2006-09-27 - 9:49 p.m.
Well, this hostel has nothing on the Marabou in Prague, but it does have free internet, which I've decided to take full advantage of. If you're looking for Prague, try the 'backwards" link on the side of the page.
I discovered the major downfall of the hostel last night - the bathrooms. Turns out there is one toilet for the whole floor, and three showers. Personally, I like the ratio to be the other way around, or at least a little more equal. It was a little awkward trying to brush my teeth at the same time as everyone else last night. Add to that that the door to our room bangs all night long, except when it is creaking, and this is a very average hostel. I should say though, that it is very clean, and they have cable TV in the common room. So, in the end, I don't mind it.
We spent the day today wandering around. We went to see Bratislava castle, which is on a huge hill. It is actually quite impressive to see the castle sticking up out of the city. The view from the ramparts is really nice. It is right on the Danube, which is beautiful. The view across the river is Soviet concrete apartment blocks, as far as the eye can see. It's not very insipiring. Turning the other way, however, lets you see a lovely cityscape, lots of older houses, and a couple bizzare towers that the communists must have built.
I like the city, but it is pretty small. We spent the afternoon wandering around. I'm determined to get a zip up hoodie that says "Slovakia" across the front. Anyway, we spent most of the afternoon looking for one of those, and seeing the old city. It's a nice old city, and I like it.
We went for supper to a Slovak pub near the hostel. I had dumplings with sheep's cheese and sausuage. It was...interesting. The sheep's cheese is a very unique taste, I liked it, but in smallish quantities. Anyway, it was good, and the beer was good. I looked and looked for cabbage rolls on the menu, with no luck. Maybe farther east.
That's the other big news of the day. I may have figured out how to get to Karna. Karna, for those who aren't related, is the village that my Grandfather was born in. He emigrated in 1939, with Baba and the supremly cool Uncle George. His dad had been in Canada for ten years working to bring them over. Owing to Grandpa getting sick, they caught the last boat out of Poland before the war. Anyway, Grandpa never went back, and he died about five years ago. Ten years ago, my Aunt, Allison (also supremely cool) went to Slovakia and found his village. This is was one of two things on this trip that we had decided in advance to do. This and the running of the bulls.
Anyway, I have no idea how you get anywhere near this villge, but Allison provided me with the name of the town she stayed in, and we are going there. It should be about three quarters of an hour bus ride. I was asking the girl at the desk in the hostel tonight about that, and she was awesome. She told me how to get there, looked up trains to Koice and Humenne, and even a bus from Humenne to Karna. It should be interesting. It will take over eight hours to get to Humenne, where we will spend the night. The next day we will day trip to Karna, and see if we find any relatives. Allison has a friend at work who is Slovakian, and she translated me a little introduction, so I have something to show people (or try to say, I guess). Thanks Al!!
