Bratislava - Meat Your Heart Out

Bratislava is the growing capital of Slovakia with a mix of classic architecture blended with modern design. After Slovakia broke away from communism, the government put a renewed focus on investments to create a lively city. The plan worked well as the city has a youthful vibe. The street are filled with university students attending the local schools.

The 'old town' is well maintained with beautiful architecture, cobblestone streets and open squares. This blending of the old and new has created a city on the rise.

Bratislava was a short stopover on the way to Vienna for us. We were for only there for 20 hours but the time was well spent. Of course, most of our memorable travel experiences are centered around eating and Bratislava did not disappoint. We had a delicious (and filling) meal at Mestiansky Pivovar, a restaurant/brewery established in 1752 that was ranked as the #1 place to eat in Bratislava on trip advisor. We must have been really hungry because we went overboard ordering our meal. Our artery clogging menu included an appetizer of wurst (a hot dog with cheese inside) with mustard and potato pancakes, and entrees of pork knuckle and a rack of ribs (which was really two racks of ribs!). It was meat overload and we were not able to finish. That is the type of meal that turns you vegetarian. Even if it did leave me cringing at the thought of eating meat for the next few days, it was really good (and all for 17 euro!).

Budapeshshsht

'Budapest' is pronounced correctly with the 's' as an 'sh'. Try pronouncing it with the emphasis on the 'sh'.....it's really fun.

We were in Budapest for 4 days, which was a day too long. Maybe we were spoiled with Athens and Istanbul. Here are a couple of highlights:

You can hold a 20,000 note in your hand and not be nervous about losing it. The exchange rate is 220 HUF to $1, so figuring out prices can be a little tricky.

Hungarian Baths. Hungarians love their baths and we found a great one in Budapest. There are different temperature pools and spas that are heated from underground mineral springs. A relaxing way to start (or end) your day.

St. Stephens Day - first day we were there was a national holiday. The city was alive with a folk arts festival, musical performances and fireworks.

Food was heavy and filling. Lots of stews (or goulash). Not a lot of vegetables.

Hungarian Folk Dancing - these guys and gals danced like Irish riverdancers with plenty of stomping, clapping and snapping, and dressed with a conservative, amish type attire. Fun performance, watch out for my folk dancing moves in the future!

Architecture - Budapest went through a building boom in the late 19th century so most of the buildings are of a similar style. The Parliment and the Buda Castle stand out.

Metro and bridges - Budapest is a big city. It's actually split in two with Buda on one side of the Danube and Pest on the other. The metro system was old, but incredibly reliable, as it was rare we would have to wait more than two minutes for a train. There are also beautiful bridges that connect the city.

Not our favorite city, but had a few good experiences. On to Slovakia...

Greece Today

Outside of the touristy Acropolis, the modern part of Athens is dirty, filled with graffiti and aging apartment buildings. The olympics in 2004 left a modern airport and metro system, but everything else is languishing. Stray dogs and cats were everywhere (now that we are in Budapest, I am missing them...)

Delphi painted a different picture as a small town in the mountains. It has a very slow pace and heavily relies on tourism and a nearby ski mountain in the winter. Sadly tourism is heavily down in Delphi due to the negative world wide press regarding the economic issues in Greece. While we were there the town felt empty.

Maybe due to the lagging economy, we got an amazing deal on our room. It was a bed and breakfast operated by a local family. $60 per night with a large room, balcony, and locally made breakfast. The host was incredibly talkative and kind. He expected the economy to be difficult for a while. His 15 yr old son who is heading off to university in a few years was hoping to study computer science. Sounds like a good thing to study, but Greece doesn't have much in the way of industries outside of tourism and shipping. Likely he'd have to move to a place like Australia or US to find a job. Not good for Greece to lose their youth....or the Dad who is hoping his son stays close by.

Tough times for Greece, but if they follow the example of our Delphi host who was enthusiastic, welcoming and realistic, they will find their way.

Athena and Zeus

I have a strange attraction to Greek and Roman history, so visiting the historical sites in Athens and Delphi felt like putting a visual to what I've already read.

A very quick history lesson: Greece hit it's peak of cultural influence from around 500 - 200 BC. Democracy flourished, philosophers like Socrates thrived, and Greek architecture / art was widely admired. The Greeks didn't have a huge empire like the Romans that followed them, mostly they were a loosely affiliated set of city states. The ancient Greeks left an oversized legacy of democratic freedom and cultural innovation that laid a foundation for many aspects of western culture today.

We devoured a few of the sites that are still standing today with the highlights being the Acropolis and Delphi. The Acropolis stands on a hilltop over-looking all of Athens housing the Parthenon and a handful of other monuments. Delphi is a 3 hour ride northwest of the city and is set among a beautiful backdrop of mountains. They certainly picked a stunning place for the Oracle. Legend has it Zeus sent two eagles from opposite ends of the earth and they met at Delphi, making it the center of the world.

Being at these incredible sites felt like a pilgrimage. Especially when you consider this really was the 'center of the world' culturally 2,500 years ago and the lasting impact it had.

Athens: Gyros and Greek Yogurt

I might put on serious pounds over the three days in Greece. There are two reasons I'm so pumped about the Greek food: (1) it's really good (prerequisite for raving about food) and (2) its so cheap I feel like I'm stealing.

Example one: huge gyros cost the equivalent of $2.50 usd. (that's maybe a third or fourth of what they cost in NZ and the quality is dramatically better). Filled with chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, tzatziki sauce, and fries.

Example Two: Greek Yogurt. At $3 it isn't quite the value of the gyro, but this is the best yogurt I have ever tasted. The store we found has a pinkberry syle service where you can choose the yogurt (lite, regular or creamy) and the toppings (all different times of fruit sauces, nuts, and honey). Thank you trip advisor for the tip. Over / under at the time of writing for visits during our 3 days: 4. Call your bookie and bet the over.

Lunch today was lamb slouvaki, Greek salad and yogurt sauce. And, yes, it was just as amazing as it looks.

Upcoming: a trip to the acropolis and a visit to consult the oracle at Delphi.