of the former Eastern Bloc countries, Slovakia is modern and forward thinking.About the only testament to its Soviet past is the trams (which all cities should have - they're great!)We walked around the compact city centre, enjoying the variety of shops and restaurants.Among places of note were the Georgian Embassy (currently not open in Moscow due to political tensions); an amazing marzipan shop with pictures and life-sized mannequins made of marzipan; the famous 'Dandy' and 'Man At Work' statues; plus a large number of shops and restaurants.The other port of call was the large castle, which overlooks the city and would give us a fantastic view across the River Danube and the city itself.We walked up through the cobbled streets, remarking on the similarity with Durham (the size of the streets, the cobbles, walking up to a castle) and were greeted by the view for which we were hoping.It was indeed stunning - although rather cold as the castle is somewhat exposed.The local authority was carrying out a lot of restoration work so unfortunately we couldn't go around the castle, but it also gave me the chance to take a picture of Bobby the Bear for my school project…very important.
Back down to the city centre and time to find somewhere for lunch.We found a very quiet Slovak restaurant and enjoyed some of the local cuisine: again, extremely filling.Both of us had soup and one of their meat dishes.Eastern Europe seems to have a very meat-based cuisine.
In the afternoon we just enjoyed walking around, browsing in the shops, drinking coffee and relaxing - and above all, being together.Late nights and early mornings are not conducive to spending a lot of time together, so we appreciated the opportunity to just spend time with each other.The mobile phones weren't working so there were no calls (a blessing!) .So we felt very cut-off in a good way.
On the way back to the train station, we had a walk through the President's Garden.This is the public garden at the back of the official residence, located in the centre of the city.A bit different from the Kremlin… Nataly began to translate a plaque that was written in Slovakian and did an excellent job of it.So good, in fact, that I didn't have the heart to tell her that there was an English translation underneath….isn't my wife an excellent linguist?Russian, English and now Slovakian!(She also speaks some French for good measure).
It was back to the train station and we were able to catch an earlier train, which would arrive at Westbahnhof - Vienna's western station.Once back in Vienna, we thought that we'd take the UBahn (their equivalent of our Metro) to get back to our hotel, as there was a line that went directly back to Schwedenplatz, just across the river.Somehow, however, we managed to walk past the station and ended up taking a tram up to the Opera House and then walking from there.Oh well…it was a pleasant night and we'd been sitting on a train for almost two hours.
No complaints, anyway - we'd had a great, if unexpected day.Both of us said that we probably wouldn't have gone to Bratislava had the opportunity not presented itself.Another place to tick off in the 'places visited'list.
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