Thoughts on Bratislava

Yesterday I spent most of the early morning cursing myself for my decision to go to Bratislava. After my unfriendly welcome into the city (when I finally got so fedup with trying to figure out public transportation that i just took a cab) and a dreary drive through ugly streets, I was prepared to hate it.
*Quick side note about the differences between Bratislava and Zagreb public transport. In Zagreb, they tell you that you can buy tram tickets from any kiosk on the street. This, in your American head, means you walk up and down the street near the tram stop looking for some sort of kiosk (an ATM-like machine or something similar) that you can purchase a ticket from. Eventually you find out that a "kiosk" is actually a little cigarette/magazine stand that can be found on any street corner. SO...when you arrive in Bratislava at 9:45 on a Saturday night and all information help points are closed, you start asking people where you can buy tickets. They keep telling you, "kiosks!" so you anxiously go from one food vendor to the next (all selling gross sausages, weird fried chicken patty things, probably some form of horse cooked up), peering into them, trying to figure out if any of them look like the kiosks back in Croatia that would sell you a
ticket, a magazine, and a pack of cigarettes (don't worry mom - i am not buying or smoking cigarettes...it just makes the story a little better). It is only on SUNDAY morning that you finally figure out that everyone in Bratislava was talking about kiosks - ATM-like machines on the street where you can purchase a ticket.
**2nd quick side note: i am not exactly sure why i switch into the 3rd person when i tell these stories about myself making this silly mistakes, but i am aware of it and will continue to do it probably.

Anyways - Sunday in Bratislava started out like several other days in European cities when I have woken up grumpy, annoyed with myself for sleeping late, and wondering what i am doing in this particular city on this particular day. Of all of the places that i have been, Bratislava turned out to be the most pleasant surprise. For one, the weather was perfect. It was by far the most beautiful full day I have experienced since being here. for two, it was a great city to walk around for a day. There are tons of parks around, a cute old section of town, a huge part of the city that was built sometime between 1950-1990 in the ugliest fashion possible (which sortof just makes me appreciate the old town area more), a newstand that sold newspapers in English, a coffee shop with great coffee and people watching, and a hostel that had people around if i wanted to talk but also was quiet enough to give me privacy.
After going back to Zagreb, I had started to think that I was really done with traveling and just wanted to be in one place longer and be with friends. Bratislava made me regret that I am not going to get to see so much more of Europe. It definitely isn't particularly gorgeous, and the restaurants/food/drinks/nightlife didn't set it apart in any way, but it really did put me back in the mind to travel. It also made me wish I could have spent more time in Ljubljana and Slovenia. I think more time in general in every city getting to know them a bit better.

Yesterday I read Bill Bryson's Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe. He's great - really humorous, quick read, and it is great to read since he was traveling through some of hte places I am traveling through (but he was here 18 years earlier). It is actually pretty amazing how out-of-date his book is - a lot has happened in the former Yugoslavia in the last 20 years. BUT...it is also really funny how right he is about some stereotypes. Pretty great.

Right now I am in a hotel outside of Stansted airport a couple of hours from London. It is AMAZING how nice it is to be in a hotel by myself. Hostels are great and staying at someone else's house is better, but there is something so wonderful about being in a hotel all by myself, taking a forever long bath, watching tv (something I have done very little of lately), knowing i don't have to leave the room if I don't want to, and just being so completely anonymous (that isn't the word i am looking for exactly, but it fits, i guess).

Steve is getting here in the next hour, which means I should probably go back to the room and put away the clothes and mess that I threw everywhere, just bc I knew I could. I am excited to see him and hang out here in England one night. I went to a pub for lunch and had about a million flashbacks to when I lived here, even though this is a completely different part of the country. it is funny how much more willing I am to accept and appreciate gloomy weather in England than anywhere else in the world. Walking along by the road today, I sortof expected at any moment for someone that I know to pass me and offer me a ride (like folks would do when I was walking around Greatham and Liss forever ago). It was also great to go into the pub and order a Strongbow - in the last few years I haven't really drank as much cider as I used to, but I do love it.

I spent the majority of my preflight and flight talking to the cutest man - Gerard from Vienna. He was about 65, retired from IBM, and planning to spend 2 weeks in England visiting old friends from when he lived here 30 years ago. We had a lot of interesting talks about Gmail (he thinks it is the best thing ever!), the differences in our cultures, how great Vienna is, how important coffee is to life, marriage, when the ideal age is to have children, how many children you should have, and other exciting conversations. i bought him coffee, so he made sure to give me his card so that he can buy me coffee the next time i am in Vienna. Too cute!

ok - i can't put it off any longer. off to clean up my mess.