Two Weekends, Two Countries

View from Devin Castle, Bratislava

I can't believe that I've been here for almost 3 months! I mean, I've technically been in Europe now for three months but school hasn't even reached the three month mark! The second weekend of October I went to Krakow with two other teachers, Katie and Lydia, from school. We rented a car on Friday afternoon and then drove the 5 hours to Poland. We had an Airbnb that was a 5 minute walk from the Old Town of Krakow and it was really fun exploring the city. We went to the Jewish Quarter, saw where parts of Schindler's List were filmed, ate pierogies and pączkis, and spent at least 30 minutes in the main square attempting to get good candid pictures of ourselves. It was great that Katie had been to Krakow already so she knew where most things were and was able to be our unofficial tour guide. Suffice to say, Saturday was a busy day walking around the city because yes, we did walk it all and didn't take the public transportation at all. Sunday was a nice break for Katie and me because it was going to be a chill day. Lydia had signed up to run in a half-marathon in Krakow and while we went to support her and see her, we didn't watch the whole thing. While it was fun though to see her in the race and watch all the other runners go past, it did not inspire me to ever run a half-marathon. We ended up meeting at Schindler's Factory because that was equidistant between where the race ended and where Katie and I ended up. You had to pay to go inside the actual museum, but we were able to go in the entrance area where they have a nice display about Schindler and the part he played in saving the lives of Jews. Then we made the five hour drive back to Vienna and got ready for the next week of school.

The following Saturday, October 20, Katie, Lydia, and I went to Bratislava, Slovakia. This may sound like quite a trip, but with FlixBus it's only one hour from Vienna to Bratislava. These two capitals are actually the two closest capitals in Europe if you don't count Vatican City as a capital. The bus ride is also only five euros so for a day trip, it's feasible. We went and walked around the Old Town before taking a bus and going to Devin Castle. This castle was built in the 11th century and stood tall until Napoleon had it destroyed in the 19th century. What remains is kept restored and is open to tourists who want to come and see this ancient piece of history. It was the perfect day for this trip with great fall weather and beautiful views at the castle. There's not much to do in Bratislava, but it's fun to say that you went to another country for a day :)