Travel Journal: Scotland
We were expecting to arrive in Bratislava around 6 p.m., but we got lost trying to find the hostel with just directions and no map. Since it was snowing heavily when we got there, we took the bus to a stop that was close to our hostel. We arrived just before midnight—so happy to finally be at the hostel!
Ellie and I were a bit skeptical about how much we would have to do in the city of Bratislava. So we got up early the next day to see what we could find. Since we had arrived so late the day before, we had to do all of our sightseeing in the morning. We left the hostel and started walking towards a castle. It was still snowing—a real winter wonderland. For breakfast we had (much needed) espressos and croissants, and then continued sightseeing. First we went to Bratislava Castle, which we had seen in the distance when we arrived the night before. The path to the spectacular building was quite snowy, but we hiked our way to the top of the hill to see the castle. We were the only people, much less tourists, in sight. The castle, as well as the views of the Danube River from on high, were stunning.
After seeing the castle, we walked back down the hill to the Old Town. Here we saw the opera, several beautiful churches, and a Christmas market. At this point we were famished, so we ate lunch at the Christmas market. We had sandwiches that contained tender grilled chicken, mustard, and caramelized onions—absolutely delicious! We walked around a bit more then decided to head off to Vienna. Overall, Bratislava really surprised me. It was a vibrant and beautiful city that I enjoyed immensely.
“Merry Christmas” in German!
Vienna was just a short train ride away. We decided to do most of our sightseeing that afternoon and evening so that we'd have plenty of time in Salzburg the next day. We walked down the street near our hostel and headed to Museum Quarter and the Ring Tram which encircles most of Vienna's famous sights. On the way, Ellie and I bought giant pastries from a street vendor. Then we quickly made it to Museum Quarter and found a Christmas market near the Natural History Museum. It was big but we weren't expecting to see what we would find next.
We saw lots of lights in the distance so we decided to keep walking. I think we've become professional Christmas market finders because we stumbled upon the largest and most famous Christmas market in Vienna—Wiener Christkindlmarkt. It was right in front of the Rathaus, which serves as the seat for the mayor and city government of Vienna. It was gorgeous—my favorite sight of our entire trip. We spent quite awhile there. I had roasted cashews and apfel punsche in a cute mug, while Ellie ate some roasted potato wedges. It was definitely not a balanced dinner, but it was very tasty!
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