Bratislava

One of the many shots I'd like to upload from Bratislava. I haven't exactly fallen in love with the city, but it sure is a hell of a place to hang out. The vibe I get from this town is great! The inner streets are buzzing, everyone sitting outside enjoying beers and coffees, whether tourists or locals. The outer streets are full of crumbling old buildings covered in graffiti, but soon to be redone. We come across a street with a band playing live on a bridge and a big crowd of locals watching. Some guys dressed up in traditional outfit walk onto the main square holding old rifles, load them and fire in the air. And other random things that make you enjoy the life here. We ended up at a local bar in little courtyard for homemade deer paté and cheese, along with some good eastern european beers (don't remember the name!).

So yeah, today we finished off as much as possible of Vienna, which meant getting some breakfast at an Aida nearby and heading to watch a show of lipitzaner horses training in a royal hall. They're beautiful white horses of spanish/arab descent. Then we went to see Gustav Klimt's masterpiece, the Beethoven Frieze. Its located in the Secession modern art hall where it was first painted more than 100 years ago. Ambre's always been into Klimt but I've only recently gotten to know more of his work and this is simply superb. The way the mural twists and progresses like a piece of music is sensational. It's really worth seeing.

After that, we walked along the streets of the Nashmarkt, which we feared would be overhyped as a tourist spot but ended up being quite nice. Finally ate some gulasch actually. Then we visited the Karlskirche nearby. Its baroque overload is something to witness (particularly the two massive sculpted pillars that flank it) but the dome is incredible. They've even set up an elevator (vertigo alert!) on the inside of the church so you can go up yourself and explore the detail of the dome's painting and wonder at how the hell they painted it in the first place...

Finally, we walked back towards the hotel, dropping by the MuseumsQuartier (really worth a visit just for the vibe and wacky experimental art) and Aida again for ice cream. Then, we got the high-speed boat on the Danube from Vienna to Bratislava, only the best way to transit!

Great day, glad to be exploring another new country too, hello Slovakia!

peace