Getting Lost and Found in Slovakia

Slovakia lies almost right beside Vienna. Actually Bratislava and Vienna are the world's most closely situated capital cities and in less than an hour's time it is possible to travel from the centre of one to the other. My collective prior experiences of Bratislava were seeing it in a Bond movie – I think there's a car chase scene through its streets in one – and an unfortunate run in with possibly the most homophobic (in the name of religion of course), and therefore utterly pathetic, female I have ever met who originally came from there.

It's a cute little city that sits on the shore of the River Danube downstream from Vienna. The main bus depot lies under a graffiti covered concrete underpass – not the most promising welcome – but from there you cross the street immediately into the old town. Admittedly these historic centres all start to look similar after a while, and there isn't much variation from country to country owing I imagine to the shifting nature of borders over the centuries. But they are still fun to explore, especially for history deprived North Americans like me. 

The Slovak language is tough to understand and to pronounce and English is not widely spoken, though you can get around somewhat with German. This means you get lost at your own peril, which we did. Many times. The inner city has many confusing narrow winding streets and alleyways and as is usually the case is topped by an impressive castle, a 'hrad' in Slovak, sitting on a hill high above town. This particular castle was rebuilt last century so feels very new, but it is worth the steep climb just to take in the view. On a clear day, should you be so lucky - we were not - you can see for miles along the river and well into Austria. And sitting right at the bottom straddling the bridge is a building called the UFO, serving as both a lookout point and restaurant. It is clearly a remnant from the communist era and by night shoots laser beams onto the city's main tourist attractions. How very Bond indeed. There are lots of old churches with the stand out being a blue church which somehow manages to look edible, as if it is made from candy. In this blue church, we crashed a traditional wedding which was fun to watch even if I did feel a bit guilty for snooping.

The city also features a pink palace with (for me) an unpronouceable name with walls covered by a famous collection of Hapsburg tapestries (it's all about the Hapsburgs in these parts). Bizarrely, despite the seemingly thousands of tourists out front, my friend and I were completely alone inside the palace. Not even staff were to be found in the rooms. This was weird because we could almost imagine what it was like to live there and in Europe you are NEVER alone in such places. Ever. There's always a guard watching you like a hawk and at least five people taking selfies in your way. 

To be honest, you can see Bratislava in a day, but it is still worth a visit. It is a great place to walk, being small, colourful, interesting and accessible. It verges on the run down in many parts, but I actually like this as a feature and feel it lends some personality. In my opinion, some of the more interesting sights lay outside the city centre. For instance, a ways past the Slovakian seat of government the 'white house' lies an authentic glimpse of what the city looked like from behind the iron curtain. Concrete, kind of sterile, and featuring statues and carvings of the hard working proleteriat. Yes, I detect Marx. 

Restaurant food is a little cheaper than in Vienna, but on the whole I think the constant influx of Austrian visitors means prices are pretty similar. I would not be surprised if this changes as you head inland from the border. The food itself is very similar to what you find in the Czech Republic, lots of goulash, stews and dumplings - good, hearty fare perfect for cold weather.

