At the crossroads of Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Ukraine, and Hungary lies the small Slovakia. Its capital, Bratislava, is a city in transition. Unlike most of its neighbors, the Euro is the official currency, and cranes dot the city scape. Travelers like us stop through for a quick day trip to taste some Slovak food, visit a couple of museums, and meander through old town’s quaint traffic-free streets.
The hearty food is easy to find, but in November this fledgling tourist town shuts down most of its attractions leaving its relatively few visitors to entertain themselves wandering the streets. There are whimsical statues, historic buildings, a sunny embankment along the Danube river, and plentiful street art (read: graffiti).
On our particular weekend, the Lord bless our new favorite Saint Martin, there was also an outdoor wine festival in one of the many old town courtyards. Complete with patio heaters and a dozen booths serving local wine and snacks, you could spend all day here. Judging from the multitude of empty wine bottles, some patrons clearly had. But we had a train to catch after a few samples. Luckily in Europe, it’s perfectly acceptable to bring a bottle of wine on the train.
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