Hooray for Bratislava!

 

 Unlike the majority of people with whom I have spoken who have been to Slovakia, I actually really enjoyed it. Bratislava is an interesting town. It is like a pastry with a soft, fluffy interior and slightly crunchy crust. Like it was made in the morning, and it probably would have been best eaten by early afternoon, but it is about 5:15 and you would like to wait on dinner until 6:30 and so you will reheat the coffee pot but also snack on some leftover Bratislava.

 

 Again, the free tour given here was invaluable. The city has a lot of grey statues with stoic faces, and I appreciated learning the context of their expressions (even though now, in retrospect, I remember very little of it.) In my opinion, Bratislava could have used more than two days (which was what we allocated.)

 

 Their faces! And mannerisms.

Apparently, the waiting list to be married in the blue church of Bratislava is quite long. This is because it is reminiscent of a fairy tale. I think that 80% of this phenomenon comes from the font showcased on the face of the clock. If the lettering style were completely generic, would anyone come? This design element indicates magic (or sorcery, or witchcraft, given the history of the city... the first witch was burned at the stake in 1602.) Another magic indicator: at our hostel, the local cat had kittens, and they were beautifully fuzzy.

This is an abandoned hospital immediately across the street from the blue church. As much as I enjoyed Slovakia, I think that the country could use some serious infrastructural investment. The food was glorious--they even had vegetarian spatzle--but I need more. If only they had a more impressive array of music/art at their markets... next decade?

For now: Budapest!