On another trip – proximity makes Slovakia a regular destination – I had the brilliant idea to hike to a massive castle ruin in the countryside around 12 kilometres from Bratislava. You can take a bus if you're lazy but it was a beautiful fall day and it seemed like perfect hiking weather. Plus I googled the hiking route and it seemed reasonably straightforward...according to some woefully outdated website. So my game, and brave, friend and I set off, but probably should have taken it as a sign that we already needed to ask for directions five minutes in. We found an old man who in very broken English tried to tell us we were 'crazy girls' and after inspecting what we were wearing tried to dissuade us from our mission. But no, I was determined to find this castle. So we followed his directions up a mountain, on top of which the sign posts (faded paint splotches on trees) already disappeared. It quickly became clear that no one ever does this hike. Anyway, at least from the top we could see everything for miles around...but not the castle. After many stops, starts and backtracks we found ourselves deep – and I mean really DEEP in the Slovakian woods. We ended up going up and down mountains at least twice, and realized at one point that we were following incorrect paint splotches that were taking us along a First World War historic path where soldiers hid themselves from the enemy. We also felt pretty hidden - from all humans. Eventually, after passing through a really sketchy village that no joke looked like the setting for a horror movie (wasn't Hostel filmed in Bratislava?), we found ourselves in the middle of a national park with five different, dubiously sign posted potential routes before us. We must not have looked as lost as we felt, despite the internal panic, because some random Americans came to ask us if we had found the rocket ship in the woods. Um no, we had not. Eventually we managed to flag down a man on a mountain bike who looked like he knew what was what, and he pointed us along our next pathway even deeper into the woods. This time we had to sneak past a bunch of shirtless red necks yelling and drunkenly brandishing power tools. Somehow it felt ominous to be there and my instincts told me to hurry away asap. Many kilometres and sore feet later we finally came to an opening and a country trail that led us onto a stunning route through vineyards, fields and less dense forest. This, I must say, was spectacular – breathtaking actually. Onwards from here it was still a long trek but we passed though the prettiest little country villages with super friendly people – for instance one old man had to stop us to tell us about his travels in Canada...for nearly an hour. When we finally arrived at our destination village we were totally charmed by it. The castle ruin is really impressive from both near and far, and is strategically positioned high above the river on a rocky outcrop. It would have made the perfect look out back in the day – it's both massive and formidable, and has a fabled watch tower complete with tales of heart broken and suicidal princesses. Ironically for us, after the hike and trouble we went through to get there we didn't have any time left to actually enter the ruin before sunset. But at least we were able to to walk around its base and admire the views. I must confess that  for much of the route I was terrified that I had gotten us lost deep in the Slovakian woods. I had visions of the sun setting and us slowly freezing in the middle of the forest. Anyway, we eventually made it and in fact the journey was ultimately just as interesting and worthwhile as the destination. If you go to Slovakia, Hrad Devin is well worth a visit - but maybe take the bus!

In Which my Year in Germany Comes to an End...

The last few months in Germany leading up to my Vienna move were pretty eventful in both good ways and in bad. It was a long, hot summer that continued well into the fall with temperatures regularly topping 40 degrees. Yes I have lived in South Africa and Australia, so this kind of thing isn't unusual in my world. But the difference is that in these places aircon is ubiquitous, and smart girl that I am, I have always lived near a beach. However, in an inland city like Leipzig it is steamy, swampy, fly infested and beachless, unless you count an old man made coal mining lake on the outskirts of town. It doesn't matter how nice your surroundings are when you are pouring sweat night and day (it still cleared 30-35 during night hours). It was to the point where I had to take the occasional sleeping pill just to function. In the office, in the library, it was almost impossible to be productive, to write papers, to think, to do anything really. Sadly it was during this time that my favourite uncle, and one of my last remaining German relatives decided he had had enough and expired. Funerals in 40 degree heat are another level of misery. The silver lining to this almost surreal period however was a visit from my parents. Of course I think about them all the time, but (and this is one of the the huge regrets of my life) I often go years without seeing them, except of course on Skype. Thank God for Skype. I can't explain why, but my first reaction was to burst into tears. I guess sometimes, even for just a brief moment, we all want to feel like a child again. And so for a couple of weeks I was able to do just this.

It was such a nice trip, revisiting the Germany of my childhood, meandering through the Harz mountains and little towns like Goslar and Werningarode, on to Hanover, then exploring far northern Germany including the marzipan capital of Lubeck and more specifically marzipan ground zero of Cafe Niedermeyer, Hamburg and then Rostock and Warnemunde. In our family Hamburg is something of a favourite city. My parents are obsessed with boats and all things maritime, hence why they are always on cruises to some far flung locale. While I must admit that after many stormy and scary experiences I prefer to have my feet on solid ground unless I am snorkeling, I love to at least be beside the water and maybe looking at it. I enjoy the vibe of Hamburg – it feels like a cross between Scandinavia and Germany, slightly gloomy and grey but very atmospheric. In fact, when I graduate I have narrowed down my potential future home cities to Vienna, Hamburg or Munich, depending on where I find a job – with Berlin as a distant outlier. I think I would be very content in any of the three, although Vienna is the front runner by a slight margin (but I'll save my Vienna raptures for another post).

