Final day

Day 15
Current destination: Bratislava again! Unfortunately, not in one of their beautiful hotels, but in the airport. We just past through security quickly seeing as how it was past 1am and definitely not busy. We had to leave the Kosice hotel to catch a late train ride directly into Bratislava and make it to the airport to wait for our homebound flight. Right now I am updating my blog while sitting at our terminal gate with a wait of a few hours while my friend is sprawled out along some chairs. At least these chairs are more comfortable then most other airports.
I cannot believe our trip is over, my suitcase was half empty when I came to Slovakia, now it is almost full with new souvenirs, mostly wooden carvings of folklore times and a few little wooden dolls with folklore inspired clothing. What can I say? The Slovak folklore culture was really interesting to me, so I had to take a little piece of it home with me. I also found this great Slovak Cuisine book in English to take home with me seeing as how I got so used to their local recipes. I just spotted one of the cafes open, and a coffee with a Slovak desert would be really great right now while my last few hours in Bratislava slip away up until my Air France flight at 5:20am.
Goodbye Bratislava, and Slovakia. I promise to return soon.

Kosice

Day 12-14
Hi everyone, it's close to dinner time and we had quite an eventful couple of days. Let me fill you in on how we spent our time here.
We have left Presov and traveled further south to the city of Kosice. This city is the 2nd largest city after Bratislava so it is more modernized then some other cities but still has such beautiful and historical features seen everywhere in this town. Originally, we were going to take a taxi from Presov to Kosice, but we found out about Presov's great train service to Kosice and ended up hopping on in the morning with our EuropeRail passes. After a very short ride, we were standing outside the train station and discovered this great trolley service that brings you directly to downtown Kosice within 10 minutes. Of course, we chose the trolley rather then walking there like we had thought we would have to do. Finding the hotel was the next thing to do on our to do list, and it was easily found thanks to the downtown core being easily accessible to the rest of the town. We stayed at the Doubletree Hilton, a great hotel from the well known hotel chain of Hilton.
But to be honest, we didn't spend much time in the hotel since Kosice has so many beautiful things to see, we didn't want to waste time. The great thing about this city is that you do not have to travel far around the city to see history and culture, it is practically everywhere and all accessible from the downtown core.

Part of the city is mostly dominated by the St Elisabeth Cathedral that can be seen from basically everywhere in the city. I can close my eyes and still have such a vivid picture of it's gothic themed architecture that towers over me and has so much detail it looks as though it took hundreds of people to assist in building it. At first glance it gives off a sort of dark vibe but once you walk past the large wooden doors you find a beautifully gothic inspired church. There are many other religious areas in the city as well, but no where near as large as the famous St Elisabeth Cathedral since it has been a landmark of Kosice for hundreds of years. All the other close by landmarks consisted of their coat of arms statue, St Urbans Tower which has a wax museum inside, Miklos which is a prison from the medieval times.



Kosice had so much to offer us these past few days but it is time to bid farewell to this city of culture. In 2013, it will hold the European Capital of Culture along with Marseilles, France. It is August 17th, 2010 and we have checked out of our hotel in the very late afternoon to catch one of the hourly trolley services again back to the train station. We are heading back to Bratislava, and straight for home. So goodnight, I am going to take advantage of this 4.5 hour train ride and take a nap. Goodbye Kosice!

Blissful resort

Day 10-11:

Wow, I have definitely fallen in love with this country. We just spent the last few days in Presov literally surrounded by nature. This hotel, The Grand Hotel Stary Smokovec, really is all it was made out to be when we researched its reviews online upon booking. I am currently sitting at one of the many tables set up around the resort and I am completely surrounded by nature. Let me walk you through what the past few days have been like for us. We first arrived into town and were dropped off in its center where the train station is located. This city is also located at the foot of the mountains so we immediately found the shuttle service the hotel offers to bring us up to our resort area. The ride up brought us further away from the city life and civilization and we entered a hidden resort area for travelers to spend a relaxing time. The hotel is known for accommodating to nature lovers and I can stand by this fact 100%. The hotel's focus is on everything natural, and it uses everything this landscape and area has to offer.

