Final Reflections

It's my last week in Bratislava, so it is time to finish up and reflect on the place. Like all cities and countries there are many good and bad things about the place. On the whole, Slovakia has been very kind to me. I never thought I would survive here for more than three months, as it was an exhausting and draining experience. However, I survived here comfortably here for more than 10 months.

Ten Best things about Bratislava and Slovakia

1. The Beer (except for Stein which is probably the worst I've ever tasted)
2. The hospitality of the people: Slovaks tend to be quite generous and welcoming once you break the ice with them. I also found them very trustworthy.
3. The surrounding countryside and hills.
4. The Tatra Mountains and Slovak Paradise
5. Slivovice (a very strong drink)
6. Castle Ruins on rocky hills.
7. Old Traditions such as folklore dancing and arts.
8. Fine Caves (apart from the expensive photography pass. 300sk in dobsinska and 200sk in jaskyna driny)
9. Wildlife and Nature. Slovakia's sparsely populated country enables certain species to flourish.
10. The women. Slavic women are generally beautiful, tall and slim. (although most of the decent ones get married by the time they are 25!! Bugger!!)

Ten worst things about Slovakia

1. Rip-off taxis, banks, go-go bars and cave prices and other things.
2. Brezhnev-era architecture. Soviet Style panelled tower blocks still dominate the landscape of larger towns and cities.
3. Low Wages: The average monthly wage here is still 25,000sk (about 100 GBP a week)
4. The corrupt police force. The police will try and get black money whenever they can. A friend of mine got fined 2000sk for having a tatty passport
5. Greasy food: Slovak food is nice but usually meaty and fatty. It is a problem for veggies as some dishes are advertised as meat free, but have bits of cut meat at the bottom.
6. Robert Fico (the prime minister and dear leader who everyone loves!!)
7. Stroppy Restaurant Services where waiters have manners of goats.
8. Badly scrawled Graffiti
9. English pigs causing havoc and harassing women.
10. Local Drunks drinking Stein in Hostinec bars.

I would like to pay a special thanks to those who have supported me and looked after me in this little big country. God bless.

The Most Hideous Buildings II

Hotel Spirit

The Hotel Spirit is a new age hotel in Bratislava sticks out like a sore thumb. However some people tend to love this ghastly mess. While this place might look OK in Barcelona, this is a horrible eyesore in Bratislava.

Petrinka bus station and Underpass.

This bus station is situated in a place called Lamac. Of course, it was built at a time when aesthetics were not an issue. Although this bus station is falling apart, it is very unlikely that thisbuilding will be modernised in the next ten years. There is also a very tasteful hostinec that sells Stein nearby at 22sk for a 0,5l.

Some more castles!! nech sapache!!

Tematin Castle









Tematin is situated about 20km from the spa town of Piestany. The hike to this castle takes about 2.5 - 3 hours from a small town called Luba. To get to the castle, follow a red sandwich path. The nature on the way is pretty impressive. It is apparently about 600 metres above sea level and the views are impressive

Pajstun Castle












Not much to say about this one apart from the fact that it is situated near a place called Borinka - about 30 minute bus ride from Bratislava and that it is a haven for rockclimbers.

Wilsonic Festival

Pink Freud live at Wilsonic













As I wrote my last blog in an empty bookstore/cafe, I decided that no one was around and the weather was too good to be wasted in a cafe, so I made my way to the Wilsonic Festival close to the Danube, Aupark and the Messalina Go-Go Bar. At 500sk (10GBP), the tickets were a bargain. It was also a small but very international event with bands from the UK, Poland, Estonia and Austria.
One of the bands I checked out a Polish band called Pink Freud, whose music consisted of a hectic mixture of jazz fusion, Ozric Tentacles and Spiritualized. However, after 40 minutes of chaotic saxophones and thudding basslines, the novelty wore off.

The second to last band was a British band called Pssap. Musically, they were very creative and visual. Their music was comparable with the band Moloko. Nonetheless, they failed to impress me with their stupid ideas of throwing toy cats and ducks into the crowd. Their jokes were also pretty hideous and childish. A fellow Slovak asked me if this was a good example of good English dry humour. I said this is a very bad example. Their jokes are pathetic. Something you would expect from a sixth-form girl's band.

For me, the highlight of the evening was an Austrian band called Mimu. They were a nice artistic and chilled out act and also very tasteful, despite the projected war images.

Although I enjoyed the festival in the city, the atmosphere is uncomparable with the UK festivals. There were few people smoking marijuana and too many people taking the event too seriously.

Summer's in the City

The Slovak Summer is well away. Festivals are happening around the city. Last week saw a booze-fuelled free festival in Slovakia's student area. Young Slavs from all over Bratislava crammed the number 31 and 39 buses to drink loads of beer and dance to three Czech and Slovak bands.
The first band was HEX, which sounded like Slovakia's answer to the Cure. The second band was a typical central European ska-reggae band, which was nothing special. My spirits were only lifted when they played the Jimmy Cliff classic You Can Get it if You Really Want. The headlining act were dinosaur Czech legends, Buty, who have strummed their way from the Glory Days of the dear Communist Leaders to the present. They were a comical Prog Rock band - a cross between Zappa and Jethro Tull.
This weekend, there is a festival called WILSONiC on the other side of the danube, near Petrzalka. It will run all night and has DJs from all over the world. I'm off to check out a band called Pink Freud - a Polish band that is apparently not a Pink Floyd tribute band.

A walk in the woods.

I love the nature. I can't get enough of it. When I am in the nature, I am like a little kid who insists on seeing every tree, every gorge, every waterfall and every peak. So, after my trip to the ice cave, i decided to take a 'brisk' walk in the woods to check out Slovensky Raj's outstanding gorges and waterfalls. The ladder-filled gorges I visited were pretty impressive, but mentally and physically challenging.


However, public transport in this area is almost nonexistent, so I ended up having to try and thumb my way out of the park back to Spisska Nova Ves, the closest large settlement to Slovak Paradise. Although I have had no problems with hitching safely around Slovakia, this was easier said than done. Cars were very infrequent, so I ended up having to take a follow a 6km red sandwich path to a small settlement near Spisske Nova Ves.