Being ill in bratislava

I've had a hectic week this week. I've had a really nasty migraine for the last week or so. Went to the doctor's for the first time in Svaty Jur. Although I have healthcare insurance, I have to fork out 200sk if I want to make an appointment. Otherwise I just have to sit with a load of other people and wait to be called.
Fortunately, I didn't have to wait too long. The doctor did a very quick diagnosis of my migraine and ordered me some new pills called IBALGIN that would supposedly sort my migraine out straight away. He wrote out the prescrition and I went off to the Lekaren (Chemist) to get it. I tried 3 different chemists and they said they had never heard of this pill. I eventually found one chemist and they told me they would get it for me the next day.
Unfortunately, this wonder drug did very little for me as my migraines continue to wake me up in the middle of the night and interrupt my daily life.

Brno by train

Brno is Czech Republic's second largest city. It takes about 90 minutes by train from Bratislava and is well worth a visit. Brno is a lot quieter and more laid-back than Prague, but still has enough stuff to do and see in the daytime and a good variety of bars for the evening. Furthermore, it's cleaner than Bratislava as there is less graffiti and fewer winos on the streets. This city is also pretty vibrant and has many Herna bars and seedy joints. Just ask a taxi driver.

You should be warned about buying a return ticket to Brno. I thought that I could get on any train back to Bratislava. This was not the case. I planned on returning to Bratislava on the 18.21 train. Naturally, I got sidetracked in Brno's streets and missed it by 1 minute. I ended up taking a supertrain, which was ten times more modern an comfortable than the usual graffiti-daubed, squeaking train. Yet I didn't expect to be stung for a further 200sk. This train was a special train for reservations only.

Wherever you are, you are with the BBC. Or so I thought

When I arrived home after a hard day's teaching on 23rd January, I tried to tune into the BBC world Service only to find that hid had been taken off the air. I tried so hard to find it, thinking that the frequency may have moved. It was nowhere to be heard.
ON 93.8FM, the BBC's station had been replaced by Lumen, a Slovak talk station. I later found out that the reason that the reliable BBC world Service was taken off the air was because the govwernment decided that all radio stations need to be understood by the entire Slovak population. This legislation means that stations can only broadcast in Czech or Slovak. It's a shame when the socialist government wants to encourage more people to learn other languages. It is also a shame for those who tuned in especially for the station's Learning English programme.
Although programmes on this station are often dull, it provides a service and also enbales me to sleep at night. Since it was taken off the air, my insomnia has gradually got worse.

The BBC World Service is still available on TV, and of course online. I am now dependent on 5-minute podcasts of the latest news.

Goodbye to The Kyjev (1973-2007): The end of an Era (or error)

The Kyjev: So beautiful they had to cover it up with advertising

I heard some very sad news last night. The Hotel Kyjev, one of Bratislava's finest landmarks is to be demolished in April to make way for yet another glass building shopping and hotel complex. Fans of Bratislava's modernist architecture are said to be devastated to see such an important landmark go. In its prime, this was a five-star hotel where many VIPs stayed. However, due to lack of funds and interest in the place, the hotel has not been modernised since the 1980s.
When I walked into the lobby bar to use the wi fi facility, a prostitute sat next to me and gave me a light for a cigarette. I thought nothing of it, until she tried to kiss me. I instantly backed off. The woman then had the cheek to order a coke and get me to pay for it. When the bar man insisted that I should pay 40sk, I refused. She then asked if I wanted a solo. I declined and told her that I was married. She then asked me if I spoke German and started swearing at me, calling me AN ARSCHLOCH.

Enjoy it while you can. Enjoy the sleazy lobby bar with scraggy-looking prostitutes lurking around the reception, waiting to pray on desperate westerners who don't know any better.
Enjoy the super-high prices for very basic rooms with poor-quality bathrooms and radios that don't work. If you are interested in staying, they are accepting reservations until March.
The Tesco store is also likely to topple with the Kyjev, which is a blessing.

Life in a Soviet Tower block

I've moved out of Svaty Jur... I'm now living in a region called Kramare - about 8 minutes by bus to the old town. The area itself is relatively quiet and is close to Bratislava's highest point, Koliba.
I'm living on the 4th floor of a small panelled tower block. The place itself is very Soviet Union on the inside and outside. This includes most of the appliances inside. More pics later.

Bratislava's urban decay

Many people have seen postcard images of Bratislava's beautiful, baroque old town. However, the old town is just a small part of the city. The majority of Bratislava's skyline is dominated by tower blocks. There are many buildings that are in decay such as this almost disused train station, Predmestie. Although Predmestie Station is still used, it is almost in a state of disrepair. The ticket office is shut, the ticket machines are broken and the cafe hasn't been used since the collapse of communism in 1989. Thanks to lack of sufficient funds, Slovakia's rail network is falling apart. Many trains are old, noisy, slow. and are often daubed in graffiti like the one above. They also have brakes that squeak so loudly, you can hear them from half a mile away. The interiors of such trains are grubby and have toilets which are almost holes in the train.

It seems that Predmestie station hasn't been renovated since the 1970s. Sadly, the place has become a magnet for junkies, winos and graffiti artists. Avoid this place at all costs!!