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| Bratislavský Hrad |
We left an hour later than our syllabus says this morning, a
much needed delay. When we left the hotel we were headed for Slovakia! On the
way there our professor informed us that it was about 18 degrees outside but
there was a 9-degree wind-chill and we sure felt it. We were warned before we
went to bed last night to wear more layers than normal because not only was it
going to be colder than what we were used to but we would be on top of hills
and near the Danube so we would be experiencing some seriously cold winds.
Despite the fact that it was really cold I was really excited because it was
one of the first days that we’ve seen sun since a few days before we left
Ashland.
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| View from the castle |
The first place we went was to Bratislavský Hrad, the Bratislava castle, which had been destroyed
and rebuilt. Once we got off the train to Bratislava, Slovakia we got on a bus
that was absolutely packed with people and rode it a few stops, then we waited
on a street corner for the trolley bus that would take us to the top of the
hill where the castle was. It was extremely difficult to ride the trolley bus
because it would stop quickly and then start quickly, and it was very shaky.
Nonetheless we made the best of it and the view at the top was definitely worth
some Slovakian trolley bus riding. There were cobble stone walkways and a
little street leading up to the castle, both of which had patches of ice on
them. Once we were at the top we were standing between an enormous white castle
with red shingles and a gorgeous view of Bratislava and the Danube. When
we left the castle we got hit by a very cold and very strong wind, we were all
making jokes about getting blown away.
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| Hungarian Style Goulash with Dumplings |
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| Interior of the restaurant |
Once we got to the bus stop
we decided it was already time to sit down and have something to eat. Dr. Moser
talked the majority of us into having goulash, I’m not a picky eater so it
didn’t take too much arm-twisting to convince me and I didn’t regret it at all. I got Hungarian
style Goulash with dumplings. Dr. Moser said that goulash is kind of like a
stew so I was expecting it to come out in a bowl but when it came out I was
pleasantly surprised. The goulash was on the same plate as the dumplings, which
were more like slices of bread. The pork fell apart before I could even get it
to my mouth, and the dumplings were delicious soaked in the sauce.
After lunch we went to the
site of a synagogue that had been destroyed. A monument has been built for it
but the sad thing is that a freeway was built right behind the monument so in a
way it seemed as if people do not care that there was a big piece of history
there, or that they are not educated enough about it to care.
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| Monument for the Synagogue |
After we went to the monument
for the synagogue we went to a Museum about the history of Jews in Slovakia and
more specifically in Bratislava. This was the first place where it really
occurred to me that people do not know how to talk or teach about the
Holocaust. The majority of their displays were objects with out much
description. There was one room in particular with a lot of pictures but little
to no description about what its significance was.
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| Jause |
After the museum we went to
jause, our afternoon snack of pastries and coffee. I got a Truffle Torte, which
was super chocolaty, and a cup of coffee. After sitting and enjoying each
other’s company for a while we went to a mall and to walk around the newer and
nicer side of Bratislava and then decided that we were ready to head back to
Vienna instead of walk across a bridge going over the Danube and walk on ice in
the dark.
We had an interesting
experience getting back to Vienna. On the way back to the train station we had
to take a trolley and a bus. We had to run for the trolley and barely made it,
and did the same for the bus. Once we got off the bus at the train station we
had to sprint to our train so that we wouldn’t miss it and in the process we
accidentally lost one of the guys in our group. Dr. Moser decided he would send
everyone back and wait for Elliot to arrive and as the train was about to leave
I looked up and Elliot and Dr. Moser were walking down the aisle of the train
to go find seats. To say the least it was a very exciting day.
When
we arrived back in Vienna we all went to get Japanese food at a place right
around the corner from our hotel which was really nice because after a long day
in Slovakia, and an interesting trip back we were all ready to sit (again) and
be social and relaxed. More tomorrow! | ||||||||||
| Moon and the Slovakian flag |
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