World Austria Wien Vienna

Across Europe by Train - Jolyons 2002 Trip

Austria/Slovakia - Vienna/Bratislava Sep 11, 2002

Day 42 Wednesday 11 September Slovakia - Bratislava One year since that day. The infamous September the Eleventh. I can remember exactly what I was doing and when Mary came over and said have you heard the news. then we all dashed into the kitchen to watch the TV - anyway today. Up early Got up at 7.30 cos needed to pack my bag, have shower and breakfast and get into town before 10 - to see the horses. I put my bag in storage then got U Bahn Lipizzaner Horses did a final typically Vienese thing before leaving the city - I went to the morning exercise of the Lipizzaner Horses, the white ones that do that silly walking. The actual shows are very expensive, exclusive and booked for months but this is only 11 euros and you can sit anywhere. I sat on a posh seat at the end. Another advantage of being single - I dont have to find 2 seats together. I sneakily videoed some. It was done to Strauss, Mozart, Schubert and lasted 2 hours. I got a bit bored. 4 lots of ½ hour exercises. It wasnt until the last exercise that one went up on hind legs - claps from the crowd. Town Walkabout. It was a nice sunny day so I went re-tracing the steps of the town walk. Videoed Fiacre drivers, a few are sexy looking. Took more pictures of the nice Architecture. I realise I havent seen enough countryside on this trip. Its just city - city - city. I need more time. Im not that bored. I find it difficult leaving places though and moving on. I get attatched to each, Prague & Berlin for example - at St Stephens Cathedral I got U-Bahn back to hotel & station. I had one hour before next train to Bratislava. Emails so back to collect my bag and I spent 3 eurosto check emails. Ones from Marcus & Cathy. Marcus has seen Ginette a lot lately and played bowls with Steves parents. They sound a bit frumpy. Cathy was jealous of all my goings on - she wishes she'd done something like this before she got into the 9-5 lifestyle. Double Deck Train. My first double decker train, v posh, full of school kids though, very noisy, landscape was totally flat with windfarms on it. The journey was only 1 hour. Arrival in Bratislava Suddenly appeared a wall of dull tower blocks. Then I was at the station. I changed some Czech money and got a bus into the centre. Ive learnt a bit now. I have to get a ticket for my bag and stamp them once I get on the bus. A woman in information told me I was at a station south of the city. & Budapest trains go from the station North of the city - there was passport control in the station too. First Impressions bus stopped at the base of the very imposing castle - then I had to find tourist info. I asked in one hotel but rooms were 140 euros. Tourist info sent me here to Hotel Kyjef (Kiev) its a tall dull skyscraper, Im on the 5th floor. 1400 slovak crown. Currency is a bit mad here 70 to the £1, so I have notes of 1000 dominations. Some ATM's didnt work too, which put me in a panic. From my room all I can see are grim tower blocks and the sky was very grey & rainy too. So I ended up falling asleep for a while. I have no TV to watch the September 11th one year on memorials but I do have a bath !! Evening explore I was quite happy to hide in my room all evening but I went out for a walk to discover things - Lonely Planet doesnt go into much detail on this place. I found church rems first - near some winos. Theres a fancy looking museum. Walking tours at 2pm. A big church with fortifications nearby. A run down house with cats painted at each window, then I crossed the bust main bridge road to see the castle. Its a v nice area - was once a ghetto. From the castle grounds was a fab view of the danube and the nearest bridge that crosses it. A wierd structure with a flying saucer type restaurant at its top. Walked along rivers edge and front pedestrianised area - reminded me of Napflio. Theres fountains that change colour, an Opera House. I went to MacDonalds just outside it and underground is the remains of Fishers Tower, a ruin square shaped, was fortified in the old days - then back to hotel.

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