Rostock...well it was nicer than I expected. It feels very Baltic, the light is really sharp, clean and grey. It is home to a huge university, has some really green luscious parks, an old city wall, lots of historic and colourful neighbourhoods, the standard market square. Yet it also feels really empty, like you really don't see many people on the streets. And sadly, when you do, they are often of the Pegida variety. The city lies on a river but is very close to the sea which means fresh fish and stellar seafood restaurants. Oh my god was the fish good! In fact I would travel all the way to Rostock just to eat at this one restaurant again. Also close to Rostock lies the old seaside village of Warnemunde. It is a little stormy in the winter and very windy, but the sandy, cobblestone streets are lined with the cutest old fishermen's cottages. This is the departure point for the ferries to Denmark – so actually I had been before but last time was a direct trip to the ferry terminal. I'm glad I went again. I guess it particularly appeals to the BC girl in me because I find the idea of being snuggled up in a 200 year old cottage by a stormy, windswept and sand-duned seaside so romantic. It is akin to the Tofino storm watching that lies close to our hearts in my home province.

Besides wanderings with my parents I also spent A LOT of time in Berlin. I really love that city. There is always so much happening, so much to see and do. I have a new favourite art museum - this one specifically photography: the Helmut Newton Stiftung. He was always my favourite photographer and the collection here is insane. All this being said, I'm not desperate to live in Berlin. I mean, I could – although in winter it is ungodly cold. But I think I am growing conservative and kind of bring in my old age because it is a bit too dirty and...stinky for me. Berlin, I would say, is a great place to spend your twenties. But I enjoy Munich's proximity to the Alps and Switzerland, and the little Bavarian towns like Regensburg (home to the famous von Thurn und Taxis - or TNT family)...or Hamburg's seaside location with its patchwork of canals. Both cities are somehow, in my mind at least, elegant with a certain style to them. I also finally made it to Potsdam, a lakeside city with so palaces it verges on the ridiculous, and back to Prague once more. I think I prefer Prague in the winter...dare I say, I was a little bored the second time around? I guess these sorts of places are always prettier during the Christmas season. Oh, and en route to Vienna – we decided to drive because I had so much stuff and it's only really four hours from Munich – I finally visited Germany's fairy tale castle Schloss Neuschwanstein. I have been obsessed with seeing this place, despite its reputation as being an empty shell filled with thousands of tourists, for ages. I have developed a fascination with the Wagner and opera mad King Ludwig II of Bavaria after seeing the 2012 German biographical film about his life. The fact that I have a HUGE crush on the actor who played him- seriously, this man might be the most beautiful thing have ever seen – probably contributed to my sudden fascination. Anyway, yes the destination is a total tourist nightmare and yes it also seems to be extra popular with the Chinese, but honestly the castle's location is worth braving the crowds for. As you are forced through at break neck speed by guides who probably have anther 200 people waiting for them in 30 minutes time, it can be hard to stop and admire the setting. But I headed straight for the windows in each room and the views were nothing short of magnificent. I am becoming mildly obsessed with the Alps – I really, really feel the need to live close to them. I must have been a mountain goat in a past life. 

Of course I also finally made it to Oktoberfest. A 12 hour day focused on consuming beer, or in my case radler, was a challenge because of my feelings about beer. But it was a bucket list item that can now be checked off. Things become more entertaining the drunker people get (obviously), and by the evening there was lots of lederhosen clad dancing to Germany's contribution to bad music, Helena Fischer. My favourite part however, was a hill behind the tents known unofficially as 'Puke Mountain' were the victims of too much beer go to vomit, pass out, or sometimes even pass out in vomit. Of course you feel a little sorry for them, but not that much. I don't see myself returning to this event, if ever, then at least not for many, many years. Anyway, this marked the end of my year in Germany, although there is likely a 'to be continued' that must be inserted here as I suspect it is where I will settle down after I graduate.

