Breaking Fall, Part 2 : Seducing Slovakia

And now, we join our hero as he prepares for his journey to Bratislava in

Part 2 : Seducing Slovakia (what does that even mean?)

Sunday morning, I got breakfast with another (newly-acquired) friend, Keith, from Dublin. Amidst discussions about the US, Ireland, traveling, etc., Keith mentioned he was heading to the Hofburg Palace. I decided to accompany him, as I was planning on going to the Hofburgkapelle (Hofburg Chapel) for mass before I left for Slovakia. Now, I normally wouldn't go to mass twice in one weekend, but this was a special case. The Hofburgkapelle just happens to be the home of the Vienna Boys Choir, who sing every sunday morning at the 9:15 mass. In the chapel, I attended mass in the tourist-full standing-room section. An actual seat costs upwards of 20€ and must be booked months in advance. Clearly, the choir is doing something right. They really were great. And they were accompanied by a small orchestra, so the music was just beautiful. It made me miss singing in a choir... man. During the mass, though, I got the feeling that a lot of people thought it was just a concert. Lots of camera-flashing, moving around, talking in hushed voices, and even a few confused faces when the priest offered communion.

After mass, I found my way to the Sudbahnhoff train station, bought a round trip ticket to Bratislava, and boarded the train. The ride was short and sweet through the Austrian countryside. I ended up talking to the girl sitting across from me in my bank of seats, but only after she made fun of me for falling asleep while the conductor was coming by to check tickets. He had to hit me on the shoulder to wake me up. The girl, Jasmina, found that pretty amusing. At the station, she offered to show me how to get to the Old Town area, where (I thought) my hostel was. Along the way, she pointed out a few important monuments, like the Presidential Palace, and the Slavin Memorial statue. She dropped me off and went on her way, and I started looking for the hostel. It took me forever to find it, as I really had no clue where to look. That was alright, though, because I got to explore Old Town. Finally, after 3 stops to ask people for directions, I found the hostel.

After checking in, I went back to exploring the city. The Old Town district is pretty awesome. It's full of little cobblestone alleys, random statues, fountains, and more tourists than I expected to find in Slovakia. Before sunset, I made the hike up to the top of the hill overlooking the city. At the top, I payed a visit to Bratislava Castle. It's pretty cool, though the people of the city apparently refer to it as the "upside-down table". I can see where they might get that idea. Unfortunately, I couldn't enter the castle, as the whole thing is undergoing a major reconstruction and renovation project. They are trying to restore the castle to the beauty it once had centuries ago, before wars and fires nearly destroyed it. They're doing a great job. Next, I tried continuing up the hill next door to find the tower holding the Slavin statue. Yeah, I didn't find it. But I did find a nice, big, residential neighborhood. I only came across a couple sketchy areas, so it was a pleasant (read: tiring) trek up the hill. Back in Old Town, I decided I'd better buy some kind of tourist guide to the city, so I stopped into a gift shop. That was a great purchase. I'll tell you now: I didn't get lost a single time after that.

After dinner, I went to a random free concert in a nice church. I felt somewhat underdressed, but I had a good time. Then I went back to the hostel, spent a little time at the piano in the lounge, wrote a couple letters, and slipped into bed. I felt like I should have done something a little cooler with my night in Bratislava, but honestly my feet needed the rest. I was exhausted. Needless to say, I slept very well.

I woke up monday morning a little after 8, showered, and went in search of breakfast. I found cheap eats (a ham and cheese croissant, a glass of o.j., and some coffee -- all for only 79 sk, less than 3€) then got on with some final sightseeing. I first headed to the House of the Good Shepherd to see the Museum of Clocks, but that was closed. I was really disappointed, as it sounded really interesting. Instead, I went to St. Martin's cathedral -- a centuries-old church in Old Town, which was the site of the coronations of countless rulers of the Austrian Empire. This place was beautiful, but it was kind of morbid. I went down a staircase in a side chapel to the crypt, where they have the coffins of several archbishops and members of an important family. The rooms smelled like cold stone and cut flowers. I resurfaced, going to another side chapel -- this one dedicated to St. John the Merciful. His remains (meaning his decomposing skeleton dressed up in saint clothing) are encased in a silver and glass coffin high above the altar. Creepy. But, even creepier: in front of a statue of St. Martin and a beggar, there is a large pane of bubbly glass on the floor. If you look just right through the glass, you can see down into a 13th- or 14th-century cemetery. You can actually see real skeletons, only partially buried in the dirt. We're talking skulls and rib cages. Not quite as artistically presented as the bones in Paris' catacombs....

Anyway, after some more sightseeing and lunch, I stopped back by the hostel to pick up my bags, then headed to the train station. Along the way, I stopped in the gardens behind the Presidential Palace. I caught my train (with perfect timing), and chug-chugged my way back to Vienna.

Back in Austria, I grabbed dinner. Then I met up with Keith again at the hostel. After chatting a while, we decided to make the most out of my last night in Vienna. We found a nice bar (the Bermuda Bräu) and sampled the local beer, discussing politics, Barack Obama(!), Scientology, and Paris. We didn't stay out too late, as I had to catch my return flight very early in the morning. In fact, I only slept about 2 or 3 hours before I had to get up again. I checked out, called a cab, and stepped onto the plane. And now I'm back in Paris. Back to the grind. Back to schoolwork and my internship. It was really nice spending some time away from it all, but I have to admit: I was relieved to be back in Paris. It's comfortable.

Happy Travels

-- Cody