Slovakia day 3- redemption

oh Lordy.... I was out till 330am and today I didnt get up until 1pm I dont know how I slept though all the noise the Austrian boys made. They are so inconsiderate!!! I have seen most of the city and was not impressed because it's too much like America and felt the Solvakians have lost their sense of identity thorugh their massive westernization (minus the old town district).

I took one of the afternoon buses to castle Devin just 20 mins outside of the city and within 10 mins the urban presence is long gone. The trees, river, adorable houses, and the hills are beautiful and very different than Hungary. The Hungarian nature landscape is flatwith grassland but the Solvakian lanscape is dramtic and wonderful.

I arrived at the hill top castle and it was built in the 13 century but with much longer human history in the area and the castle had been attacted numerous time but only Neopolian
managed to destoryed it. the castle only reminds in parts and it's built into the hill and I am sure it was once amazing. The views of the surrounding valleys, rivers, and the mountains are simply breathtaking. Slovakia had redeem herself.

Day 44 Budapest - Day 1 Solvakia :wonderful highlights you can create your own experience by useing my keywords

pic: looking out at the hostel entrance: actual hostel is not as bad but not good!
pic: tourist and oldtown

I left Budapest in the morning and it was sad o say goodbye because it felt like leaving home. Bratislava is about the same distance as Vienna from Budapest and Bratislava is only 30 miles or less from Vienna so The city markets itself as the TwinCity of Vienna. I havent heard of it but it's always the evil twin that wants all the attention.

The arrival was a bit of a shock because the trainstaion and the surrounding is a bit rundown and I got on the street car and went to the hostel. Another huge shock, the hostel is really scary and run down but it's completely full. It's hidden behind a busy street and in the back of the courtyard; the buildings around are in various stages of deconstruction by nature. The room smells bad and the bathroom is moldy and has holes on the ceiling.

For the most part the city both modern and traditional unlike Budapest's city center. The building styles here are not as grand or ornate and much lower in high. I got a sense of how rich and the wealth Hungarians must have been at one point in history. The main street is a bit rundown and seem seedy. There are very little cars around and some streets are closed off to cars and only for street cars. At 5 pm there is no rush hour traffic just people walking, I wonder if North Korea is like this. I have necer been in Vietnam but this is what I have pictured it would be.

Old town is the center of the city is also the tourist center. Most buildings in this historic part of the city have been renovated and streets and alleys are florished with sidewalk cafes, restaurants, retail stores. It's a huge area with many hidden gems in every curved alley ways and public plazas. It was a total different experience from the outside and it's packed with tourist; I wonder if locals ever come. It's the size of maybe 10 Old Town Pasadena.

I also saw many locals are Asian and China seem to have a big presences here. Poster of the Sumemr Game everywhere and Chinese Restaurant on every 3-4 blocks. I ventured over to the Danube and in Bratislava it's just anotehr river and the romance does not exist. The riverbank is lined with modern mid rises and modern bridges and this could have been anywhere America.

Day 39- July 3rd : Today was action packed, and again my poor feet! Strange o'rama

try telling me this is not scary

After some breakfast and a lot of laziness, Andreas and I finally got out of the room. It's strange how two of us end up hanging out together but with the others. I guess because we share a room and we are actually very similar; I see a lot of my younger self in him. I can understand him.

This residency is a bit different than the last, this group of artists are fairly independent from one another. Even though Andreas and I have two other suites- mates, Gregory and Howard we don't rally hang out together. Howard is a middle- age photographer with the hormones of a 19 year old college student, so he is always out and about trying to find beautiful Hungarian women to photograph. Gregory... It doesn't seem like he's even this the residency at all. We don't see him other than right before bedtime, he only likes to hang out with his formal student; a Hungarian high school exchange student in the US, now 18. I don't know if he even likes us. The girls are in their girlie world and we can't seem to penetrate. It's all ok because I enjoy hanging out with Andreas.

We went to the castle district, a wonderful collection of Museums and other culture institutions in the old palace castle and old town area on the Buda side. We spent 5 hours walking and sight seeing none stop and there were just so much to see and just the architecture and the views of the city were enough to blew me all the back to America. I love how the old city was laid out and the Palace is just amazing and it offers the best view of the city, naturally.

The highlight of the trip which is also the one of the highlights of my Budapest residency is the Labyrinth under the Buda's old town. I expected caves, mazes and a little spook but it was a out of this world experience. Bizarre is the only word to decribed it. A system of old tunnels used for military, storage, shelter and other purposes since the 1600's and now made into an art, Alien, ghostly, poetic and even per-historic experiences with strange and anything goes art (loosely) installation.

Sounds of a beating heart from a caged wells, red wine flows though fountains in almost complete darkness; half of a huge had sculpture in the middle of the large cave.... spooky army like stone sculpture guarding every corner. This is just too much fun.