Brats in Lava

Sounds appetizing ja? Wien sausages in spicy, hot sauce. Magically delicious I'm sure, though I've never actually tried it. I did however, find myself in Bratislava on Saturday. I'll say it once and I'll say it again. Two letters. Not even words. It shouldn't be so hard. AC peeps! Get some. If I didn't have so much sightseeing to do I'd disappear from class and become like the man in Big Fish, sitting in my one piece in an ice cold shower all day long. I don't know if I mentioned this but, I have to kneel in the shower. First time I've felt tall in years. I drank 10 water bottles yesterday. Who knew I'd gain so many new traits here in Wien- culture, maturity, camel tendencies, not to mention the repercussions of drinking so much. I'd be willing to forgive the lack of AC if they'd have free restrooms. When you pay for a bathroom and think to yourself, it might be cleaner in the bushes, red flags shoot out your ears. Something is wrong here. I should clarify, this is in Bratislava, not my Wien.

Bratislava was a spur of the moment decision. It's only an hour away from Vienna and 14 euros round trip. What's not to love? Well, if you don't think about the heat, you're golden. Thankfully, we missed the three hour Budapest train. I would've melted into a puddle. I guess the reassuring thing here is that if your face is melted off, everyone else is in the same boat. Or train. We arrived in Slovakia, had no idea where to go, and didn't get much help. People didn't seem to speak much English there. Finally, we took a tram to the city center, on which we met Juan, from Argentina. Juan was a character. He introduced himself as Juan, Spanish version of Sean. Juan Sean quickly merged into Wonton in my mind. He didn't stay with us long, which was just as well. He said he was in college, though he looked about 15. We had that in common. We took a trolley tour of the city for 10 euro. This ended up more like 10 euros to ride the Bratislava version of Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland. I couldn't hear anything over the rickety rattling of the trolley/bus car. The twists and turns, the ups and downs, the cobblestone streets, all made for an eventful ride.

The tour took us to this castle.


Bratislava was so different from Wien. In fact, I clicked my sportschuhe together and said, "I have a feeling we're not in Wien anymore." The atmosphere, architecture, people. Everything is different. It's hot, grimy, dirty, and not very well preserved. But, it was worth the trip to say I've been to the capital of Slovakia. They say, Bratislava is the only national capital that borders two different countries (Austria and Hungary). Also, Wien and Slovakia are the two closest European national capitals. The train ride there and back was far from enjoyable. The temperature just keeps on rising. Es ist sehr sehr heiB und sehr sonnig. Es ist nicht kuhl. None the less, coming back to Wien felt like home sweet home.

PS: today, Oliver Twist came to the international ward. He still calls me Ralph. I'd hoped he'd forgotten. I never was one with luck. Auf Wiedersehen!

PPS: three blog posts for E's entertainment. Hope you read them and comment.