Bratislava

I had to check out by 10:00 am from my Vienna apartment, so I took the subway to the bus station to catch the Vienna to Bratislava bus.  They have buses leaving almost every hour or two, so I figured it would be simple to walk up & buy a ticket.  I had a bad feeling when I walked by a huge crowd around the 10:30 bus including about 20 drunk guys with matching shirts going to a bachelor party (hope they aren't staying at my hotel).  I get in line to buy a ticket for the 11:30 bus, the man in front of me is upset & shouts something in German.  I then find out there are no tickets for the 11:30 bus, so the next bus is at 1:30 pm.  Not happy about spending several hours in the bus station, but no use getting upset about it.

The bus is fairly new & we only make 2 stops for the one hour trip to Bratislava.  There are lots of wind turbines along the road.  Although I was disappointed that after 6 days in Austria that I didn't see any kangaroos.  

The hotel is across the street from the bus stop & right next to the river & UFO bridge. I will be at the Park Inn for two nights which is part of my 16 free hotel nights in Club Carlson hotels, I don't even have to pay taxes on my free room.  I was lucky because you could redeem points for one night & they let you stay an extra night for free if you have a Club Carlson credit card.  This promotion is going away in June, so I was fortunate to be able use all my points for this trip.  I also got an upgraded room with a view of the river & free breakfast (but no dogs allowed!!)

The old town of Bratislava is next to the hotel & has lots of outdoor restaurants along with shops, churches, etc..  I walked the old town area & found a nice place for dinner which was popular with locals.  The next day I walked up to the castle overlooking the town, it appears to be fairly new & not much to see other than views of the city.  I walked the old town again & did a run in the afternoon on a path next to the river.  The UFO bridge & the castle are light up at night which makes it great for getting some nice photos.  Overall I had a nice relaxing time in Bratislava.

Tomorrow I take the 9:53 am train for the 2 hr 40 minute train ride to Budapest, where I will spend 4 nights.  There is a streetcar (for a $1) that takes 15 minutes to get to the train station which is better than a 30 minute uphill walk or a $10 cab ride.

The pictures of the UFO tower are some the best ones from my trip.

Famous statue called man at work, lots of people lined up to get a photo with it.

 Finish line for a road race the next day.

Nightclub on the first floor of the hotel, unfortunately I didn't get to hang out there.

Nice green with green outfit.