Slovenia: A Beautiful Surprise

I had no pre-set ideas about Slovenia. Some areas that lay behind the iron curtain are, to be frank, pretty ugly - so perhaps my expectations were inclined in that direction. But actually, this charming little country resembles nowhere so much as Switzerland, although thankfully with better prices. It is so clean, green and mountainous, with crystal clear lakes, snowy Alps, history – seriously, it makes for a great destination! It's not as cheap as some of the surrounding countries, but it's still reasonable enough. The capital, little jewel that it is, is far from undiscovered and the Slovenians are well aware of the value of the tourist dollar. Bordering on Croatia, Italy, and Austria, it is as you can imagine rife with culture. We decided to visit Ljubljana, a word which took us weeks to master, as well as the lakes district, specifically Bled and Bohinj. We had the added bonus of an unwanted visit to the seriously ugly city of Maribor, about which I can only say, should you be tempted, don't bother.

Fall is so beautiful in this part of the world. The sun is shining, the air is crisp, and in the morning a golden mist rises from the ground. It is quite heavily forested and the leaves are shades of red and yellow. I love autumn, and this is autumn at its most perfect. All of this beauty also makes it a great time to travel because the tourist hordes are thankfully elsewhere. I feel that by describing how Slovenia looks I am trying to write some bad romantic novel, but I promise that this really is the truth!

The drive from Vienna to Ljubljana winds through sublime scenery, crossing a mountainous Austrian state known as Styria. Styria is covered in vineyards, neatly groomed little farmlands, and rocky outcrops topped with ruins of old fortresses and castles. The landscape remains much the same once you cross the Slovenian border although the building styles do start to take on an eastern appearance.

In Ljubljana we booked ourselves into the Jazz Hotel, a tiny little jazz themed house close to the castle and old city. When we arrived we were told that the owner wasn't there yet so we had to sit in the coffee bar and wait, and wait...and wait. Apparently they were trying to 'call' someone to help us, despite it being a mid Saturday afternoon and a group of some 12 people all wanting to check in. About an hour later, after a number of complaints, a man who had been sitting beside us at the coffee house the entire time stood up and finally decided let us in. Who was he? The owner. Who didn't seem the least bit bothered by the line of travellers who needed to access his establishment. So, the first lesson learned was that no one is in a hurry here – ever. They will do things in their own time, when they are ready. I'm not even sure what you would call this mindset apart from bad for business. Anyway, at least he was nice and made up for this first impression by setting us up with a driver to visit the two biggest lakes the next day.

The city itself is really pretty, filled with winding cobblestone streets and colourful old buildings. A castle sits atop a very steep, forested hill in the middle, a river lined with weeping willows runs through the middle as do canals. The buildings are old and just so perfectly shabby with many featuring interesting traditional Slavic designs. The regional food was also for the most part really good, especially the fresh cheese dumplings with wild mushrooms. The wine was a bit on the too dry side however, and the local take on Mexican (which replaced the rice in a burrito with boiled cabbage...yah, a style of cuisine that could be described as Moscow meets Mexico City) was lacking. The desserts were divine, especially at this one cafe called Cacao. If you ever go to Ljubljana, you MUST go here and try the sacher torte flavoured ice cream. I think they import it...from heaven ;). If you have gourmand leanings then you would also appreciate that around Slovenia's borders with Italy and Croatia lies truffle country. Both the black and white delicacies were ubiquitous and so, so tasty. Just smelling truffle takes me to my happy place, I swear.  At one of the local market stalls we bought something called Ghee, a type of clarified butter made with truffles. I have been experimenting with it since returning and must say that it makes roast chicken much more interesting. Even cooler, I found a fresh dairy and cheese vending machine in the middle of town.

We also made trips to the two main lakes in the country, Bohinj and Bled, chauffered by a mirrored aviator sporting - and admittedly kind of sexy – chain smoking, Led Zepplin loving driver who moonlighted as a commercial pilot and engineer. Interesting how you often meet people with these eclectic skill sets when you head east and south in the world. I guess tourism is where the real money lies. Our first stop Lake Bled is around 60 kilometres, or halfway across the tiny country, from Ljubljana. Bled is also a picturesque little resort village that lines the lake's shores. Above the lake on a rock promontory towers a medieval castle and in the middle sits an island that is home to a 17^th century church featuring a baroque 99 step staircase to the top. There is not a scrap of garbage to be seen anywhere in the area and water is glacial run off from the surrounding Julian Alps, crystal clear and emerald green in colour. To get to the island you must take a little wooden gondola steered by a local, because no power boats are allowed to spoil this pristine wilderness. This means that a visit here is an incredibly peaceful experience. The second lake, Bohinj, was still further into the mountains along a route that really, really looked like Switzerland. It was more natural than Bled, lying in a national park and apart from one tiny cafe on its shore, without signs of humanity. We sat at the lakeside enjoying our lunch in the sunshine, discussing how being surrounded by such beauty makes you feel lucky to be alive. Honestly, these are some of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen. Be warned that if you do go, there are not really reliable bus lines to get around the country, so you will need to either find a driver or rent a car yourself to get to these places. The good news is that the drivers in Slovenia are very civilized so you don't need to be scared, unlike in say Romania.

I can only highly recommend Slovenia. Whether you like culture, food and historic cities, or you prefer hiking and being out in nature – it offers all of them in equal measure. And despite moving at their own pace in the service industry,  the people were generally nice and interesting to talk to too – just don't get them started talking about their arch nemeses the Slovaks ;)

Actually, one warning I will give: beware of gypsies here! I caught one with her hand right in my purse. It was a close call.

Getting Philosophical in Belgium

A visit from my favourite South African presented the perfect excuse to finally see Belgium, even if it was mid-semester. Since he didn't want to come to me in Leipzig/Berlin (gee, why would anyone not want to come to Leipzig?), I would have to go there. Fine. It's not like I would ever turn down an invitation to travel somewhere.

My prior knowledge about Belgium was mostly political in nature (as in the place sounds like a governmentally challenged mess that makes the Quebecois situation in Canada look trivial, plus...the EU) or food based (waffles, chocolate truffles and cherry beer) despite almost having moved there for my Masters at the Brussel's Free University. In light of events that have since transpired, ie. terrorist lock down, I think I made the right choice (well, maybe not the Leipzig part - but every cloud has its silver lining and mine came in the forms of Fraunhofer and Berlin). The plan: to meet Hannes in his home base of Leuven, one of Europe's oldest university towns, and from there explore the rest of the country. While we ran out of time for Antwerp, we did hit Brussels, Brugges and Ghent as well as of course Leuven. I also managed some time in Lieges, a very forested city, thanks to perpetual train delays. Once upon a time I loved the movie “In Brugges” and have wanted to visit ever since.

For a start, it was so nice to see Hannes again. In life I don't really think there are THAT many people who you expect, or perhaps want, to always know. It's not that I look at friendships as disposable - although some certainly are – it's more a case of when you live the lifestyle I seem to have fallen into, people tend to come and go. You are friends while you are in one place and then you move on and life continues elsewhere. My mum says that people are in you life for a reason, a season or a lifetime, depending on what their purpose is. I agree. For me then, he is the wisest person I know and also one of the only paid philosophers (how very bohemian) - in short someone I appreciate very much. The first plan of business upon arrival in Leuven, besides catching up with my dear friend and admiring the beautiful town (!!) was to enjoy my favourite cherry beer, something I have missed. My current favourite: Lindemans Kriek. As a rule I am no fan of beer – in fact it would be fair to say that I despise it. But cherry beer is something different entirely. I know how it sounds, I've seen enough reactions where upon hearing it described there follows face pulling. But the Belgians do it well – think sour cherry and not too sweet. Anyway, the next days were filled with travel, good food, philosophers and of course cherry beer. A nice mix, though I must confess that despite having completed a dual major undergrad that included philosophy I have never felt like I have all that much to contribute to a deeply philosophical conversation. While I do have a tendency to think far too much, I do not spend my time thinking about thinking per se.

So, what was good: Leuven is possibly the nicest university town I have ever seen – I would rate it as cuter than Oxford. Very grand yet accessible, with shades of Harry Potter. I believe it is the world's oldest Catholic university (or something along those lines). Brugges, as expected, was also amazing. We wandered the old streets, ate steak frites, waffles and chocolate truffles,went for a boat ride on the canals – all the things one is supposed to do. In the main areas it was completely overrun with tourist hordes (hardly shocking, I know), but once we escaped the centre deserted canals lined with the same old style of buildings awaited us, and these were far more fun to explore. Though the main square is definitely one of the most impressive I have seen, it alas includes an element of artificiality. For instance while I don't recall seeing a Hardrock Cafe, it seems like exactly the kind of place that would have one. For us though, I think Ghent turned out to be the unexpected highlight. Lots of locals had recommended it as a more worthy destination than Brugges. So it seemed at least worth a try. At first I was unimpressed, but if you head a couple of kilometers into town from the train station, it is in fact incredible. I would go so far as to say I preferred it to Brugges because it lacked the tourists and in some parts was just as historically and scenically impressive. It is also lined with canals and quaint old buildings, but has the feeling of a living, breathing city rather than just a tourist shrine. 

Brussels I feel slightly more neutral about. To be honest, I'm not sure if I liked it or not. Usually I feel quite strongly either way about the places I visit. For instance the Royal Quarter neighbourhood surrounding the palace is really nice, it has a great park (that I totally fell asleep lying in the middle of for couple of hours ...oops), some nice coffee shops, boutiques and grand government buildings. The central area is also not bad, though the Manneken Piss must be one of the most disappointing attractions anywhere - think shades of Copenhagen's Little Mermaid. It is so small that I passed it a number of times before realizing where it was. On top of that, the real one is in a museum – the street version is actually a fake. There's a really nice shopping arcade - Galeries Royales Saint Hubert that along with the royal Greenhouses in the outer suburb of Laeken (yes, I dragged poor Hannes all the way out there) is done in the 19^th century architectural style I love – lots of cast iron framework and glazed glass. Sadly for us the Royal Greenhouses are only open for a couple of weeks each year and this was not one of them. But honestly, apart from the main areas, Brussels felt dangerous and a bit on the dirty side. Especially around the train stations this is not a city where you feel particularly safe and I know many people who have had the misfortune to be mugged here. In fact, maybe Brussels doesn't belong in 'the good'. But the other things that struck me about Belgium were how beautiful the countryside was - there is something I found near magical about the nature of the light here, and the people. I think the Belgians, at least the ones I encountered, are great. Friendly, fun and very gregarious  - they are great story tellers, or maybe this was just the various philosophers I met. This glowing generalization however, does not apply to employees of the train service.

So what was bad?: The train system! It is hands down the absolute WORST I have ever seen. Dirty trains. Always late, often alarmingly so. Mind you, lateness is a best case scenario because they often don't show up at all. Which is exactly what happened to me late one night, leaving me stranded in one of Brussel's worst neighbourhoods while trying to return home to Germany. No amount of trying to explain that my train never came made the employees the least bit interested in helping me – or even giving me advice. When after changing stations three times I finally found a man willing to help me, he just pointed out that I was stranded. Even better, when I finally did get on a train the next day we pulled into Frankfurt's airport station to find it evacuated due to a bomb threat. Needless to say, it was an eventful trip back to Leipzig. Even nicer was that this particular week Leipzig had played host to a massive international goth l festival, and when I switched to the tram for the final leg of my journey I had to sit beside a girl with what appeared to be be real, slightly brown stained human teeth sewn onto the front of her t-shirt. But, I look forward to returning to Belgium next year to explore Antwerp and revisit the places like Ghent that really struck me.