Our days were spent in complete comfort among the lush greenery. We spent a few hours hiking around the resort area the first day. The trails are marked up for which ones are easier as opposed to the trails for experienced hikers. We chose to stick to the easier trails and had a great time along the mountain ranges and discovering wildlife. Yet another amazing feature of this hotel is it's spa area. We took full advantage of this, especially after our hike and spent time in the hot spring as well as the steam room. Massages are available as well, amongst other beauty treatments. We will definitely be returning here for a relaxing getaway as soon as we can!

Train ride through nature

Day 6-9:

Our time in Zilina is over and it is now time to travel further east into the city of Poprad where we will be staying the next 3 nights at the Best Western Hotel Tulipan. We definitely love these train passes and the fact that we have our own closed off area in the train is great also. It maximizes our amount of space and gives us our own privacy to talk or rest. It’s been an hour ride so far, so there is still an hour to go as we ride deeper into the Tatra Mountains. It seems like everywhere we’ve traveled is always so full of scenery that I can’t help but snap pictures constantly of all the mountain views and the amazing greenery that surrounds us along the northern side of Slovakia, which include the Carpathian Mountains and the ever so popular Tatra Mountains. Yet another point of interest I am looking forward to during my time in Poprad is to see the captivating St Egidius Square, which is rimmed with burgher houses predominantly from the 18th and 19th centuries, along with the gothic inspired church that dominates the square. It's time for me to curl up in my train seat and watch the scenery pass me by, perhaps even eat the "Laskonky", a fluffy dough desert filled with walnuts and cream, that we picked up from a small bakery before we got onto the train.

Budatin Castle

Day 5:

We just got back to our room, it's close to midnight and we're both exhausted and ready for sleep after a long day out exploring. We woke early this morning to catch local transportation that brings us up to Budatin Castle. This building is yet another historic landmark to Slovak culture, this castle was built in the 13th century to guard off intruders and had gone from Gothic theme finally to the Renaissance and was used for many different purposes of housing to elite members of society of the past. We went through all 3 exhibitions amongst the castle land which contains over 100 000 artifacts from the fields of natural sciences, archeology, history and ethnography. But we paid more close attention to the Tinker Art Exhibition seeing as it is the largest of its kind in the world and documents the past and present use of the tinker craft in the folklore history. It was amazing to be able to walk through the exhibition of over 2,500 artifacts and see how it started and how it all turned into what it is today, a huge part of Slovak culture. By the time we got back to Zilina, the evening had arrived and we strolled back into Marianske Namestie for a quick bite to eat and some local desert at a café along the main square.

Zilina, here we come

Day 4:

We just bid farewell to Bratislava. This morning we checked out of our hotel and headed over to the train station early by taxi to make sure the train passes we pre-ordered online from EuropeRail would not have a problem when being validated. Of course, they didn't because EuropeRail is a renowned mode of purchasing train tickets/passes for Europe, and it took us all of approximately 5 minutes to validate our passes and for the ticket man to wish us a great time in Slovakia. We had already grabbed a bite to eat at the hotel, since breakfasts were included, before checking out so all we had to do was wait for our train. Which is what I am on now, the train, and it is definitely the best way to travel from city-to-city in Slovakia and even elsewhere in Europe because of it's eco-friendly aspect, it's time saving, very budget friendly, and it is great for scenic routes. After our own scenic ride we are making our way to check in at The Best Western Palace Hotel Polon which is in the heart of Zilina. We cannot wait to explore Marianske Namestie, the center of the town and we have heard so much about it from friends and other travelers. This area is known to be filled with burgher houses from the early eras, and of course is dominated by the Church of St Paul the Apostle which takes up most of the square because of it's tall pointed towers along with the baroque statue of the Virgin Mary that has been part of this city for centuries. We're almost in Zilina, I can see the mountain ranges forming and the town ahead, time for another fun filled experience.

Bratislava in depth

Day 3:

Thankfully, we had the pleasure of being picked up directly from our hotel to begin our day tour of the city. Not to mention it was in the comfort of a mini-bus with a great English speaking guide that is a local of Bratislava. First stop was the Opera House. Just by standing in front of it, you can feel the European vibes from the architecture which dates back to 1886 and holds many famous opera performances (we took a mental note to try and fit in some time to catch a performance). Our next stops were to the Government and Presidential Palaces which of course were beautiful landmarks to the government elite of the city. Another palace visited was the Primate's Palace followed by visiting the Main Square and Old Town Hall, along with the beautiful St Martin's Cathedral and St Michel's Gate.

But I must admit my favorite part of this 4 hour tour was visiting the 2 castles of the city. First there was the Bratislava Castle which is a massive rectangular building with 4 pointed corner towers, and is situated atop a rocky, isolated hill. What a fantastic view this castle gives! First, you get a great view of the Danube and Morava rivers, and secondly we were lucky to get great weather and be able to have a fantastic view of Austria and Hungary all at once. Now the second castle, The Devin Castle, is mostly ruins left from the 13th century and is also situated along a cliff to give a great view of the rivers, and if we were back in those days, to watch for intruders coming to attack the town! What a wonderful day it's been, it is time for us to go pick up some dinner and call it a night for our journey tomorrow.

Welcome to Bratislava part 2

Day 2 (Continued)

The hotel is quite large, with great room amenities that we almost accidentally spent all afternoon in our room. Though, we finally managed to leave for our walk around the city and we just came back up from a great evening out on the town. We decided to check our recommendations list for a place to grab some food. This led us to come across this great little local restaurant tucked away from the larger streets, called Slovenska Restaurant and it was within walking distance. It was the perfect way to step right into their culture, by tasting their local cuisine for a great price. We ordered a variety of small entrees which included vegetables and cheeses, and for our main course we decided to order 'Bryndzové halušky' (potato dumplings with sheeps milk cheese). This restaurant really made me realize that we were actually finally on vacation. From the soft folk background music that represents the Slovak history, to the welcoming and colorful décor which represented their culture perfectly. Afterward, we headed over to a recommended underground jazz club, Metro Club, for a quiet night of live music, which is a very well known form of entertainment between the locals. I must admit,this was a beautiful way to spend our first night in Bratislava.

Welcome to Bratislava

Day 2:

Wow, I am utterly amazed so far with this country and I still have barely experienced anything it has to offer just yet. As for the flight, it turned out just fine, I thought it might seem long but the in plane movies kept us entertained, as well as a much needed nap once our excitement wore off and the tiredness kicked in. We were slightly disappointed to have such short connection times in Paris and Prague, since it did not allow us to leave the airports, but one day we’ll be able to explore those areas as well. The only thing on our mind was finally arriving into Bratislava. We landed into Bratislava, which is Slovakia's capital city, and got through the whole airport process faster then expected. I must admit I was surprised that the airport was slightly more modernized then I pictured it to be for such a small country, but it is still not as modern as our Montreal airport. Transportation to the hotel was easily accessible by a taxi we called up that was recommended on our list, and we checked in without a problem to The Mamaison Residence Sulekova Bratislava. The staff seems very welcoming and I had a chance to spot a few of the visitors staying in my hotel as well. It ranged from families, to business workers. Oh how I love variety, and the fact that the hotel is within very easy access of central Bratislava was an extreme bonus. Well seeing as how the rest of the day is to leisure we figured we would take the time to unwind and relax a little in the hotel before venturing out into town for an evening stroll.

Journey Begins

Day 1:
Presently, I am sitting in the Montreal Trudeau Airport. I've been surfing the internet ever since I got past check-in and security to settle in for the wait at my boarding gate while a friend of mine wandered off to shop. I can't even begin to explain my excitement for this trip, it has always been my dream to visit Slovakia and now it's finally MY summer to do so, and I am proud to say I am lucky enough to share this experience with a good friend of mine. I just felt a little flutter of anxiousness when I looked out the window to see my Air France plane lock into its spot to prepare for our 13.5 hour journey, and when I realized it is 4pm. We're only an hour away from departure time, so it's time for me to bid my farewell to home and wave hello to a whole new country full of new experiences. Talk to you all tomorrow afternoon!