Two days turned into a week when I visited this small city in Slovakia

When you travel long enough, you start to collect places. Not in your passport, but in your heart. Some are loud and exhilarating. Others are soft and slow, the kind that slip in without announcing themselves and stay with you long after you’ve left.

Bratislava was one of those places for me.

It was a chilly last morning in the grand city of Vienna. I had had an eventful few days in the most famous city in Austria (stay tuned for a post), and now it was time to move on. My next stop would be Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It isn’t far from Vienna, so I enjoyed a slow morning with a cinnamon roll and coffee at the local bakery.

A single father who reached out to me on the couchsurfing app offered to host me in Bratislava. I had planned to stay two nights. He wouldn’t be home until around 6pm, so I took my time on the route and even stopped for a couple of hours in Hainburg an der Donau, a cute little town on the river. I enjoyed a cappuccino by the water and walked around the town admiring the colorful buildings and hidden walkways along cobblestone streets. I cycled up to the Heimenburg castle ruins to get a panoramic view of the city. I even snapped a photo of a group of Austrian military soldiers as they admired the views from the wall. Before leaving town I grabbed some lunch from the nearby supermarket and enjoyed it on a park bench.

When I crossed into Slovakia, I was cycling along the paved path of the Eurovelo 6. It came out right alongside the motorway where vehicles cross the border. I didn’t have to go through any border checks, and there wasn’t any grand sign to welcome me.

As I pedaled closer, I caught sight of a tall spaceship-looking tower. I’ll get into what exactly that is later. The path opens up to a road that is shared with cars. Fortunately, there is a bike lane there. As I got closer to the spaceship tower, I also noticed a bridge and a big castle on the other side of it.

I thought now would be a good time to plug in my host’s address into Komoot. It was a good 45-minute cycle away and required me to cycle over the bridge. 

I cycled up and over hills, and past a small carnival. Finally, I made it to the apartment complex via the gps map. I waited outside until I saw a little girl with a white helmet ride up on her little bicycle. I waved hello, convinced she was my host’s daughter. 

A good-looking man, who looked to be in his late 30’s (though I would later find out he is in his early 40’s), smiled wide and waved to me. I took a deep breath, and introduced myself with a grateful smile. Attila showed me the closet in the lobby where I could park my bike, and helped me carry my bags up to his apartment.

The elevator was very small, and the doors were not automatic. It was a single metal door that you open to step into the box. We couldn’t all fit with my bags, so Attila took the stairs while his daughter and I rode the clinky-clanky elevator up to Floor 6.

At the front door we removed our shoes, and Attila showed me around his small but very cozy apartment, decorated with many handmade crafts and Scandinavian lighting. I would have my own bedroom, which belonged to Attila’s son, who is at school in Hainberg an der Donau, which I had just visited on my way in.

That evening Attila cooked a simple dinner of mohnnudeln. It is a dish with thick noodles made from potato dough. Attila served it plain with spoonfuls of poppyseeds. I had this dish in Austria too, though it was served as a dessert and tasted sweet.

The next morning Attila and his daughter were off to work and school before I emerged from my bedroom. I felt very at home in his apartment, like I was staying with an old friend. Attila had told me the previous night that he wanted me to feel at home, and I was welcome to anything. With that in mind, I fixed myself a cup of coffee before catching the train to Bratislava city, a 20-minute ride away. It was drizzling that day but luckily Attila had an umbrella hanging inside the front door - I took it with me. 

From the train station, I walked up a seemingly hidden corridor of twisting, winding stone stairways, sheltered by canopies of trees, until I came up to Bratislava Castle.

I’m convinced that a rainy day is the perfect day to visit the Castle, as most of the experience takes place indoors. There are gardens, though they’re fairly modest in size compared to other castles I have visited. Inside the ceilings are high above walls a pristine white with gold trimmings. There were large gold-plated mirrors on each wall of the staircase in the main hall, lined with red velvet carpet all the way up.

At the present day, Bratislava Castle serves as a museum to preserve the history of the city and of Slovakia. I took my time reading the panels and exploring all of the floors; the winding staircases that took me to unexpected rooms and floors, ending with a lengthy climb to the top of the tower. 

By the time I made it back outside, the rain had taken a break. I strolled through the gardens, taking in the views of the city below, which I leisurely made my way to via stone steps and cobblestone streets.

Walking through the city made me feel like I was in a completely different era. I gawked at the historic buildings, the chipping paint and crumbling stone giving them an aura of mystery while the pastel colors contrasted with a soft charm. I came across a cute little shop that was offering an assortment of flavored honeys and gifts made from beeswax. I purchased a small jar of strawberry honey for my trip, and a little gift for Attila’s daughter.

I met another woman who was stopping in Bratislava for a short visit on her way through Europe. She is from China and met a man online who is from Scotland, and she is hoping to reunite with him at the end of her travels. We walked around the city center, following the numerous hidden pathways, slick from the rain, expressing honor of the rich history and enjoying the buildings in soft colors lining the street. For a rainy Wednesday in September, it was pretty bustling!

We grabbed dinner at The Factory, her choice, and there were two vegetarian options on the menu. I settled on yet another dish of mohnnudeln, this time with strawberry sauce and, of course, poppyseeds. Slovaks love poppyseeds!

My new friend and I chatted about our prospective cultures, relationships, and home life as we sipped on hot lemon water. I could feel a cold coming on - my throat felt scratchy and my nose was beginning to feel stuffy. 

Remember that spaceship tower? It’s actually called the UFO Tower. Now that it was growing dark and my friend had retreated to her hostel, I decided to walk across the bridge to see the city lights from atop the tower.

Once you get to the entrance of the tower, which is underneath the bridge, you pay a fee to take the elevator up to the panoramic restaurant/bar. You show the hosts your ticket and take the iron stairs the rest of the way. At the top, I took in breathtaking views of Bratislava Castle under golden lights, before walking back down to the bar to have a cocktail. 

I nibbled on a delicious nut mix while exchanging voice texts with a good friend of mine. The server brought my cosmopolitan out and used a syringe to shoot a bubble on top of the glass, which subsequently evaporated into smoke, like dry ice.

I arrived back at Attila’s place after he had tucked his daughter in bed for the night. He opened a bottle of wine in the kitchen and we talked about every topic under the sun (or moon); travels, home, friends, work, family, history, culture, politics, spirituality. It felt like I was talking to an old friend. We eventually migrated with the wine to his patio, and he grabbed me a blanket. I was warmed by the blanket and the wine, but also by the budding friendship. I think there’s a word for what I was feeling…. safety.

The next morning I couldn’t bear to leave, and Attila encouraged me to stay longer. I gladly obliged. I got in a little workout, thinking I would take the bus to Devìn today, on Attila’s recommendation. Outside, the rain picked up and I was honestly feeling pretty yucky because I didn’t sleep well due to a pesky chest cold that had developed. I decided to wait until tomorrow to venture out and instead I walked down to the supermarket to grab a few things for lunch. I took a short nap after watching an episode of Survivor.

I was awakened from my slumber when I heard a little girl voice outside my bedroom. I opened the door to see a woman in front of me. She froze and stared at me in terror, clutching her umbrella, which I thought she was going to whack me with. She was clearly surprised to see me there, and spooked over it. I held up my hand in a wave and introduced myself, but the sheer terror on her face spooked me as well. I decided to leave the house and come back when Attila returned - he must’ve forgotten to tell the lady he had a couchsurfer staying over.

I walked down to a little coffee shop with my computer and ordered a chai tea. It was a cute little place run by a friendly Slovak woman, and the tea was exactly what my sore throat needed.

I stayed until the shop was closing, and returned to the apartment to find Attila cooking supper. He apologized for forgetting to tell his mother I was there. I told him what I thought she wanted to do to me with her umbrella. When she entered the kitchen she spoke to me in Slovak, let out a chuckle, and gave me a hug. We shared a good laugh, and I felt better knowing she no longer saw me as a threat. She's the only person I met in Slovakia who didn’t speak English. Despite the language barrier, I enjoyed her company and we communicated through hand motions and Attila. She was impressed that I am traveling by bicycle. 

We all sat down to a delicious warming bowl of pumpkin soup with garbanzo beans and sunflower seeds, drizzled with balsamic oil. The main course was a satisfying smoked tuna pasta and cucumbers. There’s that warm feeling again, brought on by the privilege of getting to share a meal with a family.

Once Attila's mother left, he got his daughter in the bath and then we all sat down to watch a Japanese cartoon, translated to Czech. From what Attila shared with me, Czech and Slovak are very similar languages, and many people in Slovakia can speak both. 

After Attila put his daughter to bed, we both went out to the porch and shared another bottle of wine. We talked again for hours and he shared with me the history of Slovakia, which I found fascinating. Our conversation got pretty deep at times, and it led me to a state of reflection. I later asked myself, Do I get too deep with topics sometimes? I wonder if I intentionally paint myself as an enlightened and kind person, and if so, is it obvious? How do I answer questions about family and relationships and life without going into my history, which I feel is just too overwhelming? 

Attila seemed impressed by all that I’ve overcome, and conveyed that he thinks I’m a strong person. This is something I hear from people all the time, and it’s hard for me to know how to respond. I believe I’m strong, but I’m also very weak too. It’s actually not even really about strength - it’s about survival. And if all I’m doing and all I’ve done has been about surviving, how can it be strength? It’s necessary.

Sometimes I wish I could just speak about simple things. I don’t want to be defined by the challenges I’ve overcome in life, because even speaking of them is exhausting. At the same time, I know I wouldn’t be who I am otherwise. But sometimes I wish I could just pretend I lived a different life, especially when it comes to my childhood. Something more simple, more loving, easier.

The next morning I woke up still feeling ill from my cold, but I didn’t want to waste the day. I knew getting fresh air would be good for me. I took the train and a bus to Devìn Castle ruins. It was a cool day but because I was sick I felt a little warm.

No regrets about getting out though. It was a nice stroll around Devìn hill and the views were inspiring. I took my time popping in at the tiny museums and exhibits at the castle. It was fascinating learning about the history of Slovakia and their relationship with the Czech Republic and Europe, particularly the Iron Curtain and the Hello, Europe parade, which symbolized the pulling down of the Iron Curtain. 

Once I got back to the city center, I took Attila’s recommendation and visited the blue church. I didn’t go inside, but it was quite a sight from the outside. It had what I thought of as a Latin American vibe, like something you’d see in Mexico. 

I ended my outing with a stop at a local coffee shop for a cappuccino and a pistachio croissant, which was scrumptious. Flaky and topped with crunchy died raspberries. Yum!

That evening, Attila invited me for a badminton (spelled bedminton in Slovak) game with one of his friends. It’s something they do on the regular. Sometimes there are more people but this time it was just the three of us. It was actually a lot of fun, and I couldn’t help thinking, I am playing Badminton in Slovakia. Who would’ve imagined?

I had already stayed two nights longer than planned, but I wasn’t quite ready to leave yet. Plus, I was still dealing with this damned cold and I didn’t have a lot of energy. Attila gave me some herbal medicine, and I asked if he wouldn’t mind if I stayed a couple extra nights. “You can stay another week,” he responded. I smiled. If only.

The next morning was glorious because I just lazed around until Attila finally woke up around noon. We had coffee and spent all morning (or early afternoon) chatting before sharing a snack of bread and cucumbers.

Later, Attila drove me to a nature preserve with hiking trails and a man made labryinth in the brown grass. We took a short hike and met up with another one of Attila’s friends, I’ll call her Meg, but actually can’t remember her real name. Like most people I meet while traveling, she seemed insecure about how well she speaks English and felt the need to warn me that her English isn’t very good. My usual response is to make some stupid remark about how it’s okay, my English isn’t great either. I follow it up with a reassurance that they speak English just fine. 

We walked the labyrinth and then returned to Attila’s for a delicious meal of couscous, potatoes, turnips, and pumpkin. Meg’s eyes lit up when I mentioned I am part Cherokee. She was very interested in Native Americans and their traditions. She asked me a lot of questions about the history and the culture, and I told her that there are over 500 tribes in the U.S., though there were likely more before the Europeans came over.

The next afternoon Attila took me to his garden cabin. We walked through the town, past a small cemetery, and up some steep hills before arriving at the garden. He showed me around, inside the cabin and out in the garden. We picked grapes from the trees and popped them in our mouths, sucking the juice and spitting out the seeds. Attila picked an apple from the tree and gifted it to me. 

On our walk back through town we came upon some sort of festival. There were women in traditional Slovak garments singing original Slovak music. We ran into one of Attila’s friends, who was fascinated by my cycling journey. 

When we got back home we feasted on leftover pumpkin and couscous drizzled with tomato oil. We then shared more wine and watched a Japanese film called Perfect Days, which I later learned was nominated for an Oscar.

Attila had to go to work in the morning so we said our goodbyes before bed. He wrapped his arms around me. His soft voice whispered, “I wish you could stay. I really like you.”

“I like you too,” I whispered back. “Thank you for making me feel at home. I cherish you.”

Two days had turned into seven, and it was time for me to get back on the road. That Monday morning I left with a little ache in my heart. It was part sadness of leaving a dear friend and a place that felt like home, but also part gratitude. It was more beautiful moments collected. More love in my heart. 

As I cycled out of Slovakia, I saw the most beautiful rainbow.