Last Stop! Bratislava

Our view of the castle from our hostel window

My eurotrip was coming to an end and I was both happy and sad for it. Travelling is my passion and it makes me feel alive like nothing else can but, at the same time, it can get tiring seeing so many places in a such a short period of time. 

In the Old Town

Our last stop before heading home was one day and night in Bratislava, Slovakia. I was apprehensive to see this city purely for one reason only and that was "Hostel". That stupid horror movie (which was based in Bratislava) made me such a paranoid little white girl that I could've bypassed the whole city.

I'm thankful we did go though. :) Bratislava is a great little city and I enjoyed our short stay there. I thought the city pretty and quaint; more than I expected.

I liked the city from the moment we stepped off the train. There is something captivating about it. 

Fat and swollen, frozen sauasage fingers

We got a little lost trying to find our way to the hostel (how ironic) but we found it eventually and off we went on the guided tour. I lost my gloves while in Budapest, so my poor little fingers took such a beating from the cold. Also by this time, my camera's battery decided to die so I wasn't able to take many photos though I tried to take a few with my phone. 

The Blue Church

There are a few key things that caught my attention in the city that I will never forget and that includes the Blue Church. This adorable little church is found in the Old Town of Bratislava. It's commonly called the Blue Church because of its characteristically blue facade. Blue roof tiles, blue doors, blue walls; blue everything! 

The Bratislava castle sits above the city on a hill on the Danube river. Although we didn't go see it, it was a nice back drop to our explorations.

My favourite part of the city is the medieval old town that resides in the inner city. It's not as big as some other "old towns" in Europe but is quite pretty. Napoleon can be found eavesdropping on conversations. His statue is found in the market square. 

Napoleon statue in the market square

Soon we were on our way back to Warsaw to rest before Amanda, Erin and I got back to work and started teaching. I was so excited to send everyone postcards and to put up my new magnets on my fridge! 

There are many cool statues in the city
but this one was my favourite

Here's a link to my other posts for our mini eurotrip. Check them out! 

Eurotrip:

City 1: Wroclaw

City 2: Prague

City 3: Vienna Part 1 and Part 2

City 4: Budapest

A teenager skateboarding over the tram lines early in the morning
with the Bratislava Castle in the background

I Heart Budapest

In February this year, I went on a mini eurotrip with two of my friends and our fourth stop was in Budapest. I fell in love with this city instantaneously and became my favourite stop of the trip. Sometimes a city can just call out to you; it's history, architecture, the people.

I left my heart in Budapest...

I wanted to go to this city without really knowing much about it and at every turn I was surprised at how amazing it really is. It is the capital of Hungary and is cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. It's charm is found in the perfect blend of old and modern.

This is my most favourite photo of the whole trip

Overlooking Pest from Buda Castle

Budapest was once two separate cities that were divided by the river Danube; Buda and Pest. The opposite sides of the city are vastly different because of the architecture and terrain. Buda sits higher on the hill side and overlooks Pest and the buildings are lower and more spacial. Buda was royal city. The Buda Castle was the residence of all the past Hungarian kings. The Hungarian president also lives on the Buda side of the city.
Pest lies flat next to the Danube and its architecture is more 'city-like' if I can explain it that way.

On the steps of Buda Castle

The Hungarian people call themselves Magyars. Asian in origin, similar to the Huns and Turks, they made they way to what is now Hungary. The land itself goes back to 900AD when the people became Christians under their first ruler, King Stephen.


The city has many wonderful attractions including St Stephen's Basilica. The building itself is expectantly beautiful but what I found most interesting was the mummified right hand of St Stephen. It is kept in a shrine within the church. At the time it was said that it was a miracle and so he was canonized.

On his deathbed, King Stephen asked and prayed for the Blessed Virgin Mary to be his successor, ruler of the Hungarians. To this day, Virgin Mary is viewed as the eternal Queen of Hungary.

This old lady stared at us the entire time our guide was talking to us

We went on two walking tours in Budapest: the city tour and the communism tour. Both are jam-packed with insightful information of the city and its history. I recommend doing both if you have the time for it.

Amanda and I

The city is famous for its thermal baths and many tourists flock to them for their healing properties. We didn't have time to go which is why I have to go back! :)

Chain Bridge

The Chain Bridge is a popular landmark that links both sides of the city. It is often depicted in postcards and magnets. Two majestic lions lie on either side of the bridge.

In my Vienna article, I mentioned how the Hungarians adored Empress Sisi of Austria. This is evident all over the city with monuments, streets, squares and even a bridge that is named after her. They speak of her with much respect and love.

There is so much that Budapest has to offer. A good few days should be spent in this city to fully appreciate all the wonders that it possesses. I went in winter but I'd love to go in the summer and truly absorb all its awesomeness.

What a classic :)

Wien. Historical Gem. Part 1.

After Prague, our third stop in February was Vienna. To be honest, it was never a city I thought of visiting while touring Europe and yet I am so grateful we went there during our eurotrip. It is a beautiful metropolis that has a classic elegance to it that I think other cities don't have.

The buildings are so grand that the city has a romantic feel to it

I fell in love with the history of the city and that's what stole my heart; the people throughout history that made Wien the city it is today. It is so complex with so many important historical figures that it was a little hard to keep up.

Because it was off season, there were no free walking tours in the city, so Amanda and I decided we'd be willing to pay for a guided tour. 12 Euros later, and accomapanied by Mike, a Chinese American businessman and the tourguide, we went galavanting around the city.


The city is situated on the Danube River and dates back as far as Roman times. In the city there are ruins preserved from when the city was still a part of the Roman Empire. It is situated near the Hoher Markt Square. You don't really expect to see the ruins. They were a nice surprise.

The Pestsäule is a statue in one of the main streets of inner city Vienna. It is a tribute to the epidemic of the Black Plague. The emperor promised God he would erect it if the plague ended in the same year it began, 1679. 

Vienna was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty. The Augustinian Church, next to the Hofburg palace in Vienna., holds 52 hearts of the imperial Habsburg family. What caught my interest about this little church was the cenotaph (an empty tomb that is meant to honor the person whose remains are elsewhere) of Marie Christine, sister of Marie Antionette.

The lion and angel lie at the entrance of the tomb.

The cenotaph in the St Augustine Church

Marie Christine was the only child of 16 that was allowed to marry for love and not political gain. Maria Theresa, her mother, favoured her above all her other children. Knowing this, Marie Christine would manipulate her parents. She married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxony and they lived their own version of happily ever after. The Albertina building is the combination of their names that is now a museum of art.

Another famous woman of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is Empress Sisi. Beloved by Hungary, and thought a non-conformist in Austria; she became a historical icon. She is most famous for her long locks that took 3 hours to brush each day. She was known to be a little eccentric and yet the more I learnt of her, the more I liked her.





A main attraction of the city is the gothic St Stephen's Cathedral. As a lover of cathedrals, this one did not disappoint. Building started in 1147 and today it is a world famous, cultural heritage site.

The inside of the cathedral was beautiful.

To be continued in Part 2

Prague: City of Statues

Prague was our second stop on our mini eurotrip in January/February this year. We arrived in the evening and I must admit, first impressions were not that great. The train station was dirty, the language was alien and the lady that helped us scared me with her wonky eye and debilitating body odour.

Taken from the Charles Bridge

We had to navigate our way through the city at night while it poured with rain and I was the only idiot who didn't bring an umbrella. To make matters worse, the rain stopped as we reached the hostel. Just my luck.

The next morning though, we woke up to a beautiful winter's morning and the city blew us away. The city has been preserved throughout history and takes you back into the world of ancient Bohemia.

On the Charles Bridge 

There are a few prize tourist attractions that bring people to Prague, come rain or shine. The famous Charles Bridge, for example, was the most prominent connection across the river from the Prague Castle to the city's Old Town. It was an integral trade route between Eastern and Western Europe.  More importantly, it's about 600m long and I ran that one winter's night at 3 am in my drunken state from a pub crawl I had with the girls. Along the bridge, there are 30 statues that line the bridge wall, mostly of saints.

Saint John of Nepomuk

One famous statue is of  Saint John of Nepomuk. Legend has it that he was the court priest who was tortured and then ordered to be drowned at the behest of the king because he refused to tell of his queen's confession and whether or not she was having an affair. He was thrown from the bridge and 5 angels saved him, hence the 5 stars around his head. It is meant to be good luck to touch the statue.

Prague is, in my humble opinion, most famous for its fully functioning, medieval astronomical clock. It was made in 1410 and still works today! Impressive by any standards. It is made up of 3 parts; the astronomical dial, the calendar dial and the 'Walk of the Apostles' that appear at each hourly strike. Dozens of tourists wait on the hour to watch the mini spectacle.  Legend says that the clock maker was a brilliant man beyond his time in engineering. The councillors of Prague did not want him sharing the mechanics with other cities so they lured him with a 'celebratory' feast where, instead, they blinded him. In his revenge, the clock maker committed suicide by throwing himself into the gears thus breaking the clock, leaving it damaged for the next hundred years. 

Death tolls the bell of time

Above the clock is a tower that you can go to the top of and see the whole city as far as the eye can see. We went at night. The city is as breath taking in the evening as it is by day.

Old Town Sqaure

A beautiful example of Gothic architecture is the Roman Catholic cathedral, St Vitus, within the Prague Castle. A monster of a church, it is the resting place of many Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors. 

The other side of the cathedral.

The main face of the St Vitus

To those that don't know, and neither did I don't worry, Hitler had intended Prague to be the capital of his new empire and so ordered that the city not be destroyed. He also wanted to save one Jewish synagogue as a testament to the 'exterminated race'. 

The view of Prague from the Castle

All in all, Prague is a beautiful city that is definitely worth your while to stop and visit. Transport is easy, the exchange rate is fair, the beer is amazing and the people are friendly. Although it's my second time visiting this city, I would definitely go again. 

Hunting Dwarves in Wroclaw

At the end of January 2013, I had a two week holiday and I decided to do a mini eurotrip around Central Europe. I went with two of my friends, Amanda and Erin. This was stop 1 of our 5 city trip.

We took a stroll after dinner. The christmas lights were still up.

Our first stop on our adventure was Wroclaw, Poland. This beautiful city is becoming a popular tourist destination. Its colourful history and cultural vibe attracts people from all over Europe to visit. It is pronounced Vrotswav, not rock claw. I have to emphasise this as the locals laugh at the tourists who make this mistake. I must admit, I giggled myself when I heard it mispronounced.

The buildings surrounding the square are quite pretty

The city lies on the Odra river and is a hidden architectural and cultural gem in Poland. It is probably my favourite city in the country, besides Krakow. There is a beautiful old town square with restaurants, cafes and clubs that outline the square. It has a prominent night scene, most probably because it is considered a university town.

The river was half frozen.

The absolute best part of the city are the gnomes! Actually, they are dwarves but to me they are gnomes and thus, Erin and I went gnome hunting because we wanted to satiate our curiosities. There are currently over 200 little inhabitants all over the city. It was fun trying to spot them during our stay. We only found about 20 but there are maps that show where each dwarf is, if you want to find them all.

The market square was empty so early in the morning

Unfortunately we could only stay for one night and day and, although I have been there a few times before, I would definitely go back to explore more of the city.

The casino dwarf!

Wroclaw is a unique little metropolis with an interesting history that dates back to Middle Ages Bohemia. I would definitely recommend any traveller to add this destination to their holiday, if for nothing more than getting a kicking out of hunting all the dwarves!

The cathedral